《The Beast and the Sage》 1 - The Interview "Do you think we''re soulmates?" she asked, looking him deep in the eyes. She was enjoying the moment, which he was thrilled to see, but it wasn''t helping him at all. He breathed deeply, trying to remain calm and conserve his stamina. He answered honestly, but tried to be a bit kinder and gentler. "I don''t have any reason to believe soulmates are a real thing," then looking into her eyes as intensely she did his, he took another breath. He prepared himself to hold out, just trying to make it through the next thrust. "But when I look at you... I think...sure, why not." "Yeah?" Her eyes brightened, wild. They weren''t quite human anymore. Her smile was wide and somehow too sharp. But he continued, "Yeah... but I can''t hold this shield forever. I swear on my Path, if you don''t take this more seriously and help me kill these spear golems, I WILL choke you later." "Promise?" she flirted with a wink, but she was already off, already changing into something a ''little more comfortable'' for the occasion. It looked kind of bearish to Levi. He smiled despite the situation. She did love to make him sweat, he did love her more than his own life. And life was good. It was hard to believe it had only been six months. ______________ SIX MONTHS EARLIER: He didn''t know how long he floated in emptiness. It felt like a moment and an eternity. Blackness. He was semi aware, but any time he reached for greater awareness, it would slip away, like trying to catch a minnow with your bare hand. It frustrated him. Why could he not focus? He was good at that when things felt dire. But things didn''t really feel dire, did they? They just felt empty. And then those thoughts would slip away, too. ------ "Hello Levi," a soft but authoritative voice said. It sounded grandfatherly, but younger and firmer. Levi was unsure of whether the voice woke him or if he simply awoke the same moment the man spoke. Yet, either way, there was no grogginess or lingering feeling from sleep. "A bit of both and neither. I woke you and spoke as you awoke. But you are also not truly sleeping nor truly awake. To preemptively address your follow-up questions on this, please wait until after more pressing concerns are discussed." The man sat across a desk. Wooden, not great, but real wood. And old. It instantly reminded Levi of the old desks he''d seen in the offices of battalion commanders (and a few lucky company commanders) back in the Marines. They never really stood out unless you were paying attention, but they were real wood, old, and well kept. The man''s hair was cut in a way that would be considered professional but somewhat casual, nothing military about it. It was a dark brown, not quite black, but not a single hair of grey or white. Yet, his tightly groomed beard was peppered with both. He looked so much like Levi''s late father, but not the same person at all. He sat behind the desk, so Levi could only see the shirt the man wore, a casual button-up with a V-neck collar. It was a fern green, covered in burnt orange flowers with golden tips. It had some other abstract designs in various shades of red. Levi recognized the shirt instantly. It had been his favorite shirt in high school. Most people he''d gone to school with had told him the shirt was ugly or asked why he wore it, but Levi had loved it. Everyone else seemed to hate it or not comment at all. And somehow, for the first time in his life, he had worn something with complete confidence based on nothing other than his own love for it. Something told Levi that if he saw the legs beneath the desk, they''d surely be wearing tan cargo pants, and at the feet, he''d find lace-up boots. Not military boots, though very similar... just brown, smooth leather, civilian utility boots. Because that''s what Levi would wear, if he could choose to wear exactly what he actually wanted. As far as the walls, floor and ceiling? Hard wood of varying shades. As uniform and unyielding as cinderblock walls, but somehow subtlety less abrasive. It was also a terrible taste of interior design, in a way Levi felt inexplicably self-inflicted. ''What the fuck...'' Levi thought. And yet all of Levi''s confusion and interest was still overshadowed by the man''s voice and cadence. It had the smooth nature of Morgan Freeman, a bit of the timbre of James Earl Jones, the cadence that reminded him a bit of a therapist. And without reason, it had the familiarity of a close friend. It was something entirely unique yet comforting. But that also put Levi even more on guard. Which made him realize that something was affecting him now, keeping him calm when he may otherwise completely fight what was happening to him. "What are you doing to me?" Levi tried to put anger into his voice and intention when he asked. He reached for the anger as he said the words, but there wasn''t any there. Not really. He wanted there to be anger, but it just fell flat. "Forgive me, but we find it easier to hinder emotional responses during the initiation," answered the man. Then, almost as if in response to Levi''s thoughts, the man continued. "Let me also say I am more of a conceptual construct than a man. I am real in this moment, for you. But, I am not real in the sense that I will persist beyond this interaction, at least not in this form. Everything I am is designed for you, with the purpose of initiating you into your new existence. I am having billions of similar conversations with billions of people with billions of versions of myself, all at the same time." Levi again tried to speak, though he wasn''t even sure what he''d say, just knowing it would probably begin with ''What the fuck.'' But something stopped him. It didn''t feel like anything stopped him though. It was more like the loss of words you experienced the first time you gave a public speech, but without any of the fear that came with that experience. His mouth just couldn''t say the words. "Listen a moment, and then I will restore your ability to ask questions. Also, call me Rick. There is no meaning to it, but I know it will bring you some measure of comfort to have a name for me." The ''man'' paused for a moment and watched Levi. After a moment, he nodded and continued. "Let me start by saying your world is about to change drastically. But rest assured, it will not be any more unsafe than the world you had before. Perhaps, for most, it will be even safer. For those who chase challenge and improvement, perhaps far more dangerous, but only for those who seek it." The man, or not man, or Rick, again paused and eyed Levi. Levi, of course, was a swirl of thoughts. But foremost was, ''What the fuck is going on?'' After a moment, Rick nodded and continued. "Your world is about to change drastically, yes, but so will you all. The world you reawaken in will be similar to that of what you perceive as a video game system. This is due to the current average human mindset and what they will be most receptive with in regard to change. I assure you humanity was thoroughly analyzed to reach a determination on the best way to implement this change. Not only are the vast majority of humans familiar with video games, but the idea of such a change has recently become quite popular in many of the stories you create. For you personally, compare it to the litrpg you read as a guilty pleasure, because while the theme is a bit clich¨¦, the consensus is that it will result in the best possible transition. Perhaps even because it is such an overused theme, this is the best way for your people to adapt to a new existence." Levi almost tried to speak again, and then didn''t bother, thinking it was a waste of time. "No, go on, this is your moment to ask questions," Rick said evenly. Levi opened his mouth, and then closed it again. Pointless questions were a waste of time, assuming he wasn''t in the middle of a psychotic break. Then he thought of what he really wanted to ask. "Why?" Levi demanded. "Why is this happening? It seems entirely random." "Because there is a species of extra-dimensional symbiotes who attach themselves to lower dimensional species to grow and reproduce. They exist on a level you''d best understand as spiritual, perhaps. They created this way of expansion," Rick answered flatly. It was hard for Levi to tell if he was serious, but he chose to address it as if it were. "So basically, powerful spiritual parasites come along to harvest some kind of spiritual energy from us? And they completely change everything about our world and lives in the process. And we''re just supposed to be cool with it?" Rick quickly spoke to refute this, pretty damned urgently, too, it seemed. "Not parasites... symbiotes... you won''t even notice you have one in you. I mean, you can''t tell right now... They need the spiritual energy you produce to survive, grow, and reproduce. They can''t make it themselves. But if they just fed on it, the host would die, and it wouldn''t be sustainable. But they''ve adapted. They change and enrich what they can for the lives of their hosts, empowering them physically, granting abilities, knowledge, and growth. As a result, their hosts grow and produce more spiritual power, and in return, the symbiotes grow stronger and are able to continue feeding the growth of the host. It is entirely mutually beneficial." "Huh," Levi said, "That sounds suspicious as fuck, but also like I don''t have a choice." Levi sighed deeply, "I get it though. But why I am I here right now?" Levi surprised himself with the emotion, frustration, that he actually felt and truly leaked out in his words. And ''Rick'' just smiled. ---- Across Earth, the entity known to Levi as ''Rick'' had billions of similar conversations with other humans. Though similar really could be a relative term. ---- "Yes, exactly like that movie. You get it perfectly! Aren''t you super excited?" ---- "Yeah, kind of like that web novel, but definitely with a whole lot less death at the beginning." ---- "No ma''am, not at all, more like ''guardian angel'' not ''demon.''" ---- "Yeah, sure, I''m sure there will eventually be cat girls." ---- "Uh... pretty sure that''s morally bankrupt no matter what..." ---- "You''re so stupid it is pointless to explain. Good luck." ---- "While you are an absolutely delightful person, please stay in the safe zone." ---- "You''ll be okay whether I explain or not." ---- ''Rick'' had billions of conversations. And for an entity that ceased to exist after all of these conversations ended, damn he was ready for it to end. --- But ''Rick'' still smiled at Levi, "Correct. The most important thing is your assignments. These include classes, skills, etc. And that is why you are here. These are all primarily based on your past experiences. Your skills will mostly be automatically processed and assigned. Some other details may also be automatically assigned, if applicable. But the most important part, your class, is not automatically assigned." "Why? Why isn''t it automatic? That makes more sense if it is just based on our experiences," Levi asked. "Yes, when you see the world only as actions and consequences, or alternatively, as you may see a system designed for an rpg. This isn''t that. Not precisely. Your spirit, soul, whatever you want to call it, matters. What do you think matters more to your spirit, an easy victory that never quite stands out in your mind or a hard fought loss, disaster even, that shaped who you are today? But more importantly, no one, at least not solely, can tell you who you are and who you want to become. Though, please note that the reputation you have, or what others think and believe, can have a deep impact on the final result." Something about the way Rick spoke to Levi made Levi feel like trusting him, like maybe this person/thing really did have his best interests at heart. Levi did not like that. It seemed artificial. "Why would the opinions and beliefs of others affect you as an individual? And how does that even work?" Levi''s brows furrowed. "It all goes back to the spiritual nature of the symbiotes and how interconnected they are. If you can base your understanding on that moving forward, things will likely begin to feel more intuitive. As for how it works. Well, let''s say you really, really want to be a hero... if you are a firefighter or cop or anything former military with any real base, your desire is strengthened by anyone who thought you were a hero for being those things. If your actual experience was being a hero, you could get a really great class. On the other hand, even if you want to be a hero, but people have always seen you as a coward, criminal, or villain.. you will definitely have a much weaker class." Rick sighed. "A villain would be better off getting a higher rank villain class immediately and trying to become a hero over time, rather than trying to trick the evaluation in the beginning. Yet, even now, millions try to trick the evaluation. Don''t misunderstand. A strong desire can be a powerful factor in the assessment, but not when it is so fundamentally opposed to the realities of your past experiences." Levi thought for a moment, then spoke. "And how do we do the evaluation?" Rick smiled again, "I thought you''d never ask. Think of this as a job interview, where you''re guaranteed a position, but you''re trying to get the very best one possible by selling your best qualifications for that job. Even how you articulate that is significant. Though I''m not allowed to go into details about that. A bit too meta to be free knowledge. You have five times to tell me something you want to become. Each time, you will present your qualifications, experience, or reasons and desires, as justification. Let''s call each of these a petition. So you make five petitions. Each time, classes will be unlocked. The end result will be classes where all of your desires and qualifications overlap. At that point, you may choose to pick from the options, or you can simply allow me to assign the one I deem best." Rick grew quiet, letting his explanation sink in. "I see," Levi answered simply. For a moment, he didn''t move, just frozen. ''Fuck me, I hate job interviews. I always seem to do amazing until the very end.'' "Again, why not just assign them? You can clearly read my thoughts, so why the interview?" Rick answered without hesitation. "Because, reading your thoughts is not omniscience. Because your choices matter, and those cannot be made for you. What you want to do is, in ways, more important than your past. No one can tell you who you want to be." "Let me just think for a minute," Levi answered. Rick simply nodded, giving Levi a smaller but gentler smile. ------ "That''s all there is to it?" Paige asked. The man across from her was elderly. Not in the sad way where he''d started losing faculties or had trouble getting around, just just an old man. He was dressed in a way that reminded her of a teacher, simple slacks and a tucked in polo. He sat on a simple stool in front of her, with a cane leaned against his thigh. His shoes looked like they''d seen at least half the things he had. And he''d asked her to call him Mr. Stowe. He was cute, in the ways she thought old men were. He was someone she''d always smile and wave at, and let him talk even if he repeated himself ten times, and give a quick hug before going about her business. He''d been kind and gentle through his explanation, which she admittedly hadn''t understood entirely. But she felt she''d picked up most of it, definitely the important parts, and didn''t care enough about the rest of it to ask him to explain more. Now, he only gave her a gentle nod. "It seems easy," she said. "Shall we get started then?" He asked gently. "Just begin when you are ready." Turns out it wasn''t as easy as she''d thought. She''d opened her mouth to say something, and her mind just blanked. She scrambled for a moment to think of anything. What did she want to be? What did she like? What was she interested in? "Well... I like animals, so maybe..." she trailed off, regretting what she''d said. It was true that she loved animals, but she really wasn''t good at training them and hadn''t always been proud of how well she''d taken care of them. She felt guilty about that. She didn''t want to end up with some tamer or trainer class, end up messing it up or being bad at it, and feel like crap about that all the time. Normally, those ideas would seem fun, but not when it felt like you were choosing your entire future. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Mr. Stowe simply raised a hand with a gentle smile. "That''s quite enough, dear. Very well thought. I understand entirely. Let''s move on. Just relax and say the first thing that comes to mind." Paige wasn''t sure why, because it wasn''t in frustration, but she blurted out exactly what she was really thinking, "I... I don''t know what I want. I don''t know what I''m interested in. I don''t know a fucking thing, and that pisses me off because everyone else seems to. I mean, I''m eighteen, how the fuck am I supposed to know? How the fuck does everyone else seem to?" Paige paused for a breath, realizing her voice had steadily rose as she spoke. Calmer, she said, "So I guess that''s what I want. I want to know what I want, or at least know how to figure it the fuck out." Mr. Stowe smiled widely. "Very well spoken." After a moment, he gave her a nod for her to continue. "I want to feel loved, but I don''t feel like earning it all the fucking time. My parents, most of my family really... it always seems like I''m earning their love. And when I don''t do what they want me to do, they withhold it. No, not to feel loved... that''s not it.... I want this feeling of having to be worthy of love to go the fuck away. That''s what I want. It sucks." Mr. Stowe''s smile was sadder. "I know, dear." This time, he didn''t have to urge her on. It was like a weight had lifted off her shoulders. "And I want to be a badass. I don''t even really care how. But if I''m starting in this new world, I wanna be able to fuck shit up. I was in Taekwondo... I was pretty fucking good at it and wish I could have kept doing it. Maybe do something with that." She was grinning wildly, now. Without her grin leaving her, tears started streaming down her face. She gave a small, relieved laugh, then kept talking. "You know, I was supposed to the first one in my family to go to college. It was a month away. And yeah, I''m kind of sad about it... but mostly I''m just so fucking relieved. I never wanted to go. I fucking hate school. It was never my dream." Silence fell over the room for a few moments. Paige sat there staring at the ceiling, feeling emotions she couldn''t quite place. Mostly better. Just better. Clearing his throat, Mr. Stowe interrupted the silence. "Your assessment is complete." He paused for a moment, looking conflicted. "It''s just... you are able to choose any class you qualify for, but... um... If you would allow me to do the kindness and privilege of assigning your class personally. Well... it could be the last decision you ever let anyone make for you...if...if that''s what you wanted." Paige met his eye. He seemed more worried about this than she was. She shrugged. "Sure. You know more about all of this than I do." He smiled with joy. Then a screen popped into her vision, or her mind... both. It was transparent, but the words were also in her mind, so she didn''t struggle to read them at all. Notifications began ringing out. Ding. Beastfriend unlocked. Ding. Quality ''Fearless'' unlocked. Ding. Quality ''Wild'' unlocked. Ding. Quality ''Free'' unlocked. Ding. Qualities ''Fearless,'' ''Wild,'' and ''Free'' have consolidated. Quality ''Untamable'' unlocked. Ding. Class: Untamable Beastfriend selected. Ding. Skill acquired: Beastspeak Ding. Ability acquired: Share Traits (Beasts) At first, Paige was worried about the Beastfriend class, given her earlier reservations about animal related classes. But as she read the description, she couldn''t help but smile. ---- Untamable Beastfriend While many classes dealing with animals seek to shape or control animals, the Beastfriend is a different beast altogether. Beastfriends seek only to shape and control themselves through the mutual understanding and respect shared between the Beastfriend and the animals they interact with. Over time, the Beastfriend will develop more and more animalistic traits. While Beastfriends are often known to travel with animal companions, these animal companions keep their own agency and will. Other times, the Beastfriend may keep loose friendships with beasts in the forest, infrequently interacting. But for every friendship, both the Beastfriend and beast benefit, sharing traits, stats, and skills. As an ''Untamable'' Beastfriend, you are even more prone to the wilds, finding civilization stifling. You are almost entirely unable to submit yourself to authority, and will suffer consequences to working under the command of others. You are nearly impossible to manipulate, control, or influence. +1% experience to next level gained for each day spent in the wild. +90% resistance to mental effects. +50% to all stats when allied with beasts -50% to all stats when affected by leadership buffs. -5% stacking stat loss per consecutive days spent in civilization or safe zones. Debuff maxes out at a - 25% stat penalty. Unable to gain experience while in civilization or safe zones. ------ Paige grinned like a lunatic at the page. Stats and skills were listed below, but she had no way of actually comparing the numbers to anything, and she would wait on the skills. She did feel stronger, though, especially her legs. She stood from her own stool, squatted, and jumped. She was surprised to only get three feet high, but it wasn''t that disappointing. It wasn''t really superhuman strength, but a lot higher than she''d been able to jump before... and as a starting point...yeah, it was kind of amazing. Looking up at Mr. Stowe, all she could manage was a strained, emotional squeak, "Thank you." "It was my pleasure, dear." He meant that, too. He''d found himself sympathetic to the girl and thought her personality was one he quite liked... even though she had cursed worse than most of the construction workers he was currently interviewing. He even found her unorthodox approach of absolutely ignoring how the assessment was supposed to be done as charming. He''d even pushed it a little by handing out the ''Fearless'' Quality, but she had needed it for the upgrade, and he easily justified it by acknowledging just how much courage it took to let yourself be that emotionally raw. ''Fearless,'' indeed. "What happens now?" Paige asked. "I transport you to your starting safezone... and speaking of that... I uh... well, we usually do our very best to keep families together. Especially children with parents. Unfortunately...and I''m sorry for this... but... because you are of a mature age, your situation wasn''t as high of a priority. So I placed you in the closest safe zone to theirs. It is a mere month of travel on foot from them, and I can mark it on your map." Mr. Stowe was pushing the truth a bit here. He''d placed her there deliberately. He couldn''t have controlling parents ruining her budding path. Paige frowned, but after a moment, she seemed to shake it off. "It isn''t that far away. I''ll miss them, but I''ll be glad for the break, honestly. I doubt I''ll even try to get to them all that soon. Maybe I''ll start missing them too much, but for now..." "I understand. Well, I will send you off then." With no warning or ceremony at all, Paige''s mind faded to black. Yet, Mr. Stowe remained for a moment... just wishing he''d been able to give even a breath''s more guidance... Something tickled his face, and he reached and brushed it off. It was wet. Tears. Strange. He wasn''t even human. Then Mr. Stowe smiled sadly. He''d cease to be soon, at least as he was, but wasn''t it wonderful to experience this? Wasn''t it exciting to see what the future held for the next generation? ------ Levi was far more frustrating for the entity than his interaction with Paige. It wasn''t the worst, by far, but Levi sure did like to metagame and find exploits. And he was frighteningly good at it. Rick sat in mild annoyance as Levi asked another question most hadn''t even thought to consider. "Can I see everything I''ve unlocked as they are unlocked, instead of at the end?" Levi had deliberately waited for this question. He had felt like this could be some hidden feature of the system, and if requested, it would automatically be allowed. But if Levi had asked right away, Rick may have withheld more of the information on the other questions to prevent exactly what was going on, metagaming. Or at least a daring attempt at it. "Yes," Rick spoke through gritted teeth. "Now, are you finished asking ques-" "Will you please ensure that feature is on, so I can see what I unlock as they are unlocked," Levi interrupted. "Absolutely..." Rick grumbled. Rick had never played D&D. He''d certainly never been a Dungeon Master for D&D, but he did have extensive knowledge of the game... of all games, actually. And he was certain, without any doubt whatsoever, Levi was the type of player that made DMs throw things other than dice. A screen with notifications popped into Levi''s view. ''Neat,'' Levi thought. Ding. Six basic classes unlocked. With a thought, Levi realized he could see those classes if he wanted. It must be starting classes for people who didn''t do well in the interview. A quick glance confirmed this. He only read as far fighter, archer, and sneak before closing the window. Ding. Quality ''Annoying'' unlocked. Ding. Class ''Punk'' unlocked. "Wait, what..." Levi looked up to see Rick''s smirk. "Ha. Ha. You''re hilarious." But Levi''s eyes went back to the ''Quality'' notification. "You never mentioned anything about qualities. What are those?" Rick slapped his own forehead... hard. It looked like he had meant to just facepalm but decided he deserved real violence about halfway through. Levi immediately understood why, though. Rick had given out more information than he had intended. Rick was indeed angry with himself. It wasn''t just that he''d slipped up, but more that it was all his fault. He''d just wanted to get in a playful dig, but casually gave out information he was not supposed to share. "Rick... please tell me what a ''Quality'' is," Levi pressed. Rick sighed and shook his head. "Can''t. It is supposed to be a hidden feature until after the initial assessment is concluded." Suddenly Rick, Mr. Stowe, or rather the entity that was both, gave a smile that betrayed his weariness. He thought of a girl named Paige, who he''d helped just a bit, just a teensie nudge, and he suddenly felt a bit fearless himself. Rick met Levi''s eye, "Truthfully, I''d like to explain. I can''t. But from what you now know, and all your meta bullshit, I''m pretty sure you can figure it out. But listen, wording is critical. You asked that other question before, the one about excluding certain parts of experiences... and I answered no. But, you''re presenting an argument with each petition. Justification. True down to the word." Rick breathed deeply. "You are going to owe me for what I''m about to tell you. Promise me you''ll do me a... favor. One small favor." Levi narrowed his eyes. "Okay... what favor." Rick pulled out a coin and tossed it over with a flip. "This is for Paige. Tell her that Mr. Stowe said to use it when she feels she needs him the most." Rick stared seriously. "I''ll make sure you end up in the same starting area. Just swear you''ll get it to her. And there''s no point in keeping it, because it won''t do anything for you..." Rick paused for a moment and then amended his statement, "...not that you would keep it, you''re not that kind of person. But you''d definitely accidentally forget about it entirely." Levi looked at the coin in his hand, "Paige, huh. Must be really special if this favor is for her. What is this thing, anyway? And why didn''t this Stowe, which is essentially just you in a different outfit, give it to her before." "Won''t tell you what it is. And it isn''t entirely unique or anything, I just have limited ability to grant them. Very limited. And the reason I''m giving it to you to give to her is because she technically didn''t meet the requirements to permit me to do so. While you technically do. I''m kind of cheating, here." "And you aren''t giving me this one? That''s hurtful. I get it, though... you have to keep things fair and balanced. I''d probably be way too OP if you gave me one, huh." "Yep. Thank you for reminding me why I don''t actually like you," Rick replied dryly, but he had a hard time hiding a small smile beneath his mask of annoyance. He knew Levi didn''t actually mean it either, and the cocksure comment was entirely humor. The truth was Levi was a worrier and second guessed himself a lot. Which is why Rick was still stuck here in the damned interview when most others had already concluded. "This is my final advice. And I mean that. No more questions and no more answers. Think about it like a lawyer, or the fae in fantasy and lore. You can use whatever wording you want, and the system must accept it... ...if you''re clever enough, you can talk your way into just about anything. You get me? However, even if you unlock powerful classes, if you choose one that doesn''t fit, you will actually be hurting your path in the long run." Rick gave Levi a pointed look. Levi nodded. "Thank you. If that''s all you can really share, I guess I''m done asking questions. But I need a little time to think." Levi''s mind spun. He understood what Rick meant, yet the possible outcomes swirled in his mind. It was hard to just come up with a simple plan. The entity known as Rick was fine with turning his attention to a few other lagging interviews. Some were even far more annoying than Levi could be. After over an hour, Levi was ready. ------ "First, I want a class that has great combat potential. As for what makes me qualified, I submit only the fact that I was a U.S. Marine and world wide reputation, rumors, and myths about U.S. Marines." Rick nodded. "When the myth is bigger than the man... smart." He had understood what Levi was thinking perfectly. Had the system actually evaluated his personal experiences as a Marine, most were kind of mundane. Sure, he''d done and seen a lot, but nothing that could come close to comparing to the legend that the U.S. Marines were to many people across the world. And while he was sure that plenty of people saw the Marines in a more realistic light, leaving it to public opinion would still lead to the better results. His notifications went wild. Over two dozen classes were unlocked. All combat related. Most were pretty basic, but Marauder, Raider, and Legionnaire all seemed like advanced classes. He''d hoped for something a little better, but overall public opinion couldn''t be too unrealistic, he supposed. What was more astonishing were the number of Qualities unlocked. He guessed at least fifty without counting. Most were about what you''d expect. Hell, the entire "JJ DID TIE BUCKLE" was represented, and he definitely saw ''Honorable,'' ''Courageous,'' and ''Committed.'' But not all of them were good Qualities. He saw Murderous, Bloodthirsty, Battle-weary, and one that actually made him chuckle, ''Womanizing''. Levi moved onto his second petition. He''d thought about it a lot. And between Rick''s reference to the fae and the importance ''articulation'' had on petitions, Levi had the idea that maybe a bit of tasteful, poetic embellishment and grandeur may provide something significant. "I want to be an explorer and adventurer. And I''ve more than shown it suits me. I have put boots on four continents. I have swam in three oceans, and sailed in even more seas. I have watched the sun set on sixteen different nations. I have broken my fast in forty-seven of the fifty states of my home nation. Four times, I''ve seen two continents within the same moment, on a single breath... for I passed the Pillar of Heracles from the west and kept vigil there and across the path that Moses lead his people out of Egypt. I have been banqueted by a prince of a foreign land, of another language and religion, because I trained men of his army. I drank until I couldn''t walk with Legionnaires collected from across the world. I have been hosted by more than one foreign family, for moments, for a night, for days. I wooed a woman who couldn''t pronounce my name, and I suffered the consequences of that stupidity. I''ve been stranded for a month in a foreign land when I could not even understand the language. And I thrived. I''ve crossed mountains and deserts. I''ve taken walks through plains and taken boats through swamps. If I''m measuring the miles I''ve traveled in the thousands, I''ve still lost track. I''ve walked the streets I was told were too dangerous, with my chin held high. I''ve spoken with people I was told were too different, and I never had to lie. And after all that I''ve cherished and all that I''ve suffered, I still haven''t had enough." Rick''s laugh carried on a moment after Levi finished. "WOW. You laid it on thick. You truly do know how to twist a boring truth into something eyecatching. I guess a couple years in political journalism and a hobby in poetry is a monstrous mix in the right circumstances..." He then began a slow clap, "To be 100% true and yet 100% bullshit at the very same time, while churching it up to sound that pretty. Points for that alone. Over 6 billion interviews, and this is truly top tier... and do you have any idea how many narcissists I''ve dealt with tod..." Rick paused as he saw Levi''s glower. "Hey, don''t be sour. I meant it genuinely. You nailed it. What''s that thing the younger kids say these days, you ''understood the ass...'' ...OH fuck me. That makes it worse. I just watched the music video in my head. Levi, if you''ve never seen that one, be glad we have already scrubbed it from your world. But, honestly, I wasn''t being sarcastic, you did actually nail that petition." Levi relaxed a bit. Though, Levi did catch the bit about the music video being scrubbed from the world. He didn''t think Rick had the authority to do that on his own, no matter how much Rick hated the song. He suspected it meant almost all media was wiped from Earth. Which was sad. He''d miss a lot of music. Levi shook it off. He had a plan. As far as his notifications were concerned, it was working. He''d unlocked at least twice as many classes, though fewer qualities. He didn''t read the notifications but saw a few as they dinged in front of him and his mind. Conqueror and Aspiring Emperor seemed powerful, but also like giant targets on his back. But what he did see was that about half of the new classes were a mix between the two petitions. That kind of verified his theory. So, rather than worry about the notifications and continue scanning them, he chose to move to his next petition. "I want a class capable of using magic and other intelligence based mechanics. I''ve always had an intelligence of a higher percentile than my peers and often pursued interests that reflected that." Short and simple. Entirely true. Again, the notifications rolled in. "I don''t want a class dependent on social constructs. I don''t mind the occasional skill or mechanic with social roots, but I want a class that can thrive while entirely ignoring social expectations." Again, simple, but more what Levi did not want than what he did, in this case. After the the first two, the third and forth had been simple and easy. He''d thought about doing or saying more, but felt it may actually undo what he was intending. He only needed to meet basic requirements with those. But this next one had his heart in his throat. Levi took a deep breath. He''d planned this speech. This was perhaps the most important petition. It tied everything together. Every time he''d rehearsed it in his mind, it was slightly different, but he pulled it together. He was pretty sure he had it down now. "I want to be capable of being great at anything I work hard enough at. I want to be able to pick up any skill or spell or craft, even if I have to work incredibly hard for it. I don''t want to be limited by a class that determines there is something I am not capable of doing or being..." Levi started really getting into it. He felt the words he was saying. He meant them. He leaned into that. He went off script. "I don''t have to be the best at anything, and certainly not everything. But I want to be good at anything I put my mind to. My whole life, I''ve picked up tons of hobbies and interests, and some I pursued endlessly and others were a fling. I''ve learned about things for no other reason than the pleasure of learning. I''ve failed a dozen times only to have one success, and then moved on. This is what brings me joy. And I used to hate myself for not having a one track mind, but now I find pleasure in who I am. I can always revisit forgotten hobbies or skills and improve. And those always grow with me. They may be forgotten for a while, but they are never lost. But I can''t be constricted to only learn what some system or class defines me as. I am someone who chases experiences and knowledge and developing new skills. I want to be able to experience it all... so... I refuse any class that isn''t that, because it isn''t who I am." At first, Levi felt great. He usually didn''t let loose like that... then his stomach dropped. That was not what he''d planned to say. His horror only grew as the notifications rolled in. Six Basic Classes have been revoked. Quality ''Annoying'' has been revoked. Class ''Punk'' has been revoked. But those were just the first three of... everything. Levi watched in horror as every class and quality he had unlocked was revoked, one by one. Ding. Revoked. Ding. Revoked. Ding. Revoked. Ding. Revoked. Ding. Revoked. Ding. Revoked. Ding. Revoked. Ding. Revoked. Ding. Revoked. Ding. Revoked. The notifications went on and on. Levi let out a combination of a whine and a sigh. "Well... I fucked that up. Fuck, I hate interviews. I always fuck it up right at the end." And Rick just laughed and laughed. 2 - Maidenless Paige had been the second person to enter the safezone. She was glad she hadn''t been the first because it probably would have freaked her out. Upon entry, she was greeted with a system notification. It made her jump because she hadn''t expected it. She''d have to get used to that. _______ PRIORITY MESSAGE You have arrived at your safe zone. Once everyone has assembled, there will be an important announcement made to everyone in your safezone. We ask that you remain inside the safezone until all arrivals are present. This is for your benefit and for the benefit of your safezone community as a whole. While we do not prevent anyone from exiting the safezone, should they choose, we do encourage you to remain inside the safezone for the benefit of all. Should you seek to explore, we recommend you explore the safezone. There are many facilities and amenities provided to enrich your future in the new existence. We encourage you to explore and take advantage of as many of them as possible. Current safezone arrivals 2/150 ______ The safezone itself seemed to be placed in the middle of the forest. She could see the treeline around the perimeter. It looked like she''d arrived at the center, at least as far as she could tell. She hadn''t really known what she expected the safezone to be like, but it was still not anything like she expected. It looked like a summer camp. Not just any summer camp, but like a 90s movie summer camp. She couldn''t really see everything, but what she could see looked like crafts stations, small cabins, a cafeteria, an outside dining area with picnic tables, an unlit firepit with log stools, complete with an old lady... ''Wait... is that an old lady smoking a joint by the firepit?'' "Oh... hi." Paige waived and smiled. As much as she found old men cute, she didn''t usually get along well with old women. The lady jumped. "Holy hell, child. Wear a bell or something. I don''t wear diapers yet, but you almost made me regret it." Paige just stared at her, frozen. She didn''t apologize. She didn''t feel like she really had any reason to. The old lady relaxed and sighed. "Have a seat. Looks like we may have a long wait. Who would have thought I''d ever be the fastest at my age." She laughed, and it turned into a cough that tapered off over a few seconds. "I''m Grace, by the way. Don''t call me any grandma bullshit, either. Not Nana, not GG, not any of that. Call me Grace." Grace stuck out her hand. Paige took it. "I''m Paige. Nice to meet you." She didn''t smile, though. Grace took a long look at her, gave Paige''s hand one firm shake, nodded, then said, "Me and you are gonna get along just fine." She stuck her other hand out. It took Paige a second to realize she was passing the joint. "You know, given everything going on, I should definitely probably stay sober..." Paige said as she reached for the joint. "So, THANK YOU." Grace gave a small chuckle, then said, "Crazy shit, huh." After waiting a moment to exhale, Paige answered, " I guess... I mean, my grandma has been promising the rapture was coming ''any day now'' my whole life, been told people were handing out drugs in candy wrappers on Halloween, Covid came and went, and it sucked pretty bad but it wasn''t the apocalypse... and nothing ever changed. Nothing. And no one ever seemed to want it to, either." Paige took another hit and then passed the joint back. Grace took it without a word, letting Paige finish her entire thought. After Paige exhaled, she coughed for a bit. When she was done, she finished what she''d been saying to Grace. "I guess I can see how other people might see the world as turning upside down... but to me, this is the first damned time the world has ever lived up to the hype." "Well, when you put it that way, I wish I had 50 more years to live," Grace said. "So what class did you get?" Paige asked to keep the conversation going. "I''m going to be a drug dealer, dear. I might sell some booze, too... we''ll see." Paige stared open-mouthed. She wondered if Grace was a bit senile. "So... your class is Drug Dealer?" Grace answered quickly and quite coherently. "No, I''m an Alchemist. But I was assured by Bobby that it was close enough. So that''s what I went with." Paige laughed, then stopped herself because she felt it was rude. "I''m sorry," Paige said. "I''m not trying to be an asshole here, but why would you want to be a drug dealer in the first place... especially at your age?" To her surprise, Grace drew herself up proudly and smiled. "There are three luxuries in high demand no matter how shitty or how great the world is: a good piece of ass, good food, and something to take the edge off." Grace paused to let the words sink in before continuing, "Well, I''m too damn ugly and old to be worth screwing, and I''m damned sure not going to be stuck in a kitchen all day even if I am a good cook. So I figured I''d do the Christian thing and make myself useful." Paige didn''t bother holding back her laughter this time. "You''re awesome. I wish my grandma was as cool as you are. I mean, my abuela is cool, but I don''t get to see her much. But my grandma is just a lot to deal with." "Ah, don''t think about it like that. I promise I''d be acting a lot different with you, too, if you were my own granddaughter. Thank God I don''t have any." At some point, Grace had put the joint out and was now lighting a cigarette. "Yeah well, she tried to hook up with my dad right after him and my mom got married, but has spent the last three years telling me I need to wait until I get married with every boy I have dated." "I stand corrected." Grace took a long drag of her cigarette. "Not judging either way, but..." Paige got what she was hinting at. "I may not be a ho, but I ain''t no saint, either. How''d you get weed and cigarettes here, anyway? All I have are the clothes that I''m wearing." "I just asked if I could bring them. But I''m kind of shit out of luck when I run out. I better get on that alchemist thing and learn to make something to calm the nerves. Speaking of classes, what class did you..." Grace was cut off by someone calling out. "Heyo!" Looking towards the sound, Paige was surprised when she saw two people rather than one walking toward them. One was a tall guy, probably a few years older than Paige was, wearing one of those name brand shirts with the overly masculine names. He had shaggy hair sticking out from under a hat that repped the nearby college football team. He looked like a stereotypical fratboy. Paige wasn''t going to assume anything based on that, but she really didn''t see herself enjoying his company. The other person was a girl with bottle-blonde hair. It looked like she must have had an amazing beautician because if Paige had bleached her hair that harshly, her hair would just look like fiberglass insulation with curls. Paige already hated her. "Hey. I''m David, and this is Maddy," the guy said as they got close. "Grace," was the only answer the old lady gave. "Paige, and it is nice to meet you, but I was just about to go look around and see what my skill and my ability do. Plus, I haven''t really gone over the stats." Paige turned and started walking to what looked like an archery range about fifty meters away. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Well that''s rude. Don''t just leave. We just walked up," David called out. Under his breath he muttered ''bitch.'' Paige barely heard it, but she did hear it. Something inside Paige took over, and she whirled around in a snap and was in David''s face in a second. "Yeah, I am walking away. Because I already don''t like you and was being nice. But let me tell you something, you don''t tell me what I do and don''t do." David looked alarmed, if not afraid. Something inside of her wanted him to pick a fight. He didn''t. "I-I''m sorry I didn''t mean anything by it," was his only reply. She turned and walked away again. She got about ten steps before she realized she''d been an asshole. She didn''t actually know either of them and had made judgments already. She had been a little rude, and then had been kind of a bully. She''d even wanted him to push back. She felt bad about it. Was she about to apologize? Fuck no, she still didn''t like either of them and trusted her gut on that. Plus, she had been nice with the wording, even if it had been a little rude. But, ''What was that?'' she thought. ________ Ding. Revoked. Ding. Revoked. Ding. Revoked. Ding. Revoked. Ding. Revoked. As the final revocations rolled in, Levi was pondering just how utterly screwed he was, but to his surprise, he received one last notification. Ding. Unique Class ''The Insatiable Sage'' Assigned. ''Hell yes! A unique class is huge.'' Levi cheered like he''d just won the lottery, right until he read the class description. ____ The Insatiable Sage This is a Unique Class and can only be held by one individual at a time. You have made it clear that you will not walk any path except yours alone. You are The Insatiable Sage. You are unable to evolve or change your Class. You are locked out of the Profession mechanic. This Class does not offer any Spells, Skills, or Abilities to select upon level-up. This class does not provide Spell, Skill, or Ability points. Spell, Skill, and Ability Point Mechanic removed. Spell, Skill, and Ability Tomes no longer function as intended, but the Tomes may still be studied to obtain desired Spells, Skills, and Abilities. Studying Tomes will not consume them. Tome mechanic removed. Due to your Insatiable nature, you are not restricted from learning any Spell, Skill, or Ability, regardless of standard Level, Class, and Profession restrictions. You may obtain or upgrade any Spell, Skill, or Ability through experimentation, training, study, and usage. _____ So far, it wasn''t that great, but it wasn''t that bad, either. Levi was concerned about being unable to automatically learn things that would help him in combat. He felt like that was going to set him back a lot in the beginning. On the other hand, not having restrictions could be a huge advantage in the long run. Restrictions existed for a reason, and without them, there was no balance. A person could make an entirely OP build. Levi didn''t think an OP build would be possible in his situation, due to his need to actually learn everything the hard way. But, if he focused on upgrading the right combination, and learned a well-balanced collection of utility based options, Levi felt like he could easily make this class something strong. He continued reading. _____ Due to your Insatiable nature, you are compelled to learn new things, have enriching experiences, and explore the world. Perpetual debuff applied ''Parched Soul of the Sage.'' This is a Unique variation of the Parched Soul Debuff. This debuff cannot be removed. Parched Soul - You lose a stacking 2.5% to Stamina and Mana regeneration every hour. When Stamina and Mana regeneration reach 0%, Stamina may only be restored by consumables or other people, and Mana may not be regenerated at all. Learning or upgrading a Spell, Skill, or Ability resets Parched Soul and pauses the debuff for 12 hours. Leveling your Class resets Parched Soul and pauses the debuff for 24 hours. An Enriching Experience resets Parched Soul and pauses the debuff for 36 hours. Witnessing a Wonder resets Parched Soul and pauses the debuff for 72 hours. Discovering Hidden stats, mechanics, or information resets Parched Soul and pauses the debuff for 120 hours. _______ Setting aside the implications of Hidden stats, mechanics, and information for the moment... He''d spend every waking moment either suffering from or trying to reset the debuff. That was no way to spend your life. "This is bullshit, Rick. This debuff is pure insanity. I mean, it shouldn''t be too hard in the beginning, because I''ll be low level, but what about later?" Rick chuckled, "Well, you have access to everything. I''m sure you''ll figure it out." Levi sighed. "You''re right. I mean, realistically, I can just save all the basic skills like sewing and fishing and stuff to use when I''m in a pinch. It would probably only take five minutes of focus and I could reset the debuff. I''ll just save all the easy skills I can and learn them sparingly as needed." He then continued to read. ________ Permanent status Proficiency of the Sage applied. Proficiency of the Sage is a staple of all Sage classes. All basic Profession Skills are unlocked and may be purchased with Skill points. Due to the Spell, Skills, and Ability Point Mechanic being disabled, we have adjusted the effect of Proficiency of the Sage for your class. All basic Profession Skills obtained. __________ Levi almost threw his chair at Rick, who was laughing hysterically at this point. "Are you doing this shit on purpose, you fucking asshole?" Rick forced himself to calm, but he was still smiling. "I''m not actually doing anything. I can affect certain things, sure. Give a push or a nudge to the system to help someone achieve a result I feel would be better suited. I mean, there''s a bit more to it than that, but... the system is a creation. It will persist after I''m gone. I''m more like the accountant that files your taxes rather than the IRS in this situation. And apparently, the system doesn''t like being shoehorned, because I have absolutely zero control. Any influence I had is gone. You got your ass audited, buddy." "Fuck me." Levi leaned back and closed his eyes. He held back tears, which wasn''t the manliest thing in the world, but... he was so fucked. Of course Levi hadn''t got some super awesome class. The unique thing was admittedly cool, but in this case, it felt like he''d tempted fate too much and gotten himself cursed for life. It was almost impossible. If he couldn''t turn the class into something incredible by figuring out a way to exploit it, he may as well just live out the rest of his life in a safezone playing ''NPC.'' Levi kind of laughed to himself. The truth was there''s no way he was awesome enough to get a unique class. That was an impossibly high bar. Levi could only think of one person who came close. There was a guy Levi had served with in the Marines who was that awesome. His parents had dragged him around the world on missionary trips his entire life. He''d been an outstanding Marine and an all-around good guy. Then he''d gotten forced out due to a serious injury that hadn''t been his fault and wasn''t even service related. The guy had started drinking and lost himself for a while, but then turned his life around. He became a devoted Christian, the kind that really lived it, which helped him move forward. Levi hoped this whole experience hadn''t shaken that faith for him. After that, the guy spent almost all his time in war-torn nations, areas hit by natural disasters, and anywhere he could place himself to do relief work and help people. Hell, he''d been on the national news multiple times for it. Yep, if anyone deserved a super badass unique class, it was good old Lee. Levi missed Lee. He hoped he was doing alright with all of this. But Levi? He''d done nothing worth really bragging about since he''d gotten out. It wasn''t like he was a screw-up... but he''d just drifted. He never even tried to leave a mark on the world. He dreamed about doing stuff. Then he never did. Levi was never afraid of seeing the world, but he''d kind of always been afraid of the world seeing him. ''Fuck this, you''ve wallowed long enough, now get your shit together, Levi,'' he thought to himself and sat up. He looked back at Rick, who''d been staring, far more solemn. Levi suddenly grinned. "Well, Hidetaka Miyazaki isn''t my favorite game designer for no reason. I would bet my maidenless ass I can figure this out." Levi continued looking through his character sheets. His class description hadn''t really had much more information other than a rather lengthy list of specific ways his class gained experience points. Most of it were very small modifiers, with only a few things of note. One thing was that he was unable to gain experience in safezones. Another was that he gained experience when he learned new spells, skills, and abilities. Individually, neither were a big deal, but considering them both, it meant he needed to learn everything outside a safezone to get the most out of it. His class also provided +150% experience for exploration. That was a lot, but with his time taken up learning stuff to reset Parched Soul, there was a good chance the experience increase wouldn''t be as beneficial as it seemed. Not unless he was able to learn something on the move. And he would gain experience from ''Enriching Experiences'' and ''Witnessing a Wonder,'' but there weren''t any values provided with this, and he wasn''t clear at all about how the system made those determinations. After that, Levi tried to work out a plan in his mind about what would be the best start. He didn''t have much, but there were two things he knew he would need immediately, and the rest of his plan hinged on that. Unfortunately, neither ''Identify'' nor ''Mana Sense'' were considered basic skills. He''d scoured the list for anything similar, but that was a bust, too. Rick had told Levi he could stay until the last interview was concluded, but that he would be kicked without warning at that time. It didn''t come to that, though. Standing, Levi stuck out his hand. "You''ve been really solid, Rick. I do appreciate it, and it really has been nice meeting you." Rick stood and took his hand, "You''ve been entertaining and enlightening, even if a little insufferable at times." Rick suddenly smiled in a way Levi hadn''t seen before. It was kind of sad, but something else too. "You''ve given me a lot of hope about the future. Thank you for that." Rick released Levi''s hand, and looked Levi over one more time. "And remember to give that coin to Paige... and uh, tell her Mr. Stowe says you''re the decent sort. She may have trouble finding people she trusts easily at first." Levi had no idea what that meant, but before he could ask, his mind faded to black. ___________ Levi really shouldn''t have worried a single moment for Lee. He had finished the interview far faster than Levi. And had crushed it. In the final moments of his interview, Forrest W. Lee had stood in front a Navy Chaplain in Marine Corps camouflage. Lee beamed down at his notification. He had never worried. His faith had never wavered. The system never stood a chance. Unique Class ''The Christian Paladin'' assigned. ______ In a quiet place, in dimensions higher than the human mind usually ever reaches, in the frontier of the soul, the Entity spoke softly. I DID WELL. THEY WILL BE IN GOOD HANDS. And with that final proud declaration, the Entity shattered into billions of pieces and was no more. And the piece that had been Rick went to Levi. And the piece that had been Mr. Stowe went to Paige. And they all went to their places, some already glowing brighter than others. 3 - Paige vs Levi - Score 1/1
could see of it, it didn''t look super modern, but it didn''t look like anything from a fantasy setting either. SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT The final person has arrived in the safezone. 150/150 Your safety and well-being are a priority. To ensure you all experience a comfortable transition, we have made the following accommodations: For one month, simple rations will be available in an unlimited supply in the canteen provided at the safezone. After the first month, simple rations will be available at the canteen at a small experience cost for five additional months. In addition, each of you have been granted a small storage pack, and a welcome package has been placed in your inventory. It provides a number of items you will need, including potions and suitable equipment for your new classes. A library is available for everyone. It will provide Profession and basic Skill Tomes. You may only take two professions and are limited to learning only the basic skills of your class and profession. A select collection of very basic Ability and Spell Tomes will also be available. The system ensures any who want a book will get them, and they will respawn when taken from a shelf. Please do not fight over this resource. In regard to those Professions, we have provided pre-planted gardens, livestock, a smithy, a tannery, an alchemist lab, a carpentry workshop, an enchanter workshop, a slaughter house, a bakery, a butchers shop, and much more. We also have training grounds and archery ranges for those who would like to use them. However, after six months, all rations and supplies will cease to be available. At that time, your future survival will be dependent on how well you''ve adapted as a community. Earn professions and take advantage of the resources you have been provided. No one needs to leave the safezone, but you must all adapt to survive. As a final note, you have 24 hours to agree on a system of governance. The system will provide system mechanics for this new government. In addition, the system will enforce the rules of this government for the first six months. Adapt and survive. Grow and prosper. ''Hell yeah, spatial storage from the start is awesome.'' Welcome Package.'' Is she subtly hinting or flirting with me? Nah, no way. 4 - Witches and Cats
could use skill tomes for study, but on the other, without them automatically granting the skills, he didn''t really think they''d be as helpful as pre-system books for him personally. The Total Outdoorsman Manual, which covered both hunting and a fair amount of survival skills. He traded this for the hunting book he had before. The Ultimate Survival Manual: 333 Skills That Will Get You Out Alive sat only a few books away. 333 skills was a no-brainer in this situation, though Levi had little hope that they''d all translate as such in the system. But he also felt like he''d be able to intuit which would and wouldn''t. Most of the content should be helpful in some way or another. And having access to that many potential skills to reset Parched Soul was nice. The New Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency, and had to grab that too. ''Crap,'' Levi thought. Out loud, he said, "I need to get out of here before I try to take the shelf, too." didn''t ask," Levi countered. because Grace was so rough around the edges that she was able to connect with him. and Profession," Grace insisted. good Witch, but rather good at being a Witch... this entire conversation is why. Exactly," Levi answered with a grin, glad to finally feel like he was winning. Ding. Enriching Experience has reset Parched Soul of the Sage. Parched Soul of the Sage has been paused for 36 hours. here a single conversation granted him more than he''d expected with all the work he had planned. SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT The final person has arrived in the safezone. 150/150 ...yada, yada, yada... Adapt and survive. Grow and prosper. ''Feeed me, feeed me,'' on repeat. ''Fuck talking to the goats,'' she thought. ''Cows it is,'' Paige thought. ''She doesn''t have any more food. Let''s go.'' "Relax, babygirl, you are trying way too hard." A voice said. Paige couldn''t quite locate it, but as soon as she felt something brush against her leg, she no longer had to. male calico cat. A healthy looking one, as far as Paige could tell. That was beyond rare. Borderline impossible. "Indeed, I am a specimen to behold. And the pleasure is all yours." "Well aren''t you as sharp as my dullest claw. Yes. I''m talking. That''s okay though, I don''t need my ladies smart anyway," the male calico said, as he rubbed against Paige''s other leg. "Hey, sweet thing, I''m trying to help you out." The cat added a flick of a tail. "Chill baby." with a broken spine." Paige paused to take in a calming breath. "Well, I guess I''ll throw you my best guess. You''re trying to use your Ability on domesticated animals. That''s like trying to give catnip to a hamster. Sure, it will probably eat it, but it won''t appreciate it quite the same. As far as me being such a smooth talker, your guess is as good as mine. I have no memory of even thinking about speaking before that Ability touched me." "Oh honey, no one responds to anything quite like me. And the Ability is called Beastspeak? I like that... I just FEEL it... you know," the calico said with another flick of his tail. "But based off my feeling, your best bet would be that old billy goat over there. He''s so horny, he may as well be feral." "Sweetheart, I kill three times more than I eat per day, for the fun of it. My reaction time is faster than anything I''ve ever faced. I can take care of myself. And if you were smaller or we were bigger, you''d be on the menu. We cats are simply smart enough to know what is good for us. If you need to call that domesticated to feel better, I won''t stop you." "Don''t touch me you filthy whore." 5 - All Corn Goes to Crows Paige was frustrated and a little aimless. The calico had run off in true cat fashion, so she''d lost the only partner her Skill actually worked on. She just wanted to try out her Skill Beastspeak. Not on a cat, but something cool. She also really wanted to use Share Trait (Beast), but even without looking at the Ability directly, she knew she didn''t have the connection she would need to use it. She felt that instinctually. She wasn''t much for planning, but she was determined. She was going back out in the woods. But she had to try a little more than last time. Remembering that there were rations available, she visited the canteen, hoping there was something in the rations she could use to attract animals. The rations were located in a big crate with a sign that said ''Free Rations.'' Not all that creative, but definitely getting the job done. Looking inside, she saw small packages wrapped in brown wax paper, tied with what looked like hemp or jute string. Paige plucked out three and put them into her pack. Noticing it only took up one slot and labeled ''Basic Rations 3/10,'' Paige tried to take 27 more. Unfortunately, the system limited her to one stack of 10. From there, Paige headed directly to the surrounding forest. She didn''t go to where she''d been before, where Levi was setting up camp, but she did choose to stay close enough that he might hear her if she was in trouble and called out. She didn''t know if he would or could help, or even if he was there at the moment, but just the idea of having someone to call out to was enough to make Paige feel safer. Wandering out, she looked for a small clearing similar to the one she''d found before. It took a while, but she found a clearing just around a dried up creek bottom. The creek had been gone a long time. Other than a Bald Cypress close to the center, it was mostly a clearing surrounded by various types of Oak. Acorns hadn''t fully started dropping yet, but there were a few on the ground. Paige hoped that would draw in some animals, at least the squirrels. She sat down in an open patch of grass. There were a couple of logs laying around, but sitting on those was how you got strung by scorpions or bit by snakes. It was best to just find a good patch of leaves where nothing was really hiding. Half of that she''d learned from her dad, and half of it was just common sense. East Texas wasn''t quite as wild as Australia, but there was plenty to watch out for. She pulled one pack of rations from her sack and unwrapped it. She looked down at the stalest bread she''d ever seen, cheese that didn''t look moldy but was clearly too wet in some spots and too dry in others, and a single 1" wide, 6" long strip of mystery meat jerky. She flicked the bread with a finger, and it actually made her finger hurt with how hard it was. Shrugging, she stuck one end of the mystery meat into her mouth and chewed. It tasted a little musky. Maybe it was the gamey flavor from whatever animal it had come from, maybe it hadn''t been dried right and had gone a little bad. Either way, it wasn''t great, but Paige didn''t care. It was edible. She wasn''t too optimistic about the cheese, but she did sniff it. She was pretty sure it would work better as fish bait than food. She crumbled it up into pieces and tossed it out as far as she could in front of her. After that, she did the same with the bread. She stared out to where she''d thrown her ''bait'' for all of five minutes before it all got entirely too boring for her. Chewing her mystery meat stick, she decided she''d pass some time looking at her actual character sheet, or at least, based on what she''d assumed, what there was of one. She hadn''t really done that. Mostly because she''d kind of felt pulled along by the flow of things. She really just had been so excited about her Class, Skill, and Ability that she''d hyper-focused on trying that and hadn''t paid much attention to the details. She also didn''t know how to access it. However, as soon as she focused on it, it popped into her vision. ________ Name: Paige Mandy Montoya Age: 18 Class: Untamable Beastfriend Level: 1 Experience to next level: 5/150 Base stats: Physical Strength = 5 Physical Proficiency = 6 Mental Strength = 4 Mental Proficiency = 3 Spiritual Strength = 5 Spiritual Proficiency = 4 Skills: Beastspeak - Beastspeak allows you to speak to beasts. Be aware that all beasts are different and that this ability may have a large variety of results. Abilities: Share Traits (Beasts) - Share Traits may only be active on one target (Beast) at a time. Depending on the depth of your friendly connection with a target, you may share traits with the intended target. While you gain a trait of the target, they gain a trait from you, but neither you or the beast lose traits while sharing them. The deeper the connection, the higher the level of traits may be shared. Traits include the basic senses, Stats, Skills, and Abilities, in that order. It is far easier to share senses between you and the target than it is to share Abilities. Sharing traits will often result in physical manifestations for you that mimic the anatomy of the target. These physical manifestations may persist for a short time even after you have ended this ability. There is a .001% chance a physical manifestation of Share Traits will be permanent. When this occurs, both you and the target will retain some, if not all, of the shared traits. The physical manifestation will be entirely irreversible, and becomes part of your own body. A permanent manifestation does not count as Shared Trait being active. ______ It was interesting and informative for Paige. She thought she understood what most of it meant, if not exactly, and it gave at least a somewhat clearer picture of what to expect. She definitely picked up the most important parts. She was somewhat worried and slightly unclear about the ''physical manifestations'' part of Share Traits (Beast), but she felt like a 1 in 1000 chance gave her plenty of wiggle room in regard to things going wrong. She noticed she had gotten 5 experience at some point but hadn''t gotten a notification for it. As soon as she thought about it, a list popped up. Only her experience with the Calico was listed, granting her the five points. As someone who had played video games, if not considering herself an outright gamer, she thought the basic stats were kind of weird, but at least they mostly made sense. Especially in a world that wasn''t exactly a game but had just adopted a lot of the principles. "Oye, oye, oye. What''re you doing here?" A voice pulled Paige out of her thoughts. She looked up to see quite a few black birds perched in branches around her. "Ravens?" "Eh, you hear that, boys? She called us ravens." The comment was followed by at least 20 different birds laughing. "Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha," filled her mind, but behind it, in her ears, she heard the real, "Caw, caw, caw, caw, caw, caw, caw, caw." "This bird thinks we''re ravens, does she. Ha, ha. Not so prim and proper, us. Doesn''t know a crow when she''s seen one." came another voice. "Aye, but she ain''t been unkind yet, so she earned no ire. Be nice and maybe we make a friend," a third voice chimed. "What does it matter? Won''t change a thing. Who''s gonna have the stones to go down there and see if it is safe to grab that bread," another voice called. "I''ll do it. The rest of you lot stay here until the all clear," the first voice said. As he fluttered down, before he could land, Paige spoke, "It is safe, and you can have it all if you''d just spend some time to talk with me." The crow immediately flapped away and back into a branch. All the other birds immediately started chanting a "Caw, caw, caw," but Paige didn''t get any actual intention beyond a basic alarm. "Did she just speak to us," asked one of the crows. "I believe she did, I believe she did. Hold a second fellows, while I sort out this conundrum." The lead crow hopped down to a lower branch and eyed Paige, head cocked sideways. "If you really understand us, say ''All corn goes to crows.''" Paige stumbled for a moment, deeply questioning her new position on the food chain and relative intelligence level, but managed to choke out an, "All corn goes to crows." When she said it, the lead crow fluttered back away from her, but only by one branch. "My feathers, blokes, she speaks." Cawing filled Paige''s ear, but most of it was indistinguishable. "And she said all corn goes to crows! We''ve won the war." A new, younger voice said. But this was only followed by all the other crows cawing in a way Paige understood meant they were telling him to shut up and that he was an idiot. The lead crow fluttered down and spoke to Paige directly, "Human girl, it''s a bit odd for me, so grant me a bit of mercy... but WHY are you speaking to us?" "Well, because I got the class Beastfriend, and it came with skill Beastspeak, and I''d really like to use the ability Share Trait with a Beast." The crow cocked his head to look close with his other eye, "Whoa, whoa, slow down, miss. So you''re using something called Beastspeak to speak with us. We''ll get to the rest in a second. What do you plan on doing when the flock flies down and eats up what you''ve put out here? All that bread and cheese.. well, probably not the cheese, if I''m being honest." "I don''t know. I guess I''ll just talk to you guys. I was hoping to use my ability if we became close enough friends, I guess. I''m not sure how that exactly..." This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it The lead crow cut her off, "Alright boys, eat your fill. Leave no crumb behind. The lass is as harmless as a fat squirrel in an open field." With that, even the lead crow fluttered to pluck up bread crumbs, entirely ignoring Paige. And she''d had enough of animals dicking her around today. Were they all assholes? Abruptly, she shot out of her sitting position, yelling and waving at the birds. "No!" She yelled. "You can eat the food I gave you, but you will not ignore me. You''ll either talk to me seriously as a form of trade or we won''t be friends." The crows, at least most of them, fluttered into the highest tree tops. She heard a faint "Caw, caw, caw," back and forth between the crows. She heard a distinct "That''s fair, that''s fair," from the crow who''d taken the lead. The lead crow fluttered back down. "You ain''t a pushover, I see. Alright, alright. So, what''s your offer. We ain''t stupid. You ain''t gonna eat the bread crumbs off the ground. And you won''t stay here forever. So what''s your offer?" Page pulled a second bundle of rations out of her pack. She immediately snatched the jerky and shoved it into her cheek. It stuck out of her mouth at least three inches. She waved a hand over the bread and cheese... well, again, mostly just the bread. With a thought, she snatched the cheese and tossed it over her shoulder. Then she waved her hand over the bread again. "I have at least this bit of bread, plus eight more in my pack. And, I have an unlimited number of these small loaves. I''ll feed you as much as you want, under one condition. Help me use my ability." The lead crow fluttered one branch higher and begin cawing. It was obvious to Paige that these crows were far from adept at speaking with humans because their entire debate was spoken right in front of Paige. "Alright, alright, alright, fellows. That''s a good offer. A bloody good offer. I daresay that could put us into retirement. But she seems a bit desperate. I say we try to milk it for everything it is worth." "Hey, hey, hey, she may just rescind that offer if we push too much." "Yeah, yeah, but it''s just a bit of bread isn''t it, and not the best quality. We may be set for life, but it ain''t a great one." "We could ask her to spice it up a bit, ay, maybe a bit of corn." Paige heard a cacophony of crows cawing, suddenly getting why a flock of them was called a ''murder'' of crows. It certainly murdered her ears. Paige interrupted the crows before her ears bled. She had to yell to be heard over the cawing. "Hey, I''ve got a new, better offer!" The crows went silent, and the lead crow fluttered back down. "Alright, alright. Let''s hear this better offer." "We become real friends. If I have any food to give you, and can spare it, it is all yours. If you''re in trouble and I can help, I''ll help. I''m not going to promise to always have food or be helpful, but you''ll have my promise. I''ll always do my best as your friend. But the same is expected of you. Real friends. Just like I will never barter with you over bread or help, just give it if I am able... you have to be my friend and help me if you''re able. No pretending to be a friend when you aren''t. And as far as corn is concerned... any time I get my hands on corn..." Paige paused for a dramatic effect, then clenched her fist and thrust it skywards. "All corn goes to crows!" "I reckon we might just work with that," the lead crow said, before fluttering to a higher branch. "Alright, alright, boys, let''s hear the Yays." Caws of ''Yays'' rang out. Most of the crows kept repeating it. "Okay, okay, okay," the lead crow interrupted, "Now let''s hear it for the Nays." Paige heard one protesting ''Nay'' caw from what sounded like the solo, idiot crow from earlier, but it was quickly drowned out by other crows cawing out that he was an idiot and needed to shut up, again. Paige smiled. This was happening. ______ Levi had collected almost everything he needed. In fact, the only thing he was missing was a Tome for Mana Sense or a similar Ability or Spell. For whatever reason, it wasn''t considered ''basic'' enough to be provided as a starting Spell, Skill, or Ability. He did find a Spell Tome for Identify. The description it provided inside the cover was fairly vague. It mentioned being able to identify objects, plants, and animals to a lesser degree, with the potential to ''See the secrets of the universe,'' if developed far enough. Thumbing through the Tome, it primarily focused on the use of mana and the application of it to identify. Most of it was kind of abstract, like using your mana to find the identity of the target and create a reciprocal connection of information... or something like that. He really hoped he''d at least get something, anything, helpful from it. But to be honest, Tomes seemed damned near useless if you couldn''t just use them to automatically learn what you wanted. The lack of actual information was a serious source of irritation for Levi. However, he honestly felt that it would be impossible for a system to impose itself onto reality without being somewhat abstract in nature. The truth was that existence was a difficult thing to quantify with any amount of accuracy, beyond statistically. Nothing was constant. Nothing followed a certain set of rules all the time, at least as far was measurable by any known methods. Nothing, not even gravity, was 100% predictable and calculable without a margin of error. Sure, it was close enough for science to be science, but even science had always been changing and growing to accommodate all things it couldn''t yet know. So, you add in a system bringing in video game concepts and imposing them on reality, while connecting it all through dimensions beyond human comprehension... Levi would have been surprised if everything had been so cut and dry. He''d also grabbed a Tome of Mana Infusion. The contents of the tome were also far more complicated than he felt it needed to be, and he questioned how much he''d be able to glean from either tome, honestly. But being able to use some form of identify and be able to get a sense of mana around him was critical to how he planned to move forward. He hoped the Tome of Mana Infusion would teach him at least a basic understanding of sensing and manipulating mana. So he had taken both books, tucked them into his pack, and hoped like hell he could actually get something useful out of them. He also grabbed two books on Tai Chi Chuan. He didn''t really think that the martial art itself would be effective against whatever monsters were now out there in the world, but that''s not why he grabbed them. The principles setup in Tai Chi Chuan and practicing those principles were extremely valuable to an idea he had bouncing around in his head. He planned on practicing the slow sets and those principles again, but he needed a refresher course. It had been years since he''d done Tai Chi. He''d also grabbed a book on primitive bow making that included crafting primitive string, arrows, and arrowheads. Levi was pretty sure he could trade for a starter bow from some archer, but he liked the idea of making a bow, needed to learn skills, and had a feeling it could pay off to know how to at least make the strings and arrows. He''d also supplemented his survival knowledge with an extensive book on making primitive traps. Last, he''d grabbed a book on local plant identification and the same Herbalist Tome Grace had picked up. He didn''t quite know where the line between his old reality and the new system created reality fell, but he wanted to cover his bases. And that was it. He could, and honestly somewhat wanted to, grab more books. But he couldn''t really imagine how he''d get through what he already had, and looking for more at that moment was just a waste of time. He decided to call it done on the library and headed towards the doors. On his way, he saw the desk the librarians usually occupied. It was kind of silly, in Levi''s opinion. It was just a huge prop for no reason. It even had two nameplates for the supposed librarians who were missing, ''Mr. Noone'' and ''Mrs. Gonaway.'' Nice to know the system had a little sense of humor. The library really did try to give off a pre-system vibe. There was even a table with books on it with a sign that read, "Discontinued Texts and Abandoned Material." Levi tensed and focused on the pile. ''Wait a minute, that isn''t normal phrasing.'' Suddenly excitement filled his chest. He''d found something and he knew it. Levi went to the table and grabbed the first book that caught his attention. The Essence of You: Why What''s at Your Core May Be All You Need He had no idea what the title meant, but he knew it was different from all the other books he''d collected from the library, both Tomes and pre-system books. He shoved it into his pack and grabbed another. A Brief Introduction to the Esoteric Realities of a Post-System World Holy shit, he''d found something important. Just the mention of it being a ''Post-System World'' verified these were system related books. He shoved that book into his pack, too. He laughed out loud as he read the next title. The Anarchist Cookbook: Post-System Revision This was great. He tucked that book into his pack and reached for another. His hand met empty table. All the books were gone. They''d just disappeared, and he actually caught an image of the books at the edge of the table dematerializing. "Shit!" He should have looked through them instead of shoving the first ones he found into his pack. Still, he was excited. He knew there was something to every book he picked up. Something special, something you had to find and he''d found it. 6 - Getting Things Off the Ground
Anarchist Cookbook: Post-System Edition was a complete wash for him. It had plenty of great material. Some of the things in it he''d even thought he''d actually be interested in learning. A Brief Introduction to the Esoteric Realities of a Post-System World was a wash for him, too. It was actually even less useful for Levi. Skimming it, he definitely knew it hit on things that could and would change the way a person used mana, if not even more. But it was like reading a textbook far beyond his comprehension. The Essence of You: Why What''s at Your Core May Be All You Need was something he knew he could use. The Essence of You. "Oy, it''s my turn, you greedy prick," one of the crows called out from the branches above. "That''s easy, love. When you are a friend of crows, you''re a friend to us all. Us crows are a network, and we spread the word. That''s why you don''t ever cross one of us crows, you see. We''ll put a target on your back." "Yeah, yeah, yeah, just have her tell us what she wants to see, and we''ll pass it along for her." "Boys and birds, boys and birds, you did it again! Bloody genius," said the nearest crow. "That''s they idea, lass. We''ll do our best." "What else, lass? It ain''t no problem, we promise." Came quiet caws. "Who''s that, lass?" "Not at all, not at all. It''s something us crows are good at. Let us give it a go. I think we all want to impress. Got a good future in front of us with you, I hope." ''Is that Tai Chi?'' she wondered. His face seemed so intense. As he moved from one position to the next, his vision stared at nothing, his face without expression, as if his entire focus was on himself. "The boys are asking if we should...um, shit on him, miss." "Well, we ain''t proud of it, miss. We ain''t no pigeons, you see. But if he did you wrong, we''ve been known to do the dirty job when the need calls for it." "Okay, Okay. As you say, miss." ''why not?'' had used the lessons as just something to do for free. Name: Levi Jimmer O''Hare Age: 31 Class: The Insatiable Sage Level: 1 Experience to next level: 50/150 Base stats: Physical Strength = 5 Physical Proficiency = 5 Mental Strength = 6 Mental Proficiency = 5 Spiritual Strength = 5 Spiritual Proficiency = 3 Tunic of The Insatiable Sage - A linen tunic designed to be loose and flexible without an excess of fabric. -10% to stamina expenditure. Trouser and Leg Bindings of The Insatiable Sage - Linen trousers designed to be loose and flexible. Accompanied by light and flexible leather lower leg bindings. -5% stamina expenditure. +5% balance and footing. Supple Boots of The Insatiable Sage - Extremely flexible and light, lace-up leather boots. Stitch down. +5% balance and footing. +20% noise reduction while sneaking. Shin Bracers of The Insatiable Sage - Hard leather shin bracers designed to absorb impacts and turn away blades. +10% damage reduction when executing blocks. +5% effectiveness to deflecting attacks. Forearm Bracers of The Insatiable Sage - Hard leather forearm bracers designed to absorb impacts and turn away blades. +5% damage reduction when executing blocks. +10% effectiveness to deflecting attacks. Small Boot Dagger of The Insatiable Sage - A double-edged dagger with a 4" grip and a 5" blade for utility purposes. Balanced for throwing. Indestructible. Silk Sash of The Insatiable Sage - This sash is made of fine and sturdy silk. Promotes the learning of Skills and Abilities. Heavy Cloak of The Insatiable Sage - A heavy cloak of mixed materials, capable of covering the entire body. This cloak is waterproof. This cloak greatly retains heat and keeps out cold. This cloak may be used to create a small A-frame tent. 7 - The Start of a Bad Joke Author''s note: Okay, attempting dual protagonist is hard. And I''m attempting to do some rule breaking here, in regard to perspective. I know it breaks the rules, but I''m still trying to do it, for two reasons. The first is because I feel this dual protagonist story requires the ability to see the thoughts of both Paige and Levi. Secondly, anything done well is simply done well, and the rules be damned. That being said, I''m not sure how well I''m doing. I also attempted practicing this with the entity in the first chapter... and there are other reasons why... but I may or may not edit that all out. There''s a few problem chapters I''d like to work on more, and the first chapter is one. Let me know if you think the odd perspective situation is done well in the comments. It is something I need to fine tune. -JD Hopkins Beastfriend''s Silk Sheath of Shifting - This tight fitting sheath dress is made of a composite of silks from both the pre and post system world. The silks are tightly woven in a pattern designed to provide a lightweight armor that far surpasses what its appearance suggests. Greatly hinders piercing and slashing damage. Regulates the wearer''s temperature in both hot and cold climates. Will adapt to any physical manifestations or shapeshifting of the wearer. Beastfriend''s Silk Footwraps of Shifting - These footwraps are made of a composite of silks from both the pre and post system world. The silks are tightly woven in a pattern designed to provide a lightweight armor that far surpasses what its appearance suggests. Greatly hinders piercing and slashing damage. +25% reduction of sound while sneaking. Once equipped, these wraps will take on a more decorative appearance. Will adapt to any physical manifestations or shapeshifting of the wearer. Beastfriend''s Silk Armwraps of Shifting - These armwraps are made of a composite of silks from both the pre and post system world. The silks are tightly woven in a pattern designed to provide a lightweight armor that far surpasses what its appearance suggests. Greatly hinders piercing and slashing damage. +25% climbing rate. +25% to quadrupedal movement while shifted. Once equipped, these wraps will take on a more decorative appearance. Will adapt to any physical manifestations or shapeshifting of the wearer. Circlet of Nature''s Grace - Beastfriend specific item. This item greatly discourages beasts from attacking the wearer unless the Beastfriend commits an act of aggression first. This item improves telepathic communication with friendly beasts. Claws of Mankind - At their core, the Beastfriend is still human, and as such require human weapons. These twin daggers of spirit infused kyanite are far more durable than the original kyanite from which they were crafted. Inflicts a natural poison to enemies. When shifted, these daggers shift with the Beastfriend, turning into claws, horns, talons, or fangs as appropriate, maintaining their poisoning effect. Girdle of Beastfriend''s Skin - While this wide leather belt provides protection to vulnerable organs and a place to sheathe weapons, its primary function is to remind the world that a Beastfriend is sometimes a friend and sometimes a predator, but never prey. +200% increase to the skin''s resistance to piercing and slashing damage. ''Well, now I know his name,'' Paige thought. She really liked it. wisdom of a Sage. But I promise, I am devoted to the good of everyone." Everything she said was filled with venom. misinformed opinions. Some classes may require secrecy. Some people may not want to expose weaknesses. You''re just making up bullshit reasons to try to control people." have power or status anymore. Welcome to the new world. The fact that you''d even try some line like that shows just how out of touch you are," Paige spoke aggressively. Paige didn''t like the bitch in the first place, but she had gotten more angry when Agnis had spoken to Levi that way. Even with the residual anger, she felt somewhat embarrassed. MY crows. They''re just friends." "Crows?" Levi asked. 8 - Omelettes and Cracked Eggs "That''s pretty cool," Levi said after Paige had finished explaining the crow situation. "It sounds absolutely OP for scouting." The Anarchist Cookbook: Post-System Edition. He tossed it to Grace. ''This feels nice. We''re turning into a real group of friends,'' Paige thought smiling. They''d all had a good time talking and joking while the food was prepared. ''To hell with what they think,'' Paige thought. The Essence of You: Why What''s at Your Core May Be All You Need, refreshing himself on the meditation practice. After that, he put himself into a lotus position, something he''d seen people do for meditation, and practiced. were spying on me with your crows." ''She had a crush on me?'' The Essence of You: Why What''s at Your Core May Be All You Need, he''d felt the energy. He wasn''t certain if it was mana or stamina, but he''d felt it. Then he lost that feeling. Ding. Skill Acquired: Martial Technique Level 1 - Tai Chi Chuan Ding. Skill Subset Acquired: Perfect Form - Tai Chi Chuan. Ding. Acquiring a Skill has reset Parched Soul of the Sage. Parched Soul of the Sage has been paused for 12 hours. first skill. ''I need to apologize to her.'' 9 - Meet the Teacher 1/2 "Are you sure you don''t want us to shit on him? It really sounds like he deserves the good carpet bomb or two," a crow had insisted. "One word, ONE WORD, miss, and we''ll bury him so deep in a shit heap that grass will grow on that hill before he''s able to climb out of it." wanted to believe she''d have listened to Grace''s advice otherwise. And, maybe, even if nothing developed with him beyond friendship, her and Levi could have at least been friends. "Listen, listen, miss, we know you want more friends, but a bobcat is all terror and wrath. They don''t even play nice with each other. I''d sooner cuddle a rattlesnake than mess with a bobcat." "Yeah, yeah. How about we find some coyotes, miss? Us corvids and canines got history, you know." Another crow had added. "Ay, that ain''t a bad idea, that. Can''t trust them if they haven''t had a good meal in a few days, but they ain''t bad fellows." writing them down?" Levi joked. he''s the best around here for boxing, by the way...he''ll at least give you some pointers and some exercises to use. 10 - Meet the Teacher 2/2 The night after Paige had chased the bobcat, she''d struggled to sleep. She''d tossed and turned on the leaves, and tried to sort through feelings of anger and sadness that she couldn''t put into fully formed thoughts. more as a crow was incredible. ''Well, that can''t be that hard.'' "So what did the furry terror say?" A crow asked as Paige made it to the shore. "Oy, that''ll be easy then. ''Right boys, let''s find the her a rabbit." "Bah, that''s squirrel shit." - You Are On The Hunt Predation is a reality of nature. Life for the Beastfriend can be no different. While on the hunt, intended prey cannot be affected by any Beastfriend skills, and will become nothing more than prey. Take note, you will be unable to bond with any animals you have preyed upon. Hunt wisely. - ''As animals do when they notice a predator on the hunt.'' ''Progress.'' should feel stupid. Come on, Grace will be pissed if I don''t drag you to eat." 11 - Miserable But Optimistic right." found a couple of rabbits. She was sure she would definitely be able to catch one by the end of the third day. Mental Strength had gone up from 4 to 5. She wasn''t sure if the stat increase was random or based on her actions. The truth was she didn''t really notice a difference, either. -Ding. Skill Aquired: Basic Sneaking. -Ding. You have reached level 3. Mental Proficiency had gone up from 3 to 4. Basic Grappler and Basic Pugalist, resetting his Parched Soul debuff another 12 hours, but he hadn''t even considered the experience he was missing out on. Health: 139/150 Stamina: 13/165 Mana: 163/165 12 - Two Paths Begin Hunting had not gone the way Paige had wanted it to go at all. The second evening, she''d waited for a rabbit to get close enough to her perch that she could pounce and catch it. For at least 30 minutes, she watched the second pair of rabbits hop around foraging. She was honestly surprised she had been still enough to not scare them off during that time. Neither had gotten close enough for her to make a grab at them. Just as one of the rabbits finally did come near, almost within range, something spooked them, and they bolted. In a desperate attempt, Paige lept for the closest one, missing by an embarrassing margin. Belly flopping on the forest floor took the wind out of her, and she felt as if she may have done some serious damage to her ribs. As soon as she recovered enough, she drank a little healing potion to top off her health. She decided to scout out a new place before morning rather than trying that spot again. She was pretty sure the rabbits would leave or be way too cautious for her to have any luck there again. It took her a while to find new hunting grounds. She barely slept that night. Though her hunger pangs had subsided, she felt like her strength was giving out. Checking her stamina, it looked like it was recovering very slowly. It was still recovering, though. The next morning, she had no luck at all. She hadn''t even seen a rabbit. Again, she had to find a new spot. It took her half the day of searching to find a new place that looked promising to hunt rabbit. She had tried to nap, but she was running out of time and energy, and as much as not being able to sleep made that situation worse, it kept her too anxious to nap. Unfortunately, that evening''s hunt resulted in the same problem shed''d had that morning. There simply were no rabbits to be seen. She began to suspect that she''d gotten lucky with the first two locations she''d chosen. It seemed obvious in hindsight. Just because a place was a good spot for rabbits to bed down did not mean rabbits were actually in that area. She knew that she still technically had the following morning''s hunt if the bobcat meant a full three days. She''d only started hunting after noon the first day. There was no real way of knowing, but Paige was determined to at least try the last hunt. She had to give it her best. At the same time, she was no longer very optimistic. She was actually resigned to the possibility that she would simply fail. Part of her was okay with that. She wanted to eat and rest and not worry about this stupid bullshit quest anymore. But she was going to try. Thinking about the situation, she knew there had been rabbits in the first location. The rabbits had left, but she hadn''t been back there in two days. There was a good chance they''d returned once they felt the area was safe again. On the other hand, she was sitting at 50% odds of finding rabbits, based on the last four locations she scouted. But Paige was tired of planning stuff, and she wasn''t good at it anyway. Plus, she was exhausted and hardly trusting her own decisions at this point anyway. She''d leave it to chance. Pulling out the coin Mr. Stowe had gifted her, she marked one side of the plain disc with a berry juice from a nearby Holly. Deciding the berry side as tails, paige flipped the coin and called it in the air. "Heads I go somewhere new, tails and I go back to the first location." The coin landed tails up in the fallen leaves in front of her, and her decision was made. ____ Levi was surprised to find his Physical Proficiency had gone up from 5 to 6 while he''d slept. He hadn''t leveled, either. It had just increased while he''d slept. He assumed it was from the previous day''s training. He''d only even noticed because he''d pulled up his stats to check if his health, stamina, and mana had recovered overnight and decided to pull up his basic status as well. He hadn''t realized his stats could increase without leveling. Levi assumed you got stat points as you leveled, but apparently, you could gain stat points through good old-fashioned hard work, too. Part of him wanted to test the limits of that mechanic. In fact, he would love to see if he could exploit it. After some thought on it, he decided the truth was that he was just too busy with the plans he already had. There was a chance he''d change his mind after today''s sparring, but he honestly felt that changing his plans too much would hurt him in the long run. He decided to start his day with slow sets. Again, he focused on channeling small amounts of what he assumed was stamina into his muscles as they tensed while keeping the stamina out of his relaxed muscles. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. It was a natural extension of the concepts he already grasped about efficiency of motion. He noticed that if he didn''t focus on channeling in stamina, the moves would still consume smaller amounts naturally. He was only adding more to what was already being used. Levi feared he may be setting himself up for some kind of injury due to overexertion but decided the risk was worth it, especially considering the existence of healing potions. And his body should tell him if he was overdoing it, even just in the slowsets. He did decide to only start adding a small amount extra to be on the safe side. Watching his health, he realized this was smart. Even at his decreased stamina input, he noticed he''d lose one health point every 20-20 seconds, depending on how many muscles he was activating. Assuming that amount possibly went up when used at full speed, he really didn''t want to risk seriously injuring or killing himself. Controlling the energy was getting easier, too. There was no way it would be automatic for a while, but it did start reminding him of how it felt training with his former master in his early days of Tai Chi. He still was far off from having it down perfectly, but he''d get there. After he''d finished slowsets, Levi decided to try to follow the stricter methods of meditation from his book. It didn''t take as long to relax his body this time, and when he got to the part where he identified and followed his energies, it came with far more clarity. Levi focused on the energy he''d assumed was stamina and followed that into himself. What he experienced after that point was odd. It was difficult to put into words. As he drew closer to what he felt was the ''center,'' the trails of stamina connected into what seemed like a 3 dimensional web focused in the middle. The energy he''d assumed could be mana almost condensed into a lacelike pattern that followed and aligned with the stamina energy, but didn''t actually touch or interact with it. The unknown, mysterious energy was everywhere. The closer he got to his center, what Levi realized may be the ''core'' the book was referencing, the denser it became. In fact, the core itself seemed to be a much denser ball of that energy, or something very similar to it, and the rest just floated around. It was hard to understand what was happening in this mental space, and he felt that a large part of it was his own mind creating visualizations for what was happening on levels it truly couldn''t even comprehend. Still, it felt like the ''mana'' and ''stamina'' energies were coming from the center of the core, while the unknown energy was being slowly pulled into the center and also reexiting the center in what appeared to be a higher density or concentration. Or perhaps it was a difference of quality. He wasn''t sure. He tried to focus harder, but the moment he did, a splitting headache shot him out of his meditation like a catapult. It hurt so bad that Levi actually checked his health and wasn''t all that surprised when he found he was down 20 HP. After a moment to let the headache subside, Levi considered what he''d experienced. He was definitely onto something. It reminded him of the cultivation novels he''d read. He guiltily regretted not focusing too much on the details of how cultivation had been done rather than the results. Still, he was satisfied. Feeling great about what he''d already accomplished for the day, Levi double-checked his gear, made sure it included a rag to use for healing potion, and headed out to get his ass kicked all day. ----- Early that morning, Paige sat crouched on a limb above the first location she''d hunted rabbits. She used all fours beneath her bodyweight to hold to the top of the limb, rather than simply resting on it. The effort of that took every bit of willpower and concentration she had. On top of the difficulty in itself, her hunger and exhaustion threatened to make her shake with the effort, and she had to steel herself to prevent even the slightest movement. And then she saw them. Both of the little bastard rabbits hopped along all happy-go-lucky, eating whatever they pleased. ''Fuck both of you little shits. I''m going to eat one of you.'' It seemed like a lifetime of hanging on and waiting. Paige''s stomach ached in hunger, her body ached from lack of sleep and food along with the overexertion, and her mind was worn thin but still trying to keep her body controlled as she waited to pounce. And the moment came. The rabbit was right where she''d wanted it to be. Where she so desperately needed it to be. Her muscles tightened as she prepared her body. It wasn''t hesitation that settled into her as she delayed. No, she took time and prepared everything in her body for what came next. Then she sprang. It almost surprised Paige when her fingers found themselves gripping the soft fur of the rabbit. With an instinct, she clung tighter. She''d done it. The rabbit squealed in her grip, and for a split second of shock and the thought of mercy, she nearly released it. Then something roared inside Paige, and she refused to let go. She was hungry. The rabbit kicked at her, scratching her, but Paige held on. Triumphant. She had won. Right up until the little fucker bit the absolute shit out of her and Paige''s grip slipped just enough for the rabbit to kick itself free and run away. "Fuck!" Paige roared into the surrounding forest. Only a lingering echo answered. Paige hit the ground with her fists. She had been so close and had wanted it so much. She''d put everything she had into it. ''FUCK!'' she yelled even louder, letting the rage pour out. After that, she lay there a while, forehead pressed against the cold leaf-covered forest floor. She just panted and let her anger subside and give way to resignation. The sound of something soft landing in front of her drew her attention sharply. She saw a freshly killed rabbit in front of her. Above the rabbit stood a bobcat, staring into Paige''s eyes with an piercing gaze. "Eat. Rest. I start teaching you tomorrow," the bobcat said before turning away. "But I...I didn''t catch the rabbit," Paige protested, trying to keep the tears out of her voice. The bobcat turned her head back to look at Paige again. "Ah, but you did catch the rabbit. You did well. It simply escaped. Consider that my first lesson. Sometimes, the prey gets away." After another unblinking stare, the bobcat reiterated her previous instruction. "Eat. Rest. Tomorrow will be busy." And again, the bobcat was gone in a moment. Paige rolled over onto her back in disbelief. Then she was panting with excitement. Then, the panting turned into a laugh. And that laugh faded into a satisfied smile. ''I did it. I fucking did it.'' She passed out before she got to eat her rabbit. Luckily, she was only out for about 30 minutes before she was able to rouse herself and finally have her meal. 13 - Must Be Raw
Ding. Skill acquired: Empowering Flow Empowering Flow not only increases the power of your strikes, but can empower all of your body''s movements when activated. You may control the amount of stamina expended as desired. Warning, as your stamina expenditure increases, you may risk self injury and death. Ding. Skill acquired: Efficiency Flow Through training, you have trained your body to use stamina with precision. -25% stamina consumption while not using empowering skills. Ding. You have reached level 2. Name: Levi Jimmer O''Hare Age: 31 Class: The Insatiable Sage Level: 2 Experience to next level: 270/300 Base stats: Physical Strength = 5 Physical Proficiency = 6 Mental Strength = 6 Mental Proficiency = 5 Spiritual Strength = 5 Spiritual Proficiency = 4 Skills: Martial Technique Tai Chi Chuan Skill Subset - Perfect Form Empowering Flow Efficiency Flow Basic Grappler Basic Pugalist Spiritual Proficiency had went up from 3 to 4. He wasn''t mad about that, but he was confused why Spiritual Proficiency had went up, rather than his Physical Proficiency. Share Trait ability had more uses with the bobcat. She could grow cat claws, gain the cat''s sense of smell, or even use cat eyes. through the cat''s ears, but actually borrowing the bobcat''s ability to hear. In return, the cat simply took her ability to see color. Share Trait to sense of smell. When the cat stopped to listen, she''d try to pick up on what she heard. When the cat''s gaze shifted, Paige would try to follow it and find what had caught the cat''s attention. 14 - Guaranteed Injury With a Side of Possible Death Parched Soul reset. He knew it was a matter of time before the level-ups slowed, and he''d be back to struggling to reset the debuffs again. some rules. Provide everyone an opportunity to train. easier win. Share Traits on two traits at a time, rather than one. Improved Sneaking, an upgrade to her previous sneaking skill. Share Trait locked on the bobcat''s hearing and smell. Share Trait from smell to cat eyes, making her vision much sharper and better at picking up movement in the low light conditions. Share Trait and shifted her bobcat hearing to cat-like reflexes. 15 - The End of the Beginning The next month went by in a blur for both Levi and Paige. Levi was sparring every day, and in the evenings, he meditated. His meditation was seeing a lot of progress. He''d realized at a certain point that the third, mysterious energy was something like his own essence. It fed everything, from his mana and stamina to even his body''s strength and health. He theorized that the way it seemed to flow into the center and then back out at a higher quality was part of the spiritual symbiote''s process. It seemed to just disappear and reappear. It had to be moving into another dimension. One where the symbiote lived, Levi guessed. He tried to help this process by pushing more to the core, but it wasn''t easy. After days of working with the essence, Levi realized he could make his core itself move. It could not actually move from its location at the center, but he could rotate it. As he willed his core to spin, he realized something. Almost working like the reverse of physical reality, as the core spun faster, the essence being pulled into the core began tightening around it, quickly becoming part of the core itself. The essence that was being released from the center, from whatever extra-dimensional space was there, rapidly formed into orbiting rings. From those rings, the ''webbing'' stamina trails and ''lace-like'' mana trails spread out. It was the essence that powered them. As the rings of essence tightened, the trails of mana and stamina seemed to become more substantial. Levi wondered what that would look like when he was affected by Parched Soul. He also wondered what would happen when the lower quality essence had all been refined through the center. He suspected the essence of the rings would collapse inward somehow and become the new core. Overall, this meditation landscape looked like some surrealist interpretation of the cosmos. Levi knew it was his own mind conceptualizing everything rather than a true reflection of reality, but it still looked insane. It was beautiful but...insane. After that discovery, he found that his stamina and mana seemed to be more effective and responsive after meditation. And the core would remain spinning for quite a while afterward. As long as he meditated every day, it never stopped. Over the course of a week, he realized that the core was retaining more and more speed, and he could probably neglect meditation for days without worrying about it slowing. He''d also experimented with applying the essence in the ways he used his stamina and mana. He found it was extremely difficult and required the application of willpower and infusing it with intent. But, it worked. And, it actually felt more potent. It just wasn''t nearly easy enough to attempt in combat. It was something he planned on working on, though. The spars had gotten intense. Most people had adapted to the brutality of all-out spars, and with healers and healing potions on stand-by, the only time they''d felt like they''d had anything they considered a close call was when Iara had cleaved almost completely through Craig''s torso, from collarbone to hip. Everyone had been a little shaken up, even Craig, but it turned out fine. It seemed there wasn''t really anything healing spells and potions couldn''t handle. They''d all probably gotten a little too comfortable with severed limbs. Removing someone''s legs or arms had begun to be considered standard tactics, with discussions of techniques often exploring ways to do just that. Cutting off someone''s head was still considered off-limits, and no one wanted to be the volunteer to test it. They''d also started some team sparring sessions. Maddy''s team had become the one to fear. With her crowd control spell and the ranged attacks of her and the archer on their team, everyone had to learn some new tricks to counter them. Joe had taken to using a shield. Levi had started using mana to create barriers. It wasn''t much harder to learn than pushing mana into his mind or using it as a protective coating over his body. It was a little tricky to figure out that he had to shape the mana with will and intent, but it was still much more responsive than his essence, as if it naturally sought to find an intent to bend to. He''d applied the barriers in two ways. One was as a shield for bigger attacks. The other was as stepping stones when Maddy turned the ground to mud, so he could remain mobile. He''d also expanded on his mana coating. He''d found that mana was only expended when it was used to absorb damage, and what remained could be reabsorbed without loss. He''d started coating his entire body in a protective mana layer through the duration of fights. He''d eventually gotten skills related to each of his mana related techniques, making them easier to use and more efficient. Levi had also started training with his dagger, both in melee and as a throwing weapon. The easy skills he''d gotten for that had helped keep Parched Soul reset. His fighting methods had shifted into a highly defensive dodge tank type style. His ability to quickly dodge or deflect attacks, his improved stamina allowing him to outlast other fighters, and his ability to use a mana shield for bigger attacks had all put him at an advantage fighting defensively and wearing out his opponents. Even Joe tried to end fights with Levi as quickly as possible or face an inevitable loss. And they were pretty close to an even match at that point, with Joe never getting an easy win and losing about as much as he won.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Overall, he''d only had to suffer the debuff a few days over the course of the month. ------ Paige had lost track of the days after a while. Mama-cat had taught her how to hunt a large variety of animals. Paige was personally not a fan of the smaller rodents, and rabbit and squirrel were her favorites. Nutria rat was a close third. She was definitely going to need to ask for some form of dewormer when she finally made it back to Grace. Thinking about Grace made her think of Levi. No matter how long had passed, her crush lingered. She felt like it was a lost cause, but she planned on talking to him and trying to build a friendship when she got back. Time had given her a little perspective on it. Hearing movement, she refocused. She was lying on a limb lounging. But, as always, she was on the hunt. Waiting. She hardly had to use Share Trait to use Mama-cat''s senses. Over the time she''d been with Mama-cat, she''d gotten her own skills for hightened senses of smell and hearing. She primarily only used Cat Claws and Cat-like Reflexes at that point. She''d also gained her first physical manifestation. Cat eyes. She was pretty damned happy about that. She was excited about when she''d finally get to see herself in a proper mirror instead of looking at her reflection on the surface of water. But more importantly, the physical manifestation had the function as well as the form. She''d luckily retained her color vision, but in low light conditions like she was currently in, she lost a lot of her ability to see color. ''Still,'' she thought as she watched the whitetail buck slowly make his way into her sight, ''great trade.'' Even in the near dark of the forest just after the sun had set, she could count the tines on his antlers. She shifted her body, preparing to fall on the buck as he grew near. Below her was his scrape. Paige had watched a doe piss in it the evening before. It was still early in rutting season, but he''d be way too worried about chasing a doe to notice her above. Not that it would have mattered. Her Sneaking had reached Advanced. She sometimes wondered why it was called Sneaking and not Stealth, but assumed it was probably because she hadn''t actually tried to camouflage her appearance in any way. She was literally just sneaking. Paige continued to readjust her position as the buck approached. When he was finally in position, Paige lept. It was more of a deliberate, silent fall than a pounce. She''d learned that some animals could react to the sound of her movement before she even reached the ground. As she fell, she drew back her paw--er, hand--and as she landed, she struck. Slapping the buck directly on his rump and sending him off terrified. The lesson hadn''t required she kill the buck, after all. She just had to show she could if she''d wanted to do so. She grinned after the buck as he sprinted and lept through the forest. "Very well done, daughter," she heard Mama-cat say from above. "I believe we could track him down by just following his droppings." Paige laughed. "Was that a joke? That''s the first time you''ve ever told a joke." The bobcat made her way down the tree, leaping from branch to branch. "Yes, well, I have been experimenting with your other traits. I have to say, humor has been unexpectedly pleasant." "Well, I''m glad you at least found something about my human qualities you think isn''t entirely useless." "Well, if it comes from you, I suppose it can''t be entirely useless." Mama-cat gave her an unflinching stare for a moment, then she looked down and away. Paige knew something was wrong. Mama-cat''s gaze never flinched away. Ever. "Mama-cat, what''s wrong?" Paige asked, throat tight. "Nothing at all. Everything is perfect. You are perfect. Now follow me." Paige followed as she was told. Mama-cat said nothing as she made her way through the woods. Paige noticed her saunter was slower than usual. Paige''s chest tightened. She knew something was wrong. She sniffed the air. She smelled something different about Mama-cat. It smelled like fear, but not quite. Paige''s heart thumped in her chest. After a while, the woods opened into a clearing. No, a large pond. Mama-cat jumped up onto the fallen log at the bank and stared over the pond. Moonlight rippled on the surface. "Sit," Mama-cat demanded. Paige wordlessly did as she was told, though her heart felt like it was folding in on itself. After a long silence, Paige finally spoke. "What''s going on, Mama-cat?" Mama-cat didn''t answer immediately, but after another stretch of silence, she finally answered. "Do you know why I decided to raise...to teach you?" Mama-cat asked. "N-no." Paige''s voice felt small. She wanted to scream and make Mama-cat tell her what was wrong. But her fears already crept in, tight around her throat. "When I was younger, I had a litter of kittens. I remember how the feeling, the urge, to protect and nuture took me. I was excited about their future. But, one was born still and unmoving. The other, I...had to give him a merciful end. After that, I mated many times. I never again had kittens. I always wondered what it would have been like to raise them into something I was proud came from me. You gave me that. It has been the greatest gift. Far more than your humor or the colors. Greater than any shared power." Mama-cat finally turned her gaze to Paige. "I still think your concept of friendship is stupid and pointless. I will never know what it means to have a friend. But I do know what it is like to have a daughter I am proud of. Thank you for that." "Thank you, Mama-cat," was all Paige could manage. She felt the tears and tried to keep them from spilling out. "It is time for you to go, now. It is the way of life. It is the way of my kind. You know our nature," Mama-cat continued. "Do you recognize this place?" Paige looked over the water. "Yes. It was where I was swimming when you approached me. It''s where you agreed to teach me." Paige felt the tears pouring down her face, now. She kept her voice level. She knew what she''d smelled on Mama-cat, now. Grief. This was the end of their time together. It was something she knew would happen. But it still... sucked. It hurt. "Yes. This is the place." Mama-cat stared over the water for a moment. "You have to go back to your kind, now. But before that, can you do me one last kindness?" "A-anything, Mama-cat." Paige tried to keep the sobs out of her voice. "Will you go swim and let me watch you for a while. I want to remember and celebrate the moment I decided to make you my daughter." As Paige swam out, she couldn''t help but continue glancing to the shore. Every time she looked, Mama-cat was there, watching with her unblinking gaze. And then, inevitably, Paige looked back to the shore and Mama-cat was gone. Status Pages for Levi and Paige. Hey, thanks for reading. Rather than cluttering up the story with status pages (which I personally hate), I thought I''d drop Levi and Paige''s updated statuses here, so that it doesn''t clutter the writing. Plus, you can always come back and reference it as you want. As the story progresses, I''ll probably include more of these. Thank you to everyone following the story. If you like something, please comment on it. It is always nice to have positive reinforcement. Honestly, comments mean the absolute most to me. I''ve actually found myself appreciating negative comments, because that means at least people are bothering to read the material. So please, comment. -JDH ----- Name: Levi Jimmer O''Hare Age: 31 Class: The Insatiable Sage Level: 10 Experience to next level: 340/5100 Base stats: Physical Strength = 8 Physical Proficiency = 9 Mental Strength = 7 Mental Proficiency = 6 Spiritual Strength = 6 Spiritual Proficiency = 6 Skills: Martial Technique Tai Chi Chuan Skill Subset - Perfect Form Empowering FlowThe tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Efficiency Flow Mental Boosting Mana Barrier Skill Subset - Mana Shield Skill Subset - Mana Platform Mana Skin Basic Dagger Proficiency Improved Grappler Advanced Pugilist Improved Dagger Throwing Advanced Pain Tolerance ----- Name: Paige Mandy Montoya Age: 18 Class: Untamable Beastfriend Level: 11 Experience to next level: 15/5400 Base stats: Physical Strength = 7 Physical Proficiency = 10 Mental Strength = 7 Mental Proficiency = 6 Spiritual Strength = 6 Spiritual Proficiency = 5 Skills: Beastspeak - Beastspeak allows you to communicate with beasts. Be aware that all beasts are different and that this ability may have a large variety of results. Advanced Sneaking Heightened Smell Heightened Hearing Expert Climbing Advanced Pounce Improved Pain Tolerance Ignore Hunger Basic Acrobatics Advanced Balance Predatory Instinct Empowered Leap Abilities: Improved Share Traits (Beasts) - Share Traits may only be active on two targets (Beasts) at a time. You may share up to two traits at a time. Depending on the depth of your friendly connection with a target, you may share traits with the intended target. While you gain a trait of the target, and they gain a trait from you, neither lose that trait while sharing. The deeper connection, the higher level traits may be shared. Traits include the basic senses, Stats, Skills, and Abilities, in that order. It is far easier to share the sight with a target than to share abilities. Sharing traits will often result in physical manifestations for both you and the target. These physical manifestions may persist for a short time even after you have ended this ability. There is a .01% chance a manifestation of Trait Sharing will be permanent. When this occurs, both you and the target will retain some, if not all, of the shared traits as well as the physical manifestation. This does not count as Shared Trait being active, and Shared Trait may be used on the same target or another target. Beast Friends: Crows Bobcat Physical Manifestation - Eyes of the bobcat. Your eyes are that of a bobcat and permanently retain both the form and the function of bobcat eyes. 16 - Reunited and It Feels So Good
"You think she''s here in good faith, or you think she''s still snooping?" Levi asked. Joe shrugged. "Probably a little of both. Both her and Mike have gained some levels. And I''m not going to lie, she takes healing duty very seriously, even if she sometimes gets overzealous and calls a fatal blow too early. But, she''s still not going to miss the opportunity to note down everyone''s abilities and skills. Grace says she is still pushing the full discloser stuff, but she''s lost most support. It''s been well over a month, and no one has caused trouble. People aren''t buying into her fear based reasoning anymore. But...it will be what it is. At this point, I''m pretty sure she''s only at it to stay under Grace''s skin." Joe stood and began stretching and loosening up muscles. "Supposed to start war games tomorrow. And everyone wants to throw a party tonight. Not only to celebrate the start of war games, but because Maddy''s team finally found something out there. Plus, Hank says he''s finally made enough moonshine to spare some for drinking." Hank had been brewing shine for weeks but refused to part with it unless it was for medical supplies or a profession that needed it, like alchemy. Not that it had stopped some people from drinking a bit here and there. Joe didn''t show any interest in it, but Grace had offered both him and Levi some interesting intoxicants she''d made from it. Levi was certain she''d used some of them herself. She''d been a little less grumpy lately. Levi suddenly jerked upright, tearing his attention away from tightening his shin bracers. "What did Maddy''s party find?" "No one is quite sure yet. She said it looks like a portal. She described it as a floating bubble big enough to step into. She said you can see into it, and it shows open plains. Depending on what angle you look at it, you can see the different parts of the landscape inside. But you know Maddy''s group. They played it safe. Came back and reported it instead of going in." "That''s kind of huge." Levi was grinning, excited. "I want to check it out." "I''m with you, but we need to get a party together. All the healers are pretty much grouped up. We don''t have any real ranged damage unless David decides to step in and help, but he''s always hunting. And we have no ability to scout," Joe said. Levi chuckled, "How did it end up with just you and me as our permanent group, when everyone else has at least teams of four already?" "Because neither of us socialize. You''re always running off at the end of the day to meditate or whatever, and I just go back and hang out with Grace. And to be fair, Maddy would probably group up with us if she hadn''t been with her team from the beginning, and David does group spars with us sometimes. But he also feels like he has to bring in food for everyone." "So is the party happening, or is it just talk for now?" Levi asked. "Probably happening. The core group in the pits is pretty excited about it. And Agnis and Mike have thrown their support behind the party. She''s probably trying to buy back some goodwill she''s lost recently, but still. From what I hear, she''s promised to push a vote to have some of the livestock slaughtered. Probably a couple of pigs." Levi had to admit that would be nice. David had brought in a few deer, but it was stretched thin, and it had been a long while since Levi had eaten anything that wasn''t slightly gamey. "Too bad Paige is going to miss that," Levi thought outloud. "She shouldn''t," Joe said. "Unless she''s already ran off again. She came by last night, crying her eyes out about some bobcat or something and ranting about needing Grace to make her dewormer." Completely missing everything except the fact that Paige was back, Levi smacked Joe in his arm lightly. "And you didn''t think to tell me?'' "Just now came up," Joe answered with his signature shrug. "What? Have you been obsessing over her the entire month?" "No, I just still haven''t apologized," Levi said defensively. "You worry too much," was all Joe said in response. He stood. "Well, this is my spar. Hoping to get a win on Iara, today. Wish me luck." "You got this, man." Levi didn''t really think Joe did. Iara was just brutal with her katana. But, Joe had a chance. He''d gotten close to winning a couple times. The trick with Iara was just not losing an arm or leg before you landed a devastating blow yourself, and that was something only Craig seemed to do with any consistency.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ----- Paige had listened to their conversation from a nearby treetop. It was far enough away that no one would notice her, but with her enhanced hearing, she had no trouble following Levi and Joe''s conversation. Her heart skipped a beat when Levi had gotten excited about her return, but a lot of that subsided when he mentioned apologizing. Still, that was something. She wanted to apologize, too, and it was just nice that he still thought of her in a good way. This time, she''d just try to be his friend, nothing else. She was certain. And, if something else were to develop...well, she wouldn''t be opposed to that, but wouldn''t push. Climbing out of her tree top, she thought about how to approach him. Maybe she should start with the apology. Maybe just a simple hello. She thought about scaring him again, which would be easy enough with her Sneaking skill, but decided that would be a bad way to start, considering their history. And as her mind went over what to say exactly, it was already too late. As she approached him from his side, he noticed her walking up. Turning his head toward her, it seemed to take him a moment to recognize who she was, but when he did, he stood smiling. "Paige?" He asked with a smile. ''Well fuck me,'' Paige thought as her heart fluttered at his smile. "Yep, it''s me," was all she managed to say. Still grinning, he approached her. Levi thought she looked like she''d lost weight. She looked a little too thin, or maybe weathered. She looked like she''d been through some hard days. As he approached, he noticed the slitted eyes. They were even a different color than her former brown, a wild amber color. "Whoa, what''s up with your eyes? That''s badass," Levi asked. As he watched, the slitted pupils widened, opening until almost her entire eye was black, with just a thin ring of gold surrounding them. Her smile was even wider. "You like them? I think they''re so cool. It''s my first permanent physical manifestation. I got them a few weeks ago. I haven''t gotten to see them in an actual mirror yet." Paige''s heart was pounding, and looking at Levi''s smiling face had made her stomach flutter. ''Damn these urges.'' She tried to push the feeling down. "Yeah, they''re cool. They''re like...like REAL cat eyes." "Yeah," Paige said simply. Levi heard a crow cawing from above, and watched as Paige looked up and shook her head in a vigorous no. "I see you still have the crows around," he said. "Ah, yeah. Well, I''ve actually just been back around them more. They stayed away a lot while I was with the bobcat." She neglected to tell Levi she had to actively discourage them from poop bombing him. She thought they may be a little jealous, even if they wouldn''t admit it. They had barely spent any time with Paige over the course of the month. Levi was still smiling. "Okay. Well, what brings you out here?" Levi thought about apologizing. He wanted to, but it just didn''t feel right in that moment. "Well, I was hoping to spar." Paige gestured at the pit where Joe was getting thoroughly beaten. "Joe said you guys have been out here and gave me an invite." That was a half-truth. Joe had invited her, but that wasn''t why she''d came. "Well, these are what we call the ''hard pits.'' The spars here are pretty brutal. So we have this rule. You can''t fight in the hard pits unless you''ve been recommended from the normal training area in the safe zone or if you are at least level 10," Levi answered. "Oh, that''s fine. I''m level 11, so that isn''t a problem." ''Holy shit, level 11. Whatever she''s been doing out there wasn''t a vacation,'' Levi thought. Then, with a small laugh, he decided to repeat the words he''d once heard himself, "Perfect. I know just who to start you with." Joe had actually squeezed out a win against Iara, though neither Paige nor Levi had seen it. Apparently, he''d baited her into taking off his sword arm so he could bash her in the nose with the edge of his shield. And he hadn''t let up. Iara had been blind with half of her face caved in by the time the win was called. It was a good thing their bodies had been able to take more and more damage over time because Iara''s face was ruined, and she''d have definitely been dead if it had been a month before. Joe was beaming as Iara walked over after fully recovering. "Joe. You are a savage fighter. Thank you for showing me that I still have much to learn. Perhaps you could teach me more in a private spar sometime." Her accent was thick, but her implication was even thicker. Joe barely choked out a "Thank you," before she was out of earshot. The way she walked away reminded Paige of Mama-cat''s saunter, if maybe a bit more suggestive. Levi punched Joe''s arm. "What was that? Dude, you better get that tonight after the party." After a moment of thought, Levi added, "I really thought her and Craig were a thing, though." Joe coughed out a laugh, face still flushed red from Iara''s very direct advances. "Craig? You really are oblivious. He...uh...prefers playing with swords. Him and Tony are a thing." "Ohhh. That suddenly makes so much sense." Levi felt like an idiot. "Really? I''ve only been here this morning, and that''s obvious." Paige pointed. "Craig and Tony, right?" Levi looked to where Paige was indicating to see Tony tightening Craig''s armor and giving him a very thorough check before Craig''s next spar. "Yep. Guess I''m pretty oblivious." It was funny how after it was pointed out, it all made perfect sense. It was like he''d kind of known, but never actually saw it. After that, they sat and watched a few more spars. Craig easily dismantled a younger man with dual shortswords and leather armor. A bigger boy than you''d expect as a dual wielder, standing a full head over Craig and carrying an impressive amount of muscle. He was new to the hard spar pit, but he had talent. He was fast, especially for someone his size. Unfortunately for him, Craig was faster. Craig just avoided getting hit and kept poking. Between blood loss and exertion, the much larger youth was barely able to swing a sword when Craig delivered a finishing blow through the kid''s left lung. He was quickly healed and praised by Craig and Iara. Both gave him pointers and discussed his dual weilding style. It was unorthodox and considered suboptimal in their sports, but they only had praise for him regarding how well he was making it work. Another spar between Tony and Mike ended quickly, with Tony delivering a devastating combo of strikes with katars that left Mike unable to stand and bleeding out quickly. Mike had forfeited by raising a hand. And then--way too soon, they both thought--it was time for Levi and Paige to step into the pit. 17 - Busted Up and Gussied Up Paige moved fast. She covered the distance in a single, lightning fast leap. Levi hadn''t seen the distance closed so fast since he himself had been fighting more aggressively. And, in one second, she was dual wielding her blue daggers, and in the next, she was swiping with claws the same color. Levi easily deflected her blows, but she fought like a wild animal. Seeing an opening, Levi used Mental Boosting and Empowering Flow, aiming for an easy shot at her ribs. Levi watched as her eyes caught his movement, and she backflipped out of the attack while bringing up her foot in a kick he barely dodged. ''Holy hell, she''s faster than anyone I''ve ever fought.'' Levi thought. As Paige crouched, she watched Levi retake a stance. If it wasn''t for Catlike Reflexes, the fight would have been over with his last counterattack. Something about that made Paige happy. She leapt for him again, this time delivering a flying back kick she hadn''t tried since she was practicing Taekwondo, and she''d never done well. Her new speed, power, and balance provided a perfect execution of the powerful kick. Unfortunately for Paige, larger flashy moves were weak against both Tai Chi and Levi''s own skills and methods of fighting. Levi simply deflected the blow, continuing Paige''s momentum more than she''d intended, and lazily kicked her landing foot out from under her right before it touched the ground. He hadn''t even used much force with any of his effort, and even his kick had been light. Paige hit the ground and was barely able to roll out to the way before Levi''s arm came down like a whip where she''d landed. Levi, for his part, knew he was going to win the fight. Paige was incredibly fast, and he''d be lying if he said she didn''t physically outmatch him in ways. Her fighting style was also so ferocious and animal-like that not only was it throwing Levi off, but it was also outright terrifying. But, he''d spent weeks sparring, and she obviously hadn''t. The truth was that he could have already ended the fight. But he didn''t feel like it would be beneficial to anyone to end the fight quickly when she wouldn''t get anything except embarrassment out of that. Plus, she was a fun sparring partner, and Levi was pretty sure she''d be more than a match for most people with a week or so of practice. He decided to push the limits of her speed. He really just wanted to know how fast she was. Her speed felt different from his own. It was more reflex and less thought out. He knew he was about to need a healing potion for a few torn and overworked muscles, and he''d end up with a headache that even a healing and mana potion wouldn''t completely fix, but he had to know how fast she was. He let her create more distance but sent his dagger at her as soon as she''d found her feet. Resorting to his older, more aggressive style, he pushed Mental Boosting and Empowering Flow as far as he dared, launched himself at her, and was a millisecond behind the flying dagger. She easily slapped the dagger out of the way, and he watched her recognition of his strike but had left herself open when she''d swatted the blade away. Unable to block, she dodged back, but Levi was still pressing, not letting up on his rapid assault. He was amazed to see she was almost quick enough to react to every strike. Her biggest problem was that she reacted instinctually, often putting her body in positions where she wasn''t able to physically respond to Levi''s next attack. She had no real plan or method, just reaction. But Levi still saw her eyes follow his fastest moves in a way no one had ever been able to. That wasn''t to say others couldn''t deal with it, but they relied on defensive methods and letting Levi burn himself out. Paige could actually follow every move but simply wasn''t able to react to all of them. Realizing he was almost at his limit, Levi decided to use a tactic he''d thought up but never had the chance to use. Going with a combo he knew would cause Paige to dodge out of the way, Levi pushed his assault. But, this time, when Paige went to leap backward, she found the mana barrier Levi had summoned behind her. Delivering a blow he knew would be considered fatal, but at least not as bad as bursting her liver, Levi punched her chest right over her heart. He heard the crack of ribs and felt as her heart gave way. He jumped back, ending his skills and letting the healers do their job on Paige. He sipped some healing potion that was handed to him. He didn''t look injured, but everyone had learned that Levi damaged his own body when he was pushing his skill that hard. ------ Levi was grateful when several people, including Iara and Craig, rushed up to congratulate Paige and comment on her impressive speed. Of those almost fast enough to follow Levi''s movements at top speed, the two sword fanatics were the best. And they easily closed that speed gap with the range of their weapons and skills of their own. He didn''t want Paige to feel like she''d done bad at all. She hadn''t. She''d probably beat at least half the people who regularly sparred. But he felt that if the praise only came from him, it wouldn''t mean as much. After she''d had enough of being showered in praise, Paige rushed over to him, beaming a smile. "Holy shit. How are you that fast?" She asked. Levi noticed her eyes doing the weird cat-thing again, where the pupils grew super large. "I have skills to boost my speed and strength, plus another to speed up my thoughts to keep up with my body." Levi was relieved to see she''d taken the loss well. "How about you? No one has ever kept up with my top speed so well." "Catlike Relfexes," Paige answered, confirming Levi''s suspicions. "And that style you used was definitely some form of martial arts." "Mostly, yeah. Tai Chi. A lot of it has been batardized or changed to fit my skills, and there''s a little mix of things I''ve learned here and there. What about your daggers turning into cat claws." They talked for a while after that. Mostly about the spar and their skills. Levi gave her pointers and promised to teach her a few better ways to deflect, block, and dodge without leaving as many openings. Both were smiling throughout the conversation. "You know that mana barrier thing at the end was pretty dirty," Paige said, joking. "Hey," Levi said, raising his hands. "All is fair in love and war." Paige''s cheeks went a little pink at that. "Yeah, I guess so. It was a good trick." She suddenly stood. "I''m going to go take care of a couple things and clean up before the party. You''ll be there, right?"The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "I can''t say no to alcohol and pork," Levi answered with a grin. "Cool. See you then." After Paige had left, Levi sniffed his armpit. He was due to wash up himself. Even more, his gear needed to be cleaned up. He couldn''t remember the last time he''d washed it. ------ Paige was on a mission. Makeup. Even it was basic stuff made from whatever Grace could scrounge together. Levi had said all was fair in love and war, after all. She knew he hadn''t meant it in that context, and her feelings for Levi were far from love. She had a small crush and some animalistic urges most likely related to her class...plus, it had been quite a while since she''d had any company to scratch that itch. She wasn''t necessarily trying to push things with Levi, but...looking pretty never hurt. And things happened at parties all the time, at least from what she''d heard. She''d never actually been to any, other than kids'' birthday parties. So, makeup. Just a little to highlight her best qualities. She considered finding something to wear, but she knew most people were probably just going to wear their gear. A dress or something would make her look silly, even if she could find one. "You''re barking up the wrong tree," Grace said gruffly. "Is this about Levi?" Paige asked. Grace''s gaze slowly turned from her cauldron to Paige. "You know, it didn''t even occur to me that was why you wanted makeup, but no. I don''t know shit about wearing makeup, much less crafting it." Grace sighed her token grumpy sigh. "But, I know there''s some floating around. Agnis cakes the crap on. Looks like a clown at every meeting. You could ask her, but I''d recommend trying some of the other girls first. One of them is bound to know." It didn''t take long to find one of ''the other girls'' in the safezone. Unfortunately, it was Maddy and her group. Paige was pretty much filled in on Maddy and David and knew her initial impression had been wrong about them. She was just avoiding the awkward situation where she had to tell them so. Sucking it up, she walked over to them. "Hey, Maddy, um... not sure if you remember me. I''ve been gone for a while." Paige wasn''t really sure how well this was going to go. Maddy looked at Paige levelly. "Yeah, I remember." "Yeah, well...sorry about being rude when we met. I had the wrong idea about you and David." Maddy shrugged. "Yeah, but it still wasn''t cool that David called you a bitch. I chewed him out about it. So what''s up, what do you want? Information on the portal? We can kind of tell you where it is, but that''s pretty much all we know." "Oh, no. But congrats on finding it. You guys know about the party tonight, right? I was hoping to find someone with some basic makeup to wear." Maddy''s entire group perked up at that, dropping the intimidation act they''d been going for and exchanging excited looks and grins. "Hey, that''s a good idea. We should all wear makeup tonight! And yeah, we know someone who makes some. It is pretty rough, but it does the job." After that, they lead her to a woman named Caroline. She was somewhere close to 40 years old with a small build. She had more scars than you''d expect a woman to have and had a tattoo on her neck. "So you ladies want to get all gussied up for the party tonight. Anyone in particular you''re aiming to impress?" Caroline asked. Most of the girls responded with ''Noes'' and ''Not reallys.'' Paige just kind of looked away, but Caroline still caught her eye after a moment and gave a smirk. "Alright then, ladies. I tell you what... why don''t you all go get cleaned up, and come back here smelling all clean and fresh, and I''ll do all of your makeup personally. The first time is a free sample, but next time, we''ll work out a trade." ---- Paige took her time thoroughly washing herself and her gear. She was glad all the starting gear seemed to self-repair. And she felt lucky her gear was literally a silk sheath dress. When Paige finally made her way back, Caroline was finishing with the last girl of Maddy''s group. She was somewhat plainfaced, if not outright, ugly. But Caroline was an absolute magician with makeup. The girl looked stunning. After Paige gave out some well-deserved compliments to the girls, they left, looking excited for the party. When they were gone, Caroline pointed at the chair, which was just another stool made of a cut log. "Sit down." Bending to look Paige level in the face, Caroline started mumbling to herself. "Definitely won''t take much, or I''d take away from the natural beauty. But those eyes... we definitely need to make those pop." Caroline pulled out a collection of makeshift tools. Some brushes and powders, a thick black tar substance with a short stubby brush, and something that looked a bit like a black crayon. As she went to work on Paige, she began talking. "I imagine I can do something with your hair, too. You''ll be wanting to make an impression if you''re trying to catch his eye." "Who, what?" Paige stumbled to deny it. "Don''t bother. Anyone who''s looking for it can see you''re trying to get someone''s attention. So what''s he like?" Paige blushed. "Well, I don''t know him that well, honestly. He''s handsome. He''s kind of intense, most of the time. Then, at others, he''s just... goofy. His smile seems so real, like the realest thing I''ve ever seen. Okay... that sounds corny. I guess it is just a feeling, mostly." "Well, that''s enough. At least for a start," Caroline answered. "Well, Grace has a much different opinion on it. She say''s he''s too old." "Wait, please tell me you aren''t angling for Joe." Caroline pulled back sharply and gave Paige a look. "What? No, eww. I mean, he''s not a bad looking man, but he is built like an understuffed scarecrow. Just a little too skinny for me." "Oh, thank God. I was about to have to warn you off. Iara is trying to make her move tonight. Who is it then?" Caroline went back to work on Paige''s makeup. "Levi." "Oh, I''ve heard about him. A lot of the girls think he''s a nice looking man. But they all say he''s unapproachable. Always glowering and any time they try to get his attention he just tells them he''s too busy." Caroline pulled back from Paige again. "And here you are talking about how great his smile is, when most the other girls haven''t even gotten a good look at it. I think you have a better chance than anyone." Paige smiled and blushed a bit. "Really? And you don''t think he''s too old?" "Bah. You can''t listen to what people say, least of all Grace, when it comes to relationships. From what I hear she hated her only husband. As far as the age gap goes...it can and does go bad. Don''t let him be manipulative or controlling. But, if you''re chasing him...he just doesn''t seem like the type." Caroline pulled back again and examined Paige''s face. "Done. But stay seated. I''m going to do something with your hair. Not too much I can do without hairspray, but I doubt it will take much anyway." After Caroline was behind Paige, and brushing through her hair, she continued. "Look, my late husband was almost 25 years older than me. We married when I was only 19. We were married for 22 years. And like you, I was the one who pursued him. The only reason I ever wished he was younger was because it felt like he was taken from me too soon. He wasn''t a perfect man, but he was a good man. So don''t listen to what people say too much, or you might miss out on your own happiness." Paige tried to nod. "Stay still!" Caroline protested. "So, how''d you learn how to make all these cosmetics out of barely anything?" Paige asked, trying to change the subject. Caroline laughed. "Most of it, prison. But I''ve had to adapt to the system. Most of that has been for the better. I can actually craft some decent makeup with the skills I''ve gained." "Oh." Paige was quiet for a moment and considered asking the question, but before she could Caroline answered it for her. "A few years after my husband passed--well more like 5--I decided to try to date again. The first guy I invited back to my place...I wasn''t ready. I told him no. He got a little handsy. I got a little violent in response. It escalated and I stabbed him a few times. He didn''t die, but it was enough that I did some time in the penitentiary over it. I only got out of prison a few months before the system came." "Oh. I''m sorry." Paige didn''t know what else to say. "It''s fine. I wouldn''t change a single thing about my life." Caroline pushed a mirror in front of Paige. "Take a look and tell me what you think." Page saw her reflection. Her golden cat eyes were framed with dark eyeliner and some mascara equivalent with just a touch of eyeshadow. It highlighted her eyes perfectly. Not much had been done to her face. Caroline had smoothed out a few blemishes and fading scars with something, but you couldn''t even really tell Paige had anything on. Her hair was brought into a lovely, loose bun, with curls falling in ways that almost looked accidental but were definitely strategic. "Wow. You''re amazing." Paige gawked at her reflection. "Nope, you are. And I''m glad you were last. The jealousy of the other girls might have resulted in some petty comments being tossed around, and I simply can''t stand that shit." Caroline pulled out a very small bottle similar to those Grace used for alchemy. She dabbed something on her finger. "Alright, tilt your head to the left." Caroline instructed and then rubbed the dab onto Paiges''s neck. "Now to the right. Now wrists...and you know what, armpits too because we don''t really have deodorant around here." Paige sniffed at her wrist. It smelled like something between lavender and honeysuckle. "Perfume?" Paige asked. Caroline put a finger to her lips. "Don''t tell anyone. I''ve only made one small bottle and have no more ingredients to make it. Probably won''t until spring. But... consider it my good luck charm to you. Go get him, tiger." 18 - Best Laid Plans Paige wasn''t the only one with a plan for the party. "Okay, so I''m pretty sure Paige will team up with us, if I ask her, and her crows would be perfect for scouting. Plus she mentioned she has Advanced Sneaking," Levi was explaining. "And she can definitely handle herself in a fight." Joe was nodding along. "I have an angle to use to get David on board. He''s always concerned about doing his part bringing in enough food, but what if there are game animals of some sort in the portal? Plus, we can carry more back as a group. That should convince him to go into the portal at least once, and possibly more if we bring back meat." "Smart. But we still need someone for heals and, ideally, some other spell casting. I''ve been working on cracking Identify, but even that basic spell has been giving me hell. Figuring out spells at all has been a damned nightmare." "I thought your mana barriers were spells?" Joe asked in confusion. Levi shook his head. "Nope. Everything I''ve got is considered a skill. I don''t have any spells or abilities. But the mana barriers are actually just raw mana projection. Even the Identify Spell involves weaving intent in ways I can''t quite grasp." "So you learning a healing spell in the near future is probably a bust," Joe grumbled. "Not going to lie, I kind of hoped you would. It would solve our biggest problem." "Yeah. And you don''t know any healers that aren''t already in a group?" "Nope. Except Agnis, but..." Joe trailed off. "Yeah, fuck that." Levi would rather go without a healer. "Nothing is limiting the size of groups. We could always just join up with an already established group." "Eh, personality issues aside, bigger groups mean bigger problems. But the real issue is that a single healer can only handle smaller numbers if shit hits the fan. I don''t want to be the reason someone else dies." "Shit, I didn''t even think about that." Levi sighed. "Well then, we might be shit out of luck. We can always just use potions and play it safe." "I''m good with risking myself and you, if you''re up for that, but I wouldn''t feel right putting David or Paige in that situation. Still, there''s always the possibility that there''s someone with healing that just hasn''t been to the pits. There''s plenty of people I don''t know simply because they''ve never come to spar." "Maybe. Even then, they probably don''t have much experience or levels." Levi wasn''t feeling too optimistic about the situation. Joe slapped him on the back. "Hey, cheer up! Just enjoy the party and ask around. Plus the next three days are going to be fun. Trust me, I helped make the rules for the wargames." Levi perked up. "Yeah, what''s the news?" "Not telling. You''ll have to wait for the announcement. But it should be interesting." Joe gave Levi a smirk. "Hope we end up on the same side though." "Wait...it isn''t going to be with premade groups?" Levi asked, but Joe had already lengthened his stride and was leaving Levi behind. "Sorry man, I have to go clean up before the party. I don''t want to disappoint Iara. No time to talk." Joe said, amusement clear in his voice. Levi was suddenly glad he hadn''t told Joe he''d be suffering from Parched Soul when the wargames started. Depending on how long they lasted, if he didn''t level up or gain a skill, he''d have no mana at all by the end. And he was going to be handicapped, either way. He wouldn''t be quite defenseless, and he still had plenty of stamina potions, but if his mana regen bottomed out he was pretty screwed. If Levi and Joe ended up on different teams, there was no way Joe wouldn''t exploit that weakness. ----- Levi was one of the first to the party. After thoroughly washing up, he''d tried to meditate, hoping for a last minute breakthrough. He knew he was close to something happening with his core. In fact, his essence was almost completely cycled, with the ring being more substantial then the actual center at this point. Unfortunately, between thoughts of the wargames, trying to form a group, and the apology he still hadn''t given Paige, Levi couldn''t think about anything other than the party. Walking into the center of the safezone, he realized he was way early. Cooks were still setting up spits over the center fire for the pigs. The council members, along with Tony and Iara, were sitting at a table discussing things. Grace gave him a nod as he passed, but didn''t break away from the conversation.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Levi noticed Hank, mixing some of his moonshine with whatever was in two large barrels. Deciding Hank was probably the best bet for conversation, and curious about the barrels, Levi headed to talk to the stocky old man. "Hey, Hank. Thanks for providing the alcohol for tonight." "Well, not much to trade for at the moment. No sense sitting on a stockpile." Hank didn''t even bother looking up, but just tasted the mixture and poured in more moonshine. "What''s in the barrels?" Levi asked. "Apple juice." Hank grumbled. "And some cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg. Isn''t really cider, but I don''t imagine people are going to care." Hank still hadn''t bothered looking up. "We had apple juice?" Levi asked. "Do now. Council was trying to preserve what they could from the orchard before winter, but these last were going to spoil anyway. They gave them to me. This is two of the four barrels I made to ferment into hard cider." "That''s generous, Hank," Levi said. Hank finally did look up at that, raising his voice. "Then go thank the council! I didn''t get much say in it." Realizing Hank was definitely not his best chance for conversation, Levi quitely excused himself and wandered off. People were showing up, but no one Levi knew. He thought most of them were just the people who stuck to the safezone, practicing professions. Levi just drifted until his ears picked up the sound of a drumbeat, accompanied by a rumbling baritone. It was too faint to hear clearly, but Levi followed the sound. At the outskirts of the party sat a massive man on the steps of a cabin. Levi couldn''t tell exactly how tall he was, but he had to dwarf Joe. And he was twice as broad. As he got closer, he noticed the man was far younger than he''d expected, his rich brown skin was smooth, without scars or wrinkles. He looked young and innocent, despite his size. He''d already stopped singing, and the drum beat on his snare was slowing. Levi watched him as he finished. The boy''s face held the ghost of a smile, eyes closed as if enjoying every last drum beat. When the boy opened his eyes, they looked far older and sadder than they should have. He jumped a little, but didn''t leave his seat. "I''m sorry," Levi said. "I just followed the sound of you playing. I didn''t hear much of it. My name''s Levi, by the way." "That''s okay," the boy said. "I''m Kenny. Mr. Hank wanted me to play tonight, so I was just warming up. I don''t think anyone else plays music around here." Levi smiled and sat down. "Let me guess, Hank told you to call him Hank, but it doesn''t feel right unless you call him ''mister.''" Kenny grinned. "He reminds me of my Papaw. And my Papaw would have knocked my head off if he heard me forget my manners." "I know how that is. Not a bad thing." Levi leaned away from Kenny and looked him over. "You''re a big boy. Why haven''t I ever seen you at the sparring pits?" Levi asked. "Oh, I don''t like fighting much," Kenny said looking down at the snare drum in his lap. "Worried about getting hurt?" Levi asked, doubtfully. Kenny was a monster of a young man. "Nah, I just don''t much like hurting people." "Yeah, I understand that..." Levi didn''t push farther. But Kenny kept talking, without Levi even asking. "I''ve always been big. I used to stand up to bullies for my friends. Then, they started asking me to fight for them. I felt like a hero. I didn''t even know it, but I guess we became the bullies. Th-then a boy hurt himself after I beat him up." Kenny looked up at Levi. "So I don''t like fighting." Levi nodded, throat tightening. He glanced down at the scars on his own arm, but didn''t say anything. "Hey Levi," Kenny said, scratching at his tight black curls. "You want to hear something I''m not supposed to play tonight?" "Yeah, that would be great. I was actually going to ask you to play something if you didn''t mind." Kenny grinned. "Not at all. I love music." Kenny tapped a slow, almost military beat on his snare. It didn''t speed up very much, but there was a build up. The beat slowly became more and more complex. And the Kenny sang. In his beautiful baritone, Kenny sang about someone lost and broken down, who couldn''t take another step. A man ready to die. But then he thought of his loved ones back home and found the strength to stand and march on. Levi followed the lyrics, but he couldn''t commit them to memory. He didn''t think much of it, other than it being a beautiful song, until Kenny finished and Levi recieved a notification. You have been affected by the buff: Marching Tune of Invigoration - Stamina regeneration is doubled for 15 minutes. Levi grinned up at the much younger man. "That''s awesome." Kenny pointed a thumb at himself. "Bard," he explained simply. "Hey, uh...you happen to know any songs that heal people?" Kenny smiled for a moment, and then his drumsticks got to work. ----- "I''m telling you Joe, the kid has enough healing to carry a team," Levi insisted. "Plus he has other buffs." "But he avoids fighting. That can screw us in a heartbeat," Joe argued back. "Not really. If the healer has to do any fighting we''re already in trouble. I convinced him to at least sign up for the war games. I told him if things got hairy he could surrender and leave. Let''s just see how he does. It isn''t like I''ve invited him to group up yet, or anything." "Fair enough..." Joe grumbled. They were standing at the edge of a small group listening to Kenny play. People were starting to show up by that point, but most of the sparring group hadn''t arrived. Levi assumed most of them got in some extra practice and probably had a lot more washing up to do. He was starting to wonder where Paige was, though. She''d left to get ready long before they''d ended sparring, even if they had called it an early day. But before he asked about her, Joe pointed to the edge of the crowd. "That''s Paige. Why don''t you go grab a couple of drinks and get that apology over with, so you can ask her about grouping up and exploring the portal." It took Levi a second to peel his eyes away from Paige. She looked incredible. "Oh...yeah... good idea." Levi went to do just that. After grabbing a couple drinks, though, Levi hesitated to approach Paige. She just looked... too gorgeous. After a moment, she noticed him and smiled brightly, waving. His stomach fluttered in a way he hadn''t felt in years. ''Relax, it''s just an apology and talking about teaming up. You already promised Grace nothing would happen between you and Paige,'' Levi lied to himself. 19 - Just When You Relax
She caught it deftly. "Catlike Reflexes," Paige explained with a grin. "You just keep that active all the time?" "Sure, why not? It''s useful and doesn''t cost me anything except a used Trait slot. But Catlike Reflexes is probably the best one I''ve got anyway." "Makes sense¡­¡± Levi decided now was his best chance to stop putting things off. ¡°...so I wanted to apologize for being an asshole that night..." "Yeah, me too. You obviously wanted to be alone, and I was pushing your boundaries..." Paige replied. "...Yeah, I still shouldn''t have snapped at you." "Well, it seems so long ago, now." Paige took a sip of her drink and slightly grimaced. "It has been over a month." Levi noticed Paige had the faint smell of flowers. ''How does she smell so good when the rest of us just smell clean?'' "Really? A month. Guess there''s no more free rations." Paige, with her heightened sense of smell, was also noticing something about Levi. He was attracted to her. Very attracted, at that moment. She internalized her happiness about that, trying not to make it show on her face. "Hey, can I ask something?" Levi had to make his move before someone else snatched Paige up. Paige''s heart skipped a beat. "Um, sure." "Would you be interested in joining me and Joe in a group? We are trying to get people together to explore the portal. You''re a solid fighter and can stealth around, plus you have the crows. You''d make a perfect scout." "Uh..." Paige took a sip of her drink rather than answer. She had to reset her train of thought. Levi''s shoulders slumped a bit. "You don''t have to join, but me and Joe are just trying to get a group together." Paige cleared her throat. "No, that''s...I mean I expected...I mean I didn''t expect you to ask that. Yeah, sure, I''d be willing to join your group." Her eyes brightened a little more enthusiastically. "Maybe there''s some new beasts in there." Levi smiled, "Yeah, maybe. We''ve got to get a couple more people on board. Pretty sure we have someone for ranged support and damage. Healer is kind of still in the air." "Yeah, just let me know." Silence stretched for a bit before Paige worked up the courage to make a move herself if Levi wasn''t going to do it. "Hey, Levi, do you think you''d want to go for a walk with me after the party? There''s this huge pond, not far from here. Maybe we could even go swimming." Levi''s stomach flipped. He was an idiot, sure, but a person could only be so blind. Another small silence fell between them before he answered. "Yeah. That would be nice, actually." Levi had thought about what Grace had said. He had thought about saying no. He really did. But, he was only human, and Paige was... incredible... in every way. Paige smiled up at him, her pupils expanding to black orbs again. "Hey, why do your eyes do that?" "Do what?" Paige asked, looking down in embarrassment. "The pupils get all huge all of the sudden." Before she could answer, a drumroll, followed by a slow but loud and commanding beat, drew everyone''s attention. As everyone looked to the makeshift stage, Agnis stepped up in front of Kenny the Bard, smiling. As the beat died down, Agnis quickly glanced at her palm, seeming to read something, before she began speaking. "Well, we''re here to celebrate some exciting developments." Agnis began, before giving another quick look down to her notes. "But, first, I have to say, I haven''t seen everyone so cleaned up since the system arrived. If we''d have known it would have improved the air quality so much, perhaps the council would have put their support into such a party much sooner." Agnis giggled at her own joke, but no one else seemed to be very amused. "Yes, well... The first big announcement is that one of the groups brave enough to adventure out finally found something of interest. Maddy, do you care to introduce your group and tell us what you''ve found," Angis called out. After a moment of no reply, with Agnis scanning the crowd, she continued. "Well, I guess they must be enjoying other aspects of tonight''s celebrations, or maybe their adventures have tired them out¡­ ¡­Well, in any case, their team found..." As Agnis trailed into her explanation, Paige tensed. "Something is wrong," she said.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. "Huh?" Levi leaned closer to hear Paige. "What do you mean?" "I mean something is WRONG. I talked to them earlier. No way they''d miss this," Paige elaborated. "They''re probably just running late." "No, they''d be here. They should have been here before me. Trust me." Paige''s eyes were scanning the crowd. Levi gave Paige a long look before nodding. "Okay. Let''s find Joe. We don''t really know what''s going on, but Joe can help us figure it out." Paige nodded, but her eyes kept scanning. Levi''s eyes were hunting for Joe, but he couldn''t help but feel like he kept seeing faces he didn''t recognize. He knew it was mostly paranoia. He wasn''t that familiar with most of the people in the safezone, and when he looked closer at those that caught his attention, most looked like people who stuck to the safezone practicing Professions. But every so often, he caught a hardened glare or gear that looked suited for a fighter, even though he didn''t recognize the person from the pits. Levi didn''t say anything to Paige, not wanting to make her even more concerned. He found Joe leaning against a table, sharing a lot of personal space with Iara. Grabbing his arm, Levi pulled at Joe. Joe''s initial reaction was to tense and give Levi a look that said he was about to knock his head off, but after one look, Joe straightened. "What''s wrong?" Was all he asked. Levi quickly explained the situation, not leaving out the part about the unfamiliar faces he''d seen. Joe quickly gave the crowd a glance, then leaned back onto the table slowly. Levi could tell he was trying to act relaxed but saw the tension you couldn''t hide from a regular sparring partner. Iara looked confused. "Are you sure?" "Take a look around," Joe said. "I only see two so far, but theres some faces that are a little too hard for us to not know them from the pits." Iara nodded. She scanned the crowd, and then seemed to shrink back against the table. "What do we do?" Levi asked. "I don''t know," Joe replied in a quiet rasp. "Well, we have to do something!" Paige insisted in a loud attempt at a whisper. Agnis was explaining the rules of the war games in the background. She''d reached the point discussing drawing names for teams. "But what?" Levi asked. "We don''t even know what''s going on." Joe nodded. "We should keep quiet and watch for now. We may not know what is going on, but we lose the only advantage we have the moment they suspect anyone has realized something is wrong." Paige huffed but didn''t argue. Levi didn''t say anything. His mind was going through every possibility he could concieve, finding he had nothing to add to Joe''s wisdom. Iara just bit her nails, which Levi found unsettling from a person he''d always seen as strong. "...and so, if you want to participate in the war games, please approach the stage and put your name into the hat so you can be selected." Agnis was finishing. Several people moved towards the stage, but before they made even a couple of steps, a loud voice called out from near where the pigs were being spit roasted. As the bald man with a red beard spoke, his words sounded like a slow taunting laugh. "What...a...fucking...joke. War games? Who are you carebears kidding? Most of you are softer than the bottom of my scrotum, with half the spunk." The man was wearing a patchwork of leather and mail. None of it matched the same way everyone''s starting gear did. He had a tattoo under his eye and another covering one side of his neck. He had a mace at his hip that looked to still have dried blood caked to the dull, yet still intimidating, spikes. "Umm... excuse me, young..." Agnis began but was quickly cut off. "Shut up. This is your only warning." The man''s tone grew serious. Lethal. "I will not have y..." Agnis tried to speak but was cut off again when the man twitched a finger and someone lept to the stage, drew a sword, and put it to Agnis''s throat. Levi was tensed and ready for action, and he could sense Joe coiled like a spring next to him. "What do we do?" he mumbled as quietly as he could. "Hold. We don''t know how many there are." Joe kept his voice low, too. "Ah, fuck this," Paige said, almost leaping in the man''s direction. Levi barely managed to catch her arm. "Wait," he said quietly. "Let''s at least wait until we know how many we''re dealing with." Paige jerked her arm away and glared at Levi, but she didn''t try to leap into action again. Someone else did, though. The younger man who''d dual wielded in the pits earlier that day stalked his way to the man, with the crowd parting to let him through. Without a word, the dual wielder set into the stranger, his swords in a flurry of blows. Yet his opponent seemed to simply step through the flurry, smoothly pulling his mace and caving in the younger man''s skull from behind. As the boy fell, someone had already cast a healing spell on the dual wielder. The bald man looked into the crowd and waggled a finger. "No, no, no," he said, a touch of humor in his voice. Lazily, he reached down and plucked up one of the boy''s swords in his empty hand. As the healing worked on the young man, and he began getting to his knees, the bald man swung the sword, removing his head. As soon as the decapitated head touched the ground, it was kicked into the nearby fire. The bald man looked around, dark smile of half rotten teeth gleaming in the firelight, "Now, are we all ready to listen?" The man let the silence hang in the air for a while. "Good. So, here''s how things are going to go. We''re going to take your food and the alcohol you have tonight, and you aren''t going to do a damned thing about it. In two days, we''re going to come back. You will have half a cow or a whole pig for us slaughtered and waiting. You will also have all of your gear and potions ready for us. You will place these at the edge of camp, that way," the bald man pointed, "Just on the other side of your gardens. We aren''t going to demand any other food or alcohol right away¡­but you know how goodwill works and all that." Again, the man paused, waiting for any objection. "Good. I''m so thankful you all seem such a hospitable group of nice people. But, just in case any of you think of doing something stupid, please do remember Maddy, Tara, Brittney, Jennifer, and poor little Danielle... If anyone tries anything stupid, one of them WILL pay for it." The man stood for a moment, casually glancing around like he hoped someone would challenge him again. After a moment, he shrugged. "Men, grab the pigs and alcohol and let''s head out," he called out. People began to move then, some of them coming from shadows or behind buildings. Some had just hidden well in the crowd. They did as the bald man instructed and grabbed the whole spits from the fire, carrying them two people per pig. The remaining barrel of the apple juice cocktail was bearhugged by a giant of a man and carried off without any apparent effort. Levi tried to get a good count on them as they left, guessing somewhere between 15 and 20. When they were far out of sight, he somewhat relaxed and realized he''d had a death grip on Paige''s arm. He''d probably bruised it. She pulled away when he let go, but her eyes stared after the men who''d just robbed them. "I''m going to kill them," Paige muttered under her breath. Levi tried to gather his thoughts and get his anger into something resembling sanity, but before he could, his lips moved, "They need to die." "Agreed," a raspy voice said from beside them, sounding colder than Levi had ever heard before. "Now, let''s plan how to make that happen¡­¡± 20 - The Wheat From the Chaff Paige looked up to one of the crows, "Follow them." "Aye, miss. Er... you DO want us to poop bomb these ones, right?" The crow asked, seeming uncertain. "Absolutely. Shit on them, drop rocks on them, harrass them... make their lives constant misery." Paige was furious. The crow cawed instructions and flapped his wings as he and other crows took flight. He was almost immediately replaced with what seemed to be a smaller, younger crow. She was already walking to follow the men, but Levi grabbed her arm and stopped her again. "Wait, me and Joe are with you. If you go running off, you''ll just get yourself killed." "Yeah, well, the longer we wait, the longer they do God knows what to the girls. I can''t just sit here and do nothing." "You also can''t take them by yourself. You''ll get killed, or worse, end up like Maddy''s group." "Well, if you want to sit around overthinking shit again, be my fucking guest, but someone has to do something, now, not later." "Hey!" Joe snapped. "You''re both right. Don''t go getting yourself killed, Paige. And good thinking with the crows. We''ll need the intel." Joe turned his gaze to Levi. "Levi, Paige is right, though. We need to move quick. You were a Marine too, weren''t you. You know that the sooner we move, the less they''ll expect it. If we could go now, that would be best, but..." Joe''s intense glare passed between Paige and Levi, making sure he had their attention. "We need intel, and we need bodies. I''ve got this. I promise. But both of you pull your shit together, NOW, because I need you. Follow my lead, listen to me, and I promise you, we''ll get those girls back. I need you to trust me." Levi jerked when he heard Joe say, ''Marine, too.'' He suddenly heard the Drill Instructor ''frog voice'' behind Joe''s rasp. He''d almost flinched when Joe said ''bodies'' instead of ''fighters.'' It made sense that Joe had been a Marine, looking back at things. Maybe that was why him and Joe got along so well, but Joe had never mentioned it. Levi gave a single nod. Paige relaxed slightly, "Yeah, I''ll trust you. But I''m going, no matter who ends up coming with me. So, you better get on it fast." "That''s fair," Joe agreed. "Can you focus on intel for now? We have a huge advantage with your crows. I want to know where they are, where their camp is located, a head count on both their camp and the group that just left, and where the girls are located. Did you get all of that?" "I think so." Paige said. "Good, and learn everything else you can pick up, too. Classes, weapons, anything. I''ll have questions. And tell the crows to wait to harass them. We''ll use it as a distraction. Got it?" Joe''s voice sounded more of a command than a request. "Got it." Paige said with a firm voice. Joe turned to Levi. "Levi. Save your over analyzing bullshit for when we have the intel. Sit with Paige. Meditate or something. I''ll need your brain later." Joe shifted to a third person. "Iara, are you with us?" Iara was frozen, staring at the scene before them. Her eyes were wide, and she gnawed at her fingernails. Most people were frozen. A lot had ran off in a panic. A small few had pulled the young man''s decapitated head from the flames and were fruitlessly trying to heal him. Agnis had fallen to her knees sobbing. Kenny, sitting behind Agnis, glared down at the drumsticks in his hands, knuckles tight. Some, like Hank, stood angry. Others looked lost. And Iara hadn''t even recognized that Joe had spoken to her. Joe said nothing as he turned from her and stomped off.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Levi''s gaze followed Joe, but... he trusted him. He knew Joe had dismissively told him to meditate, but he took it as at least something to keep him busy and useful. Levi also knew he was close to something. He wasn''t sure what it was, but if ever he needed a breakthrough, now was the time. ---- Joe walked into the center of the crowd before saying anything. But when he did, it was in a loud, confident voice. "Everyone, listen to me." Joe''s gaze scanned around him. The chaos was dying but not quite dead. Only a few people looked his direction. "I said, LISTEN TO ME." Joe''s voice came out broken, somewhat froglike, yet commanding and sounding almost ethereal. People paid attention then. "I''m going after them. Me and a couple of others. I need volunteers. We''re getting those girls back. And putting a stop to those psychos...whoever they are." Joe looked around him, letting the crowd around him process his words. "I need people willing to die to do the right thing. If you aren''t, don''t waste my fucking time. And I need people willing to kill tonight to do what''s right. If you aren''t, stay here and regret that later. If you''re from the sparring pits, we need you most, but I need as many as are willing and I will take anyone." A second of silence stretched into an eternity. The first to step forward was David, almost plowing his way to the front. "I''m going to put an arrow in all of their necks." Joe looked at the man, someone who always put the wellbeing of others beyond any sense of adventure or gain. He caught David''s eye. "Are you sure? Killing someone will live with you forever." "Yeah," David said through gritted teeth. "I know. But it''s Maddy. I think I''ll be just fine with killing the sick fucks." Joe gave him a nod. After that, a woman around 40 years old stepped forward. "You don''t know me, but I''ve heard of you, Joe. I''m Caroline. I''ll go. I''ll probably die, too, if I''m being honest. But I need you to know something." She pulled at the neck of her blouse. It was normal clothing. She''d never changed into her starting gear. As her hand pulled the fabric lower, a tattoo was exposed above her left breast. "You recognize this?" Joe stared for a moment, trying to place it. "...Yeah, some of those men had tattoos like that," Joe answered. Caroline nodded. "It''s a gang tat. A prison gang. Those men... I saw several tattoos displaying their affiliations. They''re dangerous. You need to know that. I''m pretty sure at least most have been to the pen." "Thanks for the information. It helps, but..." Joe shrugged and waved a hand to the headless corpse of the young man behind him. "No shit they''re dangerous. But trust me, we can be dangerous too." Caroline gave Joe a grim nod and then stepped behind him. Gage came forward after Caroline. "I-I''ll do it." He said with a weak voice. His body was visibly shaking. Gage had never even made it to the hard spar pits, though he''d been sparring with his sword and shield since the beginning. He''d never had the stomach for it. Joe gave him a long, sad look. "Gage. You don''t have to do this." "I-I know. I know. But...this is a chance to be better. And this is the right thing. I have to or I''ll die from the regret anyway." Gage''s voice wasn''t half as confident as his words. "I''ll find a place for you," was all Joe could manage to say with any honesty. After that, two younger men and a middle aged woman from the sparring pits stepped forward. He recognized them, but hadn''t ever gotten to know any of them. Joe didn''t give them much more than an appreciative nod. Then, Tony walked forward. He was quickly followed by Craig, who was pulling at his arm. Tony kept jerking it away. Craig was pleading with Tony. "Please. It isn''t worth it. You''re going to die. Tony... we can leave. We can go somewhere else." Craig had snot and tears running down his face. Tony was almost dragging Craig, who kept trying to cling to him. But as he approached Joe, he turned and shook Craig off, pushing him away. "Let me go, Craig. This is pathetic. I thought you had a stronger spine than that. There''s no telling what those girls are going through. And do you really want to be extorted for the rest of your life? This is what is right. If you want to be a coward, you can do it alone." Tony said nothing to Joe, but as he stepped behind Joe, Joe caught his arm and leaned in to whisper, "Thank you for joining. We need you. But...if you really understand what you''re stepping into, don''t risk those being the last words you ever say to him. Not everyone has it in them to be brave. You both deserve better than that." Then, the drummer, Kenny the Bard, stepped up. Joe gave the massive boy his best intimidating stare. Kenny''s angry face didn''t so much as twitch under Joe''s gaze. "Levi said you don''t like fighting," Joe challenged. "I''m going." Kenny replied. "You''re going to have to hurt them." Kenny nodded. "I know exactly what I''m about to do." Joe pointed to Kenny''s snare drum. "That''s loud. It''s going to give us away." "I''ve got a few tricks for that, too." "Look..." Joe started. Kenny cut him off. "I SAID, I''m going." Joe gave Kenny a single nod. "Just had to make sure." After Kenny moved behind Joe and he saw Grace standing in front of him, he almost laughed. "What the fuck do you think you''re doing, Grace?" "Well, what the fuck does it look like?" "Grace..." Joe started to argue, but Grace was pulling something out of her pack. As she adjusted the tall, pointy black hat on her head, she glared into Joe''s eyes. "You know what I am, Joe, but more importantly, don''t forget who I am." A shallow, grim smile was the only answer he could give her. Joe looked around the crowd. "If any of you change your mind," Joe''s head turned back to the group behind him, too. "I mean anyone... make it fast, because there''s not a lot of time." Directing his attention fully on the group of volunteers, he issued orders, commanding voice seeming as natural as drawing in a breath. "Go grab everything you think you need. Potions, gear, and anything you can think may be helpful. Meet me in the safezone training grounds in 15 minutes. We''ll strategize and plan the mission there." Then Joe went to see what Paige had learned from the crows. 21 - Spinning Into Control In meditation, Levi stared at his core. The solid mass at his center, the beginning and end of who he was, he realized, was almost diminished. The ring around it held slightly less essence, but it was of a higher quality. And it was as dense as it had ever been. Still, the wisps of his lower quality essence, his original essence, floated in from wherever it was being generated. That part was still a mystery to Levi, but he did understand it came from his existence somehow. He needed to make progress forward. He needed to push it past whatever boundary he couldn''t see. He needed to cycle the remaining parts of the older essence and re-consolidate a new core with the improved essence. He stared into the core in the center of his mindspace and willed it to spin faster, to cycle faster. He put everything he had into it, his will, his focus...his anger, hope, and determination. His core sped up significantly, but it wasn''t enough. It sucked in wisps of essence that were quickly refined into the higher essence which joined the ring around his core. It still wasn''t enough. His core was empty. A husk. And the ring around it sat there like so much untapped potential. He stared at it, wanting more. He contemplated the ring around his core... floating, orbiting, and inert. Then he had a thought. Focusing on the ring of higher quality essence, he willed it to move, to spin it like a disk the way he had his core. But it wouldn''t budge under his will, maintaining its slow, lazy orbit. Levi tried the opposite direction. Again, the ring refused to respond. For a moment, Levi felt frustration creeping in, but he brushed it away from his mind like a gnat in his face, reapplying his focus. If it wouldn''t spin in those directions... Levi flipped the ring around his core like a coin. It suddenly spun perpendicular to the rotation of his old core, and he could see it tightening. Capitalizing on his success, he willed both to move in the directions they needed to go. It was like patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time. It slipped from the grip of his will and intent, his focus struggling to keep up. It felt like controlling a gyroscope with your mind. Frustration built again. Levi could feel the headache trying to push him out of the meditation space he was in, but he refused to let go. Like a gyroscope, he thought. And then, with a bit of inspiration, Levi consolidated his split focus and intent on the core and rings into one. ''SPIN LIKE A GYROSCOPE,'' Levi commaded with pure thought and willpower. And they obeyed. As if taking a will of their own, they spun rapidly. The rings tightened until it was hard to tell where the center of the core and the rings were even separate. Then, Levi felt a tightness form in him that he couldn''t explain, like a balloon ready to pop. He pushed his will harder, and everything went black. ---- "What the fuck is wrong with Levi?" Joe said staring down at his convulsing body. Paige snapped out of watching through the crows'' eyes. "What?" Her eyes quickly found Levi, and she flung herself to his side. "Oh shit. Oh fuck. I don''t know. He was meditating. I was scouting like you told me." Paige was trying to hold Levi still, barely pushing down her own panic. She looked up to Joe, "Fuck, Joe.... what do we do?" Joe''s face looked undecided between bursting into tears or being engulfed in rage. When he answered, it was ice cold. "For now, we hope he gets through whatever this is on his own. But we''ve got shit to do and people to save." In one fluid motion, Joe reached down and threw Levi over his shoulders in a fireman''s carry. "Follow me and fill me in about the bandits on the way."This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ---- Levi found himself standing over a $10 disposable grill on the balcony of a cheap hotel room overlooking the Mississippi riverfront in New Orleans. Shrimp was cooked over cheap coals. He recognized the place. A memory shared with his dad and older sister. Levi''s dad had come home drunk a couple of nights before, back in East Texas. He''d raved about making a trip to New Orleans, seeing Bourbon Street and the other sights. His dad had wanted to leave that very moment. Levi''s older sister had talked their dad down. She''d gotten him to agree to going to sleep, waking up in the morning, and then only going if he still wanted to. Levi and his sister had gone to bed thinking that was the end they''d hear of it. Their dad would pass out, and then wake up not even remembering any of it. His older sister had been sixteen. Levi had been thirteen. Their dad had woke them up at 7 a.m., already fully packed for the trip. He''d still been just as excited, if not more so. In retrospect, Levi realized his dad had probably never gone to sleep at all, because he''d been high as a kite on either meth or a ton of coke. Levi remembered the trip clearly. It was the first time he''d seen a strip club, though he couldn''t go in. Restaurants, bars, shops, and strip clubs had pretty much made up the entirety of Bourbon Street. It definitely wasn''t the kind of place for a 16 year old girl or a 13 year old boy to be. He vividly remembered looking into an alley and seeing a homeless man in ragged clothes tear a chunk of raw hamburger meat from the grocery store packaging and shove it into his mouth. Levi had caught the man''s eye and remembered the way the man just looked too tired to feel ashamed. Levi clearly remembered the mixture of confusion and sadness that had overwhelmed him. He''d grown up poor in the country, the backwoods, and never witnessed desperation so deep or as complete as that. It had stayed with Levi for the rest of his life. "Still one of the best memories you have, huh?" a voice said. Levi looked up over the grill to find Rick standing there. Levi hesitated, but it was true. "Yeah. It was a good one. Dad was a little pissy the second day, but never was actually mean to us. Looking back, that was probably because he was coming down off the drugs. Still, it''s one of the best memories I have." Rick said nothing. He flipped the shrimp on the grill, then stood and looked out towards the wide Mississippi. Levi tensed. "Hey, why am I here? I think...I think I was meditating. And then, suddenly... here." "You''re here because you''re evolving...or ascending...depending on how you think of it. Your core is upgrading. You''re at this exact ''here'' because I didn''t have a lot to work with. Not too many happy places, much less somewhere that could also give you perspective." Rick continued to stare over the water as he answered, but the tone of his voice seemed far more serious than his casual body language. ---- "He''s getting worse," Paige said as she followed Joe, almost jogging to keep up with his long stride. "I know. Can''t worry about that now." Joe growled through gritted teeth, trying to hang on to a thrashing Levi. "Focus. How many in their group?" Paige hesitated a moment, then answered. "Seventeen." "Have you found their camp?" Joe asked. "Yeah... in that direction, roughly." Paige pointed. "The girls are there, and there''s only five men standing guard in the main camp. The raiding party isn''t that far from their camp, maybe an hour walk, but they don''t look like they are in a hurry to get back. They''re taking a break. Most are eating and drinking." "Good. That works in our favor. What else can you tell me?" ----- "Hey, you kind of make my life sound sad," Levi joked. "Cut the bullshit, Levi. We both know what it was like. You don''t get it. You have no time. You pushed this ascension way too soon. You aren''t ready. And I''m trying to help you." Rick''s response was sharp and uncompromising. "What do you mean?" Levi asked, suddenly concerned. "You''ve done things backwards, again. You should have never had the will to push yourself beyond that threshold without some potent identity driving it, with some singular ideal pushing you onto the first step of your Path. You don''t have that. Your identity is, without trying to sound like an asshole, a collection of paper thin shattered glass that you''ve tried to shape into a passable sculpture." Levi tried not to let Rick''s words sting. "So what am I supposed to do?" Rick looked away from the water and into Levi''s eyes. "You better give yourself the first honest look you''ve ever given yourself and think of something real. Something you can truly live. Fast. And you better cling to that...because that''s the only way you survive your first step." "But... I thought we''ve done this already. Wasn''t that what the entire interview was about?" Levi asked. "Levi, stop bullshitting. You know exactly what the hell I''m talking about. We''re inside you, me and you. We both know the truth. You can embrace truth, that first step, or die here." Rick let his words hang for a moment before adding one point. "You tried. You really tried." Levi''s breath caught, and he felt his back bump against the brick sides of the hotel balcony. He slid down it, thinking. After a moment of thought, Levi whispered, "I''m a terrible person..." Rick slapped the absolute fuck out of Levi. "Listen to me, you stupid son-of-a-bitch, if you die, I die. Stop." Levi looked up at Rick''s eyes. They glared down at him in anger, but also a terror Levi hadn''t seen before. Rick pressed his forehead against Levi''s, wrapping an arm around him in a hug. After a moment, a realization swept through Levi. "I-I am not a terrible person. I don''t have to believe I that I am," he whispered. "Just good enough," Rick whispered back. Levi felt Rick''s tear touch his cheek before everything went white. ---- "Put him down! He looks like he''s dying." Paige grabbed Joe''s arm to stop his determined march to the training yard. He turned and gave her a glare, but as Levi seized on his shoulder, he decided she was right. Slowly, he lowered Levi to the ground. Joe stared down at his seizing friend, his mouth a tight line. And then Levi went limp. 22 - Rescue Team Levi opened his eyes and immediately noticed the notification. Ding. Hidden Mechanic Cultivation Unlocked. Parched Soul of the Sage has been reset. Parched Soul of the Sage has been paused for 120 hours. He was going to open his status page to see what had changed, but before he could, Joe yelled down at him. "Can you move?" Joe asked. "Uh, yeah, I think." Levi felt fine. Somehow, even better than he usually felt. He got to his feet easily, feeling lighter than normal. "Then let''s move." Joe took off at a jog. Levi and Paige followed. As they jogged behind Joe, Paige eyed Levi nervously. "Are you sure you''re okay?'' "Yeah. I feel great, actually." "What happened?" Paige pressed. "I had some kind of breakthough with my meditation, with my core. I''ll explain later. When we have time." Paige just nodded. He seemed fine, but she wasn''t that reassured. When they reached the sparring pits, only Grace and David were waiting for them. "You got everything you need?" Joe asked. "Yeah. I''m ready." David said, anger wild in his eyes." "I have that and more. A couple of charms that will help people." "Paige, where is the group now?" "Show me the group of raiders," Paige said to the crow that was shadowing her. After less than a minute, the crow''s call was relayed. Paige''s eyes went white, and after a moment, she spoke, "They''re still in the same place. It doesn''t look like they are even planning on leaving soon. They are still eating and drinking. Laughing. The bald man with the beard is still lounging and bragging." "That''s good," Joe said. "That gives me the impression that those left at the camp were weaker, and none of them are important. Bearded man is definitely the real leader, which means he''s one of the strongest, with maybe the exception of a couple he has under his control... Tell me everything you can about their gear." Paige explained every detail she could see. By the time Paige had given Joe every detail she could, almost everyone had assembled. "Okay, so our priority is going to be getting the girls out alive, and we need to move fast." "I have an idea," Levi said. Joe gave him a look. "Okay, but first, what was that shit earlier?" Levi thought about how to explain it. "I had a breakthrough with the meditation. It was hairy, but I think I got an upgrade." "You think you got an upgrade?" Joe demanded. "Haven''t had the chance to look. Too busy." "Well, look now," Joe said. Levi pulled up his status page screen and shook his head. "Doesn''t show anything. But trust me, something definitely happened. I''ll probably have to meditate to figure it out." "Fuck that. You say you''re okay, and somehow got an upgrade... I''ll take your word for it. But don''t start meditating and have another seizure. Now, what''s your idea?" "Paige said their camp is a little over an hour away, but they''re taking their sweet time. There''s a chance they aren''t even trying to make it back tonight. There''s also the chance they''re hanging around to see what we''ll do. But they don''t have any idea we know where the girls are. So, let''s send a small group to go take out the five there, free the girls, and then come back to support your assault on the main group. While you''re waiting for us to hit them from behind, just keep them distracted, harrassed, and too busy to go back to the camp. But we need to move fast. Like, now." "It sounds like you''re volunteering for that mission," Joe said. "I am. Me and Paige can move fast. We can leave now while you finish planning out strategy with the larger group." "That''s not enough. You''re going to need at least one more..." "I''ll do it..." David said. He''d been listening in to everything. "I can move faster than you think and can sneak better than Levi. I can put one of them down with an arrow before they even know they''re getting attacked. Let me go." "What about the crows? We need Paige if we''re going to use them," Joe argued.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. "I can handle that part," Grace said, joining the conversation. "What? You can talk to crows now?" Joe asked, skeptically. "Not the way Paige does, and only with the one but..." a crow fluttered down and landed on Grace''s shoulder. "A witch without a familiar would be an odd thing, wouldn''t it." "Sorry miss, we''re still friends and all, but Mistress Grace here offered me a good deal. An exclusive contract, if you will," the crow cawed at Paige. Paige just shrugged. Joe nodded. "Okay then. Then you three for the rescue mission, while the rest are on the main attack. But I''m going to need you in the fight. So we need an escort you can pass the girls on to that can get them back here, safe." Joe looked over his shoulder. "Gage and Caroline, come here." Gage looked nervous. Caroline was resolute. She''d changed into her gear, primarily leather armor with daggers. "Levi, Paige, and David are going to hit the main camp and get the girls back. They''ll be moving fast, so I doubt you can keep up. But do either of you have any tracking skills?" They both shook their heads. "Shit." Paige spoke up. "I can take care of that. I''ll ask one of the crows to guide them." "S-so what are we supposed to do?" Gage asked. "Follow the crow. Meet them after they free the girls, and escort the girls back here to safety. Make sure you have plenty of health and stamina potions to use on Maddy''s group. Think you can do that?" Gage relaxed, "Yeah, I can do that." "Feels like you''re giving me a safe job on purpose," Caroline said with narrowed eyes. "It''s a job that needs to be done, and no offense, but I have no idea what you''re capable of, so this is what I need you to do." Caroline sighed. "I guess it may help them to see a familiar face, too." "Okay then." Joe turned his gaze onto Paige, Levi, and David. "Paige, if something goes wrong, send a crow to relay to Grace. Now go, get those girls back. As soon as the rest of us are ready, we''ll be hitting the main group." ---- Paige led the way through the woods. Their pace was fast, yet Paige''s eyes seemed to keep them away from any low limbs or holes that could trip them. There was a little moonlight, but not enough that Levi could have safely kept the same pace without her lead. They were silent, other than their footfalls, perserving their breath for the oxygen they needed to maintain their pace. Levi was amazed at his body. He could definitely have ran faster without issue. It almost felt like Empowering Flow and Mental Boosting were activated on a very low level, but they weren''t. His body just felt better. But his stats hadn''t changed at all. Everything, down to the last number, was exactly the same. Still, his body told him otherwise. They ran for about 20 minutes before Paige came to a stop. "Have the escort meet us here, and show me the camp, again," Paige said looking up at her crow detail. Crow calls went out in a wave, both toward the camp and back the way they''d came. After a moment, Paige''s eyes went white again, looking at the camp through the crows eyes. "Okay, looks like they''re all alert and sitting close to the fire. I can get close without them noticing me. David, you just need to get close enough to loose arrows when I move. Levi... I don''t know how you want to handle this, no way you can sneak close enough to hit them at the same time." "How about this..." Levi suggested. "I just walk in and act stupid. Both of you will have a distraction to position yourselves a little closer. As soon as the first move is made, you two attack." "That... actually sounds good," David commented. "I can shoot pretty fast. My first shot should be a kill shot, and even if my follow up shots aren''t, I should be able to slow another one." "My first blow should be lethal, that should only leave you dealing with three of them for a few seconds before me and David are able to take the pressure off of you," Paige added. "Sounds good," Levi answered. "Let''s kill these fuckers and get Maddy back," David growled. ---- Levi had tucked his dagger beneath an arm bracer for fast access and made sure his stamina and mana were topped up before approaching the enemy camp. He felt strangely calm as he walked into the camp. He expected his heart to be racing, but it wasn''t. He was nervous, if not outright afraid, and was mentally aware of that fact, but he didn''t feel afraid. He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and called out a "Hey," to the enemies before they noticed him. The five of them jumped to standing positions in alarm. Two of the men immediately drew their weapons, and the other three followed their example. "Whoa, whoa," Levi said, raising his hands slightly higher. "I was just out here on a walk and saw the fire." He slowly walked closer while talking, trying to close the distance as much as possible without provoking their attack. "Who are you guys? I don''t think I''ve ever seen you around here." Levi was about five yards away from the closest one, now. He had to trust David and Paige were in position. "Hey, stop right-" Levi cut the man off. Triggering Empowering Flow, Mental Boosting, and Mana Skin, Levi sprung at the man who''d spoken. Levi''s body moved fast, faster than it had before. Striking the man in the chest with the intention of crushing the man''s heart, Levi found his fist had punched straight through the man''s leather armor and into his chest cavity. As Levi''s fist exited, the blood flew from his Mana Skin, not even sticking to his fist or clothing. Levi hesitated a moment, both astonished and horrified, but quickly refocused. Pulling his dagger from beneath his bracer, he flung it at another man. It entered that man''s throat, blowing through it completely, and sticking deep in a tree behind him. Levi was aware of Paige as she struck one man from behind, swiping him twice in the throat with Cat-Claws and nearly taking the man''s head off in the attack. Another man fell to an arrow David put in his eye, buried so deep the fletching was all that stuck out of the socket. Levi pivoted on the third man, about to attack, when the bandit dropped his weapon and raised his hands in surrender. From the corner of his eye, Levi saw David loose an arrow at the man, and barely managed to raise a Mana Shield to stop it. David loosed another at the man before realizing it was Levi who was stopping him. "Why?" Was all David snarled. "He''s surrendering," Levi said. "He deserves to die," David argued. "And I agree with that, but if he''s surrendering, we can get information." David tensed like he was almost ready to fight Levi over the issue, but then Paige broke in, getting David''s attention. "Help me with the girls, David. We need to get them healed up enough to walk." The girls were all laid out, tied and gagged. Most were beaten unconscious, with only Maddy awake. Her eyes were almost swollen shut, but she still glared out of them. As Paige and David tended to them, Levi tied the bandit up to a tree. Levi didn''t bother asking the man anything for the time being, and the man didn''t seem inclined to offer any information, either. Levi retrieved his dagger and looked around at the four bandits they''d taken out in less than 2 seconds. It had been easy. Too easy. Pulling up his notifications, Levi realized why. You have slain Thug Level 5. 900 experience gained. You have slain Thief Level 4. 700 experienced gained. They were weak. The level gap wasn''t much as far as numbers were concerned, but the first few levels were easy to get. The next five or six levels had taken Levi a month to gain. And both David and Paige had dealt similarly devasting blows with their attacks. Yet Levi had seen how easily the bald, bearded man had killed the young dual wielder back in the safezone. Even if they''d left their weakest men behind, it seemed like far too large of a level gap. At least they had someone to question to figure things out. 23 - Devour Deez Nuts Kenny stood behind a tree, snare drum strapped in front of him, drumsticks in hand. He was just within hearing range of the group of raiders. He looked to Joe. Joe gave him a nod and then sprinted away, flanking the camp. That''s where the bulk of the assault group would assemble. Kenny had his own job to do. He looked far to the opposite side of the camp and pointed. Triggering Throw Voice and Backup Vocals, Kenny infused intent into the Abilities. About 50 meters away, where he''d pointed, he heard a tenor voice belting out an insulting, if childish, song at the raiders. The lyrics were awful, but it did the job. Kenny heard the raiders scrambling to chase down whoever was singing the terrible tune. He triggered Drop a Beat while drumming a quick rhythm on his snare. He drummed just long enough that the beat would seamlessly play and then took off back toward the safe zone. The beat kept pounding away, right where he''d left it. After he''d repeated this process a couple of times, he ran to join the assault group. He hoped that it would be enough of a distraction to scatter some of the raiders just long enough. ---- Joe eyed his group but said nothing. They knew the plan. Tony was bouncing on his toes, katars in hand, face blank. The three Joe recognized from the sparring pits all seemed to have similar looks of determination, though the middle-aged woman''s eyes seemed to carry some rage. And... Iara stood with a determination, katana in hand. She''d joined them just before their group had headed out. She''d apologized for freezing up during the attack on the safezone and swore she''d be able to fight. Joe had let her join. She''d frozen up. It happened. Marines would often freeze up the first time things popped off, and someone would have to shake or knock them out of it. Most snapped out of it and were able to do their jobs. Then they never froze up again. Some couldn''t be shaken out of it. Joe just hoped she didn''t freeze again. Grace seemed to be fiddling with a braid of vine with a crow feather attached to the end, making a last-minute adjustment. The crow on her shoulder gave a quiet squak. Grace caught Joe''s eye. "What''s the news on the rescue team?" "They''re on the way here, but Maddy refused to go with the escort, so they''re not moving as fast." "She''s coming with them? I mean, we could use her, but is she in any shape to be fighting?" "She has more reason than any of us to be here." Grace said. "You know how far out they are?" "I''d say 10 minutes. But that''s a guess." The crow squawked on her shoulder again, relaying the distant crow calls. "Hold on... Paige passed a message. She''s saying the bald man is extremely dangerous. Be careful." "We kind of knew that. Still, she''s sending the message for a reason. We''ll have to wait as long as we can for them, but that can''t be very long. Kenny has already started his distraction. How long do you think the crows can buy us?" Grace scratched beneath her witch''s hat. "You think I know the answer to that any better than you, just because I have a crow familiar? They''ll cause confusion as long as they can, but it won''t take long for the raiders to figure out what''s going on." Grace answered. "Damn." After a minute or two, Kenny finally made it to the assault group. He was breathless but unharmed. "Grace, send the crows," Joe instructed. She nodded, and the crow called into the forest. Whatever means she used to communicate with the crow didn''t involve speech, unlike Paige. "Kenny, did everything go as planned?" Joe asked. Kenny gave a thumbs up, still breathing hard. "Good job. Catch your breath. We''ve got a few minutes," Turning to the group, Joe spoke. "I know we''re outnumbered. But we have a plan. Stick to it, and we''ll be okay. Remember, when I raise my fist, close your eyes. After they''re blinded, take as many down as you can. The real fight starts after that."The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Joe mostly received grim nods in return. Joe waited a few more minutes, listening at the faint sounds of chaos from the bandits. And then he gave the signal. The group moved fast. As Joe exited the shadows and entered the enemies'' temporary camp, at least ten faces turned to them as one. Kenny started playing something behind them as Joe raised his fist. Joe closed his eyes and triggered his ability, Light of Redemption. He could still see the light through his eyelids. As he opened his eyes and charged forward, he caught the grinning gaze of the leader, still relaxed and lounging by the fire. The bald man simply raised a hand and snapped his fingers. As he did, the other bandits in his group seemed to melt into their own shadows, which streamed back to the leader. It was as if he''d just absorbed them like a sponge. As Joe came to a stop in confusion, everyone else halted behind him. "I hoped someone would come tonight. I wasn''t sure if anyone would have the balls. But when that group attacked my camp and took the girls back, I knew tonight wouldn''t be disappointing. My name''s Eric. My class is Devouring Slayer." Joe almost decided to charge right then, but his instincts told him not to. How did the man, Eric, know his camp had been attacked? And what the hell happened to the rest of his men? Joe''s group shifted behind him. The plan was out the window. ----- "Levi, they''ve already started the attack. We need to hurry," Paige said. She led the way through the darkness again. "Fuck... we''re going to have to leave you two," Levi called out behind him. "Go. I''ll stay with Maddy," David called out. "We''ll...catch up," Maddy said between breaths. Paige pushed her speed to the limit, her own lungs burning. Levi could have outran her, but he needed her to lead the way. They both just hoped they made it in time. ----- "Ah," Eric continued, finally standing from his relaxed position. "I see you''re confused about my men. Most of them are simply shadows of their former selves. My shadows. I''m glad I left one behind, just in case. It seems he''s enjoying a nice walk back to your safezone as we speak." At the man''s words, Joe realized the girls were still in danger. "Attack!" Joe yelled, rushing forward. Joe thrust his sword at Eric, but Eric just stepped back out of the way. Iara immediately followed with a devastating strike with her katana, but Eric somehow deflected it and kicked Iara so hard that she was sent sprawling more than five meters away. Tony jumped in with a flurry of blows, and yet Eric seemed to step through them as he''d done against the young dual wielder in the safezone. Knowing what followed, Joe lept forward and slammed the edge of his shield at Eric''s head. Eric was able to spin out of the way and slam his mace into Joe''s face. Joe''s Ability One Second Chance fully absorbed the attack, and Eric jumped back three meters, dodging out of the way of Iara and Tony''s next assault. The three volunteers from the sparring pit had flanked Eric and struck at him from three sides, but Eric somehow managed to avoid the damage, spun and gave his mace a wide swing, sending the three flying with a shockwave. Grace used the spell Blood Bargain on herself and watched as small amount of health return to two of the trio as it was drained from her own health pool. It looked like it was too late for one of them. Turning her gaze to Eric, she used her Evil Eye skill. Eric misstepped his dodge as Tony plunged a katar into his chest. The katar barely penetrated before Eric slammed an elbow into Tony''s nose, sending him backward ten meters, where he fell limp, katars falling from his hands. Kenny was drumming a beat and singing now, and everyone felt life begin to return to them. Eric noticed Kenny and threw his mace at the bard, putting him down, too. Joe was already on Eric again, with Iara close behind. Joe thrust his sword at Eric, making him dodge back. Iara came down with her katana in a vicious slash, but Eric sidestepped, stomping the blade into the ground and wrenching it free from Iara''s grip. His backhand sent Iara tumbling, where she lay still. Eric kicked the katana into his hand and deflected Joe''s incoming blow. Joe went stumbling sideways and rolled to avoid the expected follow-up attack. It didn''t come. As Joe got to his feet, he noticed Eric standing casually, staring at the katana in his hand. Joe glanced at Grace, who seemed to be creeping out of notice, but she only shook her head. She looked as if her elderly body wanted to give out already. "You know, I never understood the fascination with swords, " Eric said, conversationally. "Sure, they''re deadly, but bashing someone''s head in is just as good." Joe lunged at Eric with his sword, but the attack was lazily slapped aside, and Eric retreated another couple of meters. Joe attacked again, but this time felt Iara''s katana slap the side of his head. Joe''s vision went white, and his ears rang, but he could still hear Eric''s voice. "I have to give you credit. You guys were pretty strong for having that nice cushy safezone. I wasn''t given that luxury. Nope. Violent criminal. Murderer. The system labeled me. Both systems, actually." Joe tried to get to his feet, but Eric kicked him hard in the ribs. Joe was sent rolling away. "Never had much of a choice," Eric continued. "Man, if you knew half the shit my dad put me through growing up... how could anyone blame me for killing the sorry bastard? And then here comes the new system, and there I sit rotting in prison. Did I get a new chance? Nope, but I sure as fuck got to hear about yours." Eric delivered another kick to Joe''s ribs, though Joe wasn''t able to stand anymore. "Nope. Just two choices, become a monster in this new world, a literal monster, or get thrown out without any safezone to fend for myself." Eric stomped Joe''s back. Then he put a boot into his neck, pinning Joe down. "Well, I guess you know what I chose. My class, Devouring Slayer, came with some really cool abilities. Didn''t take long before I''d killed most of my fellow inmates and had taken some of theirs." Eric pressed harder on Joe''s neck. Joe triggered one last-ditch ability. "Fucking... pussy... making... excuses for... yourself. Devour...deez nuts," Joe choked out. "You know, I''m really going to enjoy that ability you have to completely absorb an attack... Well...good talk." And then Eric thrust Iara''s sword downward, through Joe''s heart. 24 - Every Last Drop Paige halted just before they burst into the open, holding a hand back to stop Levi. He could see Joe get kicked across the ground. Everyone else was down. "Grace said to wait. She''s coming," Paige explained. "I''m already here," Grace''s voice came from the shadow of a tree. She moved from the shadow, clutching something to her stomach. In the clearing, Joe was kicked a second time and sent rolling. "I have something to help turn the tide, I think," Grace said, showing them the weapon in her hand. "I need time. I think most are still alive, but... they won''t be if we don''t stop him." "But Joe!" Paige said, watching as he had a boot pressed into his neck. "He knows what he''s doing." Grace said. "Buy time. And weaken him if you can. I''ll only be able to weaken him, too, but I think it will be enough." Paige looked to Levi, and he nodded. She wanted to punch both of them but knew they were right. "Oh, and he likes to talk. Use that, if you can," Grace added before hobbling off. Levi watched as the man named Eric stabbed Joe through the heart. Running out of time, Levi turned to Paige. "The day we sparred, you told me your daggers were poisonous. How poisonous?" "I-I don''t know. Based on my gut feeling, not very. I think it will slowly weaken the target, but I''ve never seen it at work." "Good enough. I''m going in defensively. By myself at first. Wait and try to make your first strike count. After that, try to get as many hits in as you can. Anything to stack your poison. But don''t over commit. Try not to let him get a good hit on you. I''ll do what I can to intercept." Then Levi took off towards Eric. ---- Eric stood staring down at Joe, looking confused. "Hello, there," Levi said. His heart was pounding in his chest. What he was about to do reminded him of a no-hit challenge in Elden Ring. It had been something Levi loved. The perfect fight against a boss that was completely out of your league. Except, here he only had one chance. He couldn''t learn the moves over hundreds of fights. This was it. Do it right or die... but this time, he did have help. And, this was not a no-hit challenege, he was definitely going to take a beating. Eric looked up casually. "Oh, it''s you. Saw what you did back at my camp. Was wondering when you''d show up. The others must be lagging behind." Eric casually strolled away from Joe''s body. "Weird, I don''t sense any abilities in you," Eric said. "That''s because I don''t have any," Levi answered. Eric cocked his head a moment and then threw it back in laughter. "What kind of shitty class is that?" Taking a bit of a gamble on provoking Eric, Levi decided he''d try the truth. "Oh, it is really bad. It sucks. I mean, I can learn any Skills, Abilities, or Spells I want, as long as I put in the work. Oooh, and I just unlocked this Hidden Mechanic called Cultivation... not sure if you know what that is... but the Class comes with some shit stipulations. So anyway, yeah, The Insatiable Sage is probably the worst unique class anyone could get." Eric stared at him, anger flashing across his face, before he relaxed again. "Ah. I get it. You almost had me for a moment. Funny. I''m Eric, and my class is Devouring Slayer. Do you know what that means?" "Well, the way you said it...means you''ve practiced saying it in the mirror a few times," Levi responded. Levi wasn''t sure how long he could keep up the witty banter. It wasn''t really his thing, but he needed Eric to attack so he could lean on his defensive strengths. "Fuck you. I earned this. You don''t know what I''ve been through." Eric''s nostrils flared, and he reached for the mace at his hip that was no longer there. "Oh, I heard the whole rant you gave Joe. And for what it''s worth, I''m sorry, man. I''m sorry you had that life. I mean that. But trust me, you aren''t the only one. Hell, a lot of people had it even worse. At the end of the day, we all make our own choices. And I don''t give a fuck what reason you give, you''re a piece of shit. And you''re the only one to blame."Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Eric flew at Levi, enraged, but Levi had expected it. Triggering his skills to avoid the attack, Levi put five meters between him and Eric. Eric tried to attack Levi a second time, still unarmed, and Levi recognized Eric had overcommited to the attack. Rather than try to outright avoid the attack, Levi deflected and redirected Eric''s momentum, sweeping his leg in the process. Eric went tumbling with his own speed and only skidded to a stop at the edge of the clearing. Seemingly unharmed, but clearly pissed off, Eric stood. He brushed himself off and took a fighting stance. "Oh, I see you''re feeling yourself. Well, come on then. Show me what you''ve got." "Nah, I''m good," Levi responded, about fifteen meters away from Eric, now. Eric straightened, "See, you really are just a bitch. Trying to pretend you''re a badass." Levi shrugged, and Paige took her chance. Paige plunged the dagger as deep as she could into the vitals beneath Eric''s collarbone and then immediately retreated into the woods. Eric cried out and touched where he''d been stabbed. Levi knew it hadn''t been enough. There wasn''t a lot of blood seeping from the wound. And now, Eric was pissed. Levi knew that playtime was over. Rather than waste an opportunity, Levi struck just as Eric pivoted to the woods behind him, looking for who''d attacked him. He barely connected with Eric''s ribs before Eric twisted and kicked Levi hard, sending him flying back. Levi had barely been able to reinforce his Mana Skin to block the hit. ''Have to push more,'' Levi thought, triggering all of his boosting skills and keeping them active. Levi rolled into a fighting stance, but Eric was already on him. Levi barely had enough time to push more stamina and mana into his skills to respond. Unable to deflect, Levi just absorbed the blow with his Mana Skin and his bracers. Levi was entirely in defensive mode. Eric''s attacks came faster and faster, with Levi barely able to keep up. He knew it would have already been game-over if he hadn''t upgraded his core, and still felt completely outclassed. Levi was afraid to push his boosting skills further, but something told him he could handle more after his core upgrade. So he pushed his boosting skills to the point where they''d usually cause him headache and injury after 30 seconds. Suddenly, Levi was keeping up with Eric again. Pushing him back. Levi would have felt good about that, but he saw the wild grin on Eric''s face and knew that Eric wasn''t feeling threatened. But Levi also knew that wasn''t his objective. So rather than push his skills even farther, Levi opted for something reckless. He let Eric land a hit that sent him bouncing across the ground...hard. Levi slowly got to his feet, really putting on the show. The truth was, his body hurt. But it wasn''t too bad, and he was far from his limit. Levi just needed to buy as much time as he could. Eric, seemingly buying into Levi''s weakness, took his time, stalking over. Levi stood slouched. "You''re still a piece of shit," he said as Eric got close. Eric''s eyes flashed in rage, and he closed the gap almost faster than Levi could follow with his boosting skills active. Almost. Eric grabbed Levi''s jaw with his hand, and Levi just let him. "You''re just a shit talking bitch. You''re nothing. Just a lot of big talk." And then Paige plunged her dagger into the other side of Eric''s neck, deep between his neck and his shoulder. Eric spun to catch her, but Levi pushed more into his boosting skills, grabbing Eric''s arm before he could catch Paige. As his gaze swiveled back to Levi, Levi buried his own dagger into Eric''s eye. Eric immediately threw himself away from Levi. "You motherfucker. I''m about to kill you... and that sneaky bitch is next." Eric yanked Levi''s dagger from his eye and threw it to the ground. "Arrrg." Levi laughed. "I''ll give it to you, you''re tough as nails, but man you''re as stupid and cocky as they make ''em." Eric was all rage, now. But Levi was ready. As Eric rushed in with attack after attack, Levi was forced to put everything he had into his boosting skills. Eric held back nothing. He just attacked, blow after blow. Levi''s defensive style and boosting skills helped, but he was still taking a beating. Occasionally, Paige would strike and then escape. Levi made sure he kept the pressure on Eric so he wasn''t able to hurt Paige as she retreated. And he continued to push his skills to their limit. Eric had stopped talking. Levi could tell every single blow was intended to be lethal. Levi would usually counter these moments where the enemy over committed. But he just couldn''t with Eric. He didn''t even feel like he could put more power into his skills. Levi had put everything he had into keeping up. He felt something warm leaking from his ears and nose. He assumed it was blood. His vision was blurring in time with his heart beat. He was done. But, he saw the way Eric moved. He was slowing. Levi didn''t know if it was exhaustion or Paige''s poison, but Eric was slowing. And they hadn''t played all of their cards. He still had Grace and whatever she was doing. And once Maddy showed up she could use some heals. Levi just had to hold on. And so, despite the feeling that his head would explode and his already ravaged muscles would completely tear away from the bone, Levi pushed even more into his boosting skills. He''d given everything he had, and now he squeezed himself out like a sponge. Clarity found Levi for a moment, as he reacted to Eric''s attacks. Pushing out more than should be possible, he delivered one last counter to Eric, smashing him into the ground hard enough that Eric''s body made an impression in the dirt. Then Levi blacked out. After Levi''s body hit the ground, limp, Eric stood shakily. Eric panted down at Levi. After a moment, he spoke. "Pussy." ---- In the forest, just out of sight, Grace added the final ingredient to her spell. It wasn''t a simple one, and she hoped she hadn''t fucked it up somewhere. But her witch''s intuition told her that she hadn''t. She carefully shook the weapon over the small but intricate curse circle she''d written. And after a moment, a single drop of Eric''s blood fell from the tip of Tony''s katar. 25 - Not an Angel of Mercy Paige watched as Levi went down. Toward the end of their fight, Paige had barely been able to keep up with their movements. She was worried for Levi. He''d been bleeding from his nose and ears for half the fight, and his eyes had been bleeding at the end. She knew she didn''t have a chance. She crouched frozen as Eric got to his feet. "Pussy," Eric spat down Levi. Eric raised a boot to stomp Levi''s head, and Paige reacted without thinking. She lept in and stabbed Eric between the ribs, immediately retreating again. Eric turned, glaring with his one remaining good eye. "Arggg. You cunt. I am so... fucking... tired... of being poked. You want to die first? Fine, you die first." That''s when an arrow struck Eric in the throat. He simply yanked it out and glanced to the direction it had been shot. Paige wasn''t sure what level Eric was at, but he was an absolute monster. He''d taken numerous blows that would be considered fatal for herself, and it had only slowed him down. "And more show up to the party," Eric growled, ignoring a second arrow that struck his shoulder. He raised his hand over his head. "I should have done this a long time ago. It''s been a real pleasure, but it is time to end this." Paige waited for the worst, but nothing happened. Eric''s seemed to zone out for a second, then snarled. "Abilities blocked. Curse-bound. What the fuck is that? You know what, doesn''t matter. I can still do this the hard way." Eric slapped the next incoming arrow out of the air and rushed Paige, grabbing her throat. He lifted her up level with his gaze. "I am going to watch the life fade from your eyes," He said as he stared at her. Paige kicked at him and stabbed at his arm as he held her, but he only grinned. And then a katana severed the arm that held Paige right at the elbow. Eric turned to see Iara jumping back in retreat. He lept at Iara in blind anger, but the edge of a shield slammed into his temple, sending him off-course. Eric spun on the person who had hit him. Joe stared him down, taking a defensive stance behind his shield, "It''s over." Eric smiled. "I knew you weren''t dead. Can''t wait to steal that trick. Couldn''t figure it out. But it ain''t over yet." Eric tried to leap at Joe, but Iara took off a leg at the knee before he could. Again, she retreated before Eric could retaliate. Eric fell forward, but somehow still quickly recovered, getting himself onto a knee and his stump of a leg. "I''ll swear I''ll kill at least one of you before I go down," Eric said, acknowledging he was going to lose for the first time. Eric tried to lunge again at Joe, despite his missing leg and arm. He found the ground had turned to mud beneath him. He quickly sank to almost his hips.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Maddy dispelled her crowd control spell as she walked up, turning the mud back to dirt and locking Eric down in the ground. Joe walked up just out of reach of Eric. For a moment, Eric thrashed, trying to reach Joe with his one remaining arm, and then used it to try to free himself. "Look at you," Joe began. "One eye, one arm, and one leg. At least the outside now matches what''s inside... just half a man." "Fuck you, I got more balls than any of you. Look at what it took to take me down. Just LOOK!" Eric seemed unhinged. Joe nodded. "Yeah. Well, I''m sorry the old world failed you. We''re not going to do that," Joe said as he sheathed his sword and fastened his shield to his back. Eric laughed. "Oh, going to lock me up and rehabilitate me? You really are just a bunch of fucking carebears, huh." Joe shook his head. "No. I''m a Redemption Paladin..." He looked Eric in the eye. "Not an angel of mercy." With one nod from Joe, Iara''s katana removed Eric''s head. After a moment, Joe casually reached down and grabbed the severed head by its red beard. He carried it to the enemy''s campfire and tossed it in. No one said anything. ---- Levi awoke as the heal hit him. His face was buried in leaves and dirt. He spit a leaf out of his mouth as he rolled over. Everything ached. Something felt seriously wrong. Maddy and Paige stood over him. "Guessing we won?" Levi managed to say. "Yeah. Thanks to you," Maddy said, staring down at him. She looked concerned. "My ability is saying you''re fully healed... but you don''t look like it." Levi forced himself to his feet, wobbling. "I think... no, I know... I did some damage to myself that can''t be fixed with a healing potion or spell. I''ll... deal with that later." Paige threw her arms around Levi as he found his feet. He was glad it was her strength and not his own holding him up in her embrace. "I''m glad you aren''t dead." Levi let out a tight laugh. "Yeah, me too. What happened?" ---- They didn''t bother burying Eric. They had to carry two of their own fallen back, Tony and one of the young men from the sparring pits, whose name had apparently been Brent. Both appeared to have had their necks broken by just the force of Eric''s blows. Joe insisted on carrying Tony back himself. Levi and Paige walked along beside Joe, quiet for most of the trip. Levi had to lean on Paige heavily for support, almost needing carried back himself. Joe looked sad and tired. "Are you okay?" Levi finally asked. "Yeah. Just..." Joe hesitated. "I knew what we were getting into. I knew people could and probably would die. And I led my friends into that." "It was the right thing," Paige said. "And we rescued Maddy''s group." "Tony wouldn''t blame you, Joe. You know that," Levi added. "I know. Fuck. I know that. And I know that it was worth it, too. But dammit, I never wanted to be the one to make these kinds of calls again in my life. Then suddenly, without thinking about it, I was just taking up that role." "No one else was going to do it. And if you hadn''t, Paige was going after them. I would have followed. We''d both be dead. Then, how long before Eric picked apart the safezone like it was a damned buffet table?" "I know," Joe growled. "I''d do it again. I will do it again, if I ever have to. But just because something is right doesn''t mean it feels right. You should know that, Levi. When I used New Lease on Life before Eric stabbed me through the heart, all I thought was how I wished I could use it on someone else." Neither Paige nor Levi said anything after that. ---- When they made it back, Gage and Caroline met them, and were freaking out that the man they''d captured had simply vanished. They were confused when everyone else seemed relieved about that until they were filled in about Eric and his shadows. Maddy''s group of girls were being tended to in a cabin. Though their physical wounds were healed, the girls were clearly traumatized, and a few women had volunteered to take care of them for a few days and help them recover. Agnis had regained her composure, and her and Mike had taken control of the camp after Joe and his volunteers had left. That role primarily meant trying to keep everyone calm and preventing panic. Joe''s group returning victorious had helped with that a lot. The next couple of days were spent recovering, burying the dead, and discussions led by the council on how to move forward. 26 - The Quiet That Comes After Levi spent most of the next two days inside meditating. He had finally taken Grace up on her offer to stay in the cabin. He''d forgotten what it was like to have a hot bath, but Grace had insisted. She had even boiled the water to heat the bath herself. She''d also made sure he was getting at least two decent meals per day. Levi could still barely move, with the following day being worse. When he first meditated, he immediately saw why his body didn''t want to work right, though he wasn''t sure how he''d made such a mess of things. The networks that were his stamina and mana channels were fucked. Both looked as if they''d been strained and ruptured in places, in others they looked like they''d had spurts of spontaneous, mutated growth. Levi understood the parts that looked strained and ruptured. That made complete sense with the way he''d been pushing, but the strange new growths were confusing. The lacelike patterns of his mana channels had new areas resembling something more like his stamina channels, with sudden bursts of webbing that had some lacelike intricacies along them. The stamina channels likewise had certain areas that burst out into odd shapes and swirls that would burst out a second time into a weblike pattern. Typically, his stamina and mana channels didn''t come into contact, but these new strange growths often brushed up against each other, if not outright mingling. Levi was worried about that. He was afraid it would cause him problems. He wondered if his new core was responsible but thought that it was unlikely, at least solely. His core was some good news, though. It was strong. And, for whatever reason, his ''existence'' was producing the higher quality essence at an even faster rate than he had produced the lower quality essence before he''d upgraded his core. However, on the second day, that production of essence seemed to slow considerably. Levi thought maybe the intensity of events, his experiences, had something to do with his ability to produce that essence. It made sense in a way, with how major of an event the fight with Eric had been. Still, his core was strong. The new ring of essence was far more solid. It also seemed more white, not quite as dark of a grey as the first had been. Both his core and the ring spun like a gyroscope. He had focused on renewing this momentum. But Levi didn''t dare push it to the intensity he had when he''d upgraded his core. Rick had told him he had nearly died. He wasn''t ready. Levi knew that. If he hadn''t been ready for the first step, he sure as fuck wasn''t nearly ready for a second. Something else Levi found that was new and interesting was that around the first ring of his core, he saw the faint trails of a second, even brighter one forming. But, this one was so faint that he''d almost not noticed it at all. For now, Levi left that alone, feeling like he''d already risked far too much. By the end of the second day, his mana and stamina channels were already showing signs of recovery. The strained areas, appearing dim and discolored, started returning to normal. The ruptures were closing off, though it seemed he was developing more odd growths where the channels had ruptured. But still, he could see the recovery happening within the meditation space. And his body was already feeling better, too. He was able to walk without too much difficulty, but any time he tried to exert himself in any way, he felt extreme weakness and pain in his muscles. It was progress, and he felt confident he would fully recover. ---- Paige spent those two days in Levi''s camp. It had nothing to do with her crush on him. It just didn''t feel right to leave it unattended while he recovered. She did use his bedroll, though. That had entirely started out motivated by her crush, right until she''d smelled it. It was gross. She''d had to wash it thoroughly and hang it out to dry. Then, she''d had to wash it again with the strongest soap she could get from Grace, because it had still smelled like the inside of a gym locker. She also spent time with the crows and treating them. She''d taken a page from Grace''s book and raided the bakery for some masa, or corn flour, and salt. They''d be very basic corn tortillas, but Paige knew the crows would love them. As she finished her first, she felt weird tossing it to the ground, but the crows somewhat made up for that. They were on the tortilla in a second, tearing it apart and fighting over the crumbs. One crow snagged a larger piece and took flight. "Oy, oy, oy... you greedy bastard, leave none for the rest of us then?"This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "Aye, aye," Another crow chimed in. "You''re acting like some sorry seagull, gulping it all up for yourself." Paige smiled as she put the next tortilla in the pan. She had really missed the crows. And they deserved this. "Calm down. I have plenty to make. Everyone should have enough." Paige was wondering what kind of LSD inspired Disney princess she''d suddenly become... but she was happy. "Miss, I ain''t gonna lie... us boys was wondering if this was going to be a bit of an all work and no reward situation with you. We started worrying that maybe you''d forgotten your promises," One crow began. "Ay, ay. And I said she better bloody not if she didn''t want to be dodging our droppings for the rest of her life, I did," the younger idiot crow chimed in. Of course, his comment was followed by the ear destroying calls of all the other crows telling him to shut up and that he was stupid. "But, but, but...," a third crow chimed in. "These flat things are better than regular corn." "Outright magical, it is. Best thing I ever ate." "I''m glad you like them." Paige smiled. "Consider this a thank you. You''ve all been amazing." One after another, Paige tossed out warm tortillas. And she didn''t stop until a whole tortilla lay completely untouched in the clearing, and the crows couldn''t eat another bite. She''d even let Grace''s new familar come and snag his fill, though all the other crows seemed to have words for him over that. Paige felt better than she had those last two days, if not quite truly happy. But she also missed her family. And she worried about them after the safezone had been attacked. She knew it was time for her to go find them. Yet, she wasn''t quite ready to say goodbye. She felt she owed at least a few of them another week or so. But she was going to tell everyone her plan to leave soon. ------ Paige found Joe and Levi talking next to Grace''s fire. "That''s pretty tasteless, I''m not going to lie," Levi was saying. "That''s what I told them. And they keep trying to create some clever name for those of us who went to fight. Tacky as shit," Joe added. Paige sat down and jumped into the conversation, "Wait, what''s going on? And where''s Grace?" "The council''s trying to plan some way of honoring the people who went to get the girls back and fight Eric. But Agnis and Mike are pushing to do it at the memorial for those who died, and it looks like they''ve got the support," Levi explained. "That''s where Grace is at. Apparently, the council has been discussing a lot of stuff." "Ah. Why is that a big deal, though?" Joe and Levi exchanged a glance. After a moment, Joe explained. "It really isn''t that big of a deal, just in poor taste. First, you don''t go praising living people as heroes while standing over the graves of those who gave their lives. Plus, consider how Craig will feel. Or those who cared about Brent, or that young dual wielder-" "-Zeke, his name was Zeke," Levi cut in. "Thank you. But yes, think about those who are there mourning someone they care about to have to watch as those who lived get honors. It just isn''t something you should do," Joe finished. "I didn''t think about that," Paige said quietly. "What else are they discussing?" "I have my suspicions, but Grace has been pretty tight-lipped about it. She said the council has agreed to keep a lot of things to themselves until final decisions are made." "Must be something pretty big, then." Levi nodded. "How''s your recovery going?" Paige asked Levi. "Slow, but I''m pretty sure I should be fine in a couple more days. I won''t really know if there will be any permanent consequences until I can fight and use my skills again, but I think I''ll be fine. Mostly, at least." "That''s good." Silence stretched between them for a while after that. It was hard for any of them to fall back into casual conversation or banter after everything that had happened. The shock of how quickly everything seemed to go to hell and the severe consequences of that still weighed heavily. It was like there was a shared, unspoken desire to get things back to normal, but that shared burden and desire also weighed them down and made moving forward hard. Joe finally stood, "I''m going to go for a walk and think. Grace wants to have dinner here tonight. She told me to let you know. She''s inviting Maddy and David, too." After he''d walked away, Paige finally spoke again. "I hate this feeling. I hate that everything feels so wrong and empty now. A few days ago, everything was great. We were all happy. Things were easy, even the hard things. Now..." "Yeah. I know what you mean." Levi pulled out his dagger and a piece of wood and began whittling. "It does get easier. You just keep moving forward and plodding along. Then someone cracks a joke and gets a real smile. Or something good happens that lifts the mood. Or you share a good meal together and just compliment the cook. And then, slowly, things get back to normal." "I''m guessing you''ve been through something like this before?" Paige asked. "A few times. I still hate it. It feels the same every time. Like things will never be normal again. Even if you know they will." "So what are you whittling?" Paige pointed to the small piece of wood in Levi''s hands. "Not quite sure at the moment. I can''t do much, injured the way I am, so I''m trying to learn a carving skill or something in the meantime. I''m pretty sure this will either be a bird of some sort... at least, that''s the only thing it looks like if I squint just right." Paige let out a small laugh. "Hey, if you''re feeling up to it tomorrow, you want to go on that walk we never got to go on..." She hesitated a moment, considering her words. "I-I know it won''t be the same as it would have been. But I feel like it was something that was taken from me that night. I want to take it back. If I can." Levi stopped whittling and looked up at her. He could tell by the look in her eye that it wasn''t going to be some romantic outing. It wasn''t going to be some hot and steamy moment next to the gorgeous view of a moon-lit pond, either. It was just going to be a walk. He felt grateful for that, for some reason. After a moment, he smiled. "Yeah. That''d be great. You said it is a pretty big pond, huh? A swim will be nice, but it is getting a little too cold. So how do you feel about a little fishing, while we''re there?" Paige''s face lit up at that. "I like fishing. Haven''t been since I was younger, with my dad. Do you know where we can get some fishing poles and stuff?" Levi shrugged. "I''m pretty sure we can figure it out." "Yeah, we''ll figure it out," Paige agreed, feeling the first real happiness she''d felt in a while. She hadn''t known how bad she''d needed it until that moment. 27 - Back to the Basics of Life "So what''s the word, Grace? Are you going to fill us in now that everyone''s here?" Joe asked. Grace stood over a pot and was adding some spice to venison David had brought in. Paige was making more tortillas for the group. She''d offered to help cook and had told Grace that her Abuela had taught her how to make corn tortillas. Maddy had decided to chip in, too, and was cutting cheese into small chunks to be melted in with the meat. Levi was whittling what was shaping out to be something that in no way resembled a bird...or any animal for that matter. As far as Paige could tell, it may be a shoe that a dog had chewed up. David was quietly sharpening arrowheads. And Levi had just sat down after finishing meditating and another hot bath. Everyone looked toward Grace at Joe''s words, completely pausing what they were doing. She''d been uncharacteristically quiet about the council meetings. Everyone knew something big was happening. Grace huffed. "Fine. Let me start with the fact that Agnis finally got her way about disclosing class details. It''s becoming a law. I was arguing against it entirely for a while, but there was no stopping it. So, I fought to find some type of compromise." "Wait, she actually got that passed?" Levi gave up on whittling entirely and shoved his boot knife away and set the lumpy carving down. "Her and Mike leveraged the entire Eric situation to claim we needed better defenses, and knowing people''s classes would help us be more prepared. People are fucking scared, Levi. So, of course, it got passed. It was a lost cause." Grace glared at Levi a moment and then gave Joe a quick, unreadable look. "I did manage to get them to come to a comprimise. Only a few people will be allowed access to that information." "Like who?" Joe asked. "Like the Captain of the new Guard they want to build. In the future, some kind of spell caster will be used to either identify classes or verify the truth of a person disclosing class details." "So they''re making a Guard? Who''s gonna volunteer for that? They expect all of us to step up to protect all their sorry asses again? To go save the day again?" It was David who spoke this time, angry. Grace didn''t say anything for a moment. "He has a point, Grace. I mean, I know people weren''t prepared for what happened, but barely anyone volunteered. And you can''t expect those who did step up to drop everything else to play militia full time." "I know, Joe, I know. But I agree with them that we have to do something." Grace stared at her pot for a minute. "We voted to require everyone to participate on the Guard in some capacity or another. Rotating duty. The council was in agreement. Even me. We''re hoping that under the right leadership and training, plus a good amount of preventative defense, we''ll be better prepared if something like this ever happens again." "''The right leadership? And who you planning to put into that role," Joe said in sardonic skepticism. Grace didn''t say anything. "They want to put Joe in charge, don''t they?" Paige was the first to clue into it. Grace nodded and then gave Joe a sad look. "Will you take the position? You''re the best we got, Joe." Joe''s face flushed red. After a second, he stood and paced a few times. Then he grabbed the shield he''d laid against a stump and threw it against the wall of the cabin as hard as he could. "Fuck!" He screamed into the sky. Everyone flinched away from his outburst. Then, panting, he sat back down. "Well, I guess I have no fucking choice. But you already fucking knew that. I know no one else can handle that job." Grace nodded but said nothing. Guilt, grief, or something in between washed over her face. Silence stretched for a while.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. "Well fuck, Joe," Levi finally said, breaking the silence. "You''ve been such an awesome hobro since I met you. And now you''ve gone and gotten yourself appointed to a respectable position. Guess things are changing." "What the fuck is a hobro?" Joe asked. "You know, a bro who is also just a hobo. ''Hobro.'' I considered calling you my ''bumbuddy,'' but I don''t think our relationship is there quite yet," Levi answered. Joe sat in a confused silence for just a moment. Then he laughed. Harder than Levi had ever seen him laugh before. And Levi could tell he needed it. And then everyone else laughed, too. Joe wiped tears from his eyes. "Thanks. You''ve been a good friend. I don''t think we''ll ever quite be bum buddies, but I''m glad I ended up in this safezone with you." Joe looked up and then made a point to catch everyone''s eye. "All of you. And there''s a few more people I need to tell. Thanks." After that, they ate. No one talked, but the silence wasn''t as cold as it had been. After everyone had gotten full and had relaxed, a little bit of light conversation picked up. And then, after a bit, they were sharing stories. "I swear to God, I did. My friend pierced them on the bench, right outside the school," Paige said. "No way your friend pierced your nipples on a bench right outside your high school. That''s so wild," Maddy said, grinning. "I wish I had done something like that. I was always too afraid I''d get in so much trouble." "Prove it," David said, squinting at Paige. Maddy slapped him hard in the arm. "Could you not?" "What?" David rubbed at his arm. "I just don''t believe her." "What about you, Levi? You haven''t told us something funny from your life, yet," Paige said. Levi looked up and scratched at his beard. He really needed to trim it. "Yeah, I guess I haven''t. Uh... let me think." Seconds dragged on, as Levi thought of what story to tell. Finally, Levi started talking. "Ooh, okay, this one is kind of funny. So I was in bootcamp, and we''d just come back from the second phase of bootcamp. From Camp Pendleton, back to MCRD San Diego. We went to chow, and one of the other recruits decided he was going to get cake and icecream. See, it''s there. You can get it. But it''s a trap. So anyway, the drill instructors decided they''d punish the whole platoon. After a nice game of ''shift left, shift right,'' they decided to make us drink two canteens back to back. That''s a lot of water. Most threw up, because we had just had chow. But I didn''t. Then, instead of letting us use the head--the bathroom--we went out and practiced drill--marching--for a while. And some other stupid games. Anyway, a few hours later, we''re back in the barracks, and no one has pissed. We''re all holding our rifles over our head. Everyone keeps asking the Drill Instructor if they can use the head--the bathroom. So anyway, I''m standing there holding my rifle above my head, holding it in. Suddenly, I lose complete control of my bladder. I mean, it has to be the largest puddle of piss you''ve ever seen in your life. And I try to stop, but I can''t. It just keeps coming. People had to step back out of this huge puddle of piss. So, I run up to the drill instructor, rifle still above my head. ''Excuse me, this recruit requests to speak to Drill Instructor Staff Sergeant Buford, sir.'' He looks at me and says, ''Ah let me guess, you need to use the head, O''Hare.'' And then I say, ''No sir. This recruit reports he already has, sir.'' He looks down and sees I''m soaked in my own piss, right. When I say Staff Sergeant Buford had to hide his face with his cover--his hat--just to keep from completely losing it laughing..." Levi trailed off smiling. Joe barked a laugh. "That''s fucking hilarious. I probably would have pissed myself right after you, just from laughing, if I was him." Everyone else just gave Levi and Joe odd stares. Joe gave them a dismissive wave. "They just don''t get it," Joe said to Levi. "It just sounds kind of fucked up," Maddy said. Both Joe and Levi shrugged. "Well, I guess it is. But sometimes you have to see the humor in things like that, especially when that''s the only way you''ll find any." Joe looked to Levi. "Still, Levi, maybe next time, don''t pick something that doesn''t only make sense if you were in the Corps." Levi looked down. "Yeah, definitely. It was just the only thing that came to mind in the moment." Levi looked up and grinned. "I''ll think about it for next time." Paige watched Levi''s face for a moment. She loved his smile, and that wasn''t it. Levi quickly changed the subject. "So, hey, I think me and Paige are going fishing tomorrow. If we catch some, anyone feel like having a little fish fry? I can fry the hell out of some fish. Maybe there''s some potatoes for french fries, too." Everyone perked up at that. "Hell yeah, dude. Man it has been so long since I had some fried catfish," David said. "Is that you volunteering to clean them? I hate that part." Levi waggled his eyebrows at David. "Ugh, I guess. Have to find something to skin them, unless they''re all big enough to fillet." David scratched the sparse stubble on his chin. "Hell, that actually sounds like fun. I might even tag along with you guys." Paige caught Maddy''s eye and she swooped in for a rescue. "Hey, actually I need your help tomorrow, David. If that''s okay. But maybe you can take me fishing later." "Yeah, no problem. What do you need help with?" "I''ll tell you later, when we''re alone..." Maddy answered. "For sure. Yeah, I don''t mind, just let me know and I got you," David said. "Sorry guys, I guess I''ll have to catch you next time. Or maybe I''ll invite you when me and Maddy go fishing. Can''t wait to eat some fried fish though." Levi tried not to laugh at a man who was obviously even more clueless than he was. "Yeah, definitely, man. And Grace... you think there''s some potatoes for french fries." Grace nodded, "I''m sure I can manage a few. The council wanted to hang on to a lot for planting, but they''ll probably have no issue parting with a few for some of the ''Guardians of the Safezone.''" Everyone groaned at that. "Please... for all that is sacred in the world... please tell me that''s just a working nickname and not something the council is trying to make stick," Joe whined. Grace laughed. "Well, I guess you''ll just have to wait and find out." And then everyone groaned a second time. 28 - Three Firsts Levi had moved slowly on their walk to the pond. Paige had offered to help him, but he''d refused, saying that doing it on his own would help him recover faster. Paige had kept a wary eye on him, though, concerned he might fall or that he was pushing himself too hard. But Levi made the entire walk, if at a very slow and deliberate pace. When he finally eased himself down onto the fallen log Paige had led him to, he breathed out a sigh of relief. The journey had been more taxing than he''d let Paige know. "Sorry for moving like an old man all the way here," Levi joked. Paige leaned into him and lightly bumped her shoulder into his. "That''s okay, I like my men older." "Haha, you''re funny." "No, no, I''m serious. Do you think the system has some form of AARP discount on those rations? You could hook me up. I need a restock before I leave." "You''re leaving? Where are you going?" "I want to see my parents and my little brother. The system marked their safezone on my map. After everything that happened...it just made me realize that I should at least check on them. And let them know I''m okay." "I get it. I was going to head out soon, too. After I''d recovered, I was going to check out the portal, and then after that..." "Where are you headed?" Paige asked. "Don''t know. I''ve already been here way too long, though. Adventuring was always part of my long-term plan. I think I panicked a little about my class at first. And then, all the sparring we did, plus my own practice and meditation, kept my debuff reset. But that doesn''t mean my long-term plan was wrong. My class doesn''t do well sitting around safezones, and the challenges it brings are something that''s about to really start catching up with me." "Maybe you could come with me." Levi turned and raised an eyebrow at Paige. "What? I''m serious. I''m not trying to drag you to meet my family or anything stupid like that. It would be nice to have some backup and not be completely alone out there, for one. For you, too. And it isn''t like where you go actually matters. I doubt you even have a direction in mind." Paige shrugged. "So why don''t we just head out together?" "I mean, I''m not opposed to it." Levi grabbed a ''cane pole'', made from the bamboo native to the southeastern US, and began rigging his line. "I still need a few more days to recover, though. And I really do want to check out that portal. Are you okay with that?" Paige followed Levi''s lead and started rigging her own pole. "Yeah, that''s fine with me. I kind of wanted to see what we could find in the portal, too. I need to befriend new beasts. It''s kind of my biggest way to get stronger. Plus, it''s fun." "Ah, yeah. You never really explained everything that happened with the bobcat. But you still have the bobcat traits. How does that even work?" Paige''s hands stopped rigging her pole for a moment. "Well, me and Mama-cat are still friends, or at least something like that. Maybe I would have lost the ability to share traits if things had ended on bad terms. I think they would have. But..." She didn''t look up at Levi as she spoke and tried to keep the emotion from her voice. "It''s just the nature of bobcats to be solitary. So... our time together had to end." Levi considered teasing her about calling the bobcat ''Mama-cat,'' but his gut told him that it was a sensitive subject. "It sounds like you miss her." Paige nodded but didn''t look up from rigging her fishing line. "Want to talk about it?" Levi asked. Part of him really hoped she didn''t. He''d offered, and he would listen, but he really didn''t know how to handle emotional support. "It''s stupid," Paige said. Knowing that was his chance to avoid the subject, Levi didn''t take it. "Try me." Paige exploded into an explanation of the entire situation with the bobcat and the time she spent with Mama-cat. By the end of it, she was a puddle of tears and an alarming amount of snot for what could be considered a first date. "In the end, she called me her daughter and told me she was proud of me and I hate that she just had to leave like that, but I get it you know, because she is a bobcat and nothing will change that, but it sucks so bad, and I wish it didn''t have to be like that..." Paige finished in a blubbering ramble.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Levi, at a complete loss on what he should say, gave the only response that made sense. "Do you want a hug?" Paige threw her arms around him and squeezed. Levi felt the hook he''d just tied to his line dig into his thigh as she''d went in for the hug, but put the pain at the back of his mind and hugged her back. At least Paige had been apologetic about the hook in his thigh. For a while after the hug--and Levi digging the hook out--they''d quietly focused on fishing. As Levi pulled his third fish in without Paige catching anything, she got a little frustrated. "How? Our lines are rigged the same, we''re fishing side by side, and we''re both using the same cheese for bait. How have you caught three, and I haven''t even gotten a bite?" "Want to trade poles?" Levi offered. "Yes!" When Levi pulled in his forth fish, Paige nearly threw her pole into the pond. "Trade me spots," Paige demanded. Levi chuckled and swapped spots with Paige. Then Levi caught his fifth fish. "What the shit! How are you catching all these fish and I''m not?" Levi shrugged, grin plastered on his face. "You''re probably just not holding your mouth right." "What?" Paige gave Levi an incredulous look. "What does that even mean? That makes no sense." "I don''t know. It was just something my stepdad used to say when we went fishing. It''s just a joke. I swear." Paige grew quiet after that. Levi couldn''t keep the smirk off his face when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Paige trying to subtlety study his mouth. After Levi had caught another three fish and Paige had caught an overhanging limb, a submerged branch, and Levi''s fishing line--twice, they finally called it a day. "That should be enough for everyone," Levi said. Paige sighed. "Yeah, I guess it will be dark soon. I just wanted to catch something, you know. You swear you don''t have any skills for fishing?" Levi laughed, deciding to finally come clean. "Alright, alright. My class does give me the basic skills for most professions, so yes, I have a skill for fishing." Paige lightly smacked Levi in the arm. "Asshole. You know I sat out here for the last few hours trying to figure out what I did wrong." "And now you know. You believed me when I said I didn''t have any skills." Levi grinned and bumped Paige''s shoulder with his own. He stood and started pulling up the stringer of fish. Paige started pulling in her own line. "Hey. Hey! I think I''ve got something!" she said as she pulled up her line. After a moment of tugging, something popped to the surface of the water with Paige''s line wrapped around it. "Is that a bottle? Are you serious? I haven''t so much as seen any thrown out trash since the system, yet I somehow manage to snag the one piece of litter in the world while fishing?" "Wait," Levi said, stopping her rant. "Pull it in... I think there may be something to it." Once Paige got it to shore, they saw it was a corked glass bottle with a rolled up piece of parchment inside. Paige grabbed the bottle and quickly got the message out. As she read, a smile spread wide across her face. After a moment, she let out a squeal and jumped up and down in a little circle laughing. "What is it?" Paige thrust the parchment to Levi. "Read it and weep. Who''s the loser now, huh?" Levi took the paper and read it. ---- HIDDEN TREASURE QUEST To catch fish, you must have bait. But for the treasure, wait half a turn. Good things come to those who wait. But the early bird gets the worm. REWARD: Coffee Beans ---- "What in the episode of Survivor is this? I didn''t even know the system offered stuff like this." Levi said. "Grace is going to love it. Let''s go back and show everyone while we make food and eat." "You don''t want to try to figure it out now?" Paige asked. "And waste the fish we just caught? No. It didn''t say anything about a time limit. But I think I have it figured out anyway." Levi handed the paper back to Paige. "Let''s get going. Don''t forget I can''t walk very fast right now." "Yeah, yeah, old man... I''ll make sure you get to the dinner table so you can have your fish plate with fries, don''t worry. I know soft foods are a real treat with those dentures." "You know I''m the one cooking your food, right? I will totally spit on yours." "Wooo. If you want your saliva in my mouth, there are ways that are a whole lot more fun," Paige said, wiggling her eyebrows. "You know there are also lot better ways for a lady to ask for a kiss, right?" Levi quipped. "Is that what you thought I meant? Not nearly as dirty as what I had in mind... mine involved a lot more choking and spitting... If I wanted a kiss, I wouldn''t even ask." "Oh, shut up. All talk. You''d have already done it if that were true." As Levi looked down at Paige with a grin, suddenly her arms were around his neck, and her lips pressed to his. And then, slowly, Levi was kissing her back. After a moment, she pulled her head back, her arms still around his neck. "What was that you were saying?" ---- The walk back was quiet, but it wasn''t awkward. Both Levi and Paige kept suppressing the sudden smile that came from the thought of their kiss. They both knew it, but there wasn''t anything to say. Paige had a harder time than Levi, if truth be told. She could smell Levi''s happiness and arousal. She could hear his heart speed up just before he''d suddenly let a small grin slip, and then she would smell it on him even more. It was torture to do nothing about it. Not that Levi wanted Paige any less than she did him, but a stroll through the woods felt like an obstacle course at that point. If anything else happened between them, she''d be disappointed, and he''d probably be crippled for life. But that didn''t keep him from thinking about it. When they got back to Grace''s cabin, everyone turned to look at them. Maddy smiled. "Looks like you two had fun." Joe just busied himself, suddenly concerned with a blood stain on his shield. "Oh, please tell me you caught enough fish for us to have a good fish fry. Grace made me peel and cut the potatoes already," David said. Grace gave them a long look. "You fucked, didn''t you." "No!" Both Levi and Paige said at the same time. "It was just a kiss," Levi said defensively. "What''s it to you?" Paige challenged, hand on her hip and eyebrow raised. "Well, if that''s how you want to be..." Grace started. Paige tossed Grace the rolled up parchment. Grace quickly scanned it before continuing. "...then it is none of my damned business. I do really need to learn not to meddle." 29 - Coffee Quest Part 1 Everyone sat around the fire, stuffed. "Damn, Levi, where''d you learn to fry fish like that?" David asked. He was sitting on the ground leaning back on the log stool, feet stretched out in front of him. "My dad. And trust me, it wasn''t nearly as good as he could fry it. I still haven''t figured out his secret." "Your dad or your stepdad?" Paige asked. She remembered him talking about fishing with his stepdad earlier. "My dad. Both liked fishing, and I think James could fry fish okay, but my dad was a master. He had it down to a science. We used to have these huge family reunions, and everyone would always want my dad to fry fish." "I don''t know, man. I think you''re just seeing things through a lens of nostalgia. That fish was perfect," Joe argued. Levi laughed. "Yeah, and you''re only saying that because you never had my dad''s fish." "Did you and your dad have a good relationship before the system?" Grace asked. "He passed away about eight years ago." Levi shrugged. "But yeah, we had an okay relationship before he died, I guess." "I''m sorry to hear that, man," David said. "I lost my own mom a couple of years ago. Breast cancer. It was just me and her when I was growing up, so it hit me pretty hard. So, I get it." "Yeah, sorry about your mom, too," Levi said. "What about you, Maddy and Paige?" Grace asked. Maddy looked up from some sort of spell book she was reading. "My parents died way back when I was little. I don''t remember them. But, they also had money and a huge life insurance policy, so I still had a pretty nice life." Paige suddenly felt a little out of place and embarrassed, though she knew she didn''t really have any reason to be. "My parents are alive. They''re actually in the closest safezone from us. The system has it marked on my map. I''m actually planning on leaving soon to go find them." Grace perked up at that. "The council will definitely be interested in that. We have been discussing locating other safezones and trying to open up some form of communication and trade network." "Why do you want to know about everyone''s family all of a sudden, Grace?" Joe asked. "Seems kind of weird." "It''s this theory I have. Came up in the council meeting when we were discussing security. Have you all noticed we don''t have any kids or families here. Everyone, except Paige, it seems, had no close family before the system. We were thinking maybe it had to do with the way the system organized the safezones." Grace lifted her hat and scratched at her scalp beneath it. "Paige kind of throws a kink in that, though." "Not really. I was told I was only placed in this safezone because they couldn''t fit me into my parents'' safezone, and this one was closest to theirs." Grace nodded. "That kind of makes more sense. So when did you plan on leaving? The council may want to send someone with you or at least a letter to the other safezone. And if you could come by tomorrow and tell us everything you know, we would appreciate it." "Sure, I''ll come by. And me and Levi are heading out after he recovers. We''re going to go check out the portal and leave after that." Grace gave Levi a look but didn''t say anything. "I''d be interested in checking out the portal with you." Maddy perked up suddenly, setting her spell book to the side entirely. "I''m in too, for sure." Joe sat up straighter and looked at Maddy. "I thought you''d be going with your group, though, Maddy. Maddy shook her head. "After what happened, they''re just... done with it." Joe nodded but didn''t say anything. Levi decided to shift the subject back to the portal so no one dwelled on what had happened for too long. "What about you, David? You''re a damned terror with that bow." "If Maddy''s in, I''m in. So... hell yeah, let''s do it."Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Maddy blushed at David''s words but didn''t comment. A relaxed silence fell between the group for a moment until Grace interrupted in with an outburst. "Can we please talk about the coffee, now?" Paige just looked at Grace levelly. "Fine... I''m sorry. I''m just an old busy-body. You''re grown and you can do whatever you want... I''ll mind my own business. But please, it''s fucking coffee, Paige. What do you want from me?" Paige smirked and pulled the rolled up parchment from where, earlier, she''d tucked it into her circlet to be on constant display. ---- After a long discussion, Levi felt the start of a headache coming. "And you''re sure that''s what it means?" Grace asked Levi. "I mean, I''m pretty sure, it seems straightforward. To catch fish, you must have bait. But for the treasure, wait half a turn. Good things come to those who wait. But the early bird gets the worm. And we got the clue while fishing." "So it''s simple," Maddy commented. "Tomorrow evening, we all go out there with fishing poles, leave them in the water from sunset to sunrise, and get a bunch of coffee beans." "I seriously doubt that will work. It will probably either only go to Paige or to whoever is in possession of the clue. I mean, we can all go out there and try, but I doubt more than one person will get the reward." "Ooh... we can just have someone else hold the clue, and then Paige and that person gets the coffee," David added. "That is probably risky, too. In the best case scenario, either Paige gets the reward or the person holding the clue gets it. Worst case scenario is that Paige needs to be holding the clue to get the reward, in which case, we just wasted our time. So Paige needs to hold on to the clue. You''re all welcome to come, but I wouldn''t get your hopes up for any extra rewards." "Damn." ---- In the end, everyone came. Whether it was the excitement about coffee in general or the hope of getting even more rewards, no one missed the opportunity. Paige had went to the council and told them what she knew about the other safezone earlier in the day. But after that, everyone had spent the rest of the day in anticipation. They all found themselves on the log with empty hooks in the water well over an hour before sunset. As the night wore on, people''s nerves were tested and everyone got a bit grumpy. Grace was the worst. She kept snapping at everyone, making sure they were staying awake, yet she was the only one who''d nodded off. No one woke her up the second time, happy to let her sleep and leave them in peace. As the sun rose that following morning, everyone stared in anticipation at the water. The moment stretched forever as everyone, except sleeping Grace, leaned forward. And just as they were about to give up hope, Paige felt a tug on her line. Quickly pulling it in, they all saw as a small wooden cask, maybe three liters in volume, come to the surface. Paige pulled it to shore, and Levi quickly pulled his dagger, fighting with the cask to get it open. When he finally did, they all stared down at the green colored beans. "What the fuck?" David said. "Are they magic or something?" Paige asked. Levi picked up one of the beans, sniffed it, then stuck it in his mouth and chewed. After a moment, he spat the bean remnants out. "Nope. Normal coffee beans. But we''re going to have to roast them before we can make any coffee from them." Maddy let out a sigh. "Oh man, I was worried the system was fucking with us for a second. I''ve been daydreaming about a nice cup of coffee with tons of cream and sugar for so long now. I would have been pissed. Shouldn''t be too hard to roast them, though." "Alright then. So, who wants to wake up Grace so we can get back and get started on it?" David asked. Everyone exchanged looks for a moment. After a moment, Paige answered. "I mean, she knows her way back..." "Well, we can''t just leave her, can we?" Maddy commented. "...Can we?" "I mean..." David scratched at the back of his head. "She''ll be pissed, but isn''t she kind of always grumpy, anyway." David shrugged. "I say we leave her a note," Levi said. "Fuck me, are y''all really going to make me do it?" Joe asked. They all stared at him, silent. "Ugh. You guys suck," Joe said. Joe leaned over and shook the old witch. Grace jerked awake with a swing that Joe quickly leaned to avoid. "I''ll rip your balls off, you sorry son of a bitch." As she thrashed, Grace''s wild eyes caught the sight of Joe. She started taking in deep breaths, and after a moment, she seemed calm again. "Sorry about that, Joe... I must have been dreaming," Grace began. Suddenly, she straightened. "Wait, what happened. Did we get the coffee? Why''d you all let me sleep? But... more importantly... did you get the coffee." "Yeah, we got the coffee." Joe answered dryly. "What? Why do you say it like that? Is there only enough for one cup or something?" Grace turned to Paige. "Paige, I''ll do anything you want. I''ll wash all your clothes. You can have every potion in my inventory. I''ll-I''ll do things to you no man will ever know how to do... we''ll...make it really dark first. I need that coffee..." "Whoa, whoa... before you start giving me any more nightmares..." Paige popped the top off of the small barrel beneath her arm, showing it to Grace, and laughed. "They just need to be roasted, you crazy addict bitch. I''m just glad it was coffee and not cocaine." Grace relaxed. "Oh, thank God. You have no idea the things I was willing to do. And that cocaine comment is unfair. I haven''t done cocaine since the quality dropped in the 90s." "Eh... pretty sure we all got way too familiar with what you were willing to do. How about we just get back to the safezone and you stop talking before we all end up wishing we were never here," Joe butted in. "That sounds lovely," Grace said, straightening herself and readjusting her hat. "Well, don''t start trying to act all dignified now," Levi joked. "Yeah, well, I''m not proud of the things I said, but..." Grace unnecessarily readjusted her hat a second time. "But maybe we can keep this between us. I am a little embarrassed about the way I reacted." "No promises," David joked, receiving a glare from Grace. "Oh, I can DEFINITELY promise... you''ll never live it down," Paige said, with a laugh. Maddy shook her head. "That was just weird, Grace." 30 - Coffee Quest 2: How to make the best coffee in the world. "Wait, wait, wait..." Levi stopped Paige from dumping the green coffee beans into a pot immediately. "What?" Paige asked. "Do you know how to roast coffee beans?" Levi asked rhetorically. "We don''t want to fuck this up." "How hard can it be? You''re just overthinking shit again." Paige argued, getting ready to dump beans in the pot again. "Wait!" Grace yelled out. "I have to agree with Levi on this one. What if we mess it up? Think about it like popcorn. Everyone knows you can pop it in a pan, but do you know how easy it is to fuck that up if you don''t know what you''re doing?" "Can verify. I''ve burned more Jiffy Pop than I care to admit, and that comes with directions." David chimed in. "Fine." Paige relented, setting the small cask down. "Then what do we do, practice with small amounts until we figure it out, and hope we don''t waste any in the process?" "That''s not a bad idea," Joe commented. "Not a bad idea at all, Paige," Grace agreed. "But maybe we could ask around to find out if anyone knows how to roast coffee beans first." "And let everyone know we have them?" Levi shook his head. "We''d maybe get one cup each before the whole safezone came begging for their share of the coffee." "To be fair, technically, the only one who actually has any coffee is me," Paige pointed out. Everyone turned a glare at Paige, but she just raised her hands. "I''m just saying you guys are acting really possessive over something that''s not even technically yours." "Jesus Christ, I''d hate to see you in a position of power," Joe joked. "One quest clue for coffee, and you''ve turned into a tyrant." "I''m kidding, obviously. But it''s been too fun to torture Grace." Grace huffed. "And you better remember that the next time you need soap. But back on the subject, we definitely shouldn''t ask everyone, but if we do it smart, we may get the information we need with only a few people knowing." "Like who?" Levi asked. "Hank, definitely," David immediately responded. Everyone turned their gaze to him. David began explaining. "Everyone thinks all he does is brew alcohol, but I''ve talked to him a few times. He trades for meat as much as anyone else. More maybe. Bring up any subject, and he''ll know a little bit about it. I swear." Joe nodded. "Worth a try. But do you think he''d keep the secret?" "From what I know about him, which is little, I''d bet he''d keep the secret just to spite half the people in the safezone." Levi glanced at Paige. "What do you think?" Paige shrugged. "I don''t see why not. Worst case scenario, he doesn''t know shit." "I can ask him without him clueing into it too much," David assured everyone. "Trust me, I''ve been asking him random stuff for a while, just to test him." ---- "Heya, Hank. What are you up to?" David said casually. Levi watched as Hank actually lit up with a smile for David. "Hey, Bud. I''m just checking on this mead I''m trying to make. I''m done, though. Just get back from hunting? Got a little sample of beer I could trade you for a rabbit." "Haven''t been hunting in the last couple of days. Just resting up. How''s Kenny doing?" Hank''s face darkened. "Upset with himself that he didn''t really do anything to help... it eats at him. Started talking about going to those sparring pits. But he didn''t do anything he regretted, either. He knows it was the right thing, so I''m grateful for that. The kid wears his heart on his sleeve." "Yeah, he''s a good kid." Levi chimed in, only receiving a glare from Hank in return, despite how friendly he was with David. "I''m glad he''s okay. I may swing by and talk to him later..." David trailed off for a moment. "You know, as much as I appreciate you brewing alcohol, I''d kill for some coffee." Hank barked a laugh. "You and me both, kid." "Guessing there aren''t any coffee beans growing in those crops, are there?" David pressed. "Nope." "Damn. Probably wouldn''t do anyone any good, anyway. Bet no one would even know how to roast the beans anyway."The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. "Well, I imagine it wouldn''t be hard to do," Hank answered casually. "Oh, you know how to roast coffee beans?" David, still pressing, tried to sound casual, too. "Oh well, I wouldn''t say that. The way they do it in bulk is beyond me. I know that you gotta get them to crack once, cool ''em down, then get ''em to crack a second time. You can do it in an iron skillet if that''s all you got... stir like crazy. And they smoke like hell, too." David bumped Levi''s arm with a fist. "Told you." "Dammit, David, you playing your damned game with me again? I told you to stop that," Hank protested. David grinned and shook his head. Levi stuck out his hand to Hank, palm up, holding three green coffee beans. "Hope you can keep a secret..." Hank''s eyes lit up as he leaned over to get a better look at the contents of Levi''s hand. "I imagine I can, for a small price." ---- An hour later and the group, which now included Hank and Kenny, stood over the freshly roasted coffee beans. "They need grinding," Hank grumbled. "I''ll handle that," said Grace, pulling out a mortar and pestle. "Don''t grind them too fine. We''re going to have to wrap the grounds in cheese cloth. Don''t want any getting out," Hank said. "I know what I''m doing," Grace argued, taking off her hat and shooing Hank back. Levi spoke up. "Nope. I''m making the coffee. If we''re making coffee with nothing but a pot, we''re doing it right. Plus, this is the best coffee you''ll ever drink in your life." "You think you can make better coffee than the two old fucks here?" Grace challenged. "I know I can. Just trust me," Levi said. "Fine," both Grace and Hank said. "Okay." Levi''s smile turned mischievous. "Joe, I''m going to need three eggs. And I will need some of that cheese cloth. Also, toward the end, I''ll need the coldest water we can get, so it will need to come directly from the well. And Grace, do you have a bay leaf I can use?" "Nope, nope, nope. You lost your coffee making privileges," Paige said. "What the hell do you need eggs for?" "Levi, now isn''t the time to be playing around." Grace gave him a glare from under the wide brim of her hat. Everyone was giving a look like they were ready to choke him. "Whoa, calm down. I''m serious. It''s called egg coffee. I''m not fucking with you guys. I used to make it all the time camping. Way better than using a sock or something. And it really is the best coffee you''ll ever drink." Hank came to Levi''s defense. "I''ve actually heard of it. Never seen it made before. I''ll trust you." He shrugged. "Well, there''s actually two types of egg coffee. Most have heard about the Vietnamese version, but this isn''t that. That one actually has egg in the coffee when you drink it. The version I am making doesn''t. The egg and coffee grounds separate out from the liquid. I''m pretty sure it was originally a Swedish recipe, but we always used it for coffee while we were camping. Plus it tastes great." "I swear to God, Levi, if you fuck up my coffee, I''m going to skin you like a rabbit," Paige growled. "I swear, just trust me," Levi assured everyone. ---- Levi looked down at his ingredients. "And you washed the eggs thoroughly?" Levi asked Joe. "Yes, for the love of god, just get to it." Levi reached down to grab the bay leaf, but Grace stopped him. "Wait! Let me do it. You can walk me through it, but I have skills that improve the quality of anything I brew from both my Witch Class and Alchemist Profession." "Okay..." Levi said, backing up. "Throw the bay leaf into the pot of water while it starts to heat. Now, while that is coming to a boil, crack your eggs in with the coffee grounds and mix." Grace was about to toss the eggshell, but Levi stopped her. "No... put the eggshell and all in. Try to crush the eggshell into small pieces as you mix. Good. You want the result to look like brownie mix, not dry at all, but not too much egg, either. Add a little more coffee grounds or egg if you need." Grace followed Levi''s instructions. "What''s the eggshell for?" "Supposedly, it has enzymes that makes the coffee less bitter and pulls out more caffeine. Don''t know if that''s true, but I''ve always made it this way, and it is definitely stronger and less bitter, so I''m not going to start making it different now." "And the bay leaf?" Grace asked as she mixed. Levi shrugged. "Hell, I don''t know. Personal touch, health benefits, luck, Cajun magic... your guess is as good as mine." Grace grumbled at him, but kept stirring. Everyone was circled around, watching intently. The skepticism had seemed to fade when Levi confidently started giving instructions. "Okay, now that the water is boiling, put the coffee and egg mixture in. Giving it a couple good stirs right at the beginning, but then stop touching it. When it reaches a rolling boil again, pull it from the heat. After that, leave it for 5 minutes." When the water was boiling again, and Grace had pulled it from the fire, Levi instructed Joe to quickly go and get the fresh cold water from the well. Everyone stared at the pot. It looked disgusting. A strange greyish cake had formed at the top, floating. "Not going to lie, if you ruined this coffee, I''m going to string you up like a deer so Paige has an easier time skinning you," David mumbled. Grace shook her head, her face screwed up in concentration. "My alchemist skills would have notified me if this was a failed brew, and it didn''t yet. I think this is actually going to work." When Joe returned with the water, Levi continued. "Now Grace, very slowly pour the cold water onto the cake at the top. Until it starts sinking to the bottom. Ideally, we''d use ice cold water for this, but well-water should be cold enough. The cake should hold most of the grounds and egg together, but you can pour it through the cheese cloth to catch any loose chunks." As she poured a very small amount water over the strange coffee/egg cake, it sank just as Levi said. As Grace watched the coffee cake sink, her eyes suddenly lit up. "I just got a level and a notification. I created a new brew. I can now transcribe this recipe so other alchemists can learn it. It''s called ''The Sage''s Morning Brew.''" Everyone leaned in toward the pot. Sure enough, it had a system tag just like their starting gear. - The Sage''s Morning Brew Guided by the instructions of a Sage using knowledge from the pre-system world, a Witch brewed this coffee with great care and system skills. Not only delicious, this coffee provides extra benefits to those who drink it. Mana and Stamina regeneration is increased by 100% for 3 hours after consumption. Consuming this coffee greatly increases essence cycling and removes a small amount of impurities from one''s Core. Drinking too much may result in negative effects. - After everyone had a cup, no one had any more doubts about egg coffee. It truly was the best coffee any if them had ever had. For a while, everyone just sat around enjoying the moment. "Look, I know it is good, but seriously, could you guys please stop moaning every time you take a sip," Kenny finally commented. "It''s starting to feel uncomfortable." 31 - Appointment and a Portal The memorial for the fallen was held the following day. It went well. No announcement or proclamation about heroes was made to the relief of everyone who''d been a part of that fight. But after the memorial, Agnis did announce the creation of the Guard and Joe''s appointment as its captain, as well as the rule forcing people to disclose their class information. Despite the gravity of the announcement, and the requirement for everyone to train for and participate in the new Guard, people seemed to react positively to it. Everyone felt somewhat reassured that the council was taking action to prevent more attacks. Joe refusing to tell Agnis his last name did provide a little levity to the situation. "...And so it is an honor to present Captain Joe--I''m sorry what is your last name?" "Just Joe is fine." Joe answered plainly. "Well, people can hardly go around referring to you as Captain Joe," Agnis protested. "Hell, I don''t see why not. You had no problem pronouncing it just now, and I bet most of the people here can manage it without the hint of disdain you had," Joe responded casually. A ripple of laughter went through the crowd. "Well, I think it is highly inappropriate for people to call you Captain Joe all the time," Agnis argued. "I totally agree." Joe waved at the crowd. "Hey, everyone, you can all just call me Joe. I''ll also accept bro, homie, man, dude, and hobro. That last one is a new one for me, but I''m digging it. I''ll even tolerate asshole, bastard, cocksucker, or any more creative insults you can think up... if I deserve it." Joe paused to let the chuckles die down, his face taking on a far more serious demeanor. "That being said, I will take my post and duty seriously. So save ''Captain,'' ''Captain Joe,'' or ''sir'' for when I''m lining you out in training or on duty. Basically, if I''m yelling at you, now you know what to yell back." Joe turned back to Agnis. "But to ease your concerns, I will be putting my last name into the official Class records. The ones only I currently have access to." Agnis nodded but didn''t answer. And Joe got an actual round of applause. ---- Once the entire affair was over, Levi found Joe next to Iara. "Captain Joe! Just the man I was looking for. You ready to see what''s inside the portal?" Iara belted out a laugh at Levi''s words. Joe pinched the bridge of his nose. "Jesus Christ, not you, too. I swear I think I made it worse," Joe said to Iara, who was still laughing. Before Levi could ask for clarification, someone approached Joe, offering a hand to shake, which Joe took. It was a younger woman, around her mid twenties. As she spoke, her free hand lightly touched Joe''s forearm. "Captain Joe, we''re so happy you took up the position. Knowing what you did that night, that you''re willing stand up for us when it counts... it makes us all feel safer that they put you in charge. I''m going to be honest, acting as part of the guard is scary. But, I can''t wait to work underneath you. I know I''ll be in capable hands." As the woman walked off, Iara glared daggers at her. After a moment, she turned to Joe, lightly smacking him in the arm. "Perhaps you should use some of that authority to put your foot down about sexual harassment, huh?" "What? Who''s being harrassed?" Joe asked in an oblivious tone while looking around as if searching for a culprit. Catching Levi''s eye, Joe gave him a sly wink. That''s when Iara smacked him in the arm even harder.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Paige had picked up on the conversation, with her Enhanced Hearing, and decided to help the situation along the only way she knew how. Walking up, she caught Iara''s attention. "Better watch out for that one, Iara. I can still smell the pheromones from here." It did not, in fact, help the situation. But it was funny. ---- "I''m filing domestic violence charges," Joe said as they approached the portal. "You''re the captain. Who are you going to file them with, yourself?" Levi asked. Joe gave an exaggerated sigh. "I know, I know. All the charges will be dropped anyway. Tragic. The victims of domestic violence always forgive their abusers. So sad." Maddy chimed in then. "You know, Joe, jokes about domestic violence are tasteless. That being said... you instigated a lot of it. The only tragedy is that she only hit you in the arm after what you said." "Oooh. What did he say?" David asked, grin on his face. He''d missed out on the conversation. "He said, and I quote, ''It isn''t my fault that when the ladies hear the rank captain, all they can think is all hands on deck.''" Paige explained. "Oooh. You didn''t.... Captain Hobro... my dude, homie... What a cocksucking asshole," David commented. Joe smiled. "Can''t wait until I get back. The make-up sex is going to be phenomenal." "Well, I think that''s enough of this conversation," Levi interrupted. "I can see the portal anyway." Ahead of them, the portal shimmered through the trees and underbrush, hovering above the ground. "It looks like it moved." Maddy commented. "What do you mean moved?" Levi asked. "I mean, it used to be about 50 yards in that direction." Maddy pointed. "Now it''s here." Levi shrugged. "Weird. How many days has it been since you found it? About five? Six? So it''s moving at about 10 yards per day. I wonder why. It shouldn''t affect us much, though." They circled around the portal and peered in. It showed grasslands with a mountain range in the distance, depending on which direction you looked into it from. The grass looked to be approximately waist high and yellowing. Still, it looked like more of a snapshot than a moving picture. It moved, but there didn''t seem to be any real change. The sun was high in the sky in the portal, though it was near setting in their own world. "So all jumping in at the same time?" Joe said. "All jumping in at the same time," Levi confirmed. "Wait," David interjected. "What if we can''t get out? What if we''re trapped or something?" "Then we''re trapped together. Better than one person being trapped alone," Levi answered. Surprisingly, Maddy spoke up. "We either do this together, or we don''t do it at all." She glanced from face to face to look for responses. She received nods from everyone in response. "On three?" Levi asked. "Fuck that." And Paige dove into the portal. ---- Paige found herself in grass, almost chest high. The transition had been instant, and other than a moment of disorientation, she felt nothing of the actual transportation. Turning around to look, she found the portal she''d jumped through still hovering, but it showed the area she''d just came from. Suddenly, something else popped through the portal, a crow. "Are you bloody mad, miss?" The crow said. "Hey, I didn''t ask you to come," Paige answered. "Well, I''m on shadow duty. That''s my job. Wouldn''t expect any of the others to come through, though." Page took a good look around. The plains stretched all the way to the mountains. Golden grasslands stretched in every direction. Turning, she noticed a herd roaming the fields opposite the mountains. ''Buffalo,'' she thought with a smile. She had friends to meet. Deciding she needed to wait for the group, she just watched as the buffalo grazed. They were majestic. There had to be over five hundred of them, peacefully grazing. She wondered if that was how the pioneers had felt the first time they''d seen Buffalo on their way across North America. After a while of watching in wonder, she began to wonder where everyone else was. She was still alone other than the crow that perched on her shoulder. "Hey, how long after I jumped in did it take you to follow me?" She asked the crow. "Well, practically immediately, miss. Tis my job to anticipate your needs after all. I''d say a scarce second, and I was right behind you," the crow answered proudly. "Where the fuck is everyone el--" Paige started to say before Maddy knocked her over. Everyone else popped through the portal one by one immediately after, but they landed in different positions. Maddy, though, was almost sitting on Paige''s face. Pushing Maddy off, Paige threw the first insult that came to mind. "Get your cooch off my face. Also, you need to wash that thing unless David is super into sourdough." Maddy, to everyone''s surprise, came back harder. "Yeah, sorry, I haven''t washed since he was inside me this morning. Busy day. No surprise you couldn''t tell the difference, though. How long has it been since you''ve gotten a piece?" Paige glared at Maddy for a second and then gave a single nod. "That was good. I''ll give that one to you. Still... gross." Maddy shrugged. "Don''t talk shit about my ''cooch'' and I won''t talk shit about your sex life." David stood agape, blushing, and clearly both horrified and embarrassed at the exchange. "Paige! What the fuck." Levi stomped over. "You can''t just Leeroy Jenkins shit." "What? What took you guys so long? It took at least two or three minutes before you followed me through. What would have happened if I had jumped into some serious shit?" Paige argued. "First off, we''ve already discussed the possibility of a time dilation. And we jumped in right after you, so I guess that theory was confirmed. Secondly, we were literally about to do a countdown and jump in together before you decided to give us the big middle finger and jump in on your own without any warning." "Oh suck my dick, Levi... you think you''re so smart, but you''re just too afraid to actually make a move on things. You overthink things so much, you''re paralyzed," Paige yelled at him. "Is that what you think? Is that what you really think?" Levi said, stepping up to Paige. Paige lifted her chin at Levi. "Yeah. It is. You worry over shit when you just need to be bold. Sometimes you just need to do what you want." Levi snatched Paige by the waist and kissed her hard. She resisted for a second, so he kissed her harder. After a moment, she melted against him and kissed back. He continued kissing her for a few seconds and then pushed her away, holding her at arm''s length. "Is that how you feel now?" Levi asked. Paige stared up at Levi, silent, but quickly shook her head. "Good. Start listening. People care about you," Levi said. Paige just nodded, still looking up at Levi. Maddy leaned into David. "How do you feel about roleplay?" "I get to be Paige, right?" David answered. 32 - Progress and Panic in the Plains Everyone took in their surroundings. "Doesn''t strike me as a dungeon. At least like anything from a video game. This place is huge," Levi commented. "It''s more like an entire zone. "I''ve never played a lot of games, so I wouldn''t know, but it definitely isn''t how dungeons were described to me," Joe said. "I''m definitely going to try to make friends with some buffalo," Paige said. "So, what''s the plan?" Maddy asked. "We brought camping supplies. With the time differential, we could probably spend a week in here and still make it back to the safezone on the same day we left." David shrugged. "I''m good with that. Seems safe enough." Everyone turned to Levi, who had become the unofficial leader. "I think the first thing we need to do is make sure that we can all leave the dungeon and then reenter. Then we figure out the difference between the passing of time in here versus out there. That will give us some idea of how long we''re actually inside the portal. Considering I don''t feel any symptoms like headaches or anything, and my Parched Soul counter is ticking at the same rate, I don''t think we''re being literally sped up. So the time dilation is probably similar to the way time dilation works with theory of relativity. But, I don''t know nearly enough about that to even begin to mak-" Paige cut Levi off, "Levi... you''re spinning off on stuff, again." "Yeah, thanks. Point is, if you start feeling affected by the time dilation, let me know. Otherwise, I think we''re good on that. So, once we have things figured out, we can camp here for the day, and explore only within sight of the portal. That will give us a chance to figure things out at a safe distance, with an escape if we need it, and Paige can make buffalo friends." "Sounds like a plan," Joe said. ---- After some experimentation, they found that the time dilation was ridiculous. Time moved at least 100 times faster in the portal. That essentially made the amount of time they spent in the portal a non-issue unless they literally spent years within it, which no one planned on doing. They quickly set up camp. There wasn''t much to it. Bedrolls and packs were laid out. A potential place for a fire was cleared to prevent grass fires, but they didn''t build one yet. "What now?" David asked. Levi shrugged. "I don''t think it''s smart to go too far for now, and there''s nothing to do as a group, until we actually start venturing out. I need to meditate. Paige wants to try to make friends with the buffalo. I guess do whatever." ----- Levi stared into himself. His body was on autopilot, following the Tai Chi slow sets. His mana and stamina channels hadn''t been behaving properly since he''d over-exerted himself against Eric. The new, mutated growths that had developed bumped into each other, mana and stamina flows colliding. Levi could tell it was affecting his efficiency with both by a small amount. And he didn''t think it was reversible. But he was curious about it. Where the mana and stamina collided, there was some fourth type of energy that formed and burst out of the energy channels. It was similar to the grey white color of his essence, but it behaved entirely differently. As his body moved through his slowsets with Mana Skin and Empowering Flow activated at an extremely low level, Levi studied the way his energy channels responded to his actions. When a burst of the new energy was generated, it would rapidly flow down both channels in a wave. Focusing on his body and his Skill''s reactions to the burst of new energy, while also maintaining his meditative state, had seemed almost impossible at first. But with practice, he was starting to maintain a low level of awareness of what was going on outside the meditation space. That''s when he noticed what he''d describe as small increases in Empowering Flow and the strength of his Mana Skin every time the small bursts of the new energy occurred. While the bursts did provide more power as they happened, the overall drop in efficiency was way too high of a price. He had hope he could eventually use it somehow. Trying to hold on to the energy or control it somehow had been fruitless. The bursts were too infrequent and happened far too fast for Levi to react. Like the most difficult game of wack-a-mole he''d ever played, he simply couldn''t keep up with them. So he did something a little reckless. He increased his Mana Skin and Empowering Flow to a level he''d never applied in the slow sets. His awareness of his body informed him that it was a bit of a misnomer to refer to them as slow sets with the amount that Empowering Flow was increasing his movement speed. He didn''t activate the Skills nearly as high as he''d regularly done in combat, but it was still far higher than he''d ever used for slow sets. He noticed the bursts of the new energy were being generated far faster. And then he did something even more reckless. He maxed out his Mental Boosting. It was something he''d never used in meditation or while practicing the slow sets before. He''d only maxed out Mental Boosting once, while fighting Eric, and he''d needed days to recover. Still, it accomplished what he wanted. Suddenly, keeping up with the new bursts of energy wasn''t nearly as hard as it had been before. And they were happening at a much higher rate with the greater activation of his Skills. Knowing he probably had 15 seconds at most before he did more damage to himself that would take days to recover from, he focused on ''catching'' one of bursts.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. It took several attempts, but he managed to latch on to one of the bursts before it dissipated. Seizing it with his will, he sought only to hold it still, to try to understand what it was. It felt like more than stamina or mana. He also felt that it wanted to spread out, not dissipate like he''d thought. Rather, it felt like it sought to fill the empty space outside his mana and stamina channels. And then, the energy broke away from his will. But unlike before, it did not shoot along his other energy channels, but shot back into the convergence of those channels. He felt a mild pain flood his body, radiating down his center from his head to his tailbone. It was not enough to throw him from the meditation, so he endured it and watched. As the burst of energy flooded back into the point where his mana and stamina channels connected, the channels bloomed. Like vines twisting into growth, a small patch connecting the two channels formed, as dense and fine as the webbing of a spider''s egg sac, and replacing some of the seemingly mutated mana and stamina streams. He did end his meditation, then. Levi sat down and thought for a moment. He didn''t feel any lingering pain or weakness. He didn''t feel like he''d need time to recover, but still, he worried. ''I''m not sure that was a good thing.'' Unfortunately, Levi still had a little more meditating to do with something else he''d been trying to figure out. But at least he was pretty sure that the next part wouldn''t be nearly as risky. ---- Paige wasn''t having any luck with the buffalos. Actually, they''d simply ignored her. They didn''t flee, but as she approached any of them, they would just drift away from her. She tried pleading, but that did no good. They ignored her. Occasionally, one would randomly call out at her to go away, but otherwise, they treated her like she was a mild annoyance. ''Why are animals always assholes?'' She decided to sit and just watch them for a while, instead of continuing to chase them. They were incredible beasts to witness. Massive and powerful, moving in a peaceful graze with the mountain range in view beyond them. They all seemed male. Paige wasn''t sure how buffalo social structures were formed, and she didn''t know if it was the natural way it occurred or if it was some weird thing with the system. She also didn''t know how to get the buffalo to warm up to her at all. The crows had wanted food. Mama-cat had wanted a daughter she could be proud to have raised. The buffalo seemed entirely content with what they had. They definitely didn''t want anything to do with her as things were. She was relatively certain the reason they''d simply ignored her rather than trampling or goring her was entirely due to her circlet. And she didn''t have so much as an apple to offer them. Her thoughts were interrupted as the crow swooped in. "You need to move now, miss. Back to the portal." "What, why?" Paige asked. The crow pecked her hard. It hurt. "I said go. Back to the portal, now." The crows had never done anything to harm Paige. For a split second, she thought about smacking the crow, and then she realized how dire the situation must be if the crow had pecked her like that. She wasted no more time, jumping up and heading toward the portal in a sprint. ---- David and Maddy were looking for a source of water. That mostly involved Maddy tagging along while David walked the perimeter just within sight of the portal, scanning the horizon for any body of water. He used his Ability, Keen Eye of the Hunter, to see much farther away and catch details like movement or reflection. The search also involved a fair amount of Maddy talking. "I just didn''t think their relationship was quite like that. I mean, I know they had that day fishing, and both of them came back all hot and bothered." "Uh huh," David said as he continued scanning. They''d almost made a full circle at that point. David had been methodical in his approach. So far, he''d only seen one slow moving stream, but decided to keep searching, just in case a better source presented itself. "I''m just saying," Maddy continued. David tuned Maddy out as he spotted movement. He couldn''t see clearly what he was looking at, but he could swear it looked like wolves with small riders on their back. At least twenty flew over a hill, straight toward the herd of buffalo, where Paige was located. "...I mean, maybe it was just a spur of the moment thing. But that kiss was hot. Who would''ve thought Levi had it in him. He''s always so damned stiff... you know I wouldn''t mind if you snatched me up like-" "Maddy, we need to move. Back to the portal. Now." David said, grabbing her wrist and pulling as he took off running. She stumbled, and he stopped and gave her a moment to get her feet. "David, wha-" "Run. Now." When she didn''t move, David threw Maddy over his shoulder and took off as fast as he could. He didn''t stop until he was back to their camp. ---- Paige kicked Joe''s foot as she ran into camp. He jerked awake from his nap, immediately alert, his hands instantly on his sword and shield. "What''s going on?" "Something is coming, I don''t know what. Just get ready." Levi sat in mediation, so Paige did the best thing she could think and kicked him, too. Looking around, she was glad to see David sprinting into camp carrying Maddy like a sack of grain. "What the fuck." Levi said as he righted himself from Paige knocking him over. "Paige..." Frustration flooded through him for a moment, until he saw David running up carry Maddy. "What''s going on?" Levi asked. "Get down!" Joe said in his commanding voice, throwing himself down. As if trained, the remaining four of them threw themselves down behind the tall grass. "What the fuck is going on?" Levi asked. "Something is attacking the buffalo," Joe answered. "The crow warned me, I don''t really know what''s happening. I just knew danger was coming," Paige said. "Looks like massive wolves," Joe said, peaking over the tall grass. "They look a little off, but can''t see clearly from here." "They... have... riders. Small... riders," David said between gasps of air. They all slowly lifted their heads up to peer over the tall grass. "Think we should go back through the portal?" Maddy asked. "I think we''re okay right now," Levi answered. "They don''t look like they''ve noticed us at all. Plus, there''s a good chance part of this entire thing is fighting them." "We don''t know how strong they are," Joe added. "But the only way we''ll know is watching them a little... or fighting them, but this is safer." "At the first hint of real danger, we jump through the portal." Levi was all for watching, but they didn''t need to risk a fight without knowing more. They all watched as the group bore down on the herd of buffalo. They could all see the small figures that rode the enormous wolves. They had weapons, pressumably bows and spears. The buffalo turned into the attacking group rather than stampeding away, trying to trample and gore their hunters. The hunting group deftly avoided the attempts from the buffalo, injuring a buffalo badly enough that it fell to the ground, unable to stand. The hunting party then rode away just far enough to lose the aggressive attention of the herd. After their retreat, the buffalo herd decided to escape rather than continue their counter-assault, leaving the fallen buffalo behind. Once the herd was gone, the hunting party moved in and finished the injured buffalo. "Yeah, no way we can handle that," Levi said. "Nope. Highly coordinated, fast, and they seemed to only take the risks they needed to for a successful hunt. You see the way they created distance and waited for the herd to leave?" Joe commented. "Yeah, well, they''re coming this way. Directly toward us, actually, so probably time we jump through the portal, huh," David alerted the group. They all let out a curse as they stood and turned to the portal. But between the group and the portal, deliberately blocking the group''s escape, were four huge wolves with small green riders on their back. Three of the riders had bows trained on their group, and the last sat calmly with her hands scratching the neck of the wolf she rode. "Well, fuck," Paige said. She hadn''t even heard them sneak up with her Enhanced Hearing. Chapter ∞° - Beat & Beat Down - No Chapter Tomorrow I''m going to be honest here. I could push out a chapter. I''ve already written over 1k on what I was going to publish tomorrow at 7am. I''m beat. Exhausted. And I''m feeling somewhat discouraged. But I am not burnt out. I recently found my way back to loving what I was writing, and writing what I love. Though I now wonder if that lost me followers, it feels better for me. And I''m still going to crush this Writathon. I''m 42,500 words in. I''ve actually written a total of over 80k since October 5th, writing every single day. And I have next week off for Thanksgiving. I never intended to publish chapters everyday before the Writathon. I''ve got a lot on my plate at this point in my life, without piling that on top. I''m a husband and a father. I was recently forced by some health issues, (vision, not life threatening) to go back to college or to lose the potential success I had planned out. And I''m juggling earning a livable income while making that happen. I didn''t want to add the increased writing demands on top of that hectic schedule. But, then I realized I had almost already accomplished that pace before the Writathon began, so I figured the motivation to push myself could be a good thing. And it has been in several ways. I''ll dive into those at the end. But then, like an idiot, I figured that if I was going to be keeping up the Writathon pace, I should at least try to draw in some audience by posting every day. I went from a 2-3 per week schedule to posting every single day. And I have stuck with it. I''m proud of that accomplishment and keeping that personal promise to myself. But I''m worn out. I''ve pushed through being sick and exhausted. I''ve worried myself over followers and favorites far more than I ever intended when I began writing this.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. And posting every single day? At this point I feel like it cost me way, way more than it gained me. I didn''t really see any increase in viewers. And I''ve been losing followers and favorites lately. While I know my quality has dropped a little with the increased workload, and I''ve earmarked certain chapters that need some good editing... I''m so tired and busy I can''t go back and give the needed edits to the work. And I don''t even know if the reason I''m losing followers is a quality issue or just the type of content I''ve been releasing since I''ve gotten back to really writing what I love. And that sucks, because I really, really love my more recent chapters. There are some places that need smoothing out, but they make me laugh. A lot. They make me smile. My wife, who''s pretty damned honest, says they''re her favorite so far. So, I''m going to keep doing what I''m doing and write what makes me happy. As I said, I''ve got this Writathon in the bag. And I''m going to continue writing at a high pace, if not quite as high. But it is time I slowed down on posting. It is time I stopped (no offense) giving a fuck about the numbers on Royal Road. That doesn''t mean I don''t care about the fans. If you''re in the comments, telling me tyftc or just interacting, know that while I am writing for myself, I am here on Royal Road sharing it for YOU. And those comments mean more than you can ever know to me. They''ve kept me going. As far as the Writathon is concerned. It has been a great experience in teaching myself how to write at a higher pace, but it has also taught me a lot about myself as a writer. I learned more of what makes me happy to write, and a lot about reminding myself to keep that in focus. For now, there is no official posting schedule until Writathon is concluded. There will definitely be a chapter posted Friday. And I''ll definitely be posting enough to wrap up the final 12500 word count for the Writathon by the end of next week. But no other promises. After that, I''ll return to a 2 chapter per week schedule, Monday and Friday, with the occasional surprise chapter on Wednesdays. But those chapters will be approximately twice as long and of higher quality. I will also begin actually stocking up a backlog, which I should have done prior to showing The Beast and the Sage to the public. I wish you all the best and hope you stick around and enjoy my story. -JDH 33 - No Smiles, Dude. They resembled goblins. At least that was the closest of any fantasy race Levi could compare them with. They were small. Their average size was perhaps that of prepubescent humans. Their skin was green, but there was no consistency to it. One was an almost brown olive color, two were somewhere close to a lighter grass green, and the female who calmly stared them down was a rich fern color somewhere between bright grass and the dark green of cedar. Likewise, their eyes weren''t all red or all of the same color. Though, one of the lighter green riders did have reddish brown irises. The female, the leader it seemed, had amber eyes, similar to those Paige now had, yet without the slitted pupils. The other two goblins had matching slate grey eyes. Their faces also deviated from the stereotypical fantasy concepts of goblins. Their features weren''t hideous. There were no long noses or too wide smiles, at least outside what would be considered normal within human expectations. Overall, other than their small stature, green skin, and very slightly pointed ears, they could have passed as human. The female leader could even be considered somewhat attractive. But their armor was made up of rough hides, furs, and leathers. Their weapons were crude. There were a few proper daggers at their hips, and the spear the leader wore on her back also had some rough formed metal tip, but the arrowheads of the others were stone, and the bows looked primitive. Levi heard the footfalls of the hunting party''s wolf mounts thundering up behind them, beginning to surround their group. ''Fuck. No escape now.'' Paige tensed next to him. In his peripheral vision, he saw she''d summoned Cat-claws and had taken a crouched position. She gave a primal growl unlike anything Levi had ever heard from her. "Paige, wait. Everyone..." Levi raised his voice as he spoke to the group. "Do not attack and no sudden movements. We can''t win against them, but we also don''t even know if they''re hostile. Peace is the only hope we have right now. So HOLD." At his words, the female goblin, who was the very clear leader, stopped stroking the neck of her wolf mount. She straightened a bit and smiled. Her teeth were somewhat unnerving. They weren''t all sharp, but her canine teeth and those on either side were sharper than normal. It was slight enough to almost pass as human teeth, but it was noticeable. The overall impression they gave was intimidating. "Hellos, Spirit-bonded. We Denizens...of..." seeming to lack the words, she spread her arms wide. "Place of... Law-shaper. Please be peace. We be peace. You come, talk us Chief. Learn. Be peace." The way she had used the word denizens seemed to hold a deeper meaning. At that, she turned her wolf with a tug of the fur and led the way, and the wolf-riders that surrounded them closed in, seeming to herd them in the direction she was going. After no one moved, including Levi, the ''goblin'' leader stopped and turned. "No afraid," she waved her hand toward the group that was field cleaning and quartering the buffalo they''d hunted for easier transport. "Eat bison. No eat you." Then she turned again, laughing. ----- They walked for over an hour without much happening. Though they weren''t threatening, the riders kept a tight circle around the adventurers. Other than some hushed discussion about how much danger they were in, the adventurers stayed mostly quiet. The general conclusion was that they were probably safe. The hunting party could have killed them already, and if they were only being kept alive for information, there was no real reason to keep more than one or two people alive. Paige, however, was far from quiet. She kept trying to talk to the monsterous wolves. Most refused to acknowledge her, but one finally did respond. "Hey there, big fella. You''re amazing. Look at how ferocious you are. I have some jerky I can give you." Paige offered a bit of the meat from her rations. The wolf kept its lazy pace with the others encircling the group, but turned his nose slightly away from the offered treat. "We are on the hunt. Silence," the wolf growled. Paige pulled her hand back, feelings hurt. She came to the conclusion that they had all understood her and really had been just ignoring her the entire time. The rider, perhaps noticing Paige''s disappointment, spoke up. "His name Sombo. Means ''too nice.'' No worry. Sombo work now. Wolf no play when work. Later, Sombo beg you scratch belly and give food." Paige smiled. "Really? You''re not messing with me?" The rider grinned back at her. "No joking. You wish you no scratch Sombo. Have chase away with pointy stick. He big baby." Paige squealed and did a small hop in delight. "Are any of the other wolves nice?" Paige asked. "Hmmm." The rider bobbed his head in an ambiguous gesture. "Some nice. But... no too nice." Then, the rider''s smile widened. "Ah! Home have pups. Many pups. You like." Paige squealed even louder, and it carried over the plains. The rider quickly shushed her, but it was too late. The leader of the hunting party was already barking orders to the riders near her. They quickly sped around to one side of their hunting party, and others joined them, reinforcing their ranks. Nothing happened as minutes stretched by, but all of the riders were tense. The riders who''d reinforced their ranks to that side of the group remained vigilant, bows ready to draw and loose arrows. Levi nudged Paige. "Hey, what''s going on?" "I don''t know. I think maybe they''re worried I drew something in," she answered. David suddenly had his bow in his hand with an arrow nocked, ready to draw. Levi drew closer to David. "You seeing something?" Levi asked. He peered through the ranks of riders, but couldn''t see anything but swaying grass in the slowly dimming light of dusk.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "Something is moving through the grass. Stalking. Haven''t caught sight of much, but I think I saw scales. Just a glimpse, here and there." "Fuck." He tried to follow David''s line of sight, but still couldn''t see anything through the tall golden blades of grass. "They do seem tense," Joe whispered, having drawn in close to listen in on Levi and David''s conversation. "Wonder what it is." Maddy stood close to David, her knuckles were white from gripping her staff. Without warning, a golden colored reptilian creature roughly the size and shape of a lion lept from the grass, pouncing at the nearest rider and wolf. It had two black horns flaring back from either side of its head and a long whiplike tail. The creature was actually smaller than the wolves, but the riders and their wolves were treating it like a major threat. They had been ready. The wolf that the creature had targeted quickly lept out of reach while another wolf lunged in to nip the creature''s flank. Arrows were loosed, but they all seemed to bounce off or barely penetrate. Again and again, the beast tried to pounce at the wolves, but they continued their game of retreating from the creature while another wolf leapt in to bite at its flank. The reptile was whirling back and forth, kept confused, entirely led by the wolves'' dance. Their coordination was fantastic. And it looked like they''d easily defeat the monster. And then, with a twirl, it spun and whipped its tail around, knocking two wolves back and dismounting one rider. Rather than taking advantage of the two wolves the tail had knocked back or the rider that had fallen, the creature spun toward the wolf it had missed. But as it tried to leap at the wolf, the beast faltered. Suddenly it was struggling to move in the ground that had turned to mud beneath it. The group of adventurers and several of their rider escort had watched as Maddy acted, casting the spell that had slowed the reptile. As she held her staff high, maintaining her crowd control and keeping the creature struggling to move, David drew his bow and held it for a moment, eyes intent on the creature. While he held the bow drawn, the arrow began glowing a faint green, spreading from David''s fingertips and down the arrow. Once the glow reached the arrowhead, he held his draw a moment more. As the glow focused and the tip of the arrowhead became a single bright point of light, David released the arrow, sending it into the creature''s chest, where it sunk all the way to the fletching. The creature continued struggling in the mud for a few more seconds, but it quickly weakened and collapsed. After a moment of sluggish attempts to regain its feet, it went still. Everyone stared at David. "What was that, David?" Joe asked, slapping him on the back approvingly. "A new Ability I gained when I hit Lvl 15, after the fight with Eric. Hunter''s Clean Killshot. Shoots faster, penetrates deeper, and allows me to see exactly where to aim to hit vitals like the heart." David slung his bow over his back and placed a second arrow he''d had ready back in his quiver. "But I can only use it once per day." "Damn, you''re level 15 already? I''m barely level 11," Levi complained. David just shrugged. The riders keeping a tight circle around the adventurers made way to let through one of the three warriors that had fought the beast. He approached until his wolf''s head was three feet from Davids face, level with it. The rider stared down, face stone hard. He had a scar that went from his brow to cheek at an angle, adding to his intimidating gaze. He glanced at Maddy and gave her an appraising look. When he spoke, his words were halting, as if he had to think about his words, yet his vocabulary was far better than any other they''d heard speak. "Thank you...for help-ing," he said, as he turned his head back to David. "Very good shot. You... are... a good hunter." David scratched at the back of his head nervously. "Thank you. I just wanted to help. I didn''t want anyone to get hurt." The rider nodded, his face still stern, though not an outright glower. He gestured at the reptilian beast. "You killed it, you carry it." "Wait, what? I can''t carry that. It''s huge," David protested. The rider didn''t back down. "It is our... tradition. You killed it, you carry it. You are strong enough to kill it. You are strong enough to carry it. You are g--a good hunter." David stared up at the rider in disbelief. "I-I guess... I''m stronger than I used to be. Maybe I can." David''s face firmed into determination, and he nodded. "I''ll drag it back step by step if I have to." As David walked towards the beast, the riders and their wolves parted to let him through. And then the serious warrior let a small laugh slip through his hard demeanor. Then he began chuckling in earnest. After that, most of the other riders joined in, laughing hard. David turned back to the rider in confusion, mouth open. The formerly stern warrior got his laughter under control and pointed at David. "You are... great hunter... but you are... what is the word for... easy to joke?" He had a wide grin that entirely changed the impression he gave. "Gullible," Levi offered, laughing a little himself as the tension eased. The rider snapped his fingers. "Yes! Good hunter, but you are... gull-i-ble," he said, trying the new word out slowly. Like the lights had finally come on for David, a grin slowly found its way onto his face. "Ah... dude, you got me! I was going to drag that thing back if I had to. You had me worried," David said, making his way back to the group. The rider''s head cocked slightly to the side. "What is this word. ''Dude?''" He asked. Levi quickly answered before anyone else, just to make sure no one explained it in a way that could possibly offend. "It is a friendly term used mostly between men and boys. It usually shows trust and respect between friends. Though girls and women use it too and are called that sometimes." The rider''s face spread into a wide smile. "I like this word. Dude." He lept from his mount. His landing was light and nimble despite the wolf''s height. He walked up to David and stuck out his arm, lifting it up to the much taller man. David tried to take the rider''s hand, but the rider grabbed his forearm and shook it instead. David, to his credit, quickly recovered and returned the gesture, though the mismatch of size put David''s hand on the bicep of the warrior. "My name is Tua-keesa. It means ''Nosmiles.'' You can...call me Nosmiles. What is your name, dude?" Nosmiles said with an absolutely huge smile on his face. "Uh.. my name is David. And I can pronounce Tua-keesa, I don''t mind." Nosmiles released David''s arm and shook his head. "I like to speak English, Dav-id. Call me Nosmiles. Or dude. You and me, day...after." Nosmiles paused and shook his head, pondering. "No. ''Tomorrow.'' Tomorrow, we go and shoot...uh... bows. We will have fun. Yes, dude?" Nosmiles said while making the motions of pulling a bow. David grinned. "Hell yeah, dude. By the way, how do you know how to speak English so well... or even at all, really?" As if Nosmiles hadn''t even reached his ''final form,'' his eyes lit up, making his smile even brighter. "Our Shaman teaches us the language of the, you...local Spirit-bonded. All--everyone must learn." Nosmiles grew a little more serious for a moment. "My mother of--I mean, my grandmother is the Shaman. When I was small, she hit me with her... shoe, and make me study. She said, ''I only hit you as hard as you need to study." David chuckled. Paige, listening into the conversation, leaned into Levi and whispered, "Ooof. He''s a chancla survivor." Levi tried not to smirk at Paige''s comment as he asked Nosmiles a question. "So what was that thing anyway?" Nosmiles turned his attention to Levi, growing more serious. "Lians-thrak... ''Plains Drake.'' They are mean. And... I think the word is territorial. I saw one time a Lians-trak attack own... uh... reflection, in a stream. They are not smart. But they are mean. We avoid this one for long time. Passed his den on many hunts." Then his smile returned. "But good scales and horns... for armor and weapons. And taste very good." "I''m sorry I squealed so loud like that and drew it in," Paige said. "Not your fault," Nosmiles glanced around at the riders who had kept the tight circle around their group, growing serious, a tight frown on his face. "They all knew we close to Lians-thrak den. They should have warned and said not be loud. They will clean wolf poop tonight before they eat." The rider on Sombo''s back grimaced at Nosmiles''s words. "Time to move. They are finished," Nosmiles pointed to where a small group had managed to load the drake onto a sled pulled by a wolf. "Home is still far, and these have much poop to clean." 34 - Party Barges and Pigtails As they crested the hill, the home of the ''goblins'' came into view. A lake sprawled out in front of them, calm water reflecting the last traces of sun across the surface. From their vantage point, they could see the river that fed the lake. Not far from there, a few hundred meters from the shore, a small island could be seen on the water. It was difficult to tell the exact size of the island, but Levi guessed it was somewhere between 30 to 50 acres. Small structures could be seen, though not clearly identified, covering the part of the island they could see. At the bank of the lake, near where the riders crested the hill, three large, flat, raft-like barges were docked. They sat side by side, almost close enough to easily step from one to the other, and clearly had enough room for the entire hunting party to comfortably fit between the three. As they approached the barges, the hunting party''s leader barked orders in their own language, and they separated into three groups. Nosmiles joined the group escorting the adventurers. As they boarded their barge, several riders dismounted and pulled up large ropes on either side of the raft, nearly too thick for their small hands. They tugged at the ropes, and the barge began to move. It was a slow creep at first, but the barges slowly gained speed until they reached an easy, smooth pace. Nosmiles approached the adventurers. His face was serious. "We stop before we reach Home. Other rafts go ahead. Isa-Fira, raider leader, will summon Chief and Shaman to come talk with you. We trust you, but Chief and Shaman must decide. We will wait. Do not be afraid, is normal. We need to keep Home safe." Joe spoke first. "That is understandable. Good security protocol, honestly. I''m not offended, and I''m kind of impressed, actually." Nosmiles relaxed a little at Joe''s words, but his face stayed serious until he saw that everyone was okay with the situation. "Yeah, that is reasonable," Levi commented. David just nodded, and Maddy and Paige shrugged. After that, Nosmiles seemed to completely relax and was back to betraying his name with a grin. He turned to Joe. "What is this word? Pro-to-call?" Joe gave a polite smile. "Protocol. In this situation, it means rules, things you do a certain way, by a plan, every time, even if you feel like they aren''t important in every situation... because they work. Because they keep people safe. Because it is better to follow them and be safe than put your people at risk." Nosmile''s grin spread into a genuine smile, and he waved a pointed finger at Joe. "You understand. This is good. We not want to offend Spirit-bonded, but need to follow... protocol. This is good." When they drew close to the shore of the island, perhaps one hundred meters away, their barge stopped, but the others kept moving to shore. "Now we wait for Chief and Shaman. They will come and decide if they let you in. But trust. They will let you in," Nosmiles reassured them. As they waited, the riders escorting the adventurers dismounted their wolves. The wolves sat as the riders checked over them. They checked their paws for anything that may have gotten stuck in their pads and plucked burs from their fur. Paige watched with interest, happy to see the animals cared for. Most wolves were calm as the riders did their work, but Sombo kept standing up, wagging his tail and staring to the island shore. His rider had to keep giving the wolf commands to sit, though these were given in the ''goblin'' language. After the rider was knocked down a second time by the wagging tail, which got laughs from both the other riders and adventurers, he got in front of the wolf and reprimanded him with a firm voice, though the adventurers couldn''t understand the words. The rider turned to Paige, who''d been watching closely, and shrugged. "Told you. Sombo big baby. Sees Home, think work done. Want scratches and treat. Is young, will learn." Paige smiled. "I can''t wait to play with him later." While Paige was concerned with the wolf, Levi was preoccupied with staring at the village and taking in as much information as he could. He didn''t really distrust the ''goblins,'' but he also wanted to gather as much information as he could about the way they lived before he made any conclusions. So far, the only thing they''d experienced of their culture was that of the hunters and warriors, which was admittedly promising. However, as he gazed over what he could see of their small village, his opinion that they were just people looking for peace was only reinforced. It was a village primitive, yes. Most of their structures seemed to be a combination of materials. A few larger buildings looked to be made entirely of wood and some form of clay or mud. The smaller structures, housing Levi assumed, spoke more to the means and culture of the people. Those smaller buildings only had wooden and clay walls. The tops, their roofs, were covered in what looked to be hides or skins. Much like a teepee, these structures were round, or close to it, with openings near the center to allow smoke through. In fact, many of these did have faint trails of smoke rising out of them. But that wasn''t what really stuck out to Levi. On the shore, far to their right, just as the bank begin to turn away and it was difficult to see, Levi saw children playing. He saw one or two adults watching, but the small figures of the children ran and played without care. Some splashed in the water, some ran around playing some form of tag, a couple were tossing a ball. Even when he saw a couple of the small figures having what looked like a pretend sword fight, Levi knew... this was not a culture that was based around war and violence. This was a people who just wanted to have a nice life and keep their children and loved ones safe. Levi took in a deep breath and sighed, letting go of most of the tension he hadn''t let anyone, including himself, know he''d been holding onto. He felt the shadow of a relaxed smile find his lips. "Hey, what''s wrong?" Paige''s voice cut through his thoughts. "Huh," Levi said, turning to Paige. "You sighed. What''s wrong?" Paige asked. Levi did allow himself a small, relaxed smile then. He waved a hand dismissively. "Not that kind of sigh. Actually, I''m feeling somewhat relieved. And oddly happy and excited to see their home and culture. I kind of thought we were being tricked or something... in the back of my mind, I mean." "Nah. They''re good people," Paige said with confidence. Levi turned his head to get a good look at her. In the dim light of the fading sun and the white glow of the moon above them, Levi couldn''t help but suddenly become aware again of how beautiful she truly was. "How have you been so certain this whole time?" "Easy," Paige answered, turning to look at him. Her pupils slowly spread from slits into black pools as she looked at him. "Instinct. I somehow know that they aren''t..." Paige paused. "...predators, I guess. Not to us, at least. I know I''d be on edge if they were. But mostly, I can smell it on them. They smelled like any uncertain, fearful animals at first. It was hard to tell if we could trust them. But now... only happy smells. Except when Nosmiles told us we had to wait here. He was a little nervous about that."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Levi laughed. "Could have told us, me especially, earlier. Could''ve used the peace of mind." Levi suddenly cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. "But if you knew all that from their smell, why did you have to ask me about my sigh? I don''t get it." "You''re hard to read sometimes. You always have this smell. Tense. Not like a rabbit ready to run at the first sign of danger. Not like a snake coiled to strike, either. Somewhere in between. You always smell like that. No matter what. Even when you are safe." Paige looked down away from Levi. "Sometimes there''s something else... I think... sometimes, you smell really sad... just out of nowhere. I never understand why. But, then, it goes away as fast as it comes." Levi''s whole body tensed. He felt embarrassed and ashamed. He wanted to say something. He opened his mouth to say something, and his throat tightened into a knot. He suddenly felt like he couldn''t breathe and had to control his breathing deliberately to keep it slow and even. But he kept his face blank. "Huh. That''s weird," He finally managed to say, in a level voice that betrayed the panic flooding through him. "Maybe I just have a weird smell," he joked, letting out a small laugh. He looked back to Paige, finally feeling brave enough to catch her eye. "Yeah... maybe," she said with a kind smile. And for a second, Levi thought he saw tears in her eyes. It made him feel guilty. He was gaslighting her. He almost felt like saying something. Explain himself. Tell her, ''Yeah, I''m kind of messed up.'' Something. Anything. But he didn''t. He couldn''t. How were you even supposed to do that? Levi was grateful when Nosmiles interrupted his thoughts. "They are coming," he said, pointing to where the other barges had docked on the island. Levi turned to see a small entourage, two people walking side by side followed by six that looked like warriors, had already boarded one of the barges. "Anything we should know about how to talk to the Shaman and the Chief, Nosmiles?" Levi asked. "In English is fine." Nosmiles answered without hesitation. "No, I mean, is there anything we should know about being courteous? Customs? Things like that." Nosmiles shrugged. "Be nice. If grandm- the Shaman offers food or tea, say yes or she make you say yes. If she pulls off shoe, run," he joked. "Chief is easy. You''ll see." Levi didn''t really find any of Nosmiles''s tips particularly helpful. "Are you saying they''re just normal people, and to just treat them like that?" Joe asked for clarification. Nosmiles cocked his head. "Uh... yes? You see they people, no?" He gestured to the approaching barge. It was already close enough to see the figures clearly. The woman who was clearly the Shaman had white hair that was tied into a long braid that fell over her shoulder. She had a small headdress of grass, feathers, and what looked like talons or claws. But it was small and simple, clearly symbolic but not flashy. She was elderly. She hunched over the cane in her hand, using it to help support her weight. The sheer number of lines and wrinkles on her face made her seem ancient. The man who was obviously the Chief was taller than the other ''goblins.'' He was also old, but not nearly as old as the Shaman next to him. His back was still straight, and he stood in a way that was proud but natural, not posturing. His black hair was streaked with lines of grey and white, tied up in a casual, somewhat messy topknot. His jaw had wisps of grey and black that barely formed a goatee around his mouth. His face was relaxed, and something about it seemed gentle. He wore finer furs than the riders and warriors, the tufts of fur clean, fluffy, and full. But they weren''t largely different than what the others wore, beyond the lack of wear and tear and that they were far cleaner. And he had the fairly large belly that many men gained in their old age. It somehow made him seem less threatening, and more like a friendly elder. As their barge pulled up next to the adventurers, it was the Chief that called out the first greeting. The adventurers all tensed as he raised his arms and spread them wide, not knowing what to expect, though the Chief''s face wore a genuine smile. "Sombo!" The Chief bellowed. Completely ignoring his rider, Sombo easily lept to the other barge and went to the old man, licking him in the face and then rolling onto his back. The Chief laughed, scratching the huge beast''s belly. Then he reached into a pocket and produced a strip of dried meat to give the giant wolf. As the wolf chewed, the Chief cooed words in their language and pet Sombo. Sombo''s rider let out a stream of what was obviously not polite language, but his mount ignored him, and he quickly gave up on trying to take control of the wolf. The adventurers looked on with mixed expressions of confusion and amusement. The Shaman watched on with a scowl, but seemed resigned to let the exchange play out. However, after a minute, she smacked the Chief in the back of the head and said something to him, gesturing toward the adventurers. For a moment, the Chief seemed to argue, but stopped when the ancient Shaman tilted her head and raised her eyebrows in a threatening way only a grandmother can perfectly execute. The Chief stood and then finally greeted the adventurers. "I apologize, Spirit-bonded. Sometimes, I am still child." He said, tapping his fingertips on his chest, directly over his heart. "I welcome you. I ask, do you bring only peace to Home?" After a short silence, the adventurers all seemed to understand they had to answer, and all gave stumbling agreements and assurances. The Chief nodded. "Then welcome to Home." He stepped back, and the Shaman stepped forward. She slowly gave each of them an appraising look. Levi wasn''t sure if she was using an actual Skill or Ability of some sort, but he could tell she was doing something more than examining their appearance. Her gaze lingered a little longer on Levi and Joe than the others. Once she seemed satisfied, she gave a single nod of approval. "Welcome to Home. You will be treated with respect. If you are not, let me know, and I will correct it immediately. Please treat our people with respect in return. Understood?" After she received affirmatives from their group, she continued."Tonight, I would like you to share tea with me. I want to tell you the story of our people, and the story of all Denizens of the Law-shaper''s world. There are many things you should know. Some things you should also be warned about. But we will talk tonight. Welcome to Home." As she turned away, David called out. "Wait, I have a question!" "Yes?" The Shaman said, turning back to their group. "Are you guys... uh... goblins?" David asked nervously. "Do we look not like goblins? Is this not what your people will call us, whether it is true or not true, or if the truth lies somewhere in between? I will explain much about this tonight. For now, yes, we are goblins, and we take no offense to being referred to as such, but treat us based on our actions and not your myths." Then she turned away. The Chief finally made Sombo jump back to their barge with his rider. Soon, both barges were moving toward Home. "That was it? Felt easy," Paige commented. Nosmiles shrugged. "Why need to be hard? Chief is nice. Shaman sees truth in people. Easy." Nosmiles made a gesture of lightly dusting his hands off as he finished his sentence. "This will be good night for you to come to Home. Fresh hunt, and extra Lians-thrak meat. Tonight we will celebrate our success and blessing. Many will see you coming now as great sign to not be afraid of Spirit-bonded." No one had to ask why they may be afraid of the ''Spirit-bonded.'' The Shaman had clearly indicated the goblins were familiar with their myths. Goblins were always considered monsters or evil, and even in games they were often portrayed as lower level monsters. As they docked, Nosmiles was rushed by a tiny goblin girl, hair in braided pig tails. She couldn''t be more than a couple feet tall, but compared to Nosmiles she looked maybe around four or five years old. "Aba, aba!" She squealed as she lept into his arms. He let out an ''oof,'' and then said something to the young girl in their own language as they wrapped each other in a hug. His voice was gentle and quiet as he held her. Then his voice grew excited and he turned to hold the child where she could see the adventurers better. Nosmiles wore his smile as always, but his chin was tilted high and his face looked proud. "This is my daughter. Her name is Aba-fira. Means ''father''s joy.''" He turned to his daughter, and spoke in English, but he slowed his words considerably. "Say... hello... to... the... Spirit-bonded." "H-hell-oh." The tiny goblin said, and then her cheeks seemed to turn a light purple, and she buried her face into her father''s chest. Nosmiles laughed and then patted her on the back, speaking a few gentle words in their own language. "She is shy," Nosmiles said to the adventurers. Then Nosmile lifted his daughter onto the neck of his wolf mount. She dug her fingers into the wolf''s fur and squealed in delight. "Come." Nosmiles gestured for them to follow. "I will take you to my apatcha--my house--and you will meet my wife... and my son, when he comes from his learning. Later, we find places for you to stay." Nosmiles turned to the riders that had escorted the adventurers. Perhaps for the benefit of the adventurers, Nosmiles spoke in English to the riders. "You all go clean kennels. I will check you leave no poop later." Several of the riders groaned, but none argued, and Nosmiles seemed unbothered by their expression of displeasure. As they walked, Nosmiles spoke animatedly to his daughter while she rode his wolf. He seemed to be telling her about everything that happened while he had been gone. At one point, he reached inside a pouch and handed up a smooth, almost polished red stone with streaks of transparent green crystal lacing through it. The girl clutched it to her chest with one hand while clinging to the wolf''s fur with the other. Looking around, Levi noticed many of the warriors seemed to be having similar heart felt reunions throughout their village. Not wanting to interrupt Nosmiles, Levi waited until Nosmiles and his daughter fell into a happy silence before asking his question. "Hey, Nosmiles..." Levi began. "Everyone is acting like you have been gone a while, but the buffalo were only a few hours ride from here at most. Why is that?" Nosmiles''s face grew serious. "We were gone for half moon--a half month. We only hunt last, before we return. Two weeks we... what is the word... we watch for enemies, scout, keep Home safe. Then we hunt, and return home. New hunt leaves tomorrow. Other hunt left days--a week--ago." "You patrol for enemies? What enemies? Monsters, like the Lians-thrak?" Levi questioned. "No, and yes. Lians-thrak and other monsters we avoid if can. Sometimes we cannot. So, yes monsters if must. Mostly, we watch other Denizens, make sure none come to attack. Home is mostly safe, but we watch and be safe." "Other Denizens?" Joe jumped into the conversation. "You mean another people, like you?" Nosmiles face was grim, and he gave an ambiguous head bob they''d seen the goblins use a few times. "Yes, people. No, like us. We want peace, always peace. Peace and learning is proper path to being as you... Spirit-bonded. Other Denizens do not want peace. Do not want learning. Other Denizens follow the different path, the bad path. Not like us." Nosmiles suddenly made a gesture of roughly dusting his chest off. "But no more of this talk. The Shaman must tell you. She will explain you in the right way. Teach you the truths." With that, they let the conversation die. But the subject now lingered at the back of all of their minds. 35 - Missed Understandings Nosmiles''s wife waited for him at the door flap to their home. Her hair was a bright rust red, not the black that most goblins seemed to have. It was tied up in intricate braids that must have taken hours of work and was decorated with flowers. She was clearly far into pregnancy. The clothes she wore were the finest they''d seen so far, though they''d obviously been adjusted to accommodate her pregnancy. The fur was snow white with red spots but seemed natural to whatever creature the fur had come from, not dyed. She even had signs that she''d used some form of makeup to outline her eyes and apply a purple tint to her lips and cheeks. Paige thought she looked like some tribal princess, even with her pregnant belly and the faintly visible laugh lines forming on the goblin woman''s face. She held a primitive broom in her hand, dirty and old, completely contrary to the rest of her appearance. She set it aside, leaning it against the wall outside their door. Slowly, she took three steps down the path of stones that led to their door and stopped, folding her hands on top of her pregnant belly. Nosmiles slowly approached his wife, face unreadable, without a smile or frown. When he stood just out of arms reach from her, he too stopped. Then, his wife slowly lowered herself to her knees, struggling a bit because she was so far along with child. Once she was on her knees, she refolded her hands and looked up at Nosmiles calmly. Nosmiles drew his dagger. Paige was getting mad watching whatever the fuck submissive bullshit this was, and when Nosmiles drew his dagger she felt like killing him. She managed to push down those impulses, though, realizing her class was influencing her emotions again. She noticed Levi beside her was standing completely relaxed, a slightly amused look on his face. Something about his demeanor reassured and calmed her. After Nosmiles drew his dagger, he reached into a pouch and withdrew a large, beautiful stone. Looking closer, Paige saw it looked more like crystal than actual stone. It was a transparent smokey color, and inside were mineral deposits of white clouds and streaks of both white and red. It looked like a thunderstorm caught in a 3D image. Nosmiles slowly got to his knees in front of her. He held up his dagger between them and spoke some words in their language before setting the knife at her knees. Then he took the stone in both hands and said a few more words before setting the crystal next to the dagger. After that, Nosmiles bent forward until his forehead touched the ground in front of his wife. After a moment, she reached out and stroked his hair, small tears coming from each side of her eyes. She spoke a few words in their language and nodded. As if a spell was broken, Nosmiles quickly got to his feet and collected his dagger, resheathing it. His wife collected the stone, and Nosmiles gently helped her to her feet. Their daughter clapped and cheered from her perch on the wolf''s neck. Nosmiles and his wife kissed passionately and then fell into each other in a tight embrace. Paige didn''t understand what had just happened, but she was glad she had kept her temper in check. Levi was immensely interested in the exchange, but he thought it may be impolite to ask about it. Unfortunately, or fortunately in this situation, David had the tact of a toddler. "What was that ritual thing you just did?" Nosmiles blushed purple all the way to the pointy tips of his ears. His wife blushed a little also, but not as deeply, and she let out a soft musical laugh. "Introductions first. I am Noon-weira, wife of Tua-keesa. You must be the Spirit-bonded I have heard so much about while stuck here waiting with my broom, no?" She spoke English better than Nosmiles. At least as well as the Shaman had. After they''d all given their names and Nosmiles had described their encounter, Noon-weira invited them inside. "Come inside, have some tea with us. You may have to crouch at the door, but there will be room enough inside." She turned to Nosmiles, politely continuing in English. "Tua''k, grab our daughter... and no, Yoadi may not come inside. We have guests." "Ju selador, ju selador... Why no. He is tired from the hunt, as I am. Yoadi worked hard." Nosmiles responded in a pleading voice. "Don''t say ju selador to me like it will change my mind. Give him meat and a blanket. He can come inside when our guests leave," his wife said, turning to lead the adventurers inside. After they had all ducked their way inside, they found the inside had a high ceiling that they could comfortably stand in. One side of the single room home was lined in with beds made of furs. The other side was a collection of organized possessions, from dishware to scrolls. There were some primitive toys and dolls with those items, but it seemed most of the toys were laying wherever little Aba-fira had last played with them. Noon-weira had them sit on the furs around the central fire as she handed them simple clay cups and poured tea from an iron kettle. She''d obviously freshly made the tea and had anticipated their arrival. After everyone was seated with tea, she finally began explaining. "So you want to know what that silly little display outside was." Her cheeks were slighly flushed purple, and a sparkle was in her eye. Though she was answering David''s question, she met Maddy and Paige''s eyes. "It is our custom for a proposal of marriage." David opened his mouth to ask a question, but Noon-weira stopped him with a raised finger. "Yes. Me and Tua''k have been married many years. But, when we were young..." "Ju selador... you do not have to say the story," Nosmiles said as he came through the flap carrying their daughter. "Is embarrassing." His wife laughed and gave him a shrug. "You insist on doing it, so I insist on telling it." She turned back to the adventurers with a mischievous smile.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. "When we were young, we fell in love. I loved him very much, and he loved me. But he was an idiot. In our culture, when a young woman wants to marry a man, she will sweep at her doorstep, dressed and decorated as beautifully as she can be. This is the way for a young woman to show she is ready to be asked. When the young man recognizes this, he is to approach. If the young woman kneels, as you have seen, then he is the man she has been waiting for." "Ugh.. Noon''we, is embarrassing." Nosmiles groaned and covered his face. "For four days, I swept, waiting for him every day. Every day, Tua-keesa walked by and didn''t notice." "Was only three days..." Nosmiles said defensively. "How would you know? You didn''t even notice. I had to find new nice things to wear every day." Noon-weira answered playfully. Nosmiles only groaned in response. "Finally, I gave up. I thought he was doing it on purpose. I thought he did not want to have me as his wife." Noon-weira made a gesture of tossing her hands up. "But someone told him of his mistake. For five days after, he waited for me to sweep outside the door. For five days, when I came to sweep the doorstep, he would approach. But I would not kneel. On the sixth day, I walked outside with my hair knotted from sleep, in my ugliest unwashed furs, and challenged him to approach. But he did... and so I kneeled." Noon-weira took a sip of tea and let her story hang in the air a moment. Then she spoke to Nosmiles, "Tua''k, ju selador, you finish the story," she said in a way that was not a request. Nosmiles groaned, but a smile played at his lips. "After I gave my oath and gift, when she say yes... I promise her that forever, for all of my life, always... if she is waiting for me sweeping at the door, I will walk to her in the way I should have the first day she waited. That I would bring a new gift and remake my oath. Always. I keep this promise." Noon-weira had tears in her eyes. "And so, I am always sweeping the doorstep and waiting when he gets back from a hunt." "Oh. My. God. That is the cutest story ever," Maddy said, squeezing David''s forearm. Paige felt her stomach flutter. Something like inspiration and desire surged through her. That was a love she wanted. And as she looked to Levi and wondered what could possibly be between them... he kind of ruined it. "What''s the significance of the kneeling and bowing? I mean, out of curiosity... because I am interested... I mean, I''m just saying. I just want to know what it means..." Levi kind of understood he was ruining the mood, but couldn''t help his curiousity. Despite the glares he received, his questions were answered. Nosmiles explained. "Woman must be willing to submit to man. The man must be willing to submit deeper. Woman gifts her... what is word...obedience. Men must show they will not abuse obedience, and that they too submit to the needs and desires of woman and family. A promise... to only ask for obedience when is important for good of woman and family. Woman must also show care that he has done so. It is dance, yes? Only can you be so with the right person. Much trust and love is needed." "So then the woman just submits to the man, and he makes all the decisions based on the promise that he will do it with the good of the family in mind?" Maddy asked skeptically. It was Noon-weira who answered this time. "You do not listen well or you do not want to hear. I submit first, yes... but he lives for us. My needs and wants, the children''s needs and wants... they come first. And then his. If he demands obedience, it is important. It is for us all. This is simple to understand." Before the conversation could grow more heated, someone burst through the flap of the small home. A goblin almost as tall has Nosmiles with bright red hair stood looking at everyone, face grim. He held a spear in his hand. He looked young, without a single wrinkle on his face, but the look of anger and frustration made him look older and harder. After a moment, he turned and focused on Nosmiles, gave a half bow, and then straightened. "Aba, ju atekatori cu een makgadoru." Nosmiles lept to his feet, gave the young man a quick bow, and then ran and wrapped the young man in hug that was not reciprocated. That didn''t seem to phase Nosmiles as he put his arm over the young man''s shoulders and turned to the adventurers. "This is my son, Ishcta-Jiun. Means ''to rise for all.'' I am very proud. Is very good, smart, strong." Nosmiles gave the young man''s shoulder a squeeze. Ishcta-Jiun gently shrugged out of Nosmiles''s grip and said something in the goblin language. Then he tucked his spear into one of the higher rafters near the door where it was hard to reach. Nosmiles hovered with a frown. As the boy turned, Nosmiles said something in their language. His son just raised his arms in a shrug. Again, Nosmiles said something, a question perhaps, and the boy dismissed it. "Well, at least meet the Spirit-bonded. Have tea and speak with them," Nosmiles said to his son in English. His son turned to give a glance to the Spirit-bonded, the adventurers. For a moment, emotion washed across his face. It was hard to recognize what it was. Then he snatched a staff from the wall, and shrugged again, as if it was the only form of expression he knew. He was out of the door before Nosmiles was able to say anything else to him. Nosmiles turned and tried to smile, but it didn''t reach his eyes. He shrugged. "He is having hard time with his learning." Nosmiles paused as if he wanted to say more and was thinking of the right words, but they never came out. ---- Nosmiles seemed somewhat eager to walk the adventurers to the Shaman''s apatcha after that. He tried to fake friendliness, and he tried to smile, but whatever troubled him about his son obviously weighed on him. His smiles never quite met his eyes after the interaction with his son. "I will find place for you to sleep while you speak with Shaman," he told them. "David, you will stay at my apatcha. Tomorrow, we shoot bows, no? Perhaps Ishcta-Jiun will join us. After you speak with the Shaman we all join in celebration." Darkness had fallen. The village had seemed to settle somewhat, though there was a lot of light and noise coming from closer to the center of the village. Torches had been lit along the pathways to light the way of anyone moving through the village, though most seemed to either be inside or at the festivities at the center of the village. After that, Nosmiles was quiet as he led them to the Shaman. When they arrived, he slapped the tent flap and called out a greeting. As he waited for a response from within the apatcha, he spoke to the adventurers, more solemn than they''d ever seen him. "Shaman will now teach you truths. Listen well. Is important to us all." Nosmiles gave a polite nod. "I will find places for you to sleep. Then must find my son. He is... in need of my guidance. Please understand." Everyone nodded, but Joe also reached out a hand and put it on the far smaller Goblin man''s shoulder. "You''re a good father and husband, Tua-keesa. I wish I had been half the father you are. You go do what you need to do. We''re not offended. We understand. Nosmiles did give a genuine, if sad, smile then. "Thank you. I promise it is a small thing. He is coming of age. They are difficult now, no?" Joe gave a nod. "Yeah, this age is the hardest part. But you''re being there. And that''s all you have to do. That''s more than I did. So go do what you need to do. We''ll see you later." Levi thought he should give some words of encouragement but had no idea what to say. Before anything else could be said, the Shaman opened the flap to her home. Peaking out, her gaze fell on each adventurer in turn. "Come inside, Spirit-bonded. There is much you need to know. Bring the crow in, too, wild one." Nosmiles gave one last nod and then turned away, presumably to find his son. As their group ducked into the Shaman''s tent one by one, Levi hesitated outside. He couldn''t help but wonder what conflict Nosmiles and his son had, and wished he''d been able to say something helpful or at least be encouraging the way Joe had. Before he could linger on the thought, the Shaman tapped him lightly with her cane. Levi hadn''t even noticed he''d been frozen, staring after Nosmiles. "Come. That problem is for Tua''k. He will solve it. Trust. He always does." The Shaman said gently. "Come. There are things for you to know. Things for you to decide. Come. Have tea. I must tell you the truths, now." Levi looked down to see the elderly woman watching him closely. She seemed to see through him in a way he had never felt before. It sent a chill through him. She simply saw him, and he knew there was no way for him to hide from her, no way to pretend he was something else. The weathered face stared at him for a moment, then nodded. "Good. You see. Now that you see, maybe things will be easier. Come, Levi." And with that, the Shaman turned and walked inside. 36 - Losing Real Estate with Hopefully Well Executed Exposition Once the Shaman had poured tea, she sat down on a primitive pillow. For a minute or more, she just stared into the fire. And then, without any warning, she began her tale. "All Denizens were Spirit-bonded, once. The Spirits and the Law-shaper that the Spirits created are benevolent. In a way, it is a necessity of the Spirits'' existence. The Spirits need the bonded to live and grow. So they seek the prosperity of their bonded hosts. Yet... they have made many grave mistakes. With that benevolence comes a naivety. Over many of their generations, they have learned and have improved. But, they still make mistakes. I cannot tell you the story of all Denizens, only our own. But, the Denizens of the Law-shaper''s realms are those who failed with their bonds and had that bond broken. We were among the earliest of Spirit-bonded -- and the Denizens... but not the first. Our world had two prominent species, and the Spirits chose both species to be bonded. One was more dominant than the other. They had cities and weapons of war, though much more primitive than those of your current world. The other species spent much of their lives in hiding, living in small communities, avoiding conflict, and running if they had no other choice. The dynamic between these species was similar in some ways to the human myths of goblins... yet the truth was that neither species was entirely good or truly evil, only in competition. For land, for resources, but mostly... one competed for possession and control and the other for survival and safety. It is likely that the dominant species would have killed the other without the arrival of the spirits, given enough time. Before the Spirits came, our two peoples were already in a perpetual state of conflict. But after, things grew much, much worse. With the power the Spirits brought and the new rules of the Law-shaper, things became much more equal between the two peoples. The Law-shaper''s rules were far different in that time than what you''ve been given, I believe. More... primitive. Mystical. Esoteric. More like Levi''s cultivation, perhaps." Everyone turned and gave Levi a look, and he knew he would be answering some questions later. But the Shaman continued her story. "The formerly dominant species grew afraid of the new power dynamic and feared that the species they believed their lesser would grow to a power that would overturn the way of life they''d maintained for centuries. They began hunting the other species with earnest, trying to drive the perceived threat into extinction. Still, the weaker species hid and ran. And yet, the aggressions of the dominant species became worse and worse. They were never satisfied, only increasingly frustrated when the victims of their slaughters escaped and survived. They became depraved. But for the Spirits bonded inside the two peoples... they only knew and understood that their fellow Spirits resided in everyone. For those Spirits bonded to the dominant species, they were killing brothers and sisters. And as the dominant fell into depravity, ever thirsting to annihilate the lesser species, the Spirits within them began to go mad. This created a cycle... a spiral into that madness. The Spirits within those bonded began to feed from the energies of their slain brothers and sisters... truly corrupted. And when the weaker species was entirely eradicated, the newfound hunger of those who''d hunted them down did not die. When the dominant species, when MY original species, was the only one left on our home world, we fell on each other like starving dogs. We slaughtered each other, building our strength upon the corpses of our own people. We nearly drove ourselves into extinction. And when there were very few of us left, the Law-shaper finally took action and severed our bonds with the Spirits. In an act so benevolent it was almost cruel, the Law-shaper brought us to the Realms created for those who failed with their bonds. And though our bonds are broken, the Spirits, or what is left after the corruption... it remains inside us." The Shaman tapped her chest before continuing. "In the Realms, when we die, we are simply reborn with our people to live out a new life. When the next generation of Spirits are bonded, we are sometimes chosen to be Denizens of the next Realm, where new Spirit-bonded will explore and hunt us. Eventually, we all get chosen for this. Over thousands of millenia, the cycle played out again and again. Our bodies always fit something from the new Spirit-bonded''s world or myths. The Law-shaper keeps our souls here, and we are always reborn. Our people have been reborn many times. Though my memory is not perfect, I remember this. I am the only one who remembers. We were lost in our depravity for a time beyond counting. We retained some ability to gain power from slaying the new Spirit-bonded, and so we stayed locked in our destructive natures. For many generations, we were simply monsters. This is true of all Denizens. And then, I was captured by another Denizen. And he told me of a new way. He had found his way to peace for his people. He spent years calming my Spirit and teaching me. The corruption inside my Spirit was slowly purified. He taught me how to speak to the Spirit and build a relationship. How to remember in the next life. Most importantly, he showed me we can be Bonded again. He set me on that path. And so, for many generations, I have been a shepherd for my people. Every time our people are brought to a new Realm, more and more have soothed the corruption of their Spirit and have become bonded again. We are almost gone. Most have already been re-Bonded and moved on. And this may be the last generation. I hope we are. Our people were seeded here to await your arrival just over 75 years ago... though I imagine our time doesn''t match your own. By some miracle, I was lucky to gain the rank of an ''elite'' immediately upon being seeded. I believe the Law-shaper intended me to be some difficult enemy for the new Spirit-bonded. ...or perhaps the Law-shaper''s benevolence had a hand in it. However, this allowed me to choose some perks that aided in my ability to push my people far along the path to being re-Bonded. I was able to gain insights into your people and culture. I was able to gain knowledge of your language and teach it to my own people. And now, I believe we are all ready. It is finally time for us to all become whole. But we need your help." When no one else spoke, Levi asked the question. "What help is it you need from us?" The Shaman gave a slow nod, indicating she had been waiting for the question. "A few small things. The easiest to solve is that we cannot become Spirit-bonded within the Realms, and yet we cannot leave the Realms on our own. A Spirit-bonded must push, carry, or pull us through a portal. This is easy to manage, if you accept my request. The biggest issue is a matter of safety. Becoming re-Bonded will not be immediate for most who leave the Realms. Some may immediately re-Bond, but most will need to interact with the Spirit-bonded for their own Spirits to understand and, through imitation, seek to re-Bond themselves. If our people die outside the Realms, we die forever, losing any chance of becoming Spirit-bonded. We must, at least, have some guarantee of peace and acceptance between our people and your own... at least those in your community, if no more than that.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. This is also important because being forced into violence with other Spirit-bonded risks the last embers of corruption will flare up within my people. That would set our progress back by generations. So we need some promise of peace... a treaty. More, we need some promise of protection from other Spirit-bonded who may see us as enemies on sight. And more interaction with Spirit-bonded is something that will help us tremendously. This is how you can help us, our people." The Shaman grew quiet. She waited patiently, looking from face to face. None were looking back at her. They all stared into the fire, seemingly thinking about her words, except, again, of course, Paige. Paige was feeding some crumbs she''d squirreled away to the crow on her shoulder. She''d heard the old Shaman''s words, but as far as she was concerned, that wasn''t something she had much impact on, no matter what her opinion was. Levi spoke first. "With the assumption that everything you said was true, I''m not sure how much we--I mean our group--can help you. Our community decides everything by council, and we aren''t on it. However... I do have to know." Levi turned to Paige, nudging her to pull her attention from the crow. "Was she telling the truth?" Paige didn''t hesitate to answer. "She was either telling the truth or is the best liar ever. Her smell... her heartbeat... my gut... it all tells me she was honest." "Wait, she can tell if someone is lying?" Joe asked. "I think it is more complicated than that, and I kind of guessed she could based on a conversation we had earlier on the ferry," Levi answered. "Yeah. More like kind of... it is a combination of smelling people, hearing their heartbeat and my instincts. I can tell. Mostly." Paige shrugged. "Like when Nosmiles''s son stormed off earlier. Everyone thought he was angry, but he was just really sad and only pretending to be angry." "Well. That''s insightful. In more ways than one. But it makes this easier." Joe paused and tugged the beard hair at the corner of his mouth for a moment, then looked up, staring the Shaman directly in the eye. "Paige, can you play lie detector for me for a moment?" Paige shrugged and finally pulled her attention completely away from the crow. "Yeah, sure. Might be fun, actually." Joe nodded, still staring the Shaman down. "I''m going to ask rapid-fire questions, and I want you to answer quickly--the faster you answer the better, and immediately is best. Paige is going to tell me whether you are lying or not. Some of my questions maybe seem odd. I need you to not worry about that. Answer anyway... because I really want to trust you, but I have to know for MY people." The Shaman smiled widely at this. It wasn''t a bright smile, because she had very few teeth remaining, but it was genuine. "What less could I expect of you, Joseph. In another life, maybe you would have been a great Shaman. Ask, and I will answer." Joe looked to Paige. "You ready?" Her face seemed eager, and she nodded in return. "Just tell me when she lies." Joe waited for confirmation from Paige and then looked back to the Shaman. "What is your name?" Joe asked. "Riuka-Suun." The Shaman answered calmly. "What does it mean?" "Wind''s Depths." "How many goblins want to harm Spirit-bonded?" Joe actually didn''t expect this question to be hard or to extract truth, but for it to only seem like that was what he was trying to do. It was a false hard question, meant to ease the Shaman into believing all hard questions would be so easy. "None. Of this I am sure." "Have you ever been married?" "Not in this life." "What''s your favorite food." The goblin did pause slightly at this questions and bobbed her head. "I like honey and milk, but sometimes I want salty meat more." "What season is your favorite and why?" "Spring, because the colors of the grasslands are beautiful and my old body does not like things too hot or too cold." "What did you have for breakfast?" "Tea and honey on flatbread." "Who is your favorite goblin and why?" "Noon-weira, because she is a fierce wife, making my grandson grow into a better man while also making him happy. And she was my best student and makes good tea." "What are you wearing under your furs?" "Only many wrinkles... and a natural blush now." "Is there anything that you regret about guiding your people to being Spirit-bonded again?" "How many I lost along the way. Many died outside the Realms before re-Bonding." "Why does the Chief love Sombo so much, and why does Sombo obey him better than his own rider?" "Because the Chief''s wolf, Makiaha, is Sombo''s mother and the Chief raised him as a puppy." "Ah cute." Paige said, recieving a serious look from Joe in response. "Do you have any other agendas than peace and becoming re-Bonded?" Joe asked. "No. That is my only goal for my people." "So why do you want to be re-Bonded, if you can choose to either just die outside the Realms or live inside the Realms forever? Why is it you want to re-Bond to the Spirits? Is there some afterlife you want to reach or is it a simple desire for the power of being Spirit-bonded?" It was technically a fake hard question, but Joe was admittedly interested in the Shaman''s response. The Shaman began answering immediately, but it was clear she thought carefully about how to answer as she spoke. "Life inside the Realms is not a life. It is a cycle of violence that has seen my people spend many generations as nothing more than monsters. As for why seek re-Bonding rather than death... it is not a matter of power or an afterlife. The only afterlife I know of is here, and it is not a happy place. As for power... power is always welcome. I would lie to tell you that being strong is not a great thing for my people or that it would not help secure a future. You cannot fault me for that. But, no, the true reason is simple. My people became Denizens here because we did terrible things. We exterminated an entire people. In doing so, we corrupted the Spirits that had bonded to us, damning them too, when they only ever intended prosperity and power for us. We even killed most of each other, our own kind, in the end. We cannot bring back the entire people we hunted down and tore a future from, and we cannot undo the death and destruction we brought on each other in the end. We can''t undo the millennia spent on our own world and in the Realms as nothing more than monsters. But the Spirits inside us still live. They can still be saved from the fate we''ve inflicted on them. We have the chance to give back the future we stole from them. Maybe there is an afterlife beyond that. Maybe there isn''t. And I will not sit here and pretend the power to protect our people better will not be something we celebrate. We will most certainly be grateful for it. But the true reason for it all is a simple one. We need to right the mistakes of our past, as best as we can. And this is the way." Joe stared at the Shaman for a moment, almost seeming to gaze into her and see her the same way she saw them, as if he was suddenly on equal footing. "My ability, Clarity of the Burdened, has always shone a light on you. And I now know why. With every word you spoke, it shined brighter. I believe you. Even without Paige verifying, I know you''re telling the truth. And I can even feel my class tugging at me and my emotions, urging me to champion your cause. But I have just one more question. What is it you have avoided telling us? Because I can tell there is something." The Shaman laughed hard, but quickly and deliberately regained her composure. "Well... there is one fast, sure method for us, my people, to peacefully become Spirit-bonded again... Mating. When a child is concieved, the Spirits within the parents must come together and make a connection to create a new Spirit for the developing baby. It always triggers a re-Bonding in my people. So, I very much encouraged interracial relations. Many Goblins will greatly desire and pursue romantic relationships with you Spirit-bonded humans." Joe was so caught off guard by the answer that all he could do was look to Paige. When she just gave him a nod of confirmation, he sat dumbfounded and silent for a moment. David, who had been completely silent through the exchange, did finally find something to say. In true David fashion, it was the wrong thing and the right thing all at the same time. "Well, that just sounds like a perk. You know how many dudes are going to be super into short little goblin women?" Maddy smacked David hard in the arm, "Really? I swear you are the worst sometimes." David shrugged, "What? You''re really short, too, so I obviously wasn''t saying anything bad. I''m just saying that a lot of dudes are going to be into that, and I get it." Maddy glared at David in disbelief. "You know what, just don''t even talk to me. Matter of fact, just stop talking completely. You''re disgusting." As David tried to smooth things over with Maddy, Joe finally found his ability to speak again. "Well, I''d like to discuss this with the council before making any promises. And based on the knowledge that, as far as we can determine, you''re being completely honest with us... I''ll be honest with you. I was recently put into the position of authority over our defenses, policing, and... well... basically everything involving any combat as a necessity. So, I do have some amount of power to bring your people into our community. I''d actually say I probably have the power, if I push the issue hard enough with the council, to ensure your people would be safe from violence from our people and have a place within our community. But that would also be contingent on certain stipulations. First, let me tell you honestly... I can''t guarantee safety for the goblins. I can''t even guarantee the safety of the humans under my watch. The entire reason I was put into this position was that five of our people were taken captive, and another person was killed. By another human, our own people. I was the one who rallied those willing to take action. To help save those who had been taken and put down the threat to our community. We succeeded, but it cost us three lives. The truth is, I just can''t promise similar threats won''t arise and threaten goblins, even if I wish I could." Levi could tell it took a lot for Joe to talk about himself in such a light, even if it was all absolutely true. He looked uncomfortable explaining his leadership role and how he''d been appointed to it. But he was doing his job. He was being the Captain of the Guard. It still hurt Levi to see how much Joe hated the role he had been forced into and that he still made himself fill it. The truth was, Joe was good at it. He was damned good at it. Levi hated that, too. Because he loved the man and they''d become good friends, but if it came down to it, and the decision was Levi''s, Levi would insist Joe keep that position of authority. Everyone needed him too much, and they didn''t have anyone else nearly as suited for the job. The Shaman gave a small head bob and responded, "True safety can never be guaranteed. I understand this. I hope for the perfect future, but I never expect it. I only expect the promise of mutual peace... whatever else comes is beyond our control. There are always bad things, and bad people, in the world." Joe nodded. "I''m glad you understand. But you said that violence with Spirit-bonded could cause your people to regress. What we need most right now is more defensive forces. And we just can''t take in people who can''t help with that defense. If you were to join us, there is the very real possibility you''d be put into a position where your people may have to defend our home against Spirit-bonded. With that risk of regression, would your people even be able to help in the defense of our home? I''m going to be honest. If not, we can''t take you." The goblin gave a grim smile. "My people should be able to safely confront such threats. We cannot wage war or have conflict after conflict with the Spirit-bonded... but we can help defend your home... our future home, hopefully. And those who become re-Bonded will no longer be in danger of any regression. Once we are re-Bonded, we can act as any other Spirit-bonded." Joe tugged at his beard again. "I see no problem. The truth is, my class is pushing the desire to help your people, and as the Captain of our new guard, I see nothing but benefits. Your people seem very capable. So, I am completely in favor of making this happen. I still have to talk with our council before I can make any official promises. But..." Joe looked up and into the Shamans, eyes. "I''m going to do everything in my power to officially accept your request. Not just out of charity, but because I believe it will benefit both of our people." The Shaman smiled back at Joe. "I thank you. Maybe the Law-shaper has finally blessed us with this meeting. Perhaps it has finally decided it is time for us to be free." 37- Rockstar "Well," the Shaman said, standing, "I suppose it''s time to let you all enjoy the festivities." "Wait, I do have a quick question about the Denizens," Levi said. "Yes?" "If the Denizens were all once spirit bonded, and are all still people, even if corrupted and monstrous, isn''t kind of messed up if we go around killing them to grow stronger? I mean, clearly, that is something the system, what you call the Law-shaper, intended with the existence of the portal?" "I suppose it could be seen that way. However, there are many more monsters than the Denizens within the Realms. And I assure you, there is little harm in killing Denizens. Most are locked in madness. I have tried helping more than those of my own people, and I have never been successful. Not to say they have no hope... I just could not give it to them. But if you adventure in the Realms, there are many other monsters to slay. There are hidden treasures for Spirit-bonded to discover. There is no need to hunt and slay Denizens. If that is something you find reprehensible, there is no need for you to do so. However, if they should attack you, do not hesitate to slay them. They will be reborn, but you will not." Levi nodded. "Understood." Outside the door of the Shaman''s apatcha, a goblin they didn''t recognize was waiting instead of Nosmiles. He looked to barely be an adult, not much older than Nosmiles'' own son. His hair was cut into a mohawk and he was covered in tattoos and peircings. He gave a small bow to the Shaman. "Nosmiles send." He pointed to his chest with a thumb. "Am Ko-Boco. Say Ko-bo." The Shaman grabbed his ear and twisted it. "You have still not been practicing your English." The young goblin let out a squawk of pain and pulled back. He quickly said something in goblin and rubbed at his ear. "No excuses. You need to practice," the Shaman insisted. "Now, go. take the Spirit-bonded to the celebrations. I''ll be along soon. But my old body doesn''t move as fast as it used to be." ---- The celebrations were held around a bonfire. There was little organization to it, other than that those dancing seemed to all be around the central bonfire and that a group playing music were grouped together. The goblin musicians had a few simple drums, a string instrument that sat in a goblin''s lap, a strange flute that looked like three tubes bound together in a triangle formation with holes for different notes, and a large horn instrument carved from the horn of some beast that had a bass sound. Levi didn''t know much about instruments, but he thought the flute was interesting. Depending on the angle the goblin held and blew over the tops of the flutes, the musician could make sounds from two of the tubes at the same time. It was fascinating to watch. As they walked into the celebration, Nosmiles did greet them, his son behind him. His mood seemed to have improved. "Ah, Spirit-bonded. I hope your talks with Shaman were good. I would like to introduce you to my son again, properly this time. This is Ischta-Jiun, my son." Ishcta-Jiun stepped around his father and bowed deeply. "I apologize for my rudeness, Spirit-bonded. I was upset about something from today and behaved rudely and without honor toward you. I hope you accept this sincere apology." "It''s okay, we understood something was bothering you," Levi said. "Yeah, no worries, it is nice to meet you," David added. Everyone else gave quick reassurances, and only after they''d finished did Ishcta-Jiun straighten. "I am grateful for your understanding," he said. "See, he is smart. Good English, no?" Nosmiles said enthusiastically. Before anyone could answer, one of the goblin musicians called out. "Taju! Taju! Taju!" He waved his flute over his head. As the musician called out, his chant of Taju was picked up by many of the goblins in the celebration. It wasn''t until they heard Ishcta-Jiun ask his father for permission that the adventurers understood that the ''Taju'' that the goblins called for was Nosmiles son.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Aba, please may I join them, now?" Ishcta-Jiun''s eyes looked bright as he pleaded with his father. Nosmiles glared at the group of musicians. "I do not like this name they call you, Taju. Sounds much like Tajui. You are no lost boy," Nosmiles grumbled. Still, the chants of ''Taju'' only grew in intensity. "It is only their way to shorten my name, Aba. They do not mean I am a lost boy. Please, Aba, let me play." Nosmiles finally waved his hand dismissively. "I know you love it. You apologized. Go. We will talk much later, yes?" The way Nosmiles glared suggested talking later was not an option. "Yes, Aba." Ischta-Jiun''s--or Taju''s--face spread into a smile. And he sprinted towards the musicians waiting for him. As he pulled his own odd Tobblerone shaped flute from its pouch, goblins cheered. Taju''s flute was different than his musical companions. Not all of the tubes were the same length, and the circumferences varied far more than the other flute. Though none of the adventurers were familiar with the instruments, it was easy to tell the holes to make different notes were different also, based on the way Taju held it has he brought it to his lips. He quickly played a short round of notes, then bowed to everyone. Except unlike his normal, stiff bow, this one was casual and showy, with his arms spread wide. Taju turned to the goblin with the primitive drums. He lifted his foot and stomped. The drummer gave a nod, and Taju began stomping in a steady rhythm, which the drummer matched on one of his drums. Once the drummer matched the tempo, Taju began smacking his thigh, adding to the beat, and the drummer matched that, too. Then Taju began tapping his knuckles against his flute building on the beat further and the goblin drummer matched that, too, adding in taps on the side of his drums to match Taju. Taju turned to the goblin playing the bass horn instrument. He played a few notes on his own flute and the bass player started playing. Taju adjusted the music, and the bass player slowly altered his own notes. Once the bass player seemed to have close to what Taju wanted, Taju gave hand gestures that the bass player understood, fine tuning what he wanted the bass player to do. Taju then looked to the goblin playing the string intrument. Instead of playing notes, he raised his fingers, seemingly giving numbers to the string player. It looked like 3, 5, 3, 5, 3, 7, 5, 3, 1, 7. The string player began playing, and Taju only had to fine tune a few more things with more hand gestures to the string musician. He then turned to his fellow flutist and only gave a nod. The flustist gave a huge smile and brought his flute to his lips in response. He didn''t begin playing, and just waited for Taju. Then Taju turned and stood in front of the band, eyes closed, tapping his foot and slightly bobbing his head for a moment. He brought his flute up. He held it there for a moment, just listening to the music. Then, Taju tilted his head back and let out a loud, musical cry in the goblin language. It sounded an odd war cry in a way and felt mournful, angry, disappointed, or some mix of them all. Immediately after his cry, he brought his flute to his lips and played. He put the other flutist to shame. He was in a different class. His head tilted back and forth as he blew over the top holes of his flute, and his fingers danced artfully with a speed that the other flutist had never shown. He looked possessed with the pure poetry of the sounds he created. As he played, the other flutist played with him, backing him up and enriching his song with something far more simple. And then, Taju took his lips away from his flute and he began to sing in the goblin language. As he did, the other flutist''s playing shifted, taking a more dominant role, and the rest of the goblin band adjusted to the shift, complimenting and allowing space for Taju''s voice perfectly. Then Taju was back to playing his flute like a madman. The adventurers couldn''t understand the words, but the overall tone seemed sad and frustrated, with the lyrics Taju sang being full of rage. When Taju played his flute, the song built up frustration and sadness, and then when Taju sang, he released all of that tension and energy he''d built up into rage filled vocals. "Holy shit, he''s good," Maddy commented. "He''s a straight-up panty dropper." "Hey!" David said defensively. Maddy shrugged, "You get to talk about short little goblin women, I get to talk about goblin rockstars." Nosmiles grumbled. "Is useless. Does not keep people safe. Does not provide food. Does not contribute." Still Nosmiles watched his son intently with more than disappointment in his eyes. He was enjoying his son''s talent. "Are you kidding?" Levi asked. When Nosmiles only gave him a bitter look, he continued. "You know how much our people, our world, valued music? Musicians were some of the wealthiest people in the world. Trust me, his talent has a lot of value." "You must joke, is useless," Nosmiles said gesturing toward the band. "Look how happy it is making people." Levi waved toward the crowd of goblins who were either dancing, cheering, or rapt in attention. "I mean I get it, from what the Shaman said the Realms are tough. It probably doesn''t seem valuable here. But in our world, in a safer world, this has a lot of value. And we just had all our recorded music removed from the world, so a talent like his... that''s priceless." Nosmiles straightened, turning from his son to look at Levi. "You are serious." It was Maddy who answered, "You''re damned right he is. The hardest part about the new world for me has been a lack of music. And your son is a genius." She was smiling and bobbing her head to the music. "I bet he gets a lot of attention from girls." Levi gave Nosmiles a nod. Joe placed a hand on Nosmiles shoulder. "They''re right. I don''t listen to music much myself, but our people would love to hear this. It really is important." "Dude... we have to introduce Taju to Kenny. I bet they could do some awesome stuff together." David suddenly said, having been entirely zoned out of the conversation and just listening to music for a moment. Paige wordlessly danced to the song, eyes closed. Nosmiles looked from one adventurer to another, mouth hanging open. Tears slowly formed in his eyes and a smile spread across his face. Then he turned to his son and started cheering louder than anyone. After a moment, Nosmiles yelled out, "You will have any Spirit-bonded wife you want! Wooo. I am proud, my son!" Cool Author Announcements- Patreon is up, free subscribers get chapters 12 hours earlier. First let me begin by acknowledging a few fans who''ve really helped me through with comments and a heartfelt review. Without you guys, I''m sure continuing writing would have been a much darker experience. Elm, your comments and support have been super encouraging. Thank you for being there. It is carried me through at times. Darkoneko, your engagement is awesome. Your comments are always encouraging, and you still manage to ask questions and bring up points that make me see where I need to revisit and edit my work. That is invaluable. Thank you. Zazooki, that amazing review brought me out of a dark place when I really, really needed it. Thank you. And more of you have really helped me stay positive and encouraged, but I really had to name these few because they''ve really stood out. ____ Another thing is that I''m going to start working on another project. I guess this is a self-shoutout. But no worries, it will sit on the back burner as I work on The Beast and the Sage. It has waited almost 20 years to come to life, so coming to life slowly isn''t going to hurt. It is just something I''ll work on when I have the extra time. Still, check it out:
Ivan the Black Bard - The Fall, The Rise, and The ConquestIf you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Ivan was born with talent. A voice that could touch the very soul inside of man. He was also born kind hearted. To make the most out of his talent, his father mutilated his body. His kindness remained. A necromancer promising safety and a better life only tried to turn Ivan to darkness. Still Ivan would not break. Serving in the Empire''s combat forces and seeing death without end was not enough to steal the goodness from his heart. But betrayal that takes his brothers from him? When is a man allowed to finally break? Some villains are born. But the best are always made. This is something I''ve been working on for a long time. The prologue has been written for years. Don''t expect my full devotion to this while I am working on The Beast and The Sage. I will continue to make The Beast and the Sage my main priority until it is concluded. But I will be working on this project as I can. Especially when I''m feeling particularly frustrated. Also... this is gritty, dark fantasy. So if you''re coming here from The Beast and The Sage, expect something different.
______ And last, I finally got my Patreon set up. And I am proud of that, but... Currently, there''s only one chapter in the backlog, available on Patreon. (It is a nice, fat 4k word chapter, though. Good content, too.) But it drops on RR for free on Friday at 7:00am CST. However, chapters will be released for free on Patreon 12hours before they are posted on Royal Road, so it is worth checking out and subscribing for free if you want to get free content just a little earlier than it is available here. So, unless you''re just wanting to be super supportive, plus have the disposable income, don''t go spending money for benefits I can''t deliver quite yet. That being said, against Patreon''s advice I did put a $1 option to read a single chapter ahead and participate in all of the Patreon polls. But, times are tough for many of us. If you don''t have the extra disposable income, please don''t purchase a subscription that won''t bring you benefits quite yet. Trust me, I''m about to start stacking a backlog, now that Writathon is over. You can always buy it later, when I make it worth it. Thank you all for hanging in there with me this far. I''m going to keep writing and getting better. -JDH 38 - Tag, Talks, and Tattoos The goblins kept practically forcing food and drink at the adventures as they enjoyed the celebrations. Like the celebration itself, the food was simple. It was primarily spiced meat cooked on skewers with some form of flatbread and a few sauces to go with it. The Lians-thrak meat had the texture somewhere between poultry and fish, though it got a bit too chewy after it cooled. The goblins also had mead, which Levi was grateful to drink. He needed something to not feel like himself for a minute. Something to slow his brain down. Something to at least slow the mental barrage of self-inflicted blows that came from within him almost constantly. He sat at the outskirts of the celebration staring out over the water by himself. He''d excused himself when everything had gotten too much. Maddy and David had wandered off together. Joe was talking with the Shaman and the Chief, probably going over more details about the goblins leaving the Realms. Paige had run off with Sombo. Levi kept thinking about how to handle things with Paige. Crippling doubt had settled in after their conversation on the barge. Doubt and guilt. The truth was, there wasn''t a whole lot to their relationship. She''d had a crush, and he found her attractive. Then they''d gone through some hard things together. Other than only one real day spent just between the two of them, there just wasn''t much there. Their entire relationship, whatever that was, consisted of physical attraction, maybe some loneliness, and the trauma they shared. Sure, they''d had a good day together when they''d went fishing. But he didn''t really know her, and she damned sure didn''t know him. He really didn''t even know himself that well, honestly. That knowledge had set in hard when Paige had mentioned him being hard to read. He couldn''t even be honest enough to acknowledge that. And they were about to be traveling alone together as soon as they left the portal. Was that a good idea? Would it be fair to put her in a position to become more attached to him? What if he let her down? What if he didn''t deserve her feelings, but she felt them anyway because of the situation? He kicked himself in the ass for kissing her the way he had earlier. It hadn''t been planned. It was entirely spur of the moment, but he''d done it because he felt like it could shut down her arguing so he could get through to her. It had worked but the kiss had gotten a little more intense than he''d intended. He downed his mead in one drink and stood. He needed to talk to her. He needed to at least tell her the truth. He knew that meant putting a wall between them and that it was sending a lot of mixed signals. But better now than later. ----- Paige was playing ''hide and seek'' with several wolves, including Sombo. And she was having a blast. They were having a blast, too. They''d been skeptical when she''d first explained the game. They were all too confident in their ability to smell and hear to be convinced that they could hide from each other. It wasn''t until Paige explained that the seeker also had to catch a hider to win that they began to see it as interesting. Once she''d told them that they could also relocate hiding spots or run before the seeker found them, the wolves were all in. It became a game of hunter against hunter. The only problem they''d had starting the game was that the wolves didn''t know how to count. They''d settled that by making the seeker run from the base, which they''d made the kennels, to the shore. The kennels housed puppies and younger wolves that were too untrained to roam. The kennels smelled too much like wolf to allow as a hiding spot, according to the wolves. So they''d made it the base instead. Paige had spent a while playing with the puppies there, and they were cute, but her class and Beastspeak Skill made them boring and annoying, honestly. It was like trying to have a conversation with a bunch of toddlers that kept yapping about wanting food. So, instead, she''d thought up the game with the older wolves. And the game was on. Paige stared down from her perch on one of the fully wooden structures. Sombo was the seeker this round, and he stood sniffing at the air below her. She kept her breathing steady and slow, but a grin was spread across her face. "I know you''re around here, human. I can smell you. I can smell that crow, too. If either of you move, I will hear you." Sombo''s tongue hung from his mouth as he panted, and his tail wagged a steady back and forth. Paige slowly pulled out the pebble she''d pocketed earlier and carefully, using her thumb, flicked it as far as she could toward another wolf she knew was hiding in that direction. It went farther than she''d expected with her enhanced physical ability, reaching nearly fifty meters away. Sombo took the bait and sprinted toward that direction. She immediately began quietly shimmying from the building, but she waited until she could barely hear Sombo''s footfalls before stealthily dropping to the ground. She turned and sprinted towards the kennels, knowing Sombo was much faster than her. She put everything she had into her rather thick, too thick in her opinion, thighs. It only took a moment for Sombo to notice her. "I knew you weren''t over there! You''re a cheating fox! But I am going to catch you anyway," Sombo howled at her. He was already closing in fast. She could hear his paw pads slapping the ground as he chased her. Despite how hard she was pushing herself and that she had to breathe deeply to keep up her pace, Paige was smiling. She could make it. Two more turns. She was quicker at taking turns than the wolf. Then she''d be at the base. But Sombo was pushing hard, too. "I''m going to catch you this time," he snarled. Paige was pretty sure he was taking the last few games in which he hadn''t caught her a little too personally. She rounded the first corner and stared down a long stretch between apatchas and other small buildings. He''d catch up here, but if she could just push, there was only one more turn and then only half as far to reach the base. But he was closing in fast. Sombo growled without words, and she knew he was right behind her. She pushed harder. The turn was almost in reach. Sombo snapped his jaws at the hem her sheath, and she felt his breath. Then she grabbed a torch pole buried deeply at the corner of an apatcha, using it to change her direction, and made the last turn. But she knew it was too late. Sombo would catch up before she could reach the base. And then someone stepped directly in front of her from a side path. With Catlike Reflexes active, she responded immediately, flipping over the person and continuing her mad dash with a nimble landing. Halfway through her flip, she realized the person had been Levi. She heard an ''oof'' as Sombo plowed into Levi, or over him. It bought her just enough time to slap the main gate to the kennels. "Safe," Paige said as she turned to see both an unhappy Sombo and an unhappy Levi. "You cheated. You had the short human man get in my way," Sombo declared. "Hey! Levi isn''t short. Technically, he''s average height. And I didn''t ask him to get in the way. I would have ran into him myself if my reflexes were as slow as yours are. You''re just a sore loser," Paige retorted. "Wait, did the goblins'' wolf just call me short? Man, that kind of stings," Levi said as he dusted himself off. Sombo growled and huffed. "Maybe you didn''t cheat. But it was still not fair." Out of the dark, another wolf suddenly lept and touched his paw to the kennel gate. "You lost the prey you could have caught because you were worried about the fox that got away," the older wolf growled. Sombo suddenly tensed, fur standing on end, twisting his body at the various points of approach to the kennel. After a moment, his ear twitched, and he took off down one of the paths. Immediately after he was gone, another younger wolf came from the dark, pushing his paws against the kennel gate. "Sucker," he growled. Paige turned to Levi, "Hey Levi. Want to play hide and seek?" Levi couldn''t help but think she was still gorgeous, even as sweaty and disheveled as she was. For a moment, he almost backed out of talking to her. All of him hated that he felt like he needed to do it. But just enough of him knew it was something he had to do anyway. "Hey... I was actually hoping we could go for a talk and walk--I mean... go for a walk and talk." Levi''s face went a little pink as he stumbled over his words, but he kept his face serious. "Yeah, sure," Paige answered, eyebrows furrowed. ---- Levi led Paige to the shore of the island before he said a word. When they finally made it to the edge, where the water lapped at the grassy bank, he sighed deeply. He didn''t know where to start.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Just say what you have to say. Spit it out already," Paige said, interrupting his thoughts. "I-I... it just occurred to me we don''t know each other. I mean, whatever we have going on... it has nothing to do with that. And, I''m not sure it is a good idea." "So? You think I need to know you to be interested in you?" Paige asked. "I mean, that''s... yeah, that''s kind of the idea of how things work." "You really are an idiot sometimes." Paige plopped herself down on the bank and stretched her legs out. "I just think you''re cute. You''ve mostly been nice. Not just to me, but everyone. I like you, whether I know you or not. That''s the reason I want to get to know you more. Why are you making it complicated?" Levi slowly sat down next to her. "Because I know you''ve kind of had a crush on me. But you don''t even know me. Plus, your class is affecting you. And I haven''t even been able to really be open with you." Levi grabbed his hair with both hands and lightly tugged in frustration. "And then I kissed you like that. Then, later on the barge, I just lied to you when you were talking about the way I smelled. I couldn''t be straight with you." Paige laughed. "Yep. That''s all true." She laid back and propped her arms under her head. "Have you considered that it is just a crush, and even I know that? You act like I''m falling in love with you. Yes, I think you''re attractive, and I''ve been super horny. But even if my class is affecting me, I''ve adjusted. Plus, my class is who I am now, anyway. It is me, even if it is a new me. And I''m happy about that." Paige paused for a second and then added one last thought. "And I do like who you are as a person, too." "You don''t even know me," Levi mumbled quitely. "Nah. I do. I don''t know your past or what you''ve been through. That''s true. But I know who you are. You''re the guy who lets other people interrupt you patiently when you were the one talking, even when half the time I wish you didn''t and it bugs the shit out of me. But you''ll speak up when it is more important than yourself. You''re the guy who was afraid to fight Eric''s men, and then Eric himself. But you did it anyway. And you made sure he didn''t hurt me. You gave more than you had. You could have died. You think about other people more than you do yourself, and you think that somehow means they don''t care about you either. And sometimes, like now, I want to slap you for that. You don''t know yourself and think that means no one else sees you." Levi didn''t have a good response to that, so he went with his last line of defense. "Look, I know I''m not a terrible person, I know that now more than I ever have... but I''m pretty sure I''m too old for you." Paige laughed. "I wasn''t joking when I said I like my men older, so that''s on me." "But..." Levi began to say something, but he couldn''t think of what to say. Paige sat up abruptly. "Look. If you aren''t interested in me... whatever, fine. I can always go find another older guy to bang. But if you''re just trying to protect me from yourself or something dumb like that, fuck you. You''re not giving me enough credit for being able to take care of myself. Don''t do that. I can make my own decisions." Levi sighed again, deeper. He felt like he couldn''t win. Yet, another part of him felt like she was making sure he didn''t make himself lose. She was stopping him from self-sabotage. And that felt good, despite it ruining the plans he''d had for the conversation. "I''m just afraid that if we''re traveling alone together, maybe you''ll get attached to me when I really don''t deserve it, just because of the situation." Paige shook her head. "That''s not your job, Levi. Look, you told me what you were worried about... maybe that is kind of noble or some shit, even if I know you are worried over nothing. You warned me, and maybe that is something you were right to do. But that''s it. You''re trying to make the decision for me. Don''t. That WILL piss me off. And remember, my class is Untamable Beastfriend. You don''t have a chance in hell of controlling me one way or another." They were both quiet for a long time after that. Levi''s head spun. Paige just watched the water and waited. Finally, Levi spoke. "I had a pretty bad childhood." His voice came out levelly, sounding ''matter of fact.'' "Yeah, I figured," Paige replied, matching his tone. "When I upgraded my core, Rick was there. Rick was my version of the entity from the interview. But... this Rick was different. Less grand, more personal. It was more of a feeling than anything I can explain. I think it was the spirit that is inside me. Maybe Mr. Stowe is inside you. But that''s not the important part. Rick told me that I barely survived the core upgrade because I had no ''ideal'' to guide the upgrade. He actually said my identity was a shitty sculpture made out of the shattered pieces of paper thin glass. It was a reality check." "Maybe you just need something hot to blow on that ego a little bit, and melt that sculpture solid." Paige said with a smirk. "Ha. Ha. I''m serious. It kind of shook me a little. I almost died, because I''m just that fucked up." Paige huffed, disappointed her attempt to distract Levi hadn''t worked. "I''m not even sure what you mean by ''ideal.'' But yeah, I can kind of see how that would bother you. How did you get through it?" Levi opened his mouth, already thinking of some bullshit answer. Then he stopped himself and told her the only truth he could in that moment. "I''d rather not talk about it. Not yet... But to explain, an ''ideal'' is kind of a perfect concept that you can completely live by. It kind of gets ingrained into you when you upgrade your core. It becomes something about you that can never change." "I''ll never understand a thing about the meditation and core business, but I''m really glad you didn''t die," Paige said. "You know, that''s the second time you''ve told me that. I really hope nearly dying doesn''t become something that happens all the time." Paige laughed. "So, what? Do you want to talk about your childhood or something?" Levi shook his head. "Nah. And that''s not me dodging it because I don''t want to open up. I used to talk about it every chance I had. Blamed everything on it. Took me a long time to realize it wasn''t getting me anywhere. I made my early adulthood pretty fucked up, too, doing that. Once I started taking responsibility for my bullshit, things started getting better. But it took a long time for me to really understand that no matter what happened to me, I am the only one responsible for my own actions." "Hey, that sounds like a pretty good ideal, for the next time you need one." Paige shrugged. Then she jumped up. "Come on. Let''s go do something fun." "Fun like what?" "Like tattoos. A few of the goblins are tattooing near the bonfire. Not sure how, but they are fast." Paige grabbed his arm and dragged him along without waiting for him to agree. --- There were five goblins giving tattoos, but four were occupied. They were all in different stages of applying tattoos. Their method of applying the tattoos was unlike anything Levi had seen. First, they applied some thick, tar-like, red paint in the design of the tattoo. They let that sit for a while, at least 30 minutes. While one goblin waited for their tattoo design to sit on their skin, the tattoo artist would spend that time painting the next person. Once the paint had sat long enough, the tattoo artist would peel the painted material off. It looked similar to one of those face masks you spread out and let dry. Levi was suddenly happy about the fact he''d never had a lot of body hair. After it was peeled off, the skin where the paint had dried would be welted up, like it was suffering from an allergic reaction. Then, a small amount of some kind of black power was pressed into the welt, where it began to spread rapidly on its own. As it traveled across the welted area, the inflammation would ease, and an almost black, dark blue tattoo would begin to form. Over the course of minutes, a tattoo at least the size of Levi''s hand could form. As it spread, it also produced more black powder, which Levi thought was odd. He couldn''t help but notice that it always seemed to produce far more than was used. The tattoo artist would hold a thin piece of leather beneath the falling black particles, catching them. Once the tattoo was finished, he''d pour the black particles back into a clay jar sealed with a lid. Levi thought the entire thing looked a little dubious. Paige nudged him in the ribs. "You better be thinking about what tattoo you want." "I''m thinking about how much of a bad idea this is," Levi responded. "Hey, you can''t back out now, you agreed." "I didn''t agree to shit," Levi argued. "Letting you drag me here was not, in any way, me saying ''Yeah, a weird tattoo that starts with an apparent skin infection and ends with some unknown, seemingly living powder entering your skin sounds like a great idea.''" "Oh, stop being a baby. A lot of goblins have these tattoos, and they''re all fine," Paige said with a shrug. "We''re not goblins!" "If you get a tattoo, I''ll make out with you later," Paige said with a mischievous smile. Levi raised an eyebrow. "You''ll make out with me either way." "True. But I won''t be nearly as handsy if you don''t get the tattoo." Paige waggled her eyebrows. Levi smiled. Then he let out a small laugh. "Fine. Fine, I''ll do it. But I want to know how this works." Levi walked over to question the goblin tattooist who didn''t have a ''client,'' but Paige pushed him out of the way. "Ask questions while he gives me a tattoo." Paige addressed the tattoo artist. "Hey, how do I pay you for a tattoo? I don''t really have money, but I may have a few things to trade. I have some healing potions... uh, maybe... you ever hear of coffee?" Paige asked, pulling two vials from her pack. The goblin looked confused for a moment and then responded. "No trade. Just give. Is fun, no?" "So you''re just giving tattoos for free? Just because it is fun?" Levi asked. "Yes. Because is fun. What want, Spirit-bonded?" "Can you do crow wings across my back and shoulders? I want to do it for the first beast friends I ever made," Paige answered. "Yes, can do. Sit." After Paige sat and moved her hair out of the way, the goblin got to work with his paint brush. "What is that?" Levi pointed at the thick red paint. "Uh. Is. What word? Is pungis." The goblin replied. "Pungis? I don''t know what that is." Levi responded. The goblin sat his paint brush down. "Maybe wrong word. Uh..." The goblins eyes lit up, and he pointed at his foot. "Maybe not pungis. Is like foot pungis." "Foot fungus? That stuff is a skin fungus?" Levi asked in horror. The goblin smiled. "Yes. That word. Fun-gis." Then the goblin went back to work applying the fungus paint to Paige''s back and shoulders. Paige hadn''t even flinched at the goblin''s explanation, and just waited for the goblin to finish. "How does that not bother you?" Levi asked Paige. "Why would it? They use fungus in antibiotics, and we eat fungus, too." "Yeah, but that''s a skin fungus," Levi argued. "Worst case scenario, Grace can make me something to cure it. She already made me a dewormer," Paige said nonchalantly. "Okay..." Levi thought for a moment. "Hey goblin, what is that black powder stuff you put on after?" The goblin looked at Levi with an offended glare and tapped his chest with his free hand. "Name Toma-gira." The goblin let his glare linger for a moment before continuing. "Black stuff tiny, tiny bug. Eat fungus. Grow more. Leave poop. Poop stain skin." Before Levi protested, Paige spoke up. "Just get a damned tattoo. And stop asking questions. Fuck.'' Levi decided to take her suggestion on not asking questions. In the end, he''d gotten the outline of a slithering snake up his arm and onto his shoulder, with a huge dragonfly hovering over the top of the snake. The dragonfly had a broken wing. He hadn''t known exactly what to get at first. Then he thought he should get a tattoo for someone he wanted to remember and honor. Someone who had always been kind to him. The only person who came to mind immediately was his stepdad''s father, Pawpaw Vernon. Pawpaw Vernon had been backwoods like all of his stepdad''s family, but he was always kind to Levi. He was half Native American and spoke of his Choctaw mother often to Levi. And for whatever reason, he''d nicknamed Levi ''Snake Doctor.'' As a child, Levi had never even asked what it meant, just happy to be a kid, ''seen but not heard'', with a really cool nickname. When Pawpaw Vernon died, it had finally occurred to Levi that he''d never asked. Fortunately, it only took one google search to find out it meant ''dragonfly'' based on old Native American myths. He was happy with his choice, even though the actual tattoo itself was less than awe-inspiring. Page was thrilled with her tattoo, however. "Ah, miss, I think that''s just lovely. And you did that for us lowly crows? Better than that plain skin you had, meaning no offense," the crow squawked from a nearby perch. "Fitting right in with the gang, now, aye. The boys will be right tickled to see it." Friendship With Crows Has Increased. New Traits Unlocked. Paige and Levi - Status Page Update It is time to repost Paige and Levi''s Status Pages. Not because much has changed, but because there is about to be a lot of growth and progress in the near future and it is best to drop this now. The new chapter is currently available on Patreon with any paid membership, and will be available for free at 7:00 pm CST for anyone with a free membership. Quick notes on changes, though there are not many: Yes, Paige is now 19 years old. Her birthday is in early November. It just hasn''t came up yet, and even she wasn''t aware when her birthday passed. Sombo has made it onto the friend list. The addition of the Crow sublabel ''Grumpy'' technically doesn''t happen until next chapter, but it isn''t much of a spoiler. Levi has been relatively stagnant, but remember that this short character status does not list his basic profession skills, which his class automatically granted. Also, you know what the consequences are for Levi getting stagnant is... so get ready to finally see that be a problem for him. ----- Name: Levi Jimmer O''Hare Age: 31 Class: The Insatiable Sage Level: 11 Experience to next level: 5005/5400 Base stats: Physical Strength = 8 Physical Proficiency = 9 Mental Strength = 7 Mental Proficiency = 6 Spiritual Strength = 7 Spiritual Proficiency = 6 Skills: Martial Technique Tai Chi Chuan You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Skill Subset - Perfect Form Empowering Flow Efficiency Flow Mental Boosting Mana Barrier Skill Subset - Mana Shield Skill Subset - Mana Platform Mana Skin Basic Dagger Proficiency Improved Grappler Advanced Pugilist Improved Dagger Throwing Advanced Pain Tolerance ----- Name: Paige Mandy Montoya Age: 19 Class: Untamable Beastfriend Level: 12 Experience to next level: 4505/6000 Base stats: Physical Strength = 8 Physical Proficiency = 10 Mental Strength = 7 Mental Proficiency = 6 Spiritual Strength = 6 Spiritual Proficiency = 5 Skills: Beastspeak - Beastspeak allows you to speak to beast. Be aware that all beasts are different and that this ability may have a large variety of results. Advanced Sneaking Heightened Smell Heightened Hearing Expert Climbing Advanced Pounce Improved Pain Tolerance Ignore Hunger Basic Acrobatics Advanced Balance Predatory Instinct Empowered Leap Abilities: Improved Share Traits (Beasts) - Share Traits may only be active on two targets (Beast) at a time. You may share up to two traits at a time. Depending on the depth of your friendly connection with a target, you may share traits with the intended target. While you gain a trait of the target, and they gain a trait from you, neither lose that trait while sharing. The deeper connection, the higher level traits may be shared. Traits include the basic senses, Stats, Skills, and Abilities, in that order. It is far easier to share the sight with a target than to share abilities. Sharing traits will often result in physical manifestations for both you and the target. These physical manifestions may persist for a short time even after you have ended this ability. There is a .01% chance a manifestation of Trait Sharing will be permanent. When this occurs, both you and the target will retain some, if not all, of the shared traits as well as the physical manifestation. This does not count as Shared Trait being active, and Shared Trait may be used on the same target or another target. Beast Friends: Crows - Grumpy (Mental Communication Unlocked) Sombo (Dire Wolf) Mamacat (Bobcat) Physical Manifestation - Eyes of the bobcat. Your eyes are that of a bobcat and permanently retain both the form and the function of bobcat eyes. 39 - Falling Down and Falling Deeper They ended up spending the following day hanging around the island and getting to know the people better. David spent the earlier part of the day off shooting bows with Nosmiles and his son Taju. They also asked a lot of questions about the Realms. The Shaman had told them that the other Denizens close in the area were some large, extemely hard-skinned people similar to their myths of trolls. They usually kept small communities of one dominant adult male, four to eight adult females, and their children. When the male trolls began to reach adulthood, they either left their small tribe and wandered alone growing stronger until they could challenge the leader of another tribe, or they''d challenge their father for dominance, in which case they most often died. According to the Shaman, the inbreeding and short life expectancy had only exacerbated the problems their Spirit''s corruption had caused, making them even more stupid and violent. Fortunately, that stupidity and conflict also kept the trolls unable to coordinate any type of attack on Home. But the goblins were still always scouting to see if any were coming close to threaten their settlement. The goblins had to be extremely wary of attacks while they were on a hunt, especially when actually attacking a herd of buffalo or when traveling with their kills. The Shaman also believed they weren''t capable of swimming, which is why she''d chosen the island for their settlement. And they were slow and only used simple stone weapons of crude axes or clubs, making their attacks slow but devastating if they landed. But they were incredibly resilient, able to withstand blows that would be fatal for almost anything else, and they healed at an absurd rate, making it almost impossible to kill them without using methods such as decapitation, drowning, or fire. The toughness of their skin and their size apparently made decapitation so difficult that it wasn''t worth attempting. However, according to the goblins, when the trolls fought amongst themselves, they would pin their opponents, then pull at the head and bite the neck until the head was torn free from the body. That observation was how the goblins had discovered decapitation was a possible method to kill the trolls, but it was also a powerful testament to the trolls'' immense strength and brutality. The general concensus among the adventurers matched that of the goblins. Trolls were best to simply avoid altogether, if possible. The Shaman also explained things about how the Realms worked in relation to their own world spatially. They could travel through the Realms to get to another location in their own world, traveling to the corresponding location on Earth through a different portal. Paige verified this by checking the marker on her map to her family''s safezone. It still showed on the Realms map. The scale of the Realms was twice as large, however. So, if Paige wanted to travel through the Realms to her family''s safezone, it would take twice as long for her and Levi to make the trip. Plus, they''d be putting themselves in a lot more risk with the presence of monsters and Denizens. On the other hand, with the time dilation, very little time would actually pass outside the portals. Paige and Levi had discussed it in length because Paige wanted to get to her parents faster by Earth time, if they could. She preferred they reach her family more quickly by Earth time not for her own sake but because Eric had made her aware that there was a possibility her family may not be as safe in a safezone as she had initially believed. The only reason she wasn''t rushing everyone to leave was that the time dilation meant that not even a half hour had passed since they''d been inside the Realms, and there were possibly important gains they could make in the Realms they could never make outside the portal. After some back and forth, Levi had convinced Paige to shelve the discussion until after they were finished inside the portal. She reluctantly agreed but made Levi promise to truly consider it and have the discussion with her later. Levi also finally remembered to bring up something that had been bugging him. Figuring the Shaman had the longest history with the system, or ''Law-shaper'' as the goblins referred to it, he asked if she knew why the system had removed all music, fiction, and presumably art from their world. Though she had no exact answer, her best guess had been that the system wanted to promote creativity, and therefore the growth of the Spirit-bonded, by removing competition and increasing demand for creativity. While it wasn''t a perfect answer, and Levi could see how that could possibly have more negative affects than positive ones, the explanation made sense in a way, especially if you considered what she had said about the naivety of the Spirits and system. It also alleviated any concerns that were brewing about it in the back of his mind. They hadn''t taken priority due to everything else he''d had to juggle, but they had always been present and nagging. Though their plans had been entirely derailed, and Joe had added the goblin-rehoming issue to his to-do list for when they left the portal, they''d still entered the portal for a reason. They wanted to challenge whatever was there, maybe get some levels, and if they were lucky, find some good loot. They hadn''t seen anything resembling monsters, quests, or loot--other than the coffee quest--outside the portal. But they knew, now more than ever, it could be found in the Realms. When they told the Shaman that was their plan, she''d seemed to understand entirely. She told them to give her some time and that she''d have some information for them by the end of the day. Levi used that time to make more progress with his meditation. Paige used that time to try out her new traits she''d unlocked with the crows, Avian Bone Density and Crow Wings. ---- "Hey, hey, miss. Maybe start from a little lower, yeah. You ain''t got no tail feathers or nothing." The crow''s tone seemed concerned. Paige stood at the very top of the highest wooden structure in the village. Goblins stood below watching, strangely at ease, comfortable in their belief that Spirit-bonded could do all sorts of amazing things. The crow wings, sized to match Paige''s body and spread out wide like she was some angel of vengeance, probably didn''t do anything to shake that belief. Something that was entirely new for Paige was that using Avian Bone Density and Crow Wings were draining both mana and stamina. It was at a slow rate, but it was the first time she''d really had to consider the resource comsumption of her Trait Share Ability. "I''ll be fine. I may not be able to fly quite yet, but I bet I can glide." Paige bent her knees and prepared to jump. "WAIT!" The crow cawed loudly. Paige paused. "What... uh... crow?" Paige relaxed for a moment and stood up straight. "I''m sorry, but I need to have a name for you. It was different when there was a constantly rotating crow on ''Paige duty,'' but it is weird now that it has been just me and you for the last couple of days. I''m going to call you... Blacky." "No, no. Don''t you dare, miss. Or I''ll regret not letting you jump." "Oh, I''m definitely still jumping... but you''re right. Now that I hear it out loud, Blacky sounds a little racist. I don''t want to be yelling out, ''Hey Blacky, I made you some cornbread,'' and then turn the corner to see Kenny looking at me like I just kicked a puppy. I mean, I totally might kick a wolf puppy at this point, but I still wouldn''t say some crazy shit like that. Do you know what I mean?" The crow''s beak opened for a second, then closed, then finally opened again in a squawk of an answer. "No Miss, aint got a bloody clue what in the squirrel brained hell you just meant. But if you start calling me Blacky, I will shit on... well, probably not you directly, but definitely... Levi. I will shit on Levi. Try me." "Well, with that attitude, I''ll just start calling you ''Grumpy,''" Paige answered sourly. "I accept." The crow answered. "Wait, what? Really, you just jump on ''Grumpy'' like it''s the first guy to compliment you after a bad break-up?" Paige raised an eyebrow and cocked her head. "You do realize that it is not a compliment, right?"The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. "Assuming I understood half of what you just said miss, and that is a big bloody assumption, then yes. Call me Grumpy. It''s a compliment to me and a damned sight better than the other one," the crow, Grumpy, said in an oddly confused yet simultaneously confident tone. Beast Friendlist Updated - Crow has added the sublabel Grumpy. Friendship With Grumpy Increased. Mental Communication Unlocked. Paige smiled at the unexpected notification. "Fuck yeah. That''s cool. I''m definitely going to have to try that out later." She looked back up at Grumpy. "Well Grumpy. I''m glad you''re here with me, sharing this moment when I spread my wings for the first time. I got lucky that you''re the one who came through the portal with me." "Ah, now see miss, that is sweet. Sometimes I worry about you, think you''ve lost your marbles and all. Then you go and say something like that." Grumpy fluffed his wings a bit pridefully as he answered. Paige smiled at him. "Also, thank you for all the advice I''m about to ignore." And then Paige jumped. ---- Levi sat inside his meditation space, puzzling over a curiosity he had noticed when his cycling and refined essence production was heightened, when the essence became thick like fog. He''d planned on doing this particular meditation near the portal when they arrived, but he''d been interrupted by the goblins'' arrival. As the essence moved out of his Core to the outer rings, some of the essence would sometimes get caught in erratic orbit around the rings rather than entering the ring itself. As it looped and swirled in the odd orbit, it would slowly just fade. Levi had no idea where it went, but the idea that he was losing essence for some unknown reason troubled him. The question had nagged at the back of his mind. He tried to relax his mind while also focusing on any essence that fell into one of the erratic orbits. They didn''t occur constantly or by any predictable pattern that Levi could recognize, but they did occur frequently enough that Levi only needed to apply a little patience and wait for when it did happen. After three attempts of focusing on the essence, he knew he''d have to try a different tactic. Rather than relying on the mental imagery and visualization he''d created, Levi tried to sense or feel his Core, the rings around it, and the essence. He was actually surprised that he immediately sensed the Core and the surrounding rings. Holding his focus on the feeling of the Core and Rings, he also tried to feel the refined essence as it was produced from the Core''s center. It took a while to get a firm understanding of the way the essence felt, and even when he did, the feeling was very faint. He shifted all of his attention to the essence exiting the Core as it moved toward the rings. Even with all of his attention on the essence, it was still like trying to focus on a distant sound with other noise all around, or like trying to pick out the scent of a single flower in a botanical garden. ''I bet Paige could do both of those things, easily,'' Levi thought. That thought was distracting enough before the surging thoughts of Paige that followed. First, he thought of her wild grin and disheveled look the night before. Then he thought about her eyes the night she''d worn makeup and the way her slitted pupils would sometimes expand into dark orbs when she looked at him. Then he was remembering how they had done exactly that the night before, as his hands had gotten a little too urgent and greedy after a kiss. And he remembered the feeling of her soft lips. They hadn''t ended up sleeping together, but Levi was pretty sure that was only because both of them were filthy from the day and needed a bath. At least, that''s what had made him stop himself, and she had seemed okay with that, happy and content in the moments they had shared. He felt his heart was pounding and a smile was on his lips... and he suddenly realized he wasn''t even meditating anymore. He''d gotten distracted and completely lost his focus. He felt somewhat frustrated for a second, but the smile he wore from the night he''d had with Paige never left his lips. He stood up and stretched. He decided to meditate while going through the slowsets for a while, hoping that may give him some insights. If nothing else, it would keep his body from getting too stiff. He hadn''t realized he''d sat for so long in meditation. As his body moved on it''s own, without Levi even being aware of it, Levi was back into his meditative state. This time it was easier to find his way back to feeling his refined essence as it was cycled through his Core and flowed toward the orbiting rings. After a few attempts at following the strange rogue orbits of essence around the ring, Levi felt like he was finally on the verge of understanding something. He never actually felt the essence vanish, it felt like it was still there, just out of reach. Levi closed his eyes to focus on the feeling. The vague notion of how odd it was to close his eyes within his meditative state, when the eyes of his real body were already closed to begin with, flitted across Levi''s mind, but he dismissed it before it could distract him. His focus narrowed in on another of the disappearing anomalies, entirely focused on feeling it, following, and blocking out the visualization of his spiritual landscape. As his focus locked onto the essence, it suddenly felt different. He no longer struggled to maintain his focus, but instead, it felt like he was being pulled along with the essence as it made it''s way to wherever it went. And then he was standing, eyes open once more, in what appeared to be a different meditative landscape. In front of him was a huge tangle of essense. It looked like a knot of essence strings, and he knew that was where the essence had went. Looking around, he saw more of these knots, forming a large circle, though they were sporadic and unevenly spaced, all of varying size, and some clumped together. He realized he was inside the main ring around his core. At least, in a way. It felt like this place and the ring overlapped somehow but weren''t exactly occupying the same space at all. A higher or lower dimension? Levi quickly dismissed the thought before he spiraled into trying to understand that. Taking in the greater surroundings, he realized he could still see his other meditative landscape from where he was inside the ring. He could see his core, his mana and stamina channels, the ring he was in... and even the faint secondary ring he usually had a hard time seeing was easily visible. Except the colors were wrong. It wasn''t quite like looking at a photo negative or an inversion of colors, but it was very similar to that. Yet the knots of essence stood bright in this landscape, shining tangles of essence strings. Levi stared at the tangle in front of him for a minute thinking about what he should do. With his will he tried to pull at a string of essence and see if he could begin to untangle it. He pulled one loose string free, and held it there for a moment. Then released his will power, and the string of essence snapped right back to where it had been before. Levi looked around at all of the knots again. They were all obviously within the ring, but he still didn''t see a pattern to any of it. Not their size, placement, or the way they were individually knotted. He wasn''t sure if messing with them was a good idea, but there was only one way to find out. Without risk there was no reward. He began walking the ring, looking for the smallest and simplest knot he could find. Before he could find what he was looking for, he felt a rumble that seemed to come from his first meditative landscape. Something tugged at him, trying to pull him out of this new place. With a raw power that surprised himself, he forced his will upon the pull and his internal landscape, both this new meditative place and the old one. ''NO. Keep me here, no matter what.'' With a ripple, Levi watched his own willpower pour out and seize control of everything within his spiritual universe. He noticed some sparks of energy in his mana and stamina channels, but they didn''t seem to be anything even at the level he usually saw when he activated his abilities at low levels. Dismissing a problem that had clearly been solved, he continued his search. After a while, he finally found what he was looking for, one of the smallest knots of essence. He was sure he could unravel this one. Before he could begin, a new burst of essence suddenly began streaming into this new meditative space. He watched as the thick, bright strings of essence poured in, knotting into a ball as he watched. He tried to apply his will again against the new tangle of essence, to stop its formation, but it was like trying to catch a tsunami in a bucket. Rather than fight against it, he dismissed that too, deciding to focus on his task. His focus tightened sharper than he''d ever experienced before. And he got to work on the knot in front of him. It was like he was possessed by the purpose he''d set himself to when he''d entered this place. And piece by piece, string by string, he unraveled the knot. ---- Paige had crashed hard. Three times. She had broken her summoned wings twice. It had taken half a healing potion each time, even after unsummoning the wings, and her shoulders still ached. But the forth time, she''d managed to pull herself into a turbulent glide, landing on her feet roughly. As much as her shoulders ached, Paige was satisfied with her small win. Calling it quits, she decided to go find Levi. She wanted to see if he''d ask to spend some time with her later that night. She''d drop a lot of hints if she had to. If that didn''t work, she''d ask him. If he still wasn''t understanding what she was meaning... well, she''d get as direct as she needed. All day, she''d been trying to distract herself. Jumping from high places and broken bones had really helped her clear her head. But she just couldn''t escape from the thoughts of how his hands had unapologetically explored her body. She felt an ache in her lower abdomen at the thought. God, she needed more, she needed to feel all of him. She tried to put the thought out of her mind as she looked for him. It wasn''t easy. Fortunately, a certain crow did help. ''Can you still hear me, Miss?'' Grumpy said through their new telepathic link. ''Yes, I can still hear you,'' Paige answered. Grumpy was flying around attempting to find the limits of their mental link. Paige found Levi by the shore, eyes closed, doing his slowsets. She guessed he was probably meditating. Instead of being an asshole, she decided to let him finish, content to sit down and watch him. ''Can you hear me now?'' Grumpy suddenly cut in again. ''For fuck sake, AT&T, yes I can hear you. Grumpy, can you please take a break? Go find some corn or something. I am about to be with Levi,'' Paige answered, frustration flooding her words through their mental bond. She felt the hurt as he answered, but knew he''d quickly get over it. ''Well, fine then, miss. No need to be so rude about it.'' It was honestly kind of fascinating to see him move through the Tai Chi moves. And his calm expression and smell gave her comfort, too. She''d never actually gotten to experience him without sensing that tension he had inside him, either on his face, his body language, or his smell. Well, except that night before, where all she''d felt from him, all she''d smelled on him, was desire. ''Stop it, Paige. You can''t do shit about that right now, so don''t get yourself worked up.'' At that moment he only smelled like a calm, if sweaty, Levi. So she wrapped her arms around her knees, switched one of her Beast Traits to her new wolf friend Sombo''s sense of smell and just watched and smelled Levi as he moved. After an hour, when Levi was still moving through his Tai Chi forms with his eyes closed and no hint of stopping soon, Paige decided it was time to disturb him. She grabbed his shoulder and shook it lightly. For a moment, less than a second really, Levi paused. And then Paige was gasping for breath. It took her a moment to realize she was on her back. She hadn''t even registered Levi''s movement. As she got to her feet and backed away from him, she saw he''d already resumed the slowsets. But his eyes were open, and out of them shone a white glow. She tensed as she watched Levi. He looked like he wasn''t there, at least not mentally. He smelled like no emotion, just empty sweat and skin. How had she not noticed sooner? But she was certain, Levi wasn''t there. Concern and panic pieced through her, and she rushed up to him, trying to shake him out of whatever trance he was in. Then everything went black. Paige woke up 10 meters away with the taste of blood in her mouth. She got to her feet shakily, realizing she''d been knocked unconscious. Finding some presence of mind, she pulled out a healing potion and drank half of it. Then she ran to find Joe and the others. Something was very wrong with Levi. 40 - Too Deep and Forbidden "How does he move so fast?" Joe asked after picking himself up off the ground for the third time. He''d tried shaking Levi out of whatever trance he was in, and had gotten ragdolled as quickly as Paige. Still, Levi moved through the Tai Chi forms without a care in the world. He only lashed out when someone tried to stop him. They were slowly attracting a group of goblin onlookers as they tried to figure out what was going on with Levi. "He moves as fast as when he was fighting Eric at his hardest. You guys didn''t really see the fight like I did. At his fastest, I couldn''t follow either of their moves with my eyes. But I don''t know how he''s doing it in a way that isn''t causing himself damage," Paige answered. "Want me to try to shoot him in the leg with an arrow?" David asked with a shrug. "Might break him out of whatever he''s stuck in. We have healing potions." Joe nodded. "Sounds like a good idea. Pop him in the thigh." David pulled the bow off his back and nocked an arrow with a speed that would almost suggest he was looking forward to shooting Levi. "Wait!" Maddy yelled out. "At least let me try my crowd control." "Fine." David''s shoulders slumped as he lowered his bow. Maddy raised her staff and turned the ground beneath Levi''s feet into mud. Levi continued through his slow sets as if nothing had happened, easily moving over the mud. "Wait, what? How?" Maddy lowered her staff, mouth agape. Joe stiffened. "Now that''s interesting. How is he..." "You''ve seen this before, it is just harder to see now. Look very closely at the bottom of his feet." David pointed to where Levi''s foot slowly met the surface of the mud. As Levi''s foot touched the surface, a thin membrane of blue energy coalesced just beneath it. "Is that his mana barrier he uses to not sink in my mud? It is usually a lot larger." Maddy said. "Perfectly efficient. Fuck. That''s probably how he''s able to move as fast as he has without damaging himself. He''s literally just activating all of his abilities only as much, and as long, as he needs to. But how? How does he always respond perfectly." Joe scratched at his beard. "Actually, how does he respond at all in that trance?" David loosed an arrow. He hadn''t even told anyone he was going to fire it. Levi simply lifted his thigh out of the way and continued with his slow sets. "Huh," David said, lowering his bow. "Think I should fire more arrows, back to back, really fast? See how he responds?" Joe shrugged. David quickly loosed four arrows. Levi easily evaded three, and then somehow caught and threw the fourth back at David. David let out a cry as the arrow hit him in the thigh. Paige laughed but quickly got herself under control. "Sorry... sorry. It is just funny because I could tell you were really looking forward to shooting him, and now you have your own arrow stuck in your leg. Kind of funny." "Fuck... you..." David said as he pulled the arrow from his thigh. It wasn''t that deep, but it still bled a lot when the arrowhead came loose. He quickly dripped some healing potion on the wound, then took a small sip and recorked it. "So ranged attacks aren''t a better option." Joe sat down. "You''re just giving up?" Paige asked. "No, but if we keep trying to get him out of the trance like this, someone''s going to get seriously hurt," Joe answered. "This is definitely some more of his cultivation bullshit. Maybe the Shaman will know. David, go find the Shaman." David glared up at Joe over his blood covered thigh. "Oh, don''t be dramatic. It wasn''t that deep, and you used a healing potion," Joe told David. "Go find the Shaman. The rest of us will wait here." ---- Levi noticed occasional flashes through the meditative landscape above him. The brief disturbances nagged at the edges of his consciousness, but even with him knowing he should probably be more concerned, he wasn''t able to take his attention away from the knot of essence he slowly worked to untangle. No matter how hard he tried, it would just retangle itself as he pulled it apart. He''d feel like he was making headway, and then a long strand he''d pulled free would suddenly weave itself, slithering like a snake, right back into the tangle he''d just freed it from. It was frustrating. He wanted to quit. He at least needed a break, and yet he couldn''t pull his focus away. And that nagged at him, too. The confusion about why he couldn''t break his focus away played in the back of his mind. Fear that he was stuck in this place, unable to free himself, crept in. And even as he began to be aware something was wrong, he just couldn''t pull himself free from the knot of essence in front of him. ----- "So, do you know what it is?" Joe asked the Shaman. She leaned on her cane and stared at Levi with narrowed eyes. "Yes and no." Her squint stayed locked on Levi. "Interesting." "What''s interesting?" Paige asked, words rushed. "Well. He''s in there. Deep. One of you try to shake him out of it again. I want to see what happens." "We told you what happens," Joe said. "Yes... but I need to see it for myself. I see more than you do." The Shaman gave Joe a pointed look. "I''ll do it." Paige took a step toward Levi and then stopped. She bounced a few times on her toes. "Hey, Maddy, have a heal ready. He hits like a truck." She slowly approached, knowing she was about to get her clock cleaned. Taking a deep breath, she reached out to touch Levi''s shoulder. "Levi," she said simply as her hand barely touched his shoulder. With movement she could barely recognize before impact, Levi snapped like a whip, and she felt all the breath forced out of her lungs as she was knocked away from him. She felt Maddy''s heal on her before she''d even skidded to a stop, but it still took Paige a second to get her breath back. "Interesting," the Shaman said again. "Care to tell us more than that," Joe said, irritation creeping into his voice. "The closest thing I''ve ever seen to this was a battle trance. But this definitely isn''t that. If it was, he''d be killing everything in sight, or at least trying to kill everyone until someone killed him. But, instead, he only attacks to keep people from stopping what he is doing. Of course, it isn''t actually him in control at all." "So, who''s in control?" Paige demanded.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. "As far as I can tell, a combination of the Spirit inside Levi and the system the Law-shaper has imposed on your world. It seems as if they''re following some command that Levi gave them. Most likely to prevent interruption from the looks of it. But to have such a powerful effect that the Spirit and the system are acting together to fulfill the task, Levi must have done it from somewhere that it would cause an extremely powerful effect. Which means that wherever he is, he probably shouldn''t be there in the first place." "Well fuck... I am so sick of his cultivation bullshit," Joe said. "How do we break him out of it." "I don''t think you can. His stamina and mana are hardly regenerating, which probably has something to do with that strange debuff he has. There''s a chance that when he runs out of stamina and mana he''ll collapse and come out of it. But there''s also a chance that he simply continues until he dies, so trying to wear him down would only kill him faster." Paige, sank to the ground, watching Levi. "Then what do we do?" she asked the Shaman. "Hope that he pulls himself out of it. After that, if he doesn''t, hope that when he finally runs out of energy he comes out of it and doesn''t die." The Shaman shrugged, but her mouth was a grim line. Tears welled up in Paige''s eyes. Joe slammed his shield into the ground a few times. "Fuck. Fuck. Levi, I swear, if this doesn''t kill you, I will kill you when you get out of there." The Shaman limped her way to Paige and patted her shoulder. But when she spoke, it was loud enough for everyone to hear. "Have hope. Most of the time, when people are stupid enough to get themselves into trouble like this, they are smart enough to get themselves out. At least, that''s what experience has taught me." ---- Levi was growing increasingly frustrated. He knew he wouldn''t be able to untangle the essence, now. He was sure of it. No matter what he tried, no matter how much progress he made, it just tangled itself back up in the end. Yet he could not turn his focus away from it. And he was aware that there was some influence keeping in him this place. Though it took time, only being able to piece it together at the edges of his thought with his primary focus locked on the essence, he had come to the conclusion that he''d caused this by imposing his will the way he had in his single-minded determination. That realization didn''t do him a lot of good. He still couldn''t break free. He felt like if he could just solve the problem in front of him he''d break the power, his power, that held him. So, instead of dwelling on how to escape his self-imposed prison, he only focused harder on the problem in front of him ''Think. Tangles. Knots. Strings... If you can''t untie them, sometimes you have to cut them. But what do I cut it with?'' Then he realized his only tool or weapon in this place was his willpower. Focusing on the knot, he imposed his will as strong as he could. ''Cut.'' He felt his willpower touch the knot. He saw as a string was cut. And then it simply restored itself. ''Fuck.'' He sat down to brainstorm about how to cut the essence, and perhaps he was only able to because his mind worked to solve the problem that kept him trapped. Levi took a meditative posture and thought. He closed his eyes and then quickly opened them, afraid of messing himself up even more. How much deeper could he go if he closed his eyes and went into a meditative state? He didn''t want to find out. What could he do? Somehow, he knew his willpower was the answer, yet even that had not worked. He tried to feel his willpower, like he had his essence, mana, and stamina when he''d first began meditation, yet felt nothing. ''Maybe I need to will something into being. But what?'' A thought suddenly occurred to him. Levi looked down at his hands and willed a sword to be there. It slowly took form. He couldn''t see it, but he could feel it. He closed his eyes to focus but quickly opened them, the fear of messing himself up even more weighed on him. Then he abandoned caution. ''Fuck it. In for a penny, in for a pound.'' Levi closed his eyes and felt his willpower. He visualized the sword forming in his hands, pushing, willing it to exist, as hard as he could. The shape it took in his mind wasn''t the much loved katana. It wasn''t the practical longsword. It wasn''t a taijijian that would have actually made sense to match his Tai Chi. It wasn''t the Marine Corps NCO sword. It wasn''t even a large or imposing beast of a sword, such as a zweihander. No, it was simply a sword he''d always loved the appearance of, the falcata. It was a rather short sword, honestly. And he probably should have chose something different, especially for cutting through the knot in front of him and freeing himself. But as the weapon took shape in his mind, his willpower responded eagerly, and it suddenly became easier to press it into the weapon. Levi sat focusing on the sword until any concept of time left him. There was nothing but the sword in front of him. He adjusted the hilt away from the traditional falcata grip, making the angle of the hilt in relation to the blade somewhat more extreme. Then he removed the handle altogether. Grabbing where the hilt should have been, Levi picked the sword up and just willed it to be his. He poured everything he had into it. A hilt and guard grew around his hand, like some wild plant in an insane spurt of growth. It looked to be almost rootlike around his grip. And Levi thought that was the end of it, pleased with the result. But the sword kept changing. Before his eyes, or rather his visualization, it took on a far less elegant design. The blade became angular and aggressive. It looked like the blade itself desired to cause harm. When the transformation was over, Levi felt it was done. For a moment he just visualized the sword in his hand. Then he opened his eyes to see the real thing, or as real as it could be in his meditation space. It was light in his tight grip, but it did have weight to it, which surprised Levi. It was gorgeous. Standing, he gave the sword a couple test swings. He loved it in a way he''d never loved any possession. The truth was, he never really was much of a material person and had left everything he had behind many times in his life when he was either forced or chose to move from one home to another. But this? This sword he had created. He''d never loved a single possession more. It made him sad it was just a representation of his will inside the meditative landscape. Getting back to the obstacle in front of him, he only gave the knot of essence a single look before cleaving it in two with his sword. The sword seemed to almost grow slightly in the brief moment it met the tangle of essence, as if to meet the challenge. And then a single line formed through the knot, and it fell apart. The moment it fell apart, the essence rushed out into his ''higher'' meditative space, and with his focus now no longer stuck on the knot of essence, Levi was able to watch as it flooded into the other essence and his mana and stamina channels. Somehow he knew both his stamina and mana had been topped off. Pulling his attention away from how the released essence had behaved, he looked down at his sword. He didn''t want to leave it. He loved it. He knew he had no choice. But he was surprised it hadn''t already dissipated. He hated leaving the sword, but he also didn''t want to be stuck in that place any longer. So, not knowing what else to do, he drove the sword into the ground at his feet. He stepped back and gave it a look. It stuck out of the false, metaphysical floor like some weapon of legend, standing straight up, like his own personal Excalibur. It was beautiful. It was weird to Levi how his heart ached to leave the sword. He was sad to leave it behind. "Thank you for saving me," Levi said, even knowing the sword was just some metaphysical, spiritual representation of his own willpower. After a moment of just looking at the sword, Levi finally pulled his thoughts from the weapon. ''Now how do I get out of here?'' Levi thought. Apparently, that thought alone was enough, because Levi was suddenly opening his eyes to several notifications. WARNING: You are entering a dimensional space that is forbidden. Severe consequences may result from actions taken within this dimensional space. WARNING: You are attempting to tamper with a system mechanic. Permanent damage to skills and abilites may occur. Please desist. WARNING: You have activated an automated mode. This may lead to harm to your body and pysche. WARNING: You are attempting to tamper with a system mechanic. Permanent damage to skills and abilites may occur. Please desist. WARNING: You are attempting to tamper with a system mechanic. Permanent damage to skills and abilites may occur. Please desist. WARNING: You are attempting to tamper with a system mechanic. Permanent damage to skills and abilites may occur. Please desist. That particular notification had repeated itself a few dozen times. Levi kept reading until the notifications changed. WARNING: You have tampered with a skill. This may result in permanent loss and other negative consequences. COOKING SKILL - Heat Regulation has been remov- ERROR. COOKING SKILL - Heat Regulation has been remov- ERROR. COOKING SKILL - Heat Regulation has been remov- ERROR. SYSTEM RUNNING DIAGNOSTICS SKILL ERROR CORRECTED. COOKING SKILL - Heat Regulation REVOKED. Hidden Mechanic discovered. Parched Soul of the Sage has been res - ERROR. FORBIDDEN Mechanic discovered. Parched Soul of the Sage reset REVOKED. ABILITY My Will Made Steel has been created. ABILITY My Will Made Steel obtained. Parched Soul of the Sage has been - ERROR. FORBIDDEN Mechanic discovered. Parched Soul of the Sage reset REVOKED. Levi was at a loss to understand all of the notifications, his mind still trying to adjust to being back in reality. But he was pretty sure the word ''revoked'' was going to eventually start triggering PTSD if things like this kept happening. Then he suddenly felt arms wrap around his neck and lips press against his, as Paige embraced him. He felt her lips press his, and then her face. Her cheeks felt hot and wet. He pulled back a second and realized she''d been crying. "Hey, what''s wrong?" Levi asked. "I''m so glad you didn''t die." Levi laughed softly. "I thought we agreed not to make that a thing." Then Paige slapped him so hard his vision went white. 41 - Abilities, Fragilities, and Buffalo Levi listened as they explained how he''d been in his trance-like state while he''d undergone his trial in meditation. As they explained how efficiently his body had defended itself, he grew intrigued. "Wow, so in theory, I could become an absolute monster if I learned how to actually use that on purpose. And I thought the potential to create abilities and skills was pretty awesome by itself." Paige smacked Levi in the head. "What was that for?" Levi asked, rubbing at his head. "Because you''re being an idiot and Grace isn''t here to smack you," Paige answered. "Do you even hear yourself?" Joe started. "You could have died. And this isn''t the first time you''ve put yourself in danger with that cultivation bullshit." "This wasn''t Cultivation. It was more like I was tinkering with the system itself. The notifications I got referred to it as ''forbidden,''" Levi argued. "Oh... sooo much fucking better. You really are an idiot. You almost die doing something the system has listed as forbidden, and your first thought is to go back and try to exploit it more?" Joe said. Joe grabbed his shield and looked as if he was about to throw it in the lake, then lowered it, probably realizing he''d just have to swim out to retrieve it. "No, no... I was just thinking theoretically." Levi thought back at how he''d felt trapped, and a shudder ran through him. "Nope, fuck that place. It was pretty damned scary feeling trapped like that. I don''t plan on trying that again." "You better fucking not," Paige said from beside him. She wasn''t actually touching him, but she hadn''t moved very far from him since he''d come out of the trance. "Hey, the bright side is that I gained my first Ability." Levi tried to redirect the topic to something more positive. Joe did perk up at that. He''d been with Levi for his entire journey, and they''d discussed Abilities and how Levi may be able to learn one before. Neither of them had made any headway with it. "You figured it out? What Ability? Please tell me it isn''t something cultivation related." "I wouldn''t say I figured it out. In fact, even if I went back into that place, I''m not sure I could do anything similar again. But I did, mostly accidentally, gain my first Ability." "Tell us what it is!" Paige demanded. "Hold on a second, and I''ll pull up the desciption. I haven''t even read it myself." Levi pulled up his status page and found the new Ability. "My Will Made Steel - The Sage may summon a weapon that takes on the properties Willed into it. Resources will be consumed according to the properties imbued into the weapon. Resource consumption increases as more Willpower is exerted. Warning: This ability has no safety limitations, and the Sage may cause himself serious harm or death if the Willpower applied overdraws on available resources." "Well... what does that mean? Also, how the hell did you even create an Ability like that?" Joe asked. "Uh... long story. Want me to summon it? See how it works?" "Hell yeah!" David said, finally breaking his silence. Paige smiled at him, but it didn''t quite seem genuine. "Yeah, I want to see it." Joe nodded. Levi took a step away from Paige, held out his hand, and activated My Will Made Steel. A transparent, almost holographic representation of the sword he''d created appeared in his hand. Levi frowned for a moment, wondering why it looked so weak and insubstantial. Yet, even as he had the thought, it flared into more solid color, the steel bright and the root-like hilt in his hand not only turning fuller in color, but becoming real in his hand, the texture firming beneath his grip. He smiled at the blade. Happier than anyone else could know that he held that sword in his hand. "That is bad ass." David drew closer. "Okay, yeah, that''s pretty cool," Paige said as she leaned in. "Can I hold it?" Joe asked, extending his hand. Levi handed the sword to Joe, half expecting it to disappear as soon as he passed it to Joe. Joe took the blade and looked it over. "Nice looking, if oddly shaped." He gave a couple of test swings. "Seems like it has a good balance and weight. I''d be interested in Iara and Craig''s opinions on it." Joe thumbed the edge of the blade. "Seems a little dull, though." Levi felt somewhat insulted at that. His blade was sharp. He knew it. As the thought crossed his mind, he felt a tug at his mana. "Oh shit!" Joe yelled, jerking his thumb away from the blade and nearly dropping the sword. Joe handed the weapon back to Levi and then inspected his bleeding thumb. "I swear it was dull as shit, then it cut me wide open." Joe showed everyone the split flesh on his thumb. "I am pretty sure that was because I wanted it to be sharp when you said it wasn''t. Before that, I only planned on showing you guys the sword. It didn''t need to be sharp." Levi dismissed the sword, saving his resources. "But I literally felt it drain mana as it sharpened, right after you said it was dull. It looks like it is extremely in tune with what I want." "That''s kind of cool," Paige said. "Yeah, well, we don''t know what it can actually do or how reliable it will be," Joe said grumpily. "Plus, Levi has never even learned to use a sword." "Yeah, it does seem a little bit unpredictable," Maddy added. David shrugged. "Well, I think it is cool." "What? Do you want him to spar you to show you what it''s capable of?" Paige said with a tone that suggested she was getting frustrated with Joe on Levi''s behalf. "No... I''m just pointing out how unrel..." Joe began. "I actually think a spar is a good idea," Levi interrupted. Joe was a good friend, and Levi understood Joe was frustrated that his meditation kept causing problems like this. But Joe was being a dick about it. That much was clear. Levi wasn''t in the mood for it, and he really did want to test out his new Ability. "I only have two more hours before the Parched Soul debuff bottoms out. It''s probably best to spar now, so I can use potions to top my mana and stamina up before we go adventuring in the area." "Wha... I thought your debuff was reset when you learned an Ability." Joe asked. "Nope. The system revoked the reset due having tampered with a ''Forbidden Mechanic.''" Levi answered. "Then why didn''t it just revoke the Ability?" Joe scratched his beard. "That doesn''t make sense." "I''m not sure it could, or it probably would have." Levi shrugged and met Joes eyes. "So we going to spar or not?" He gestured to Maddy, "We have a healer present. Paige, David... you guys take potion duty?" "Hell yeah," David answered. In the back of his mind, Levi wondered where the kind hunter, always trying to bring in food for others, had gone. David had changed. "Yeah," Paige said, pulling a healing potion from her pack. Joe''s eyes narrowed. "Really Levi? This is stupid." Levi stared back at Joe. "No, you made a good point. We should probably understand my Ability better, if we''re going to trust it in combat. Plus, if we''re going to spar, we need to do it now before my debuff is maxed out." "Okay..." Joe said slowly and deliberately. He casually pulled his shield from his back and sword from his sheathe. "Maddy, can you give the countdown?" Joe lowered himself into a stance, shield positioned in front of him.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Levi kind of felt bad. He knew Joe was mostly just frustrated and confused about his new Ability and his meditation causing issues. He knew Joe didn''t really mean any harm, and had only been a dick because he didn''t know how else to deal with the situation. Joe was a good leader when it came to war and the military or police. But he was too close-minded when it came to anything outside of that expertise. Levi needed to at least show him that the risks he took had paid off. He needed to show him the world was different. He''d thought Joe already understood that when he''d let Levi lead the group inside the portal. And it wasn''t that Levi was trying to assert dominance or just wanting a fight. And he knew that Joe wasn''t just trying to be a controlling asshole, either. Joe simply didn''t understand, especially when it came to Levi''s Cultivation and meditation. Joe saw it as not worth the danger it had put Levi in. And they hadn''t sparred since Levi had upgraded his Core. Levi had to show him what he''d gained. It was the best choice. Levi lowered himself into a position, something he''d modified from his typical Tai Chi stance in a quick guess, with his right hand held out slightly wider, awaiting the sword. Levi wished he''d actually learned something about using a sword before, but he never thought he''d actually use one. As Maddy counted down, Levi planned his assault. He''d hit hard and fast. Taking a lesson from what they''d told him about his trance state, he knew he could activate his abilities to the max for a brief moment and be fine. And Levi focused on the intent for his weapon. He hoped he was right, but he thought it should only cut what he intended to cut if he pressed his will into it. So he made a plan and readied himself. "Fight." Maddy finally said. Levi triggered every Skill he had and used his Ability, My Will Made Steel. The sword was in his hand in an instant. When he struck Joe, he hit nothing but what he intended. The sword went right through the shield, not even cutting or damaging it, just passing through like a phantom blade. Then the sword pierced Joe''s lung. As he lept away from Joe, retaking distance, his Skills still maxed out, Levi wondered if his plan had worked. But as he deactivated his Skills and dismissed his sword, pain finally registered on Joe''s face as he tried to gasp. It took Maddy a second to realize he needed a heal, but soon Joe was able to breathe again. Everyone stood silent for a moment as Joe gathered his composure. "What the fuck was that?" Joe stared down at his undamaged shield. "I understand the insane speed, but how did you get through my shield, and bypass my defensive Skill that absorbs the first hit?" "Intent. The sword becomes what I want it to be. To be fair, I was guessing it could pass through your shield. I was pretty sure, though. I intended for it to cut through your Skill, but I honestly thought it probably wouldn''t be able to. Guess it does, though." "That was sick!" David suddenly yelled. Then the gathered goblin audience they''d all but forgotten about started clapping and cheering. Levi watched Joe, apprehensive about how he would respond. However, when Joe looked up at Levi, he had a huge smile on his face. "Well, I guess you made your point. That is pretty badass." Levi let out a relieved laugh and shrugged. "Yeah, but if I am being honest, that one attack took almost half of both my mana and stamina. I can''t use attacks like that unless I really need to, especially once my debuff hits max. I''ll pretty much only have one tank of mana, and will have to constantly drink stamina potions, even if I''m fighting as efficiently as possible." After a moment, Levi added. "I''m not too far from leveling, though. So maybe that won''t take long, and I can get back in the game. Joe nodded. "We''ll try to cover your weakness until then. Want to go talk to the Shaman now?" "Yeah. Let''s figure out what she has for us." As they began walking toward the Shaman''s apatcha, Paige fell in beside Levi, and he felt her brush his hand with hers. He looked down at her hand for a moment, and then took it in his. As he looked back up at her, she smiled, her pupils growing into black pools again. They walked hand in hand, silent and content, all the way to the Shaman. ------ "Ah, so I was right. Smart enough to find his way out of his own stupidity." The Shaman sprinkled tea leaves into her kettle, not bothering to look up as they entered. "Sit. I have some information for you." They all sat around the fire as the Shaman swirled the tea leaves a few times, removed the kettle from the heat, and set it on a pad of leather to cool and steep. She reached out and grabbed a piece of paper, bleached white and thinner than you''d expect. It had a map drawn atop. "Before I show you this, I need to stress. You must not die. Whatever decisions you make, make confidently, for my people are relying on you. I hesitate to even show you these things or offer what I am about to offer, but I also realize that I must leave the decisions in your hand." She held out the map, and Levi reached out and took it, as the rest of the group leaned in around it. As Levi studied the map, he noted it was originally labeled in the Goblin language, but there were fresh notations and translations in English. The portal was marked, as well as several other locations. There were a number of known Lians-thrak dens, the locations of troll communities, and a few other oddities marked on the map. "I take it, by how you said you hesitate to even offer this, you weren''t just referring to the map," Levi said, fully retaking his leadership role. "Indeed not. Due to my designated status as an Elite, the Law-shaper, your system, has granted me the authority to issue ''quests'' to Spirit-bonded. It wasn''t something I was even aware of before our earlier conversation about your plan to adventure and explore. But, I received the notification as you asked questions." "So you needed time to figure out how to use the system mechanic?" Levi asked. "No. The system you have been given is very intuitive and easy to use. I needed to think about the morality of offering you certain quests, gather information to see if more would become available, and decide if I wanted to offer these quests at all. If I am being honest, I will not offer you all the quests I have available because I fear the risk involved. Perhaps, when I believe that you won''t throw yourself into unnecessary danger or that you''ve grown strong enough, that will change." "Okay..." To Levi, that sounded almost like a video game, more than anything else in this world had. He knew the Shaman wasn''t an NPC, but having to unlock quests by completing easier ones first or growing stronger was such a stereotypical video game feature that he almost doubted his belief that the Shaman and Goblins were real people. "I suppose it does seem that way, Levi." The Shaman said, reading his mind somehow, as she reached for the kettle and begin pouring tea into small clay cups. "But, I assure you it is self-serving at the moment. I need you to stay alive until an agreement has been made between our people, or I''ll be stuck waiting longer for the next group and hope they are as reasonable as you have been... which would be highly unlikely if your entire party dies inside the Realms." The Shaman looked up and caught Levi''s eye as she passed him a clay cup. "I don''t want to risk the future of my people for your sense of adventure or gain. And I''d like the promise from you that you''ll only attempt those quests I offer and not get reckless. After my people''s future is secure, I''ll gladly issue any suicidal quests you wish, even if I still recommend you do not attempt them." Levi smirked and nodded. "Okay, you''ve got my promise, but I''m not sure why everyone thinks I just jump into things recklessly. That''s more Paige''s speed." The Shaman continued to pass clay cups to the group as he spoke. Paige felt a tinge of offense at Levi''s words that was quickly dismissed by the realization that he was completely right. She shrugged. "I mean, that''s fair... but you really don''t know why people worry you''ll do something stupid? You know, you''re a smart guy, so my guess is you only struggle with short-term memory loss. Like, the trance you were still in less than an hour ago... slip your mind?" "Okay, I see your point, but that was less of a poor decision and more of a screw-up I couldn''t have seen coming," Levi retorted. No one said anything, but they all stared at Levi. Levi relented. "Okay, fine. Point taken. But I promise, we''re going to play it safe. So you can offer quests? I''m curious how that works." The Shaman pointed down at the map laid out in front of Levi. "This marks the Lians-thrak dens. Having the Lians-thrak removed as a threat would greatly help our scouts and hunting parties move through the plains safely and quickly. If you eradicate them, you will be rewarded with ''experience points'' and an upgrade to the gear you currently wear." When she finished speaking, a notification flashed in front of the adventures. QUEST OFFER (Shareable Quest) - Eliminate the Lians-thrak in the immediate area. Reward 30,000 experience points split between party members based on contribution. Levi quickly accepted the quest. Afterward, he immediately checked to see if he could pull up a quest log, which he could. "Alright, that was cool. And the quest should be easy. David took down that one with a single shot," Paige said as Levi reread the information in the system''s quest log. "The one he killed was still quite small," the Shaman said before taking a sip of tea. "But yes, the quest should be very safe for you, as long as you don''t act foolishly.'' "That''s more than enough experience to get me to the next level, too," Levi added. He looked around at the group. "Everyone down?" After everyone gave him a nod, he looked back to the Shaman. "But that''s not all you have, huh?" The Shaman sighed and sat down her cup. "No. But I still hesitate to offer this next quest. I actually only offer it because I know how greatly this can benefit your group... Paige, especially... and know of her plans to leave soon. So please, make sure you don''t attempt it unless you are confident. Scout first. If you decide to attempt it, plan well for the fight." Levi nodded somberly. Paige leaned forward with a grin, wondering what could benefit her more than the others. The Shaman hesitated for a few seconds and then continued. She pointed to a large area highlighted with read and labeled in both Goblin and English, that read ''Troll Elite.'' "I know I said to avoid the other Denizens if possible, but... here there is a wandering Troll Elite. I do not know what power she possesses. My people have always avoided her. We have observed, but never seen what she is capable of. However, the other trolls avoid her, and so she is both more powerful than a normal troll, yet also had little opportunity to grow stronger. Based on my own comparitive power as an Elite, and my understanding of your capabilities, I believe you should be able to defeat her as a group. But that is only a guess. So, if it becomes too difficult, I urge you to flee. However, she is alone. The reason I even ask this of you now is because she has a rare white buffalo in her possession. She captured it. And I know this may sound silly, but in goblin culture, the culture the system generated and seeded my people with, a white buffalo is considered sacred. While, I know that the sentiment is a fabrication, something the system implanted inside us, I still feel the strong desire to have this creature freed before we leave this place." QUEST OFFER (Shareable Quest) - Free The Great White Bison. Reward 40,000 experience points split between party members based on contribution. One Gear Upgrade Crystal per participant. For Levi, he didn''t even have to think as he accepted the quest. But Paige was even more eager than him. As far as she was concerned, The Great White Bison was going to be her new best buddy. 42 - Hot Takes on Drakes As a goblin escort pulled the barge away from their island village, the adventurers all leaned in to see the map Levi held in front of him. "Okay, so there''s seven of them. But I don''t think we should take the most direct route killing them. The Shaman said these markings indicate relative age and threat level. These four are relatively younger females, like the one David shot, these two are older females and a slightly larger threat, and this one..." Levi pointed to another marking. "This one is the dominant male in the area. And I think he''ll be the biggest threat." "With respect, Spirit-bonded, that is inaccurate," one of their goblin escort interrupted. Levi looked up to see Taju bowing respectfully. Levi had noticed he that he was the only one of his people to take such formalities to extremes. All the other Goblins seemed overly casual most of the time. Levi wondered about why that was but decided to wait until later to ask Taju about it. "What do you mean?" Levi asked. "The male will be resting. He is, as your people say, cold-blooded unless it is breeding season. The cold weather will make him sleep, like a snake. Now, he will rest in his den. He is old and large, but when he is awakened, he will be slow. He will barely be more of a threat than the young females. The older females will be the biggest threats. They are always hot-blooded. They do not need the warmth or sun. They are always aggressive, but now they guard one or more eggs. Their blood burns hotter. They are very dangerous." Levi was pretty sure Taju only understood bits and pieces about the science of warm versus cold-blooded creatures, but he also knew that Taju was giving them valuable information. "So, when you say their blood burns hotter, what exactly do you mean? Are they more aggressive, or does their blood literally burn hot?" "Yes and yes. They will be extremely aggressive. And their blood will burn hot enough to scald your skin. Sometimes, though rarely, fights between Lians-thrak have caused grass fires with their bloodshed." "Noted. Thanks for the information. Anything else?" Taju bobbed his head. "Not really. Only that their eggs are also hot to the touch, but are very good for alchemists. At this time, the drake inside is not yet formed. The shells can also make magical jewelry or small magical items such as arrowheads. But we will handle the harvest of everything for you all and make sure to only take a fair amount for the effort. So you need not worry about collecting these things." "Hell yeah," David had whispered when Taju had mentioned magical arrowheads. "Alright, thanks for the information." Levi looked around at the group of fellow adventures. "That still only slightly changes my plans. So, I say we hit a medium threat Lians-thrak first, which now means the male. It will give us a chance to see what we can do with the safety of everyone''s resources, especially mine, being topped up. It gives us some wiggle room for fuckups, but also gives us enough information to work out a better plan. After that, we try to take out the strongest while we still have mana and stamina to spare. And yea, that is more due to my own limitations, but I think it is the smart plan." "Why don''t we start with the four easiest ones and try to get you to the next level first?" Paige asked. "Because we don''t know how much experience per kill we''re going to get, and how it will be distrubuted based on contribution. Being honest, I''m not going to be able to go all out or even close to it, and it''s likely David will take the bulk of experience if it is based on contribution." "Hey," David butted in. "I don''t mind letting you guys get the kills for the experience." "That''s generous, David. But I don''t want to risk putting people in danger to grab experience. That''s also why I want to start with the medium threat drake. It will give us a closer idea of what to expect. If we''re all getting good experience and I think I can make it to the next level before facing the older females, we might aim for the younger females first. But we really have to see how the first fight works out." "Makes sense," Paige commented. "Alright, man, but if I can let you guys grab some easy experience, I am happy to do it," David said. "Okay... so what about the actual strategy for the fights?" Maddy asked. ---- As they approached the male drake''s den, a goblin warrior grabbed Levi''s arm. "This as close we go. Know, I am only warrior. These only kids, not ready. Here for learn. To train. Please, be safe. Can no help you." Levi nodded. "We understand." This been explained to the adventures. Their goblin escort were all still young and in training, like Taju. The goblin students were there to learn about scouting on hunts and how to field dress and harvest on rides. They would also take care of collecting everything for the group. Nosmiles had explained that they''d be safe within the area, because it was well within the area they kept scouted, but they could not help the adventurers more than that. The goblin warrior held Levi''s gaze for a moment before nodding and releasing his arm. Finally, the group of adventurers began the last of their approach to the den. As they finally saw the entrance, dug into the ground at an angle, they slowed. Levi had expected it to be larger, somehow thinking it would be more like a dragon''s den. Yet, it was barely larger than a Lians-thrak itself. A human would barely be able to stand at full height within the opening of the tunnel. "Paige?" Levi probed. "A second, please." Her eyes went white. Paige watched through Grumpy''s eyes as he flew toward the entrance of the den. She didn''t even have to think her intentions into words with their newfound bond. He simply did as she desired. She knew it was his own choice, and he could choose not to do as she wanted, but he didn''t. Still, as Grumpy approached, she did feel the need to vocalize one thing. ''Hey, if he wakes up, get out of there. Don''t put yourself in danger.'' ''Aye miss, I wouldn''t, not unless I had a bloody good reason. Don''t you worry about me.'' Paige felt a little better at that. The crow was her friend, and she couldn''t bring herself to feel like their life was expendable or any less valuable than her own. ''Aye miss. We always kind of knew that, but it''s quite lovely to know it for sure.'' The crow said.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ''I wasn''t meaning to send that last part.'' Paige responded. ''And it means all the more for it, miss.'' The crow landed at the opening to the den, then. He tilted his head, but his eyes weren''t suited to pierce the darkness. Then suddenly, his eyes changed, and he saw clearly down the hole to the sleeping and curled up drake below. ''Aye, he''s sleeping, miss. I''ll let you know if he stirs.'' ''Wait, how did you change your eyes like that?'' Paige asked. ''I''m using your eyes, miss.'' The crow answered simply. ''The bobcat eyes?'' Paige''s surprise rippled through the mental bond between them. ''Well, I suppose so... but they''re your real eyes, now, eh miss. I can use them as easy as anything else.'' Paige smiled. ''That''s so fucking cool.'' "So... is it asleep?" Levi''s question pulled her thoughts from the crow. "Yeah, it''s asleep." "Alright, let us know if it moves before we''re ready. Let''s get into position." ---- Paige crouched above the hole, silently waiting until their plan was in action. David stood twenty meters from the den''s entrance, arrow nocked. Joe had crept as close as he could to the entrance on the right, and Levi had taken the left. Maddy stood just behind David. Levi glanced between the members of their group, receiving affirmative nods. Then Levi looked to David and gave a nod of his own. As David lifted and drew his bow, the crow took flight. Then David loosed his arrow, and an angry snarl came from the depths of the Lians-thrak den. Within seconds, the group heard its talons against the dirt, clawing their way to the mouth of the den. David already had a new arrow drawn. The moment the beast cleared the opening of his home, a second arrow found purchase in its eye. It clearly hadn''t gone deep enough to do any serious damage. Before the beast could recover and pounce on David, Joe bashed into the creature with his shield. The Lians-thrak quickly swiveled on to Joe, but Taju''s words proved true. The Lians-thrak was sluggish. Joe, perhaps the second slowest of the group to Maddy, was easily able to avoid the swipe of talons that reached out towards him and returned a stab at the beast. Joe''s poke barely broke through the scales, but it bought David the time to sink another arrow into the creature''s neck. As the creature swiveled to David, Levi infused as much of his stamina into his boosting skills as he could risk, barely triggering Mental Boosting or his Mana Skin at all. He primarily relied on his Empowering Flow and the toughness of his bracers as he lept forward and backhanded his left bracer into the arrow sticking from the Lians-thrak''s eye, driving it even deeper. The drake began thrashing, clawing at its eye. It was clearly seriously injured, but not enough to take it out completely. Thrashing, its tail lashed out in every direction. Levi tried to dodge without his boosting skills, but the tail still caught him across his blocking forearms. He felt the bone in his forearms snap as he was sent tumbling back. Joe was able to absorb the first lash with his skill, and absorb another on his shield, but the third whip caught him in the jaw and sent him to the ground. Still, David never stopped firing arrows. He didn''t use his level 15 ability, but Levi had told him not to unless things were dire. With a once per day cooldown, it was best to hold on to the ability for emergencies. But the drake was recovering, and as it finished the enraged shakes of its head, the drakes eyes locked onto David. That''s when Paige plunged her daggers, one in each hand, into the neck of the creature. They didn''t pierce deeply. The drake''s scales were tough. But it did cause blood to start flowing, and it distracted the drake away from David again. The drake''s tail whipped at Paige, who still held onto its back. However, Paige was ready with her Catlike Reflexes, somehow managing to narrowly evade a series of strikes. She was forced to leap off the drake, trying to create distance. Levi felt his arms heal as Maddy''s spell landed on him, but he was still too far away to intercept the drake as it turned its full attention onto Paige. David landed arrow after arrow, but none bit deep enough to do any serious damage. Levi watched as the drake lept at Paige. He almost activated every skill he had to their max as the unexpected feeling of losing her hit him like a truck. But just as he was about to, Joe''s shield slammed into the drake''s head, right over the eye with the arrow sticking out. Taking a leaf from Levi''s book, Joe had slammed the arrow even deeper. This time, when the drake thrashed, they were death throws. The three close quarters fighters stepped away from the creature''s thrashing until it stopped. As the death throws played themselves out, Levi rushed to Paige. She was staring at the drake, panting, hands still clutched tightly on her daggers. Levi, worried, grabbed her shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?" He asked, trying to push down the panic in his voice. It still came out whinier than he liked. Paige''s head slowly turned as she looked up at Levi. A grin spreading across her face. "Yeah. Of course I''m okay. That was fucking awesome." Levi let out a small sigh of relief, even as he felt conflicted about the fact that she''d enjoyed it so much. He smiled back. "Not so hard." Levi turned and scanned the others of their group. "Everyone else good?" David was already putting his bow across is back, but stopped long enough to give a thumbs up. "Yeah, I only had to drop heals on you and Joe. Not bad," Maddy answered. Joe was cleaning his sword on the grass. He didn''t speak as he stood and sheathed it, then hooked his shield onto his back. Finally, he did look up to Levi. "I need a skill or ability to shield others." He said grimly. "What? Joe, you literally stopped the drake from attacking others multiple times. You have no reason to feel bad," Levi said. After a moment, he decided to add, "I mean, I was about to blow all my mana and stamina to jump in, to intercept the drake when it was going after Paige, but I didn''t have to because you were already there." Joe nodded back at Levi. "True. But it felt too close for me." Their goblin escort was already moving in to field dress and quarter the Drake. They scurried around the adventurers, trying not to disturb them. Though, Taju did mutter, "That was awesome," as he made his way past Levi. At a loss of what to say and knowing there wasn''t anything he really could say, Levi changed the subject. "Well, let''s see what kind of experience that gave us." Levi opened his status page and was disappointed to see he''d only gained 95 experience. His stamina and mana were already lower than 80%. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "So?" Levi asked, without looking up. "I only gained 50," David said first. Levi wondered if it gave him less because of his higher level. "50," Maddy said. "75," Joe answered. "60," Paige said said. "Fuck," Levi said. "Not sure I will be able to make it to the next level before we have to fight the larger females, if we try to take out the younger females first." "What do you want to do?" Joe asked. "Not sure. I have to contibute or I won''t get experience. Surprised I got even that much experience. Probably got it because I have the lowest level. But still, chances are, especially if the younger female drakes are weaker than this one was... I won''t make it to the next level by killing them all, and I will be drained by the time we fight the stronger females." "Damn," David said. "Just let us know. We''ll follow your lead," Paige said. Part of her wanted to add that they''d make sure they took care of Levi, but she knew that would only make him feel guilty. Levi paced for a minute. "I think we stick to the plan and take out the larger females first. I may be sacrificing an earlier level by doing that, but I think we should go ahead and take out the stronger females. At least one. I will use my skills as fully as I need to. But that way, after I am completely out of mana, we only have to worry about weaker enemies." Levi looked up and caught each of their eyes. "Look, the truth is, I know I''m not that useful right now. But I can''t get you guys killed just because I want to get to the next level faster. I know you can handle the younger drakes easily. But, I need to make sure I can help with the older ones. They''re dangerous." "Are you sure?" Joe asked. Levi looked up and caught his eye. "Yeah. I don''t want to be the reason someone gets seriously hurt." Joe nodded. "And see, that''s why I respect you, Levi." ---- Levi panted, all mana and stamina gone, as he watched the life finally leave the first of the two stronger Drakes. His ears were still ringing. Paige crawled to her knees as Maddy''s heal took effect. David had taken a knee and was panting, too. Joe was still down, but Maddy was casting a heal on him. Levi checked his experience gains. He''d only gained 90 experience. He still had 210 more to go. He downed a stamina potion. He at least had stamina left, though only through potions. He still had the pink outline of a burn, from being hit by the nearly boiling blood of a drake, on his arm. Joe and Paige had been burning by it too. After everyone was up, they gathered around Levi without him asking. He felt their stares and expectations. He took a deep breath before speaking. "Well, that sucked." Was all he could manage. 43 - Hatching Plans "Well, there''s no reason for us to take on the other large female before taking out the smaller one, now. I have no mana. Bottomed out. It is going to stay that way until I level. It''s best we just try to take out the younger females and hope that gets me enough experience." "Man, that debuff is annoying," Joe said. "Yep. Tell me about it. And it is only going to get worse, harder and harder to reset. I have to figure out a better way to deal with it. I have some ideas... theories really... but that is going to take some meditation." "Hopefully, you figured it out," Paige commented. "Yeah, it is a headache. Both figuratively and literally. I have an actual constant headache from the lack of mana." Levi stood up and dusted himself off. "Well, we should get started on killing the younger drakes, I guess. Hopefully, I''ll get a level before we have to fight the next mature female. Everyone ready?" Everyone gave him nods in the affirmative, except for David, who was distracted, staring into his pack. "David... you ready, man?" Levi asked directly. "Huh?" David''s head jerked up. "Oh, yeah, let''s go." David quickly closed his pack and stood. Killing the four younger Drakes proved easy. Unfortunately, Levi wasn''t able to contribute much. ''Well, fuck,'' Levi thought as he stared at his experience points. Experience to next level: 5396/5400 "Well, fuck," Levi repeated aloud. "You''re kidding. You still didn''t level?" Paige asked. "Nope. 5396 of 5400." Levi closed his eyes and shook his head. "I swear I hate this class sometimes." "Seriously? Four fucking points away, that''s bullshit," Joe said. "Isn''t there something you can do to push those last four points?" Maddy asked. "Sparring gives some experience." Levi shook his head. "Sparring by itself doesn''t give experience unless I am learning something. No offense, but I haven''t really gained any experience from sparring you guys for a while. I could probably get some experience from sparring Paige, but without Mental Boosting, I''d never be able to compete enough to actually gain experience." "Oh, come on. It is just four fucking experience points. You can''t tell me there isn''t any way for you to pick up four experience points real fast. You always have some trick up your sleeve. Don''t tell me you can''t think your way around this problem," Joe said. "We''re not on a strict timeline, with the time dilation." Joe was right, but Levi didn''t have any ideas off the top of his head. "Give me a minute. Let me think." Levi paced. He hadn''t had a chance to work on learning any more skills. He didn''t think sparring would help. His head hurt. He felt like he wasn''t able to think as clearly as normal. "Are you alright?" Paige asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. Levi looked up and caught her gaze. "Yeah. It''s just this headache and not being able to think clearly. I''ve never gone this long with the debuff active... well... I have, but I''ve never gone this long without any mana at all. I think the lack of mana is actually making it difficult for my brain to work right. I mean, I know that this probably should be easy for me to solve. But I can''t even focus on it. Four fucking experience points feels overwhelming, and I just want to lay down and close my eyes." "That actually makes the debuff worse than you thought," Paige commented. "Yep. But I do have an idea about how to get around it. I just can''t do that right now. Not only will it take some time, but I don''t think I have the mental capability to even work that out right now." "How about we just make camp for the night?" Paige suggested. "Like Joe said, we aren''t on a strict timeline." "Yeah. That sounds good. Can you let everyone know. I just want to go clear my head for a minute." "Yeah, sure." Paige squeezed his forearm. ---- "I''m not sure it''s just the debuff affecting him," Maddy said, as she threw another stick into the fire. "What do you mean?" Joe asked. "Levi seems pretty convinced it is the debuff." "Yeah, and it probably is mostly the debuff, but I don''t think that''s all of it. He hasn''t said much about it, but I''ve been paying attention. Something happened in that fight with Eric. Levi''s hinted at it a time or two, but never said what happened outright. But he''s all but said he messed himself up somehow. It''s just a guess, but I suspect that may have something to do with it." "You know anything about it, Paige?" Joe asked. Paige thought back to what Levi had said about nearly dying when he upgraded his Core. Beyond that, he really hadn''t told her anything, and she didn''t think that had anything to do with what was going on with Levi. She just shook her head. If his Core upgrade had nothing to do with it, she wasn''t going to mention what Levi had shared with her in confidence. "Huh." Joe scratched his beard. "How about you, David, any thoughts?" "What?" David pulled his gaze away from the inside of his pack. "Oh, no, Levi doesn''t really talk to me much. I have no idea." "What''s going on with your pack? You''ve been staring into half the day," Maddy asked. David closed his pack. "Oh, just keeping a count on the arrows I have left. I''m getting low on my good arrows. But don''t worry, I should have what I need until we get back through the portal." Maddy stared at him suspiciously, but gave no further comment. "Well, we need to find out for sure. Paige, can you talk to him and find out what''s going on?" Joe said. Paige nodded. "Yeah, I''ll ask. But it really could be nothing, or he just may not want to talk about it." "Well... still, you try. Go talk to him." Joe stared at the Goblin warrior giving sword lessons to a few of the youth. He stood and started walking toward the Goblins. "And tell him I may have found a way to get him those last four experience points." The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.---- Even in meditation, Levi could feel the constant headache. It had taken him a while to locate what he thought to be the source, but he was pretty sure he understood what was causing it. Though his mana channels were empty, there were places where the mana and stamina channels now touched. When mana and stamina were both available, those spots would spark and create a new type of energy. He was still trying to understand what that was, though he theorized it was some form of hybrid energy that was somewhere in between mana and stamina. He planned on experimenting with that. He had the idea that he may be able to use it to circumvent his debuff in the future, but knew that he wouldn''t be able to make that work easily, and definitely not in his current condition. But with the way his stamina and mana channels continued to grow more entangled, he had no choice but to either figure out how to make that work or be completely crippled by it. The stamina and mana channels were getting worse by the day. What used to be clear, seperate channels of energy were slowly growing into a confusing mess. But he couldn''t do anything about that without mana. In fact, the lack of mana seemed to make the consequences of the two channels mingling even worse. And that was the problem, as far as he could tell. Now, there was no spark of a new third energy. And even as he tried to focus and his mind attempted to draw on trace amounts of mana from his channels, all it did was pull stamina from where the two energy channels touched. Every time stamina was pulled into his mana channels, a thrum of pain would go through his head. If his mana and stamina channels weren''t touching, that wouldn''t be possible. He didn''t think he''d have a headache at all. If he had mana, the two energies would mingle and create the third energy. Even if that produced some unpredictable effects, they seemed to result in a net positive. But his stamina simply being drawn into his mana channels was doing nothing but harm. It wasn''t even resulting in the new odd growths, but rather slowly causing damage to his mana channels. It wasn''t as bad as it had been after the fight with Eric, but the mana channels were definitely taking a beating. He was running out of time to solve the problem. He knew it. It almost felt like being diagnosed with a terminal illness. If he didn''t find some way to rectify what was going on, he was screwed. There was the possibility that it could literally kill him. He looked to his Core. He hadn''t focused on cycling faster since his first Core upgrade, but he did now. He didn''t think it would fix him, but if it came down to it, he would attempt a Core upgrade. So he made his Core, the main ring, and the secondary ring he could barely perceive spin even faster in their gyroscopic rotations. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder, pulling his concentration from meditation. Somehow, he knew it was Paige. "Hey, Paige," Levi said before he''d even opened his eyes. "Hey, you," Paige said as she sat down next to him. "What''s going on? Really. Full disclosure, Joe did ask me to talk to you, but I''m here for myself. And if you don''t want me to tell anyone, I won''t... but at least tell me what is going on." ---- "You took a Lians-thrak egg? Why?" Maddy demanded. "Shhh. Keep your voice down." David looked around to make sure no one had overheard. "I''m going to try to bond it as my companion when it hatches." "Have you lost your fucking mind, David? Not even Paige has tried to make friends with the drakes. They''re monsters. They''re dangerous. What even makes you think you can?" Maddy''s attempt at a whisper was almost loud enough to carry. "Shh. I got the option for an animal companion when I hit level 15. I didn''t take it at the time, because I didn''t really think there was anything I''d really be interested in. But then the egg was just there... if I can get a new Ability selection before the egg hatches, I think I can bond to it when it does. Please don''t tell anyone." Maddy stared at David for a long moment. "You''re a fucking idiot." She sighed. "Fine. But if you can''t bond to it, you better fucking kill it." "I swear, I will," David answered. ---- "So, it''s like that," Paige said. She stared at Levi, heart pounding. "Yep. It is like that," Levi answered. "And you''re sure you can merge the two before it pretty much cripples you, or worse, kills you?" Paige watched him as he answered. She silently switched her Trait Share to the Wolf''s sense of smell. "Nope. Being honest, I''m not sure I can do it. But I think I can, and I know I really don''t have a choice." "Well, at least you aren''t lying to me." She said as she tried to lean back and relax. It wasn''t working. Her heart beat hard in her chest. She hadn''t had any idea how bad Levi''s condition was. Levi turned to her and looked her in the eye. "I''m sorry I didn''t tell you sooner. But no, I wouldn''t lie to you. But please don''t tell anyone else. It is something I figure out or don''t... but sometimes, other people''s opinions, especially on my meditation stuff, just gets in the way more than it helps. I just want to do it without a bunch of other opinions confusing me." Paige stared back into his eyes. They stayed tightly slitted for a long moment, before her pupils finally relaxed into dark pools of black. "Fine. I trust you. I believe you can do it... so you better." "I''ll do my best," was the only answer Levi could honestly give. "Okay. Well, come on. I think Joe has a plan to get you to the next level. Pretty sure it involves training with the goblins." Paige lept to her feet and extended a hand down to Levi. After a second, he took her hand and stood. "I probably would have thought of that myself if my head wasn''t killing me." ---- As Levi approached, Joe gave him a smile that seemed strained. "Hey there, Devil Dog," Joe said in a tone that sounded a little too sympathetic. Levi closed his eyes in irritation. "Joe, I know you''re just trying to play the situation as cool as you can, but ''Devil Dog'' misses the mark by a lot." Levi opened his eyes and caught Joe''s concerned gaze. "I''ll be fine. And I do think this is a good idea, but you calling me Devil Dog like that feels a little forced and reminds me way too much of how we talked to young Marines with serious PTSD. Trust me, this isn''t the same. It is something else." Joe stiffened a bit. "Yeah, fair enough, but I don''t know what the fuck is going on and you aren''t telling people. I''m just trying to help you out here." "I know, Joe. I know...bu--" Before Levi could finish his thought, Paige butted in. "He''s fine, Joe. He knows what he is doing, just kind of stuck on something. But don''t worry so much. Right, Levi?" She turned her gaze to Levi. He was grateful that she was covering for him, but the pressure of not letting her down, of her trust in him, squeezed around his heart for a moment. "Yeah, that''s right," Levi finally managed to say. Joe looked back and forth between the two, face an unreadable blank mask. "Fine. I''ll trust that." Joe pushed a sheathed, short Goblin sword into Levi''s hand. "But we still need you to level. This goblin sword is close to the same length as your own Ability sword, so it should be a good sword for learning how to wield your own. You''re going to practice until you I learn something and level, and I don''t care how long that takes. We''ve got time. You need to learn to use a sword anyway." Levi nodded as he looked Joe in the eye. "Thanks, Joe. I haven''t been able to think clearly. And I''m sorry about that. But once I level, things should be fine. Thanks for thinking of this." "Just fucking train. Train until you level up. We''ll talk about everything else afterwards." ----- "No, you hold wrong." Bak-siehk, the goblin warrior said as he adjusted Levi''s grip once again. "Now sink body, go forward, go up. Thrust sword. Beneath enemy, you see. Move low, strike high." The goblins'' way of swordmanship was designed for a people who always fought larger opponents. As much as Levi hated to admit it, it was suited to his shorter Falcata styled sword, the fact that he may often be facing larger opponents in the future, and that most humans he''d ever considered threats had been taller than him. As he went through the movements the goblin showed him, he must have done something wrong, because he felt the smack from the stick the goblin wielded strike his wrist. Levi straightened. "Look. Let me try, one more time, the way I practice. Slowly." "Why slow?" The goblin asked, staring up at Levi. "Because I can focus on the movements better. Once I learn the moves well, I can go faster. Just let me try it my way," Levi was trying not to get frustrated with his goblin instructor. "Fine. You try, I watch," the goblin said with a glare up at Levi. Levi settled into the stance the goblin had shown him and closed his eyes. Slowly, he pulled his sword hand to his ribs, ducking forward and extending a foot, his whole posture very close to the ground. Then he brought his rear foot forward. After it touched the ground, he placed his other foot slightly wider, in a more solid stance, and slowly extended his body, from toe to sword-tip, at the imaginary foe." Ding. You have learned Basic Sword Form: Goblin. Ding. You have leveled. As Levi opened his eyes and gave a relaxed sigh, his goblin instructor struck him with the stick again. "Was good. Not done practicing. Focus, Spirit-bonded." Levi still smiled as he shook out the pain the Goblin had just caused his wrist. He''d done it. He''d leveled. Plus he''d learned a basic sword form. Unfortunately, his goblin instructor was far from satisfied. A Poll and an Announcement - Approaching the end of Book 1 A few days ago had this surreal moment where I realized I''m about to finish the first draft of my book. My first book, after a lifetime of struggling to finish one. It hit me a lot harder emotionally than I had expected. There will be a lot of heavy edits, some cutting, adding, etc. What is currently public isn''t actually close to the final product. I know of at least two chapters that will get cut entirely. The entire first chapter will probably be cut down to at least 2/3s of what it currently is. And to explain why this realization hit me so hard: I''ve been working off of a rough outline of the character arcs and plot (plot is built around the character arcs) this entire time, but details have been fleshed out as go.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. I realized about two weeks ago I had reached a point where it is time to land the plane on this thing. I had an idea in the outline of a final fight that was the catalyst to two huge character developments, the conclusion of their first individual arcs, and the conclusion to the first arc of their relationship. A few days ago, I finally fleshed out how that would all go in the next fight in the story. And once I did that, the story clicked in my head. It was finished. At least, in my head, though not all written. This has been a really crazy three months, guys. I will continue writing the story Happy Holidays - (Small Spoiler) Paige and Levi Status Pages Name: Paige Mandy Montoya Age: 19 Class: Untamable Beastfriend Level: 15 Experience to next level: 55/7200 Base stats: Physical Strength = 9 Physical Proficiency = 11 Mental Strength = 7 Mental Proficiency = 6 Spiritual Strength = 6 Spiritual Proficiency = 6 Skills: Beastspeak - Beastspeak allows you to speak to beast. Be aware that all beasts are different and that this ability may have a large variety of results. Advanced Sneaking Heightened Smell Heightened Hearing Expert Climbing Advanced Pounce Improved Pain Tolerance Ignore Hunger Basic Acrobatics Advanced Balance Predatory Instinct Empowered Leap Abilities: - Improved Share Traits (Beasts) - Share Traits may only be active on two targets (Beast) at a time. You may share up to two traits at a time. Depending on the depth of your friendly connection with a target, you may share traits with the intended target. While you gain a trait of the target, and they gain a trait from you, neither lose that trait while sharing.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. The deeper connection, the higher level traits may be shared. Traits include the basic senses, Stats, Skills, and Abilities, in that order. It is far easier to share the sight with a target than to share abilities. Sharing traits will often result in physical manifestations for both you and the target. These physical manifestions may persist for a short time even after you have ended this ability. There is a .01% chance a manifestation of Trait Sharing will be permanent. When this occurs, both you and the target will retain some, if not all, of the shared traits as well as the physical manifestation. This does not count as Shared Trait being active, and Shared Trait may be used on the same target or another target. - Formed by Friendship - Though not complete shape shifting, the Beastfriend will take on many of the physical qualities of a friendly beast. Unlike ''Share Traits,'' the resulting qualities may not be chosen. This Ability acts complimentary to the Ability ''Share Traits,'' and greater manifestations may occur while using both. This Ability does not increase the chance of manifesting permanent beast traits. Warning: Using this Ability will result in behavioral shifts reflecting that of the beast form taken. Beast Friends: Crows - Grumpy (Mental Communication Unlocked) Sombo (Dire Wolf) Mamacat (Bobcat) Physical Manifestation - Eyes of the bobcat. Your eyes are that of a bobcat and permanently retain both the form and the function of bobcat eyes. ---- Name: Levi Jimmer O''Hare Age: 31 Class: The Insatiable Sage Level: 13 Experience to next level: 120/6600 Base stats: Physical Strength = 9 Physical Proficiency = 9 Mental Strength = 8 Mental Proficiency = 7 Spiritual Strength = 8 Spiritual Proficiency = 8 Skills: Martial Technique Tai Chi Chuan Skill Subset - Perfect Form Basic Sword Form Goblin Empowering Flow Efficiency Flow Mental Boosting Mana Barrier Skill Subset - Mana Shield Skill Subset - Mana Platform Mana Skin Basic Dagger Proficiency Improved Grappler Advanced Pugilist Improved Dagger Throwing Advanced Pain Tolerance Abilities: My Will Made Steel - The Sage may summon a weapon that takes on the properties Willed into it. Resources will be consumed according to the properties imbued into the weapon. Resource consumption increases as more Willpower is exerted. Warning: This ability has so safety limitations, and the Sage may cause himself serious harm or death if Willpower applied overdraws on available resources. 44 - Wood on the Fire Easily evading the large Lians-thrak while using his boosting skills made fighting a drake a lot more fun than it had been before. No longer worried about completely bottoming out his stamina and mana so quickly, Levi was able to much more freely utilize his Skills. Levi twisted and ducked the snapping jaw of the Lians-thrak, delivering an upward thrust into the beast''s neck. It wasn''t an immediately lethal blow, but it was deep and blood gushed from the wound. Levi quickly retreated from the hot spray, avoiding the burns the blood could cause. As he retreated, Paige landed nimbly and tore at the drake''s throat from above with her blue Cat-Claws, rending flesh on either side. Her arms were getting soaked in its blood, but she seemed to just ignore the pain as she dug her claws in. The creature bucked, but that only caused Paige''s claws to tear the wound deeper. She looked savage, completely focused on tearing out the drake''s throat. Too focused, Levi noticed, as a whipping tail flew at her head. Paige didn''t even notice it was coming. Triggering his skills to max for a split second, Levi closed the distance just in time, getting just within range to use a Mana Shield and stop the whipping tail from striking Paige in the back of her neck. Never taking her claws away from the beast''s throat, Paige twisted at the sound of the tail smashing into his shield and saw that the drake had nearly hit her. Instead of sobering her, that knowledge only seemed to enrage her more. Her face twisted in fury. Levi thought she looked terrifying. The beastial roar that thundered from Paige''s throat made everyone falter. The roar continued as the muscles in her arms tensed, veins bulging, and she ripped at the flesh. As her claws tore free, she lept from the creature, spinning mid-air and landing in a crouch facing the drake. The drake was finished. It stumbled for a moment, blood pouring from the wounds Paige had inflicted before falling to the ground. For a long few seconds, Paige snarled at the fallen drake, panting, oblivious to the hot blood covering her body and face in burns. Everyone else stared at her, tense. Then she finally relaxed, and Levi let out the breath he didn''t know he''d been holding in. "Hey, you okay?" Maddy asked. "Yeah..." Paige was still panting. "I just got caught up in the moment, I guess.'' "Okay. Just... making sure." Maddy raised her staff and cast a heal on Paige. Paige looked down at her bloody arms. And then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Thanks for the heal. That feels better." "Yeah, any time." "That was fucking sick, Paige!" David gave her two thumbs up. "How is it that I am the highest level, and yet everyone except Joe is so much more badass than me. No offense, Joe." "No worries, I don''t get offended by bullshit," Joe answered. Levi made his way to Paige''s side. Lowering his voice so only she could hear, he asked, "Hey, you''re seriously okay? You kind of... went feral for a second." Paige smiled at him. "Yeah, I''m fine. Hazard of my class, I guess. I lost it for a minute, but it wasn''t like I lost control or anything... I just was so furious that I really, really wanted it dead." Levi nodded. "Okay." Levi raised his voice to get everyone''s attention. "Let''s go get cleaned up in that stream we passed earlier. Check your notifications and levels. Then we''ll sit down and talk about the levels we got, any new skills, and compare notes and stuff. We''ll camp here tonight and talk about the buffalo quest. Hopefully, we can get some more information from the goblins. Sound good?" Everyone gave nods and thumbs up, except Joe. "Sounds good, Boss," Joe said. For a moment, Levi was worried Joe meant it maliciously, but when Levi turned to him, Joe wore his old roguish grin. It felt like it had been a while since Levi had seen that look on Joe''s face, and he was glad to see it. Joe was back. "Okay, Captain, just remember you outrank me back at the safezone." Joe raised a hand defensively. "Okay, okay. Just kidding." ----- Levi quickly skimmed his notifications. He''d gained another level after he''d completed the Lians-thrak quest. He had known that was easily possible between the excess experience from learning the Sword Form, killing the final drake, and the quest experience, but he didn''t think he''d actually be able to gain two levels back to back. Yet, he had. Still, as happy as he was about the levels, there was something he was far more curious about. Levi''s mana and stamina regeneration had been noticeably higher than he was used to during the fight. At first, he''d assumed that it only felt that way after suffering from his debuff for so long. But, he''d burned through mana more than ever, almost recklessly, and still hadn''t completely bottomed out. He pulled up his basic stats. He hadn''t paid them any attention for a while. The small increases had never caused any changes that were immediately obvious. It had almost become routine to only skim the stat increases. Then, he''d been too focused on gaining his first Ability. After that, he was just focused on reseting Parched Soul and relieved when he had. So he''d ended up just completely skipping over his basic stat increases. Physical Strength = 9 Physical Proficiency = 10 Mental Strength = 8 Mental Proficiency = 7 Spiritual Strength = 8 Spiritual Proficiency = 7 Levi gawked at how much his stats had increased. Counting it up, he''d gained a total of six points over two levels, one in each category. But why? Usually, his stat increases from leveling were somehow correlated to whatever he''d been achieving to gain the levels. So, his stat increases for the levels would be connected to learning a sword form and fighting the drakes. That was a big assumption on his part, but following that line of thinking, that would mean that the increase in his Physical Strength and Proficiency came from the two levels he''d gained. Where did his Spiritual and Mental stats come from? Thinking back, he hadn''t even checked his stats since he''d gotten stuck in the deeper meditation. Did that trigger the stat growth? That was the only explanation he could come up with. It kind of lined up. The temptation to delve back into that place, to find out, and to see if he could push his stats further was intoxicating. He almost attempted it without a second thought. Then he remembered Paige''s arms around his neck, and the feeling of her tear-streaked face pressed against his. "Don''t you fucking dare, Levi." Levi said it out loud, making sure his own words really hit home. There''s no way he could let himself do something that stupid again. ---- Paige looked at the level 15 Abilities she was able to choose from. She was a little conflicted. The first was obviously a dud, unless she lost her circlet for some reason, but the other two presented a tough choice. Mantle of the Beastfriend - (Passive) The Mantle of the Beastfriend marks you. All beasts recognize what you are and will act in accordance. You will be recognized as a true ally to beasts. Predators will not attack you. Beasts will be more likely to interact with you in a friendly nature. Some beasts may seek you out, initiating a friendship or alliance, showing respect, or even offering quests. Other than the last part of the Ability, Paige saw it as having very similar effects to her circlet. It was a waste of an Ability in her opinion. But the next two were a tough choice. Predator''s Sustenance - A Beastfriend is as much Beast as Friend. Predation is a natural part of life. You have shown yourself capable of being ally or predator, embracing the cycle of life. While you can not befriend prey, you can take sustentance from them. You may take one trait from the last beast you preyed upon. This trait slot counts separately from the ''Share Trait'' Ability. Preying on the same beast frequently may unlock higher teir traits.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Paige almost felt bad for considering it. But a girl had to eat, and that aside, she was sure she''d be fighting more beasts like the Lians-thrak in the future. It only made sense that she should leverage that as a strength. It also didn''t seem to have any conflict with her class at all. She couldn''t see a disadvantage. In fact, she was certain this was probably the most useful Ability she''d been offered. But the next Ability just spoke to her. Formed by Friendship - Though not complete shape shifting, the Beastfriend will take on many of the physical qualities of a friendly beast. Unlike ''Share Traits,'' the resulting qualities may not be chosen. This Ability acts complimentary to the Ability ''Share Traits,'' and greater manifestations may occur while using both. This Ability does not increase the chance of manifesting permanent beast traits. Warning: Using this Ability will result in behavioral shifts reflecting that of the beast form taken. She knew the Ability sounded a bit risky, with the warning about behavioral changes that it included. She knew that she''d probably benefit more from the second Ability offered. But all she could think about was how well it could work with her Share Traits Ability and wonder... would she be able to actually fly if she used them together? That thought alone was enough to seal her decision. She didn''t even worry for a second about what the others might think about her choice. She selected the Ability, consequences be damned. ---- Maddy and David were the last of the group to settle around their fire. No one was surprised, and the reason was pretty obvious, but Joe decided he''d make sure it was clear as they settled in together. "Well, I''m glad you guys enjoyed rubbing off all the aftermath from the fight." Joe''s tone was light and playful, and he wore a smile that seemed more genuine than he''d had in a while. He was leaning back against his pack, casually playing with a tuft of grass he''d pulled up. David blushed and looked like he was about to splutter out a reply, but Maddy leaned closer against David and squeezed his arm. "Yeah, felt nice to scrub off so thoroughly. A few times. But we''ll be back to the safezone soon, and maybe Iara can scrub those hard to reach places for you." David tensed, the blush on his face making him look more tomato than man. But Joe gave a gentle, lighthearted laugh. "Yeah, and you can bet I''ll be scrubbing her back too... hard. I''m glad you kids are finding your happiness." The smile on Joe''s lips was calm and peaceful. And that made Levi suspicious. "Okay, Joe. Spill the beans. You''re the one acting like you just had the lay of your lifetime. Don''t get me wrong, I''m happy to see it, but..." Levi waved an arm at Joe. "What gives, man? Why suddenly in such a light-hearted mood." Levi had expected Joe to dodge the question, but instead, the man shot straight up from his relaxed postion, grin spreading even wider. "Okay, I''ve been waiting to tell everyone, but I could barely hold it in. I finally did it." When Joe didn''t specify, Levi pressed. "Okay... did what exactly?" Joe''s eyes locked on Levi, and a brief flash of some unreadable expression on his face. "The thing I have been needing, lacking, this whole time. I have a way of protecting people better now. It is my level 15 Ability." Joe paused, watching their reactions. Levi was about to press him again before Joe continued. "Gift of Second Chances. That''s the ability. I can use it on any defensive Skill or Ability I have, and I can use it on each of them, so I don''t have to pick just one. I can apply my defensive Abilities and Skills on other people now, rather than myself. My Skill that absorbs the first hit? My Ability that stops me from dying if I receive a fatal blow? I can put them on others. I can finally save people." "Joe, you have already saved people..." Levi started to say. He immediately knew it was the wrong thing, so he quickly corrected himself before Joe did it for him. "...but yeah, that''s amazing. Now you save even more. Congrats, man, I''m happy for you." Joe''s smile brightened at Levi''s congratulations, but his words were remarkably somber as he answered. "Yeah. Exactly. And I know that the way I think isn''t the most healthy mentality to have, but for once, I don''t feel quite as powerless. Thanks for understanding and respecting that." Levi responded with a single grim nod. "I do get it, man. I do." Joe leaned over and put a hand on Levi''s shoulder. With a single squeeze and a solemn nod, Levi knew that Joe was done talking about it. "How about everyone else?" Levi decided to move the conversation along before things got awkward. "Dude, I barely made it to level 16. Experience requirements get higher and higher. But Maddy got something really good for her level 15 Ability." David nudged Maddy. "Tell them, Babe." This time, it was Maddy who blushed. Levi wasn''t sure if it was because she was more comfortable trading barbs about sex-lives than putting herself in the spotlight about her capabilities, or if it was because David had reflexively called her ''Babe'' in front of everyone for the first time. That was a mystery he immediately dismissed as not worth knowing as Maddy began to explain. "I was given three choices. The first was an area heal that slowly healed everyone over time. I really considered it, but Joe has awesome defense, you have great defense and the ability to escape, Paige is the Houdini of dodging blows, and David and I have always avoided most of the damage simply because we fight from a distance. It just didn''t seem that useful. The second was an Ability to increase Stamina and Mana regeneration of nearby allies by 50%. I almost selected that until I saw the third option. The third option was an Ability to increase Stamina and Mana regeneration of myself or a single ally by 200% and reduce all cooldowns by 50%. And, I thought about how much stamina and mana you use, Levi, and it seemed like a good choice on gut reaction, but then..." "Hold on..." Levi interrupted. His face took on a look of horror. "You know me and Paige are leaving soon, right. You won''t..." Levi was cut off by David. "If you''d shut up and listen, you might actually get the bigger picture." After giving Levi a brief glare, David nudged Maddy to continue. "As I was saying... that was my first thought. And then I considered that the party composition was going to change. However, I can use it on myself. Next to you, I have the most need for mana regeneration. Plus, lowering all of my cooldown times on Spells, Skills, and Abilities by 50% would literally double the amount of heals and support I can provide, given I have the mana. And the Ability is flexible enough to use on others, depending on the group composition and situation." Levi hung his head a moment, then slowly nodded before looking up to Maddy and speaking. "Sorry for interrupting. When you put it like that, it makes a lot of sense. I was just worried you''d selected it so you could apply it to me in every fight." "Thank you." Maddy said in barely more than a whisper. "She''s smart," David said. "You''re not the only one who thinks things through." David was clearly still feeling defensive of Maddy. "Yeah, sorry, man. Spoke too soon." Levi answered. "How about you, Paige?" Levi asked, shifting the focus again. "Well, how about you?" Paige asked, with a grin. "Honestly, I got two levels, but I''m still two levels from 15." Levi shrugged. "Doesn''t matter anyway, because my class doesn''t offer any Abilities no matter what level I get." Levi considered mentioning his increased stats but decided against it. He might tell Paige later when they were alone, but he felt like keeping expectations of him lower would be better in the long run. "But again... how about you?" "I selected a shifting Ability. It kind of works like share traits, but also stacks with it. I take on more of the form of the animals, but I don''t have any control over it." Paige kept her posture relaxed but mentally braced herself for Levi''s questions. He did have questions, but they weren''t what Paige expected. "So, what made you go with that? Just the synergy with your Share Trait Ability or something else?" Levi''s voice didn''t sound critical. Paige actually put some thought into answering before she spoke. "Honestly, the deciding factor was how it might help me actually use the crow wings to fly. But... I guess it also just fits the direction I want to go with my class, and I think I''ll have a whole lot of fun with it." Levi bobbed his head in the ambiguous gesture the goblins always used. They must have rubbed off on him. Paige was pretty sure Levi hadn''t even noticed he done it himself. "That''s fair reasoning. I can''t wait to see what you can do with it." Levi answered. David butted in suddenly. "Wait, wait, wait... you were going to give Maddy shit about her choice, but don''t even bother to ask Paige more questions?" Levi raised his hand defensively. "You misunderstood why I questioned Maddy. I would have felt guilty if Maddy had only picked her Ability just so she could use it on me. That would weigh on me. But it isn''t my place to tell people what to choose for themselves. You all have your own classes and futures. I only want you guys to tell me so I can think out strategies for the next fights. I may be leading the group right now, but I''m not trying to control the directions you want to take your classes." David''s eyes remained narrowed for a moment before he finally relaxed. He scratched at the back of his head. "Yeah, man, that makes sense. I just don''t want anyone picking on Maddy or playing favorites. Guess I just took that the wrong way." "I know I haven''t really had the time to build up a lot of trust as a leader, so I get it. But I swear, I really am just trying to look out for everyone as best I can." David nodded. "Well, now that we''ve covered all that... we''re definitely going to need to test things. If everyone is fine with it, I say we either spar tomorrow or find another way to test out our new capabilities. We can strategize after. Between now and then, just pick up whatever information you can from the Goblins and relax. Sound good?" "Sounds good, Boss," David said with a smirk. Levi shot a glare at Joe rather than David, though. "See what you''ve started." ---- "You did good handling David." Joe squeezed Levi''s shoulder. "He''s all hormones and completely caught up because he''s sleeping with her. But you handled it well." "Thanks, Joe. That means a lot coming from you. But, David''s a good guy." "True." Joe glanced to David and Maddy. "He''s a good kid. You still did good, though." "Thanks. But I wanted to take some time to talk to Paige alone tonight, so we can talk later." Joe grinned. "About time you put some wood on that fire." "It''s not like that," Levi gave a light laugh. "Just..." Joe gave Levi a light, playful punch in the shoulder. "May not be like that for you. But if you get that girl alone again, I doubt your plans will have fuck-all to do with how things play out... but go. Go do what you need to do, brother." As Levi approached Paige, he expected his nerves to get to him. They didn''t. He felt calm. Even when the intensity of her beauty hit him full in the face, he just felt content. But as she noticed Levi''s approach and smiled at him, his stomach did flip a little, but he didn''t hesitate. "Hey... want to go for a walk with me?" 45 - Too Late to Say Goodbye Paige had no idea where Levi was leading her. She was pretty sure he just wanted to spend time with her, but with Levi, it was really hard to be sure. He smelled a little nervous, but he always smelled nervous. It was different this time, she smelled a hint of excitement and happiness, too. As she walked beside the stream of flowing water with him, matching his casual pace, she felt his hand reach out and grasp hers lightly. Her stomach fluttered at the feeling, and she quickly twined her fingers into his. She looked to see his expression, but he didn''t turn to look at her, just kept walking forward. Levi sighed deeply next to her, but this time, she did recognize the sigh as a good one. As Levi exhaled, Paige felt some of the tension leave him through the hand she held. Paige decided to break the silence. "So, where are we going?" Levi didn¡¯t answer immediately, but he didn''t tense up or change his posture, either, keeping his relaxed pace. "I''d rather it be a surpise," Levi finally answered, turning to give her a gentle smile. Paige felt an ache in her chest when she realized that gentle, genuine smile was for her. She looked away, suddenly feeling vulnerable. ''It''s just a crush,'' she told herself. After that, they walked in silence. Paige felt the nerves and butterflies thrumming through her. She thought it was a little stupid, how she''d always felt confident and at ease when she''d been pursuing him and he''d been the one putting up walls and resisting, but now she felt all timid and flustered with anticipation. After another ten minutes or so, Levi finally spoke again. "I think we''re about here." He pointed to the other side of a stream, where a small tree stood alone at the top of the low hill. The sun was almost setting on the other side. "You think you can jump across to the other side?" "Pffft. Easy." Paige released his hand, then tensed her legs and sprung across, landing lightly on the other side of the stream. She turned to look at where Levi still stood on the other side of the stream, except... he wasn''t there. She felt a tap on her shoulder and spun to see Levi''s grinning face. "But how... oh you asshole, you used your boosting skills." She feigned anger, but she couldn''t hold back her smile. "Was that cheating?" "Well, I didn''t know it was a race in the first place," Paige protested. "Want a rematch? We can race to the tree if you want." Levi''s smile had never seemed so happy to Paige before. It was always genuine, but it always seemed like there was still something sad just behind his eyes. Now, she didn''t sense any sadness in them at all. She took a deep breath in through her nostrils. He was still nervous, but it was different. He smelled content, happy, and all his nerves smelled of excitement and anticipation. Paige felt the blood rise to her cheeks. She gave Levi a light, playful shove. "How about you just get back to holding my hand and being the gentleman you were before you decided to be a show-off." He stared down at her for a moment and then reached out to take her hand. She wondered what it was he wanted to show her. She didn''t think it was the tree. True, there weren''t many in these plains, but it was still just a tree. As they topped the hill, it became obvious what he''d wanted to show her. The grass here was much shorter than the tall yellow blades in most of the plains. A variety of colors speckled the shorter grass as far as she could see. Fall flowers filled the rolling plains in front of them. "Wow. That''s beautiful," Paige said. "Yeah. I thought it would be nice to watch the sunset here together. They reminded me of you. It probably sounds silly, but I''ve kind of always thought you as some kind of wildflower." Paige let out a small laugh as a pulse of delight flooded through her. "What? Really?" "Yeah. I''m not exactly sure why, other than that you''re obviously both beautiful and wild. But I had this thought once that if you were a flower someone tried to trap in a garden, it wouldn''t be long before you took that whole damned garden over." After a moment, Levi tensed and turned to Paige. "That probably sounds really corny." Paige wrapped her arm around Levi''s, took his hand, and leaned against him. "I liked it.'' "I''m glad." Levi''s face was red. He unslung his pack, pulled out his cloak, and laid it out beneath the tree. "Want to sit down and watch the sunset with me?" He asked as he straightened and turned to her. "Yeah, that''d be great." For a long time, they just sat together, watching the sunset in a content quiet. Paige nestled herself into Levi''s side, arms and fingers intertwined. Levi was the one to finally break the silence. "You know, I feel like every time we''ve hung out together, we''ve always been talking about me in some form or another. We haven''t really talked about you much." "Uh... what do you want to know?" Paige felt a pang of worry twist in her stomach. There wasn''t really anything great about her. What if he realized that and lost interest. "Well, I don''t know. How about you tell me something about you." Paige felt put on the spot. Before she could spit out some dismissive comment, Levi interrupted her thoughts. "Yeah, sorry. I guess it''s kind of hard to just talk about yourself when someone asks like that. How about we just take turns asking some questions. But... I get two questions to your one. It''s fair because I already told you a lot." Paige felt a little relieved at Levi understanding that she felt put on the spot. She smiled up at him. "Okay. I guess that''s fair." "Okay then. Let me think." Levi stared into the distance for a moment, brows furrowed. "Okay, how about this... if you could choose any superpower, what would you choose?" Paige stared at Levi in disbelief. "That''s your question?" Levi turned to her and saw the look she was giving him. He just grinned at Paige and explained. "Seriously, you can tell a lot from a person by the superpower they pick." "No. It''s stupid. Plus, we already kind of have powers." Paige felt both nervous about the question and stupid for feeling that way, but she thought he probably expected some kind of thought-out answer, and she didn''t have one. "Okay," Levi said gently. "How about this, I''ll count to three, and we answer the question together." Paige rolled her eyes in response. "Seriously, humor me," Levi insisted. Paige finally let out a small sigh. "Fine."Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! "On three. One, two, three..." Levi counted down. "Flight," Paige and Levi answered at the same time. Paige smiled when she heard his matching answer. Then Levi started laughing. "What''s so funny?" Paige said as she tried to pull her arm away from his. His grip tightened just enough to stop her from pulling away as he answered. "I''m sorry for laughing...I just thought it was funny how much you didn''t want to answer, and then our answers were the same. Just kind of funny." With her free hand, Paige put her fingers on Levi''s cheek and pushed his face away from hers. "Your face is funny." Levi turned back with a grin, and returned the gesture, pushing her face away from him. "Well, I still think your face is beautiful." As she turned her head back to Levi, she completely forgot what she was going to say, as his lips met hers. It wasn''t like their first two kisses. It didn''t have the sexual urgency or pressure. It didn''t feel hungry, like it wanted to take her all in. Instead, it was tender and giving. It was slow and deliberate, as if he was savoring the way her lips felt, and she felt her chest tighten when his hand touched her cheek. Paige almost lost control then, but somehow, as if he could feel her desire building, he pulled away before she made the kiss more intense. For a moment, he just looked her in the eyes with a content smile on his face. Paige wanted him, bad. There was a feeling of longing, an ache in her lower stomach, for him. Paige just wanted to jump on him, press him into the ground and make him satisfy that need. For a split second, she was afraid she was going to do just that, but got herself under control. Levi had said he wanted to know more about her, and had made a point to bring it up. She should at least try. "So, what''s you next question?" Paige managed to say. Her throat still felt tight, causing her voice to come out a little strained.. Levi grinned and ran his fingers through his hair. "Hell, I don''t know. I guess I didn''t think this through. Let me think... um... why''d you pick your class?" "I didn''t, actually. I let Mr. Stowe pick my class," Paige said quietly. Levi jerked and stared at her in disbelief. "You just let the entity choose your class? Why? ...I mean, in retrospect it probably had your best interest at heart, but still. Why?" Paige was about to shrug off the question, give some nonchalant answer about being carefree. He probably would have believed it. But he''d actually opened up a lot to her. She decided to just tell him the truth, and told Levi about her entire interaction with Mr. Stowe. She did omit the part about not wanting to feel like she had to earn love, though. There were some things that she just wasn''t going to share. Levi sat in thought for a while after she finished. Paige''s chest tightened as she waited for his response. Would he think her mentality was stupid or childish? And then, without looking up, he squeezed her hand gently. "It really isn''t fair," He finally said. Paige waited on him to clarify, but he still stared blankly at the ground, so she asked. "What isn''t fair?" Levi finally looked up at her. "They always expect you to either have it figured out or do what they think is best. All based on their own regrets and lack of accomplishment. Not just parents, but parents especially. That''s why I went into the Marine Corps." Levi paused for a moment, then deliberately looked Paige directly in her eyes. "I''m sorry you felt like that, and I think Mr. Stowe did a good job picking your class. But trust me, it was completely normal to not know what you wanted to do with your life. That kind of pressure is what keeps us from figuring that out in the first place... I mean, I believe that, at least." Paige wasn''t sure what she was feeling. She knew it was good. She was happy that Levi hadn''t thought it was stupid. But, he''d also been understanding about the way she''d felt. He''d been something she really hadn''t known she''d even wanted before that moment. And all she could do was hug his arm, press her cheek into his shoulder, and then curse herself that she couldn''t hold back the tears. Levi didn''t say anything about her crying. He pulled his arm free of hers, and she was afraid he was pulling away, but then his arm wrapped across her back and he pulled her tighter against him. His free hand came across and grabbed her hand, pulling it onto his lap where he just held it. They stayed like that for a while. Long after her tears had stopped, Levi pulled away from her. His face looked worried as she turned to him. "Paige, I know you''re younger than me, but...I never actually knew... how old are you, exactly?" He finally asked. Paige''s heart seized in her chest, but she answered defiantly. "I just turned 19 a week or two ago. Why? You going to break things off now that you know how young I am?" For a moment he just looked at her. He went slightly pale and looked confused and worried. She smelled a small amount of fear. Then, he closed his eyes and his face relaxed. When he opened his eyes, he wore a gentle smile. His eyes met hers with unapologetic confidence. "Nope. I reckon I''m just hooked, now." Her heart fluttered, but she relaxed. Paige had been sure he was going to push her away again, but he hadn''t. She turned to look back at the sun, almost completely behind the horizon. "Thank you for bringing me here. It''s beautiful." "Hey, I got you something. I guess it''s good timing too, even though you never told anyone you had a birthday." Levi pulled away from her and reached into his pack. He pulled out something small, and held out his open hand. In his palm was a wooden, hand-carved flower. It looked almost like a sunflower, yet somehow different. It was like he''d tried for a wildflower, thought of a sunflower, and had landed somewhere in-between. The carving only consisted of the bulb and petals, with no stem, and roughly the shape of a large coin. Still, Paige thought it was beautiful. She loved it. "You carved this? For me?" Paige asked. "Yeah. I told you that you reminded me of a wildflower. I didn''t know you just had a birthday, but I guess happy belated birthday." "It''s beautiful," Paige said as she took the small sculpture from his hand. "Thank you." Paige felt tears forming in her eyes, again. But she was done crying. Instead, she threw her arms around Levi and drove him onto his back, her lips pressed against his. She felt him tense beneath her as she straddled his waist, then felt his tension relax. For a moment, he melted beneath her, and she couldn''t help but thrust against his hips, pressing him harder between her legs. Then his body became taut again, no longer resisting, but no longer relaxed, as he took control. She felt his hands explore her, his lips press firmly against hers, and his body thrust beneath her. And then he was on top of her. She pulled at his tunic, and he bit at the bindings on his bracers to help. In a frenzy they tugged at each other''s clothes and gear. Levi freed himself easily, with her urging and help. But, when Levi failed to easily remove hers, he just tore at them or moved them aside. And then everything that had been building, what she''d wanted, needed at that point, all finally came to fruition as she felt him inside her, his breath on her neck, and his hands on her body like it was his to use. ----- Paige was asleep on his chest. Levi couldn''t sleep. He stared into the stars trying to reconcile how he felt about everything. Conflicted for sure. The notification he''d gotten was kind of funny. Ding. Enriching Experience has reset Parched Soul of the Sage. Parched Soul of the Sage has been paused for 36 hours. It had been amazing. Paige had been amazing. He hadn''t even known how badly he had wanted her. Flashes of the sex they had went through his mind, and he grinned, despite the conflicting and confused guilt he felt. She was young. Too young. He looked down at her sleeping face, and felt the emotion wash over him. She was so fucking young, and yet that didn''t mean a damned thing. Levi knew what he was feeling. ''Way too soon. Damn.'' "I am so fucked," He whispered to himself. Levi had spoken quietly enough that he didn''t think it would disturb her, but Paige still rolled off his chest and away from him. She immediately pressed her butt into his side as she readjusted herself and got comfortable on her side. Levi looked at the sky again. What was he supposed to do? It was selfish, but he wanted, needed to be with her so much. ''Fuck.'' Finally, Levi came to a realization and made himself a promise. He had already been fucked up. He''d already seen heartbreak. But she was young, and she had a chance to never be fucked up or fucked over like he had. He decided, no matter what happened, he was going to love her. He was going to be good to her. He was going to protect her. If she broke his heart, he could live with that. He''d had it broken before. But he''d make sure he wasn''t the person who broke hers. He felt peace as he made the promise to himself. The smile he''d felt he hadn''t deserved finally found its way to his lips as he reached his conclusion. That''s what he''d do. He''d just be as good as he could for her. After a while of laying next to Paige appreciating the relaxed content he''d only just let himself feel, he slowly pulled away from her. He eased away and crawled from his cloak, doing his best to not disturb her. The night air was cold, so he lifted the cloak to wrap it over her. He paused for a moment to give Paige''s booty another good look, then reached out and gave it a gentle squeeze. She had an amazing ass, and if he was going to be with her, Levi was definitely going to appreciate the perks. Then he tucked his cloak around her. After he''d gathered all his gear and gotten dressed, Levi made his way to the other side of the tree. Unsheathing his dagger, he did something he''d never done in his life. He almost felt like a silly teenager even thinking of it. As Levi dug into the tree''s bark, he was happy that his basic carving Skills made the task easier. It took him at least 20 minutes to finish the job, but he was satisfied with the result. Stepping back, Levi looked at his work. Carved into the tree was a heart with the words ''Levi & Paige'' carved inside it. 46 - Operation Penetrate, Maddy! "Holy hell, that''s fucking huge," David said. They all lay on their belly watching as the stone-skinned troll lumbered through the plains. Occasionally, it would jerk on the golden chain it held to urge the captive bison to hurry up. The troll elite''s shoulders were level with the white buffalo''s shoulders. Levi had his suspicions it was larger than the average buffalo, too. "Paige and David, can either of you tell how far away that thing is? It''s massive. Kind of throws off my perception of distance, if I am being honest." "Give me a second," Paige said as her eyes went white and the crow took wing. "I''d say about 250 meters," David answered. "But let''s see what Paige has to say." Levi nodded, and the group of adventurers just stared at Paige as she saw through the crows eyes. After a moment, her eyes fluttered and returned to their normal catlike slits. "Rough guess, about two to three football fields," Paige finally answered. "So they are both really fucking big. Great." Levi stared at the elite. "What do you guys think? That''s definitely way beyond a normal troll, based on what we''ve been told. Plus, we''re not sure how the buffalo is going to play into things." Joe was the first to respond. "Hmmm. Their ability to heal quickly was one of the worst things to deal with. If your sword can cut through that the way it did my ability, we might not have any problems." "Yeah, that''s not going to work," Levi disagreed. First, I know that the only reason I pierced through your skill like that was because we''ve sparred so much, so I understood it and was able to conceptualize it to use with my Ability. But that aside, even if I could do that, it took way too much mana and stamina to risk it in a life or death fight. I do plan on trying to use my blade with some sort of burning or fire intent, though. That will help." "Okay, so you can''t just ignore its powers. Noted. But even slowing down the healing should help." Joe responded. Before Levi could answer, David butted in. "My normal arrows aren''t going to do shit to that thing. Not with the stone skin. I may be able to aim for the eyes, maybe tendons in the ankles and stuff, and my Ability may do some serious damage, but that''s only one shot. I may be able to find some weak spots, but the truth is, I''m going to be almost useless in this fight." "I mean, I can heal you guys, thow Levi my buff, but I''m pretty sure my crowd contol spell will barely even slow her down," Maddy commented. Levi looked to Paige, who just stared at the elite in the distance. "Paige? Opinions?" "My instincts are telling me that it''s dangerous. Really, really dangerous. But they''re also telling my daggers'' poison will probably work. But that''s gut instinct. I think if I can hit it enough, something will happen. But that''s all I have to add," Paige answered. "Well fuck. None of you are making me feel super confident about this fight," Levi said. "So what do you want to do, boss?" Joe asked. Levi glared at the use of the term ''boss,'' but had already resigned himself to retaliate with the overuse of ''captain'' for Joe later. "Honestly, I don''t know 100% that we can win this fight. And I don''t want to get anyone killed by rushing in and trying to beat her without having some sort of idea of what we''re up against. That being said, we won''t really know what we''re up against until we see what she can do. I think the best thing is to go in for a skirmish, planning on a retreat, learn as much as we can, and then get out of there." "What if we can''t get away? I''m not that fast. Joe''s not that fast," Maddy pointed out. "Well, I think that you, Joe, and David should probably start retreating first. Me and Paige can buy a little time. Once you guys get some distance, Paige can run. Then, once everyone''s a safe distance away, I can burn my stamina and mana tanks and use my boosting skills, and get away fast. That''s if she isn''t easier to fight than expected." Levi explained. "What''s the point of taking the risk at all?" Joe asked. Levi looked at Joe. "Simply put, no reward without the risk. If we ever have to face another ''Eric'' again, I want to be strong enough to kick their teeth in without breaking a sweat. You should understand that." Levi looked back in the direction of the troll elite. "Also, I am definitely not wanting to risk much. I say we go in just to gather information. We find out how tough it is, learn what it is capable of, play it safe, and get the fuck out before shit gets too hairy." "Yeah. Okay, so a risk worth taking, and we play it safe. I guess I can live with that." Joe grumbled. "I''m not leaving this one up to me. We vote on this," Levi stressed. "If even one person thinks the risk is too great, we walk away now." "You made your point. I''m in. For a quick recon skirmish, but that''s it. We book it as soon as things get dicey." Joe answered. "I''m going to stay as far away as possible, and I''m running as soon as it looks bad or you make the call. I''m counting on you to let me get away... but yeah. I''m with you. If we face another Eric, we need to be as strong as possible," Maddy answered. David stared at Maddy for a long moment. "You''re sure?" When Maddy just gave David a curt nod in response, David looked to Levi. "Then I guess you have your answer. And who knows, maybe fighting this thing will unlock some abilities that have a little more punch to them." Levi gave him a grim nod and then turned to Paige. "How about you. You in?" Paige stared out over the plains at the white buffalo and troll elite. She hadn''t even registered that Levi was speaking to her. "Paige." Levi used her name to get her attention. When she jerked her head in Levi''s direction, he asked again. "Are you in?" Confusion crossed her face for a moment before she answered. "The fight? Uh... yeah." She gestured toward the troll elite and buffalo in the distance. "Did you even need to ask. White...buffalo..." Levi narrowed his eyes. "And you heard what I said about retreating?" "Yes! Jesus Christ. I was listening, Levi." Levi took in a deep breath through his nose and pushed down the mild frustration. "Okay. Just making sure. Guess that settles it. Then let''s come up with a plan." "Can I add a little something," Maddy said to get their attention. "Probably sounds weird coming from the group healer, but we should go in hard. See how much damage we can do as fast as possible. Maybe we''ll get lucky. And... I have this thing I have been working on, based on the way Levi uses his mana. But an attack, not a defensive skill." Everyone looked at Maddy. Everyone seemed somewhat surprised, except David. He just looked smug. "Explain," Levi said. "Well, it takes concentration. I have to focus for at least twenty seconds for even a basic one. That''s why I don''t use it in combat. But I can basically push my mana into a protectile or arrow thing. It kind of explodes when it lands. The sharper and arrow-like I shape it, the deeper it goes, and it the explosion seems to have way more destructive power." "And you didn''t mention this because..." Paige started. Levi raised his hand and gave Paige a stern look. "She''s in charge of healing us. She''s been doing that. She obviously isn''t able to use it freely, yet." Levi''s gaze turned back to Maddy. "How long to charge one that you think can do any serious damage to a troll, and how much mana will it cost you. We still need you to have plenty of mana to heal us in the fight." Maddy thought for a moment, closing her eyes. After a moment, she opened them and answered. "The mana cost isn''t as big as you''d think. A big shot, one that does some serious damage, even probably enough to deal a decent hit on that troll, barely costs more than me casting my crowd control twice. But it does take a long time to condense it into something that potent. I''d say about a minute."If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Levi grinned and looked around at the group. "I bet we can work with that." ---- "We are not calling it operation ''Penetrate Maddy.'' Absolutely not." David said. "No, no, you''re saying it wrong," Paige argued. "It''s ''Penetrate, Maddy!''" "Yeah, what''s wrong? We run operation Penetrate Maddy every day, more than once most of the time. What''s wrong with having a nice ''Penetrate, Maddy'' plan for once?" Maddy said playfully. "You know... I hear the comma, I really do... but no. It''s not right." David whined. "Yeah, yeah, we get it. ''Maddy, Penetrate!'' probably sounds a lot more natural for you," Levi chimed in. "But that makes it sound like we''re using Maddy like a Pok¨¦mon. I don''t care what you''re into, but that''s a little bit much for the rest of us." "Maddy... come on," David pleaded. "Are you really just going to go along with it?" "Go along with it? You already forgot I''m the one who pitched the name?" Maddy answered with a wink. David''s shoulders slumped, and he let out a small groan. Joe clapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, don''t take it so hard, big guy. I was all for operation ''Penetrate, David!'' But you''re the one who said your...uh, arrow... wasn''t quite up to the task." "I hate all of you," David muttered. Levi let out a soft chuckle. "Alright, alright. We''ve got the plan, now let''s see how we do. You all ready?" He received nods from everyone. "Alright then, I guess I''ll meet you on the battlefield." ---- Paige slipped through the grass silently. She wasn''t used to the dense growth around her, but she had navigated pine thickets and briars many times during her time with Mama-cat. The tall blades were noisier, but she''d honestly pick sneaking through the tall grass over ducking dense limbs, getting poked in the eyes with pine needles, and getting pricked and hung up on briars. She slowed her approach as she began to hear the footfalls of the troll and buffalo. With her heightened hearing, that was still fairly far way, but she did take each step more carefully, crouching just below the tips of golden grass blades. When she could hear the labored breath of the buffalo and the snorting inhale and growling exhale of the troll elite, she ducked lower and paused. Grateful for her new mental link with the crow, Grumpy, she tuned herself into his vision and mentally asked him a question as her vision adjusted to his sight. ''How''s everyone''s progress?'' ''Levi is following your lead without any problems. He is moving extra slow, and Maddy is right behind him. David seems to be almost within firing range, if I my guess is good. Joe is moving slower, but will be only a minute or so behind David.'' As Grumpy spoke to her, his vision shifted between the adventurers, verifying his assessment of the situation. ''That''s pretty good. You know I don''t appreciate how smart you are enough, sometimes,'' Paige praised the crow. ''All due respect, Miss, I''ve never known you to appreciate how smart any of us crows are.'' ''Well, being an asshole won''t help your cause,'' Paige retorted. Paige continued to watch through the crows eyes as he circled. Their group only had two directions of approach, but they all moved at different speeds, especially when stealth was involved. And the troll elite was still on the move. Even as she watched, David easily corrected his course to intercept the troll and buffalo''s path. The problem was that the troll elite meandered in a way that was unpredictable. And, though it kept a slow pace, its sheer size meant that each lumbering step kept it at the brisk pace of a human jog. David was up to the challenge, though. He adjusted his pace and angle of approach as he needed. Paige could actually see the look of determined concetration as David got into position. She regretted how she had misjudged him in their first meeting, but she quickly dismissed the thought. Now wasn''t the time for that. With her thought, the crow shifted its gaze to Levi and Maddy trailing behind her. They were only thirty seconds behind, at most. But she had to move. The troll was still moving, and she had to follow. ''Let me know when David is completely in position.'' Paige stopped sharing the crows vision and moved. She made her way to the edge of the flattened plains grass, trampled by the troll and buffalo, but stayed deep enough within the untouched grass to remain hidden as she followed their path. For what seemed like way too long, she followed as quietly as she could. She started to wonder if something was wrong as the minutes ticked by. The Grumpy finally gave her an update. ''The bowman is ready, miss.'' His telepathic voice spooked her slightly, but Paige was able to keep herself from jumping or overreacting at the communication. ''Everyone else?'' Paige asked. ''Close enough by my reckoning,'' Grumpy responded. Yet her vision still quickly shifted to the locations of her teammates, by the crow''s intent rather than hers this time. ''Well.'' Paige took in a deep breath. ''Give the signal.'' Immediately, Grumpy''s caw rang out over the future battlefield. Paige waited a beat, for her signal. Then the second caw rang out, and she took off in a sprint. ----- Levi took off in a sprint the moment he heard the first caw. He heard Maddy falling behind, but he had to trust her to be where she needed to be and do what she needed to do. He believed she would. He knew that somewhere ahead of them, David was already charging his Ability. The second caw rang out. And Levi pushed himself a little harder. He didn''t use any of his boosting skills, but he knew that Paige had just started her role in the opening attack. He needed to make sure he was there in time. For what felt like an eternity, the only sounds he heard were the grass rustling around him, his breath, his feet pounding the ground, and his heart pounding in his ears. Then, he could see the tops of the troll and buffalo over the tall grass. He never wanted to hear a crow caw so much in his life and, at the same time, hoped he''d be close enough when it did. His silent prayers were answered as he broke through to the trampled grass of the troll and buffalo and watched as she slashed at the joint of both knees. In one fluid motion, Paige had cut at the back of both knees, then ankles, then backflipped from where the troll was now spinning toward her. As suspected, the dagger hadn''t done much damage. But it had gotten the troll''s attention. Paige had already created a safe distance but still turned and ran directly toward Levi. She winked and smiled at him as she passed and then fell in behind him. The troll lumbered toward them with a roar, and Levi suddenly felt a lot less confident about the situation. And then the third caw rang out, and a brilliant bolt of green light flashed across the battlefield from behind the troll. In an instant, David''s fully charged arrow had completely blown through the troll elite''s skull and straight out of its eye. Levi watched as it burst like a balloon, not even twenty-five meters away. He felt the troll''s eye juices mist his face as he maintained he steady stride toward the troll. For a split second, Levi was afraid the troll would continue chasing Paige, and their plan would go down the drain completely. Then, with a thunderous roar, the troll elite spun to face the new, bigger threat and charged David full speed. Yet, even then, the troll elite never relinquished its grip on the golden chain tethered to the buffalo. Levi''s mind, occupied with the fight, still registered that and that the chain was attached to two holes drilled through the buffalo''s horns, one in each. Something about that made his stomach clench, but he didn''t have time to think more on it as the troll charged at David. As Levi sprinted, he activated his Skill My Steel Made Will. He infused every bit of will into it to be hot enough and sharp enough to peirce the tolls stone skin, feeling it tug at his mana and stamina. Without looking, it had felt like it took one-fourth of his resources to manifeat the blade, but that was well within expectations. Levi, keeping pace behind the troll, watched as the troll brought a massive fist down on David. David, to his credit, didn''t even flinch as the fist came down. A ''BOOM'' sounded out, powerful enough to ruffle Levi''s hair, as the first came into contact with Joe''s shield. Joe, as planned, had intercepted the attack at the last moment. Perfectly according to plan. And now it was Levi''s turn. Activating his boosting Skills, and pressing even more will and intent into his blade, Levi surged forward. With one swing, he cut halfway through the creature''s ankles. Levi twisted himself to face the troll as he skidded to a stop beside David, his momentum having carried him past Joe. The troll roared as it fell to a knee, but Levi was afraid it wasn''t enough. Activating his boost abilities to their max again, he lept upward, and with a form similar to the one he''d learned from the goblins, he brought his sword up in a sweep. He watched in what seemed like slow motion as his blade spit the troll''s face into two halves. It wasn''t deep enough to kill it. Levi was certain of that. He actually thought he could already see flesh knitting itself back together before he''d finished the slash, despite the burnt flesh his sword left behind. The monster''s jaw had been cut in two, yet seemed to already be mending back into one by the time Levi landed. But it was a devastating blow. And it served its purpose. As the creature threw back its head in a roar, a bright blue bolt shot from Maddy, lodging itself in the beast''s head. The troll froze when the bolt pierced its skull, and for a couple of seconds, everything was still. Then the mana bolt exploded, and the troll elite was entirely headless. Its body stood upright in its final enraged position for a few seconds before it finally slumped and fell over. Levi stared at the body, confused at how easily they had taken out the troll elite. He heard David whoop behind him. Joe said something about how well everyone had done and how violence of action proved itself to be potent once again. Levi glanced up long enough to see Paige and Maddy walking up, both smiling at the victory. Something wasn''t right. Levi looked down at the body. It lay slumped in front of him. It had no head at all, and yet Levi felt uneasy. He examined the body and what he was seeing. Headless. Slumped forward. Barely wearing anything beyond scraps of leather and fur, adorned with feather. It still held the golden chain tight in its hand. The golden chain seemed to slowly be getting brighter. Levi looked to the buffalo and saw the horns glowing a brilliant golden light. "Get back!" Levi yelled as he lept away from the troll elite himself. No one hesitated at Levi''s command. Everyone scattered. Before his eyes, the troll elite''s head grew back. The moment it was fully formed, the troll looked left to right. Its eyes met Levi''s, and he knew he was seeing pure malevolence. But the troll''s head kept swiveling until it found its target. The troll stood, tensed its legs, and then lept. With a single bound, it landed in front of Maddy. Before she was even able to stumble to a stop, the troll''s grip was around her waist. All of them sprinted to help her, Levi even triggered his boosting Skills. But it was useless. Levi only managed to get close enough to hear the crunch and squelch of the troll biting Maddy''s head and tearing it from her body. 47 - When All Thats Left is Everything David screamed in rage. Arrows zipped one after another at the monstrous troll as it spit out Maddy''s head and slammed her body to the ground. "David, I was able to use Gift of Second Chances. She''s still alive. New Lease on Life activated. Get her out of here and heal her!" Joe yelled. "We need to retreat, now! David, get Maddy out of here, Joe cover them. Me and Paige will keep the troll busy." Levi ordered. Paige lept at the monster, looking more cat than woman. Her body was covered in fur, and she even had cat ears with the tufts like that of a bobcat. Flashes of blue gleamed as Paige slashed at any weak flesh she could. She twisted and twirled to avoid the troll''s swings, more agile than she''d ever been. The troll never let go of the golden chain, which always seemed to be just as long as it needed it to be, so it was only fighting with one arm. Paige made dodging the blows look effortless, sometimes moving away, and sometimes slipping inside the range of the attacks and delivering a flurry of slashes herself. As her assault led the troll elite away from Maddy''s body, David finally closed in, throwing her over his shoulder and cradling her head with his other arm. Joe followed closely, shield up and eyes on the troll, preparing for any attack, should the troll''s focus shift to them. Levi surveyed their battlefield. He watched Paige fight the troll, looking for when he may need to step in to throw up a Mana Shield for Paige or if any good openings for an attack presented themselves. He watched over the others'' retreat, making sure that he could help intercept any attacks, if the troll tried to pursue them. He was also letting his mana and stamina regenerate. Paige was going to run out of gas, sooner or later, and he wanted to be as fresh as possible for when that happened and he relieved Paige so she could escape. But mostly, Levi thought about the chain. The troll never let it go. The white buffalo obviously had incredible healing powers. And the chain linked the troll to the buffalo. The troll already had absurd regeneration, so with the buffalo healing otherwise fatal wounds, killing the troll was going to be impossible. Levi needed to deal with that first, while Paige still had the energy to fight the troll alone. Pound for pound, a bobcat was one of the most deadly animals in North America, if not the world. They were known to be more than capable of taking down prey far larger than themselves. Levi had read somewhere that in a fight between their larger cousin, the Canada Lynx, bobcats won almost every time, and they were even capable of holding their own against the much larger cougar enough to discourage cougars from wanting to risk a fight with a bobcat. Paige was displaying every bit of that ferocity and capability as she quickly avoided every single attack the troll dished out, aggressively returning flurries of slashes. The problem was those slashes weren''t doing any real damage to the troll. They were shallow and barely did any damage. They closed within seconds. Levi only hoped her ''gut instinct'' proved true and that her poison would stack up enough to effectively damage the troll. But that wasn''t the plan for now. Levi wanted to find out as much as he could for when they came back to fight the troll, but for now, retreat was the priority. Before that, though, he was going to see if he could do anything about that chain. Levi focused his will into his blade, he needed it to burn hot. He had to try the easiest possible solution first. He watched for an opportunity, an opening where he could land his attack without him and Paige getting in each other''s way. As he waited, he felt the heat radiate from his blade. He didn''t look down at it, but he could see the white hot glow in his peripheral vision. When the opportunity presented itself, Levi triggered every boosting Skill to max, and in less than a blink, Levi was on the other side of the troll, his slash perfectly executed in his pass. When the troll had twisted its body in an attack, it had pulled the arm holding onto the golden chain behind its back. Levi had taken the opportunity to sever the troll''s wrist, cutting away the hand that held the golden chain. As Levi slid to a stop, twisting his body to face the troll again, he lowered his boosting Skills back to only high enough to follow the fight and watched to see how effective his attack had been. The smell of burning, rancid flesh filled the air. And for half a second, the heavy, tightly gripped troll hand fell toward the ground. But before it even landed, the golden chain glowed brightly again, and the hand reversed its direction. Healing tendrils of meat reached out for each other as the hand found its way back to the troll''s wrist, golden chain still held firmly. ''Well, fuck.'' Levi watched Paige for a moment, making sure she was still good to fight. Her intensity and speed hadn''t slowed at all. Time to try the harder method on the chain. And then--win, lose, or draw--they needed to get the hell out of there, broken chain or not. Levi quickly downed a mana and stamina potion, making sure he had plenty before he tried his next attempt at dealing with the chain. Then he focused. He''d hardly ever tried to sense magic outside his own body. When he had, he''d never found much success, but he knew it was possible. He''d had at least enough success to get the faintest touches at the edges of his consciousness. He hoped that was all he''d need. There was magic in that chain, and that''s what he needed to cut. Levi was going to have to trust Paige could hold her own for a moment, because this was going to take every bit of concentration he had. It took him longer than he wanted, but he finally felt the faintest notion of magic from the chain. Utilizing all the skill in focus he''d learned from meditation, he isolated that sensation in his mind until he felt like the feeling wouldn''t slip away. He held it in his focus until it was all he percieved. He was aware his eyes still saw, yet was completely unware of what they were seeing. He heard nothing except the ringing you experienced when everything was silent. He put everything out of his mind except that magic he needed to sever. And then he willed his sword to be the thing to cut it. He felt some push back from his Ability, so he forced his will harder. And then Levi felt most his stamina and mana sucked from him so quickly that he actually felt a vacuum sensation within his very being. ''At least that means this will probably work.'' Levi triggered his boosting Skills as far as he dared. He needed a little something left in reserves, at least enough for him to be able to avoid the troll long enough to drink another stamina and mana potion. Then Levi cleaved through the chain. He watched as his sword passed right through the golden chain like a ghost. Nothing happened, all the stamina and mana he''d just burnt had been wasted. The golden chain remained intact, like he''d done nothing at all. In his boosted state, he stared frozen in disbelief as the world moved slowly around him. His heart sank. He suddenly felt nauseated as the feeling of utter failure settled in. But now wasn''t the time for that. They had to go; it was time to retreat. He decided to go ahead and pull out and drink a stamina and mana potion again before lowering the activation levels of his boosting Skills. He quickly downed a mana potion, then as he brought the stamina potion to his lips, he saw the chain flicker from its golden color to a dull iron dark gray. Levi''s heart surged in the victory of it, and he quickly downed his potion. It had worked, after all. But it didn''t change the plan. Maybe when they fought the elite next time, they wouldn''t have to deal with the buffalo''s healing. Or maybe the troll would repair the chain. It didn''t matter. Even if it did, next time Levi would start by severing the magic of the chain. They''d win the fight next time. For now, it was time for him to relieve Paige, so they could finish their retreat. Lowering he boosting skills, Levi yelled out. "Paige! Time for you to get out of here. Get ready to switch. Then you book it. Find the others. I''ll keep it busy, then play fox a bit before making my escape." Paige kept up her athletic dance with the troll, but still answered, even as she was backflipping out of reach of the troll''s swing. "Got it. I''ll get out of here as soon as you jump in." Levi felt the heat emanate from his blade as his intent and will shifted. Then he maxed out his boosting skills again and surged forward. He lept over Paige''s head as he attacked, bringing the sword down in a diagonal slash that opened the elite''s chest from collar bone to below her opposite breast, cutting through flesh and clothing alike. It hadn''t gone deep, and Levi wished his sword were a little longer. Maybe he could make that happen in the future, but he wasn''t to try it in the middle of a fight. The troll roared in pain and anger as Levi landed. Levi gave Paige a quick glance, "Go!" he yelled. Then he turned his attention back to the troll. Now, the troll''s breasts were exposed. Levi had heard comedians joke about how all titties were good titties, but staring up at the enraged troll elite, boobs hanging and flopping around like someone tried using condoms as water balloons, covered in gray stoney skin, with the nipples looking like hard concrete... Levi had a hard time appreciating that joke. He lept back as the troll elite swung at him, creating distance and trusting Paige to escape. The troll paused, seeming confused, and then looked down at her chest. She touched her hand to the still open, seared slash. Then she looked down at the chain in her hand, now a dull dark grey. Then she looked at Levi. Steam began rising from her body, and Levi watched her eyes as they began to glow red. She jerked at the chain, tugging at the buffalo, but the buffalo resisted. The chain broke, and the buffalo ran away in a sprint. Then the troll elite glared at Levi and roared. Levi maxed out his boosting skills and layered his body in Mana Skin, but he was just a fraction of a second too slow to avoid the attack that came. Moving with a speed far faster than anything she''d shown before, the troll elite backhanded Levi with enough force to send him flying through the air. His Mana Shield absorbed the bulk of the damage, but the pressure of the impact vibrated through his body. His vision went white, his teeth rattled, and the air was forced from his lungs. He was able to maintain his Mana Shield, and was glad he did, as his body finally landed and skipped through the tall grass in a tumble. He was barely able to regain his bearings as he came to a stop and heard a roar. Looking up, he saw the troll descending from a leap, coming for his blood. Her eyes were still red and the steam left a trail as she soared toward him. He was glad his boosting skills were still active. He almost panicked, but he knew that was the exact opposite way to handle the situation. He relaxed and let himself be calm, waiting as he watched the troll plummet toward him, calling on his old mindset from when he used to play Souls games, when he used to beat bosses far above his level without getting hit. He let his mind sink into that place of patience and calm, and waited as the troll fell toward him. Then, at the last minute, he moved. He rolled away as the troll crashed down, sending a shockwave out through the ground that nearly made him lose his footing. But he was ready when the troll lunged toward him and swung. ''Roll through, not back,'' Levi told himself, trying to find the old rythym from his gaming days. He didn''t actually roll, but he did slip beneath the swing, leaning on his Tai Chi form. He slashed at the trolls legs as he passed beneath it, then easily shifted to face the troll again, ready for the next attack.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. He wasn''t ready. Moving with a speed Levi wasn''t prepared for, despite having seen how the troll''s enraged form had enhanced its speed, and regardless of Levi''s boosting skills still being active, he still didn''t see the fist hammering down on him until it was too late. His Mana Skin still absorbed most of the damage. His boosting skills kept him upright, even as he felt his braced legs drive his feet into the ground beneath him. But the blows didn''t stop. ----- Paige was proud of herself. She''d followed the plan. She couldn''t wait to laugh with Levi when they got out of this, and joke about how tough it had been. But she''d only made it twenty meters before she heard the woompph of impact. Paige spun back to the fight she''d just fled. She saw the troll elite crouch and leap into the air. Looking in the direction the troll had lept, Paige saw someone much smaller flying through the air then bounce to a stop over a hundred meters away. Levi. She nearly ran back to the fight that moment but watched and waited instead. She had to trust Levi. Her trust seemed well placed as he rolled out of the troll''s landing. He was still in the fight. She grinned as he ducked low into the troll''s guard, delivering a slash and repositioning himself. And then the enraged troll twisted in an unnatural way that seemed like it would snap its own spine, slamming a fist down at Levi with terrifying speed. Levi withstood the first blow. And then, the troll kept pounding. Paige stood still for a moment. Terror froze her in place. She had no conscious thoughts about her feelings for Levi, but she did have those feelings. And they were all she knew in that moment of terror. And then she felt the rage well up inside her, climbing up on top of all of the emotions she was feeling. It didn''t smother them, only used them as a platform on which to stand. As her thoughts were fading, Paige realized that she recognized that rage. She''d felt it when she''d fought that Lians-thrak. She''d held the rage at bay, then. She''d kept it from completely taking control. This time, as the rage wrestled for control, Paige simply let go. ''Good.'' Was the last thing Paige thought before she let the rage consume her. ----- Joe stared out over the plains, looking for any sign of Levi or Paige. Joe and David had retreated far enough that that could no longer see the battle before they had healed Maddy. And then they''d waited. They''d waited too long. "Something is wrong," Maddy said, voicing Joe''s own concern. Her head had been reattached, but her voice came out scratchy, as if there was something in her throat not quite healed. "You know Levi and Paige, they''re probably just doing something a little stupid. But they''ll be fine. They always are." David said. It was obvious he had tried to sound confident, but he failed. With his arm draped around Maddy''s shoulders, he wasn''t able to fidget, but his feet shifted slightly as he spoke, and his voice came out far less casual than usual. "Maddy''s right." Joe turned his eyes from the horizon to Maddy and David. "I''m going back. I''m not asking you to go with me. Matter of fact, I''m asking you not to. If they''re in trouble, so much that they can''t even get away, things have gone very, very sideways." Joe didn''t wait for an answer. He just turned and began jogging back toward the fight. "I''m going!" Maddy yelled out. Joe stopped and turned. He scrutinized Maddy under his intense gaze. David turned to her, mouth agape. It wasn''t even clear who Maddy had been talking to. She stared into the sky above them. Her hands shook so bad the staff she held was wobbling in her grip. "No." David said. "No, no you are not, babe. You had your head bit off by a fucking troll. You''ve done enough. More than enough. And they''re probably fine anyway." Maddy turned to look David in the eyes. "I love you, you know. A lot. Bu-" "No buts, Maddy. I love you. I can''t lose you. It almost broke me earlier." Maddy put her hand on David''s cheek. "I know. But David, I have to go back for them." "No, you don''t, Maddy. We all went in knowing the risk. We did our job. You paid enough." David went silent, closing his eyes. Tears leaked out from the corners of his eyes, and he squeezed them tighter before taking a shuddering breath. His hands were shaking now, too. "Maddy. I can''t lose you. Please don''t do this." "I have to, you handsome goof. When Eric took me and the girls, Levi and Paige were the first to step up. I know the story. I know how things went down. I can''t leave them in trouble after they refused to leave me... I. Am. Going." For a moment, David said nothing. Then his hands stopped shaking, his mouth tightened into determination, and he opened his eyes, looking down at her. "Fine. Where you go, I go. But I swear, if something happens to you, it will end me." ---- "Where''s... Levi?" David asked through heavy breaths. Paige was losing the fight as they made their hurried approach. She was able to avoid most attacks and only seemed to be taking grazing blows. Still, each one of those grazing blows was able to send her tumbling meters away. It was a miracle she was able to keep going. "Maddy...can you use... that mana attack... from earlier?" Joe asked as he kept up his pace. Maddy breathed heavily, but she managed to answer, "Yeah." "But... last time..." David interjected. Joe came to a stop, trying to catch his breath and speak as clearly as possible. "Last time... there was the white... buffalo. It''s gone, see." Joe waved a hand over the battlefield. "We can do this. David, I need you to start laying down fire. Pull that thing off Paige... if you can. From the looks of her, Paige is finished. She''ll be dead in a minute if we don''t get that troll off of her." When David didn''t move, Joe yelled. "Now! Go!" David moved into action under the pressure of Joe''s commanding voice. David rapidly moved toward the fight, pulling his bow and firing arrow after arrow at the troll. Joe turned back to Maddy. "I need you to get as close as you need to fire the attack properly. Charge it as much as you can. We can''t risk your attack not doing the job. You understand?" Maddy''s eyes were on the troll, now swiveling its head between David, who was raining arrows, and Paige who seemed to have no quit in her as she continued to slash the troll to little effect. Joe grabbed Maddy''s shaking hands. "You can do this. I''ll cover you. You can do it." Maddy finally caught Joe''s eyes. For a moment she just looked back at him. Then she moved. She went around Joe in a jog and ran toward the troll until she found a good range. With a single nod to Joe, she began channeling her mana into a bolt like the one that had taken the troll''s head off not even ten minutes earlier. Time stretched into an eternity for everyone as Maddy channeled her mana into the attack. Joe watched and waited, unable to do anything other than be prepared to protect Maddy. David fired arrow after arrow, and the troll was growing increasingly focused on him. If Paige let up on her assault at all, the troll would be on David in less than a second. Maddy, just focused. The fight depended on her. Light blossomed as her attack took form. She watched as mana condensed into a long crystalline shape. Then she began to condense it. It collapsed in on itself, becoming a more and more solid projectile. With each moment, it grew more powerful and bright. It was getting close to being complete. She wanted to release the attack then, but forced herself to push just a little harder and a little longer. And then the troll noticed. The troll decided to simply take Paige and David''s hits as it turned to Maddy, easily tanking even their most powerful attacks. For a split second, it stood relaxed, arms limp at its side, staring in Maddy''s direction. And then it tensed and lept. Maddy''s mana bolt flickered, almost firing or dissipating in front of her as the troll executed its sudden assault. And then, as the troll came crashing down with devastating force, Joe was there with his shield. Somehow, Joe stayed upright as he blocked the slam from the monster. He delivered a quick thrust with his sword, but the troll simply caught the attack in their grip, holding half of the blade, the hilt, and Joe''s hand in a single fist. With a violent motion, the troll yanked Joe up and then slung him forward, snapping its wrist as if popping a whip just at the last moment. Joe went flying. His arm remained in the troll''s grip. Maddy''s attack was ready, and she fired, aiming for the troll''s head like last time. The troll swung Joe''s arm like a bat. The mana bolt pierced into the arm, burying itself. Before it had time to explode, the troll casually threw it aside. The explosion of her useless mana bolt was the last thing Maddy heard before the troll slammed two heavy fists down into her. ---- Levi''s consciousness returned to hot, wet air hitting his face. He felt the effects of healing at work on his body, but he also felt his mana and stamina being restored. Levi''s eyes snapped open and he jerked alert, throwing himself back in a crawl. The huge wet snout of the white buffalo hovered in front of him, blowing out another warm moist exhale into Levi''s face. Levi scrambled back a few more feet in alarm before meeting the creature''s eyes. ''Be not afraid, human. I mean you no harm.'' The voice was inside Levi''s mind, yet he knew without doubt that it came from the buffalo. "I can hear you!" Levi yelled. ''Be still, human. Quiet, for there is no time. I healed you. Now, you must save your friends. I fear it is already too late for one. But I have done all that is within my power.'' "What..." Levi''s thoughts were murky. It took a moment for Levi to remember he''d been in the middle of the fight with the troll. When he did, he sprang to his feet and looked around. After a quick scan he finally saw the troll, where it pounded its fists into the ground. The ground where he knew one of his friends lay, most likely dead. Then he saw Paige, closing in to attack with an exhausted body and inexhaustable determination. It was a miracle she was alive. Then Levi saw David. The anguish on his face as he fired arrow after arrow told Levi everything he needed to know. Maddy was gone. He didn''t see Joe, so maybe Joe was dead too. But Levi knew the troll had taken Maddy from them. Permanently. ''Go.'' The buffalo urged behind him. "But how..." Levi started to say, but it didn''t matter. Without any more hesitation, he took off toward the fight. ---- Paige was covered in her own blood. Levi didn''t know how she was even still standing. That question answered itself as he watched her somehow, without ever pulling away from the fight, take out a potion she''d tucked away, pop off the top with her thumb and hold the neck of the bottle with just her mouth. In half a second she''d gotten the bottle in her mouth and had both hands free again, drinking the potion even as she slashed at the troll. When she finish the potion, she spit the bottle out and roared. Her wounds were healed, but she was slow. Levi knew it would be over as soon as she took another good hit. He yelled out "Paige, switch!" Paige didn''t even acknowledge Levi as he approached. Levi was close enough to help in the fight now. He looked to David, who was furiously firing arrows. They weren''t even penetrating anymore, and Levi knew David had ran out of all the higher quality arrows, he''d had. "David, get Maddy and Joe out of here!" Levi yelled, he threw up a Mana Shield to block a blow aimed at Paige. She still hadn''t even acknowledged him. "She''s dead, Levi! It doesn''t matter anymore." David snarled back. Levi summoned his sword and and felt the heat start to radiate from it. "Yeah, well, if we all die here, she''ll never get a proper burial, she''ll either rot away out here or get eaten by the troll." David''s arrows stopped, and Levi knew he''d gotten through to him. "Go! I''ll deal with this." Then Levi sprang at the troll. The troll must have expected Levi, because as Levi slashed at the troll''s ankle, it jerked its foot forward and twisted. The impact sent Levi rolling, but he quickly recovered and turned to face the troll again. Paige was still slashing furiously, and Levi finally saw the look in her eyes. She was consumed a in blind rage. It didn''t look like it gave her any actual power, though. Her speed and agility were the same and her attacks weren''t doing any more damage. If anything the exhaustion was becoming more and more evident. ''I''ve got to get her out of here.'' As Levi sped in for another attack, he was forced to change his plan last minute to use a Mana Shield to stop the troll''s fist from turning Paige into paste. Paige didn''t even flinch at nearly being killed. ''This isn''t going to work.'' Levi abandoned the idea of fighting the troll. It looked like the troll''s rage ability had ended. It''s eyes had stopped glowing and steam no longer rose from its body. Without the buffalo''s healing, Levi could probably kill the troll. But there was no way he could both kill the troll and protect her. Levi increased his boosting abilities. He couldn''t use them at their maximum potential, because he was going to need to run, far and fast. He sped to Paige grabbing her just as another attack was about to take her out. He didn''t stop moving as he threw her over his shoulder. He''d drag her to safety if he had to. As he ran, Paige clawed at his back. He gritted his teeth and endured the pain. He could take it. He could get her far enough from the troll, she''d probably come to her senses. But she fought hard to escape his grip. Then he felt her bite his back and his grip slipped at the sudden searing pain. As soon as she''d freed herself, Paige shot back toward the troll. ''Fuck.'' Levi''s mind spun as he twisted to follow Paige. He didn''t know what else he could do. And then an idea settled in his mind. His stomach turned as he considered the idea, but his mind was already made up. He shuddered at the thought of what he was about to do, where he was about to go. But he was out of answers. Levi had never fallen into his meditative state as quickly as he did then. Finding himself within the psuedo-cosmic landscape, he was suddenly afraid he''d be unable to make it back into that deeper part of himself and yet afraid of what would happen when he did. But in an instant, he found himself in the circular space filled with knots of his essence, what he now knew were his skills. Then, he flexed his will. He felt it this time, as a real force in this world. He would do this or die. Maybe both. He felt only resolve as he spoke his will into the universe that was himself. He did not hesitate. He had to keep the promise he''d made to himself. His world, the meditation space, shook with his words. "Do not let Paige die. And kill that troll. Do whatever it takes." And then, from his perspective deep inside himself, he watched as fire spread from his soul, rippling through his entire being. 48 - Forever Flawless and Shattered Levi had no idea what was happening outside of his mind in the fight with the troll. In the higher space above him, he could see the representation of his first meditation space, strangely colored and almost a photo negative of its normal appearance. What Levi did know as he watched on was that whatever was happening, he was still in deep, deep trouble. The damage and mutations along his stamina and mana channels were rapidly spreading. He''d never figured out how to solve that problem. And now, whatever was going on was causing the problem to grow at a terrifying rate. Worse, it seemed like an more immediate problem was how quickly his mana and stamina were draining. The speed with which he was losing mana and stamina only grew worse with every moment, as his channels became a more and more mangled mess. He couldn''t let his resources run out. Not before Paige was safe. He remembered how cutting his skill had released energy and refilled his mana and stamina the last time he''d been in this space, when he''d been trapped. He looked around for his will shaped sword until he finally found where he''d driven into into the floor of this place. Yanking it free, he quickly located one of the smallest knots of essence and slashed. This time, the essence blew apart immediately. The problem that had nearly kept him trapped in this place until his body died outside was now as trivial as a lazy sword swing. He watched as the energy burst out into his higher mindscape, and his mana and stamina were almost fully replenished. He could do this if his channels could hold out; he could continue feeding his resources by destroying skills. He just hoped they''d hold out. He hoped his body outside could hold out. He hoped that he could kill the troll before it was too late, even if that meant he died. That was fine, as long as Paige was safe. ---- Joe came to with a start. He reached out his arm, desperately feeling for the hilt of his sword. His shield was still gripped tightly in his other hand. When he felt nothing, including even his sword arm itself, he looked down to see his arm was gone. His confusion only lasted a moment, as he remembered the fight with the troll and his arm being torn off. "Couldn''t save it," David said from behind Joe. His voice sounded dry and tight. He spoke quietly, barely more than a harsh whisper. Joe stood turned. David sat next to a mangled corpse, only recognizable by the torn robes that covered most of the body. David''s arms were wrapped around his knees. His face was filthy with blood and dirt, but two trails of cleaner skin told the story of David''s grief. Snot and blood were smeared below his nose. "David... I''m sorry. I..." Joe began. Then Joe quickly snapped his mouth shut. David said nothing. He just looked down and stared blankly at his knees. "Levi and Paige?" Joe asked. "Don''t know. Levi said he''d get her out. Paige was out of it, in some kind of black out rage." David shook his head. The gesture was so weak and slight Joe almost didn''t even see it. "Probably dead, if I had to guess." There was no grief in David''s voice as he said it. It came out as a statement of fact. "I have to go back." Joe said. He didn''t move, just stood looking down at David. He didn''t try to rush off like he had last time. "No one''s stopping you. But you''ll die, too," David answered. "No. I can''t do that. I can''t save them, that''s true. No matter what I do. I know that, now. But I have to stay alive. The Safezone needs me to lead the Guard. I have a promise to the goblins to keep." "Then why go back for them?" David asked. "I''m not going to fight. But someone needs to know what happens. Someone has to be a witness for them. They deserve that much." David nodded. "I get it, I guess." His voice sounded hollow. "Are you going to be okay, here by yourself?" Joe regretted his choice of words immediately. David''s face twisted in agony as he gave Maddy''s body a glance, then quickly looked away. Tears began pouring again, and David gave Joe a shuddering nod and tucked his face into his knees. As Joe made his way back to the fight, he only paused once when he heard David''s wail of sorrow. Then he took off in a determined jog. ---- Levi felt sweat on his forehead. His breath was ragged. His limbs trembled, and he felt like it took effort to stay standing. His whole body burned. None of that should have been possible within his mental space under normal circumstances. But it was easy to see what the problem was, why he was experiencing it, as he looked up at his mana and stamina channels. They looked like they would fall apart at any moment. Levi cut another skill in half, restoring his mana and stamina again. He watched as even that caused more damage to his channels. And he was running out of skills. He looked around, only counting ten more skills remaining. They were all far larger than the skills he had started cutting in the beginning. There was no doubt, he was now sacrificing his class-based skills. ''This isn''t going to work.'' He looked to his channels again, knowing what he was about to do was a desperate move. But if he didn''t try, he''d fail to save Paige anyway. He wished he''d figured out how to do it earlier, but it was now or never. Focusing his will yet again. ''Merge. Become one,'' he commanded his energy channels. Levi watched as white energy, the new energy, brightened where the mana and stamina channels touched, bursting out through the channels. He watched as the change began. Spreading out from each point, the channels were twisted together, collapsing, then spreading and reorganizing, in a wave. The bursts of mana and stamina being used by his body suddenly became stuttered, getting slowed or even stopped by the new growth. It wasn''t fast enough. If it didn''t happen faster, his body would falter, and Paige would die. ''Faster.'' Levi pressed with his will. It sped up, but it still wasn''t fast enough. And it had made it worse. His mana and stamina were no longer capable of flowing through the channels, entirely cut off by the new growth. ''NOW!'' Levi roared, pressing with every once of mental force he could. And then everything went black. ---- Joe was both relieved and surprised to see both Paige and Levi were still alive as he crept closer to the fight on his belly. He''d had to stow his shield, and trying to low crawl with one arm was a new and unique challenge as he''d made his way, but he''d done it. As he looked on, forming a better picture of the fight, he smiled. Paige was slow, her slashes had turned into weak swipes, and she stumbled to follow the troll around the battlefield. If she''d been fighting alone, she''d have been dead long before that point. Yet, Levi had the troll''s full attention. He kept the pressure up with a constant assault. With an unnatural precision and a fluid, perfect grace, Levi wove around the monster, delivering blow after unbelievably powerful blow. Joe wasn''t sure why Levi wasn''t weilding his sword, but it didn''t seem to matter. Levi''s fists were devastating, clearly doing serious damage. Joe could hear their impact from where he lay hidden. When the troll did manage to land a blow, or an attack would have hit the barely upright Paige, it was blocked by Levi''s Mana Shield. Levi was even apparently capable of layering them to make them more effective. And his timing was flawless. Incredibly, the troll was slowing and weakening. Joe didn''t even think it was Levi who was actually having the greatest impact. Shallow slashes covered the troll''s body, glowing the same faint blue as Paige''s daggers, or her cat claws when she was in this form. Her poison was slowly taking effect. The troll''s healing had slowed to a barely noticable crawl. Joe wondered how Levi was moving the way he was. And then it hit him, and Joe''s grin spread even wider. "Stupid cultivation bullshit." Joe frowned for a second, then shook his head and smiled again. "You just do what you have to do, brother. Stay alive and win the fight. If you get stuck in there again, I''ll figure out how to come in and drag your ass back out."Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Joe watched on as the fight continued. At first, it seemed the troll''s death was an inevitable absolute. And then Joe noticed the blood that was flowing more and more from Levi''s ears, nose, eyes, and mouth. Then he noticed blood start soaking both the back and front of Levi''s trousers, too. Still, the troll was getting even weaker, only barely keeping up with the fight. Then Paige collapsed. Joe didn''t think she had died, but exhaustion had finally won. He had watched as she tried to follow the fight with the troll, swiping weakly, as if she wasn''t even aware the troll was still two meters away from her. And then she just stopped, arms sagging to her side, and fell flat on her face. "Come on, Levi, just a little more. You can do this," Joe urged from his hiding spot. And then Levi''s movements started to get jerky. One second, he''d be flowing smoothly beneath an attack, and then his body would suddenly speed up and then immediately slow to a stall. Twice, Levi tripped over his own feet as this stutter happened, barely recovering in time as the troll''s fists came crashing down. Then one of Levi''s Mana Shields failed him. Joe knew something was wrong the moment he saw wisps of green energy and sparks of white within the normally blue Mana Shield. The troll''s fist crashed straight through it. Levi was barely able to deflect the remaining force of the blow. "No, Levi, come on," Joe whispered. Then Joe''s heart sank when Mana Shield didn''t come at all. He heard the impact as Levi went flying, skipping like a stone through the tall grass almost fifty meters. The troll didn''t leap at Levi this time. Maybe it believed it was going to win, or perhaps it was simply too exhausted. It simply walked toward where Levi lay. Joe noticed its wounds were starting to close faster. Fewer and fewer glowing blue slashes marked its body, and the blue seemed to have faded. Levi had still not gotten to his feet. Joe watched where Levi lay on his back. He didn''t look limp. If anything, he looked stiff. Then Levi''s back arched, raising above the ground, followed by convulsions. Levi finally went still, flat on his back. Still, the troll lumbered toward Levi. Joe watched on. His fist clenched a fist into the dirt, tugging at grass roots. "No, Levi. Come on, brother. Get up. Just a little more." Levi lay still as the troll approached. Then Joe thought he saw a small wisps of white roll over Levi''s body. His heart hammered, and he stared at Levi, hoping for any sign of hope. But the troll was above Levi, fists raised high, and Levi hadn''t moved. Joe looked down, not wanting to watch as the troll killed Levi. The sound of the troll''s fists slamming down thundered across the plains. Joe closed his eyes, and felt the tear as it escaped from the corner of his eye. Then, a crack like a gunshot sounded out, followed by the sound of something large tumbling across the ground. Joe''s head jerked up in time to watch the troll slide to a stop fifty meters away from Levi. Where Levi had been flat on his back and completely still just a moment before, he now stood in his flawless Tai Chi stance. White energy whipped across his skin. His eyes glowed a bright white. When Levi moved, Joe lost sight of him. It was like he''d disappeared. Then he heard another crack from where the troll had stopped. Shifting his focus, he saw Levi standing with a foot extended in a kick, as the troll came crashing down to the ground. As Levi resettled into a stance, the energy whipping along Levi''s skin flickered and went dark. "I swear to God, you can''t lose now, Levi," Joe mumbled through gritted teeth. ---- Levi woke, still inside his deeper mental space. On his back, he stared up at the new energy channels that had formed. It was stunning. ''Fractals.'' Was all Levi could think as he stared at the never-ending pattern above him. They were everywhere. As far as he could see, three-dimensional fractals spun themselves out from his core. He watched as they lit up with energy. ''Beautiful.'' Then Levi realized that energy was being burned fast. Whatever was happening, he was using insane amounts of energy. He quickly got to his feet and looked around for the closest skill he could find. He didn''t question or hesitate as he slashed through it, relieved as he saw the energy disperse and reinvigorate the new energy above him. ---- Joe watched as the energy burst to new life across Levi''s skin. Joe had no clue what had happened but felt his body relax slightly in relief. And Levi was suddenly on top of the much taller troll, slamming fist after fist into its face. Joe wasn''t sure how, but Levi was literally ''ground and pounding'' a troll far larger than himself. The troll was already limp, but Levi''s blows didn''t stop. Again, the energy on Levi''s skin faded, and again, it was suddenly renewed in a sudden burst of light. As Levi pounded, Joe watched the energy wax and wane, ignorant to what was causing it, but hoping Levi could finish the job. Then, Levi grabbed the bloody mess of the troll''s head, shoving a hand into each eye-socket, braced his legs beneath him against the troll''s chest, and pulled. Again, the energy dancing across Levi''s skin flickered, and again, it returned in a brilliant glow. And then Levi was holding the troll''s head in the air above him, torn free by pure strength. Joe felt relief flood through him, but he didn''t smile. "What the fuck was that?" Then Levi collapsed. ---- Levi was about to chop away his last skill knot when everything went still inside his mental landscape. Was it over? He waited a few seconds. After nothing happened, Levi decided it had to be over. Whether the troll was dead or he was, everything had grown still inside him. As he decided to leave, he wondered if he''d be stuck in that place again. That question was answered as his consciousness was ejected, and he found himself staring up at the head of a troll. "What the..." was all Levi managed to get out before his vision blurred and he felt the searing pain throughout his entire body. He felt himself falling as his consciousness slipped away. ---- David had lost track of how long he sat with his face buried in his knees. He felt so empty, and that emptiness was full of pain. He''d never felt this way, not even when his mother had died. He wanted to sit there until he died. Truthfully, he just wanted to lay down and keep his eyes closed until he died, but the thought of laying down... next to her... When the experience notification for completing the white buffalo quest flashed in his vision, David dismissed it without bothering to read. But he did begin to sob again. ''Human.'' A slow, deep voice rumbled through David''s mind. David didn''t even flinch at the voice. He just slowly looked up, wondering where the voice had come from. The white buffalo stood before him, its eyes, gentle pools of brown, staring down at David. Chain fragments still hung from its horns. "What do you want?" David spat. ''I come to communicate my deepest condolences at your loss, grieving one. I come offering a small measure of thanks,'' the buffalo answered. David perked up, suddenly filled with hope. "Can you bring her back?" he asked, gesturing toward Maddy''s mangled remains. ''I am afraid I cannot. It is beyond my authority. Only the One Above All could do such a thing.'' "Oh, your precious Law-shaper." David growled. ''The Law-shaper?'' Then the buffalo blew hot air at David in a huff. ''Oh. You mean the puppet who plays puppeteer of this place. No. Not that.'' "Then who? The entity? You know what, it doesn''t even matter. If you can''t bring her back, you have nothing to offer me. Go away." David put his face back down into his knees. But the buffalo didn''t leave. ''Perhaps what I have to offer is not enough. It can never be enough, I believe, grieving one. But I believe you will want it, regardless of how short it falls of being enough,'' it said. David''s head rose again. "Yeah, you think so? Try me." ''You cannot bear to look on her. I can see this. Her shattered body is too much for your heart to bear. I can see this. I cannot bring her back. Her Spirit rests with the One Above All. But I can restore her body, that you may bear to look upon her... so you can say goodbye and find peace.'' Anger swelled inside David, but he bit his lip until it bled. The buffalo was right. He did want that. More than he''d realized. But he wanted more than that, he wanted anything he could get. "Can you make it so that her body will never rot away...perserve it. If you can, that''s what I want. I want her to be her beautiful self forever... I know she''s gone... but she deserves it." The buffalo huffed, and stared down at David. After a long moment if blinked slowly and exhaled a hot wet gust into David''s face. ''I will not lie... Not forever, no. But I could shield her body from time and nature for a very long time. Your body would rot away before her body even became stiff. I could do that, but if I did, it would be a curse upon your heart. It would only bring you suffering.'' David straightened. "I don''t care. If you can do it, do it! You want to offer your thanks, fucking do it." The buffalo''s head slowly turned to Maddy''s body and then back to David. ''What you ask of me will only bring you more harm.'' "I. DON''T. CARE. Do it, and me and you are square," David growled at the buffalo. The buffalo stared down at David, then closed its eyes and lowered its snout until it touched the ground. ''As you wish.'' Then the buffalo took two shuffling steps until it stood before Maddy, and lowered its snout once more. David, even as it tore his heart in two to see her battered body and face, watched on as the buffalo inhaled deeply, then bowed its head down to Maddy''s body. The buffalo''s horns lit up brightly, and it let out a massive, slow exhale over her. The changes were immediate. Twisted limbs straightened, the features of her face slowly restored until he saw her beautiful face again, her clothes began restoring themselves, and then all the blood that had covered her and her clothes seemed to fade away. Still the buffalo blew his breath over her. Her hair untangled itself, straightening and then laying gently against her cheeks. Then the bottle blonde that was now grown out, exposing over an inch of her roots, began to change, slowly turning to her natural brown. For a second, David wanted to make the buffalo stop, but it was already too late, and somehow seeing Maddy with her natural hair color felt better to Davud in a way he didn''t understand himself. Then the buffalo was done. And David fell onto Maddy''s flawless remains and scooped her into a tight embrace, her body limp and warm in his arms. He felt his tears between their cheeks as he was finally able to say goodbye, and knew he''d never be able to let her go. 49 - Broken People and Broken Promises Levi''s eyes snapped open at the sensation of something cold on his forehead. He tried to move, but his wrists were caught by something. He struggled against it and realized that he was tied down. A face hovered above him, and he struggled harder. He growled as he tugged against the restraints, calling on his boosting skills, but nothing happened. For a split second, he wondered if it at all been a really vivid, really horrible dream. Then the face spoke in a quiet, soothing voice. "Shhshhshh. It''s okay. You''re okay." He calmed slightly at her voice. It was enough to actually focus on her face. He recognized her. She was someone from the safezone, though he''d never known her name. She was one of the people who''d volunteered to take care of Maddy''s group after Eric had taken them, a middle-aged woman with a gentle voice and kind eyes. He relaxed a little and leaned back, finding a damp pillow beneath his head. "What happened?" he asked as choppy memories began coming back to him. "You don''t remember? The fight with the... uh... the thing... the troll, I think they called it..." the woman seemed pretty unsure of what had happened herself. Levi did remember. Enough. Too much. "Is Paige alive?" Levi asked, staying limp against the pillow. "She''s alive," the woman answered. Levi let out a sigh of relief. "Good. That''s good." "She''s been sleeping for two days now." Levi''s body tensed against his retraints again as he tried to sit up. "Relax. She''s fine. She''s not in a coma or anything. She woke up for a few moments when you first arrived, just long enough to ask if you were okay, and then passed out again. She''s been asleep ever since. But the Shaman says she''s fine. She said you were both fine. And even Agnis agrees. Speaking of which, I better let the experts know you''re awake," the woman said, suddenly standing. "Wait!" Levi said. "What about Joe and David." The woman looked away for a second before meeting Levi''s eyes. "Alive. Not in the best condition. Captain Joe is handling things well enough. David''s... struggling." Levi felt the tears. His voice tightened at the thought of the words, but he had to ask. "And Maddy?" He choked. The woman looked to the ground as she answered. She shook her head. "She... didn''t make it. We''re going to have a funeral for her once things settle." Levi nodded. He felt the anger well up inside him and reached to grab something to throw. His wrists caught with the bindings. "Can you take this shit off of me?!?! Why am I fucking tied up anyway!?" The woman flinched and stepped away from Levi. "I''ll let the experts answer that. Excuse me," And then the woman spun and was out of the door. Levi stayed tensed in anger for a while after she walked out, arms straining against his bindings. He tried using his boosting skills again, to no effect. He thought about going through his notifications, but he didn''t want to face what he was sure they''d tell him. His boosting skills weren''t working because he had no boosting skills anymore. He thought about going into meditation, and the thought scared him. He wasn''t ready to see. So he laid his back on the damp pillow, staring at the ceiling, wishing he''d made the decision to avoid the troll elite, and knowing no amount of regret would change the fact that he couldn''t undo anything. After a few minutes, the door slammed open. Joe stood in the doorway. Levi noticed his missing arm immediately, and looked away. His stomach turned. They''d lost too much. He just hoped Paige was more intact than the rest of them. "Oh, don''t you dare," Joe said. "I know that look. Hell, I fell all the way into it once. Don''t you fucking dare." Tears began pooling in Levi''s eyes, and he felt some shame about that. Still, he at least needed to look upon the consequences of his decisions, so he turned to look at Joe. He started crying then, and Joe just leaned over and wrapped him in a one-armed hug. Levi cried into his shoulder for a minute, but was able to pull it together and stop crying long before he was done. Levi knew he had a lot more tears to shed, but he locked them down. He could cry alone, later. "Alright, Joe. That''s enough. Back up and let us take a look at him," Grace''s familiar voice said from behind Joe. Joe pulled away from Levi, gesturing with his remaining arm. "Sure, but take those fucking restraints off first." Grace slapped Joe in the back of the head. "We''ll decide if that''s safe." Joe stepped back and rubbed his head. "You know, I was the one who told you to put them on in the first place. And I''m the Captain of the Guard. I get to make that call." "Not after he was thrashing in his sleep, and the Shaman said he was in danger of falling back into the battle trance." Levi recognized Agnis''s voice before she even stepped into sight. "Oh, I think we may free him now. He is out of all the danger, I believe." Another voice said. Levi recognized the voice but couldn''t place it. It wasn''t a voice Levi had been expecting. Then, the goblin woman stepped into view from behind Agnis. "Noon-weira? I thought... why are they calling you the Shaman?" "I gained the class when I came through the portal. I am Spirit-bonded, now. As is Tua''k. But that may wait for later." Noon-weira gestured at Levi''s wrists. "Free his hands, please." "I''m not sure..." Agnis began to argue. Grace interrupted. "You wanted to wait for her opinion, and now you''ve got it. It''s two against one, you loony bat." Joe pulled a small knife and moved forward to cut at the bindings. Noon-weira gestured at Levi with her hand flat, palm up. "See, he does not seek to take Captain Joe''s life when he sees the blade. He is fine." Grace swiveled on the small woman. "Wait, are you telling me you weren''t sure before that?" Agnis huffed her agreement. Noon-weira bobbed her head in her people''s ambiguous nature. "I was mostly sure. Now I am completely sure." She moved to Levi''s bedside. "Still, I have questions I must ask." Noon-weira took Levi''s hand after it was freed. "Do you remember what you did to enter the battle trance?" Her eyes searched Levi''s face. "Yeah, I remember." A shudder passed over Levi''s body. For a split second, Noon-weira''s face lit up in a smile, and then her face grew stern. "It is good you remember. You must never do this thing again." Levi started at her sudden seriousness. "I don''t ever plan to, but why?" Noon-weira stared into his eyes. "You were not the one fighting or killing. It was the spirit inside you. That spirit killed the troll. You cannot put it through such things. It can cause great harm. Remember the story of my people, Levi. Please do not do this thing again." Levi nodded. For a second time in less than a minute, his stomach turned. He wondered if Rick would be the same when he saw him the next time he upgraded his core. It was one more casualty at his hands. Levi never wanted to lead people again. The Shaman pulled away, then, and Agnis took her place. Agnis only stared down at Levi. She didn''t say anything for at least a minute. Then she finally spoke. "His health is fine. But I don''t sense any mana or stamina in him. It''s weird. But he''s alive, and apparently stable..." Agnis gave Noon-weira a glare at the words. "So I guess he''s free to leave." Grace gave a curt nod, and came over to squeeze Levi''s hand. "Come by for dinner tonight, okay." "That it?" Levi asked. "You aren''t going to look me over like they did?" Grace barked out a laugh. "Oh, I''m only here to keep the two of them from fighting. I''ll tell you all about it tonight." She gave Levi''s hand another squeeze. She stared at him for a moment, her eyes softened, and a frown tightened on her lips. "Just come by for dinner."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Levi just nodded in reply. "You think you''re good to walk?" Joe asked. Levi swung his legs off the bed and tentatively slid himself from the edge, easing pressure on his legs. They felt a little weak for a second, but they responded to the pressure and he felt a little strength return to them. "I think so," Levi finally answered. Joe nodded, lips set in a grim line. "Good. You probably need to move your body after being laid up for two days." Joe watched as Levi stood. "You need a bath, too. You smell like out-of-date ballsack." Levi gave Joe a weak smile at the comment as he stood straighter. "I can smell myself. I smell even worse than that." "Well, I was trying to be nice," Joe said with a shallow grin. "Come on." Joe turned and began walking out the door. Levi noticed the shield hung on his back. Thinking of Joe''s missing arm, Levi looked to where Joe wore his sword. The sheathe still hung on his belt, empty. When Levi didn''t move, Joe twisted to look at him. "Sure you can walk?" Levi nodded. ---- The crows were everywhere. They mostly congregated on a single cabin, with the rest finding space anywhere they could land nearby. "Well, I guess I know where Paige is at." Levi squinted around, holding a hand above his eyes, struggling to adjust to the sunlight. "Yep. They haven''t left her since she was pulled through the portal. They''ve been quiet, though. Made people eerie the first day, but after a while, word got around about Paige. Most people have accepted it well enough. Want to go see her?" "No, not yet. She''s safe. That''s enough. I need to get my mind straight," Levi answered. "About that..." Joe led Levi in a slow walk in the direction of the training grounds. "You can''t blame yourself, Levi. You let everyone have a say in the decision. We all tried to stick to the plan. And me, Maddy, and David made the choice to come back for you and Paige, so that''s not on you in any way. Everything... just went to shit. It has a way of doing that sometimes." Joe stopped walking but continued to face away from Levi. "Take it from me, blaming yourself too much will lead you to a place you don''t want to go. I can''t, as much as I want to, tell you not to carry some of that weight, but trust me... it isn''t all yours to carry and that way of thinking will destroy you." "So that''s what this walk is about?" Levi asked bitterly. Joe began walking again. "No. I worry about you, true. But I wanted to fill you in on what has happened. And talk to you about David. I worry about him more." Levi stared down at his feet but continued to follow Joe. "Yeah. He must be devastated." "Yeah. But it is worse than that." ---- Paige awoke to the most annoying alarm clock ever. She swung a fist down, but it missed when the alarm clock flapped away. For a second, she was confused, then she recognized the cawing of the crow. She sat up slowly. "Good, you''re awake, Miss. As instructed, I woke you as soon as I saw Master Levi was up and about," Grumpy said. He fluttered to the foot of the bed and found a perch on a bedpost. "I still feel like shit." Paige said as she tried to move her aching body. "And what''s up with ''Master'' Levi? You''re usually begging to shit on him." Another crow spoke up. "Aye, miss. That''s true. Regret that forever, we will. We all heard about how he did so much to save you." The crow sat in the doorstep, flapping his wings for attention. "That''s enough. Butt out!" Grumpy cawed at the other crow. ''I''m sorry, miss, the boys just missed you is all,'' Grumpy said to Paige through telepathic communication. "Where''s Levi?" Paige asked as she swung her legs out of bed. ''He''s fine, miss, just fine. Maybe you should just take it easy a moment,'' Grumpy answered. Paige tried to stand and nearly fell. Every muscle in her body hurt. ''Take it easy, just take it easy, miss.'' Grumpy urged Paige. ''Master Levi is just fine. Take a moment to find your feet.'' Paige decided sitting on the edge of the bed might not be the worst idea. She slumped back down. She thought she remembered most of what had happened before she''d blacked out, but kind of wished she didn''t. "Did anyone die?" Paige asked flattly. ''I''m afraid so, miss,'' Grumpy answered. She felt the crow''s sympathy through their connection. "Who?" Paige pressed. ''Maddy. She came back for you and Master Levi. She didn''t make it.'' Grumpy shifted his weight back and forth on his two feet. "You know what, I think I will lay back down for a while." Paige crawled her way back into the bed and pulled the blanket over her head. Then she just cried for a while. ---- David sat on the steps of the cabin. He noticed Levi as soon as Levi rounded the corner into view. He didn''t say anything as Levi slowly approached, but his glare was obvious as Levi drew closer. When he stood only a meter away, Levi finally spoke. "I came to pay my respects," Levi said. David spat at Levi''s boots. "Get fucked." "I''m sorry David. I am. And I get it, I sacrificed almost every skill I had to save Paige. I couldn''t imagine losing her the way you lost Maddy." It was the wrong thing to say. Unfortunately, Levi knew that only as the words left his mouth and watched David''s face contort in rage. David sprung to his feet. "Yeah, well you did save her, didn''t you? You didn''t even have to die to do it. I''d give everything, including my life, to bring Maddy back." David raised a fist like he was going to hit Levi, then lowered it. "You don''t get to see her. You can pay your respects somewhere else." Levi stared into David''s eyes for a long time, trying to find the words to say. In the end, he knew it wasn''t enough. It could never be enough. So he just nodded and turned away. David spoke again before Levi had made even two steps. "You know, when you left the vote up to us, I knew right then it was a bad idea. I knew you just didn''t want to bear the responsibility of the decision. You knew us, and you gave a reassuring speech and we all agreed to fight that fucking monster." David spat at the ground again. "But don''t you ever lie to yourself, Levi. You knew what you were doing when you put that decision to a vote. You were the leader. It was still your choice. So you can go on believing you gave us the choice all you want, but I know the truth. You wanted to fight that troll, but were too big of a pussy to make the decision. And you just twisted words until you got what you wanted anyway. So, I want you to know that Maddy''s death is on you. I don''t care how many people pat you on the back and tell you it isn''t your fault... me and you forever, we know the truth. And don''t you ever forget it. You better know I won''t." Levi was frozen still as David spoke and then a long time after. He thought about saying something, anything, but there was no response to David''s words. So Levi just walked away. As Levi rounded the corner where Joe waited, he lowered his head and kept walking. Joe followed, grabbing at Levi''s shoulder. "Hey, don''t let that bullshit get in your head." Joe said. "It wasn''t bullshit. He was dead on. I wanted that fight. I put it to a vote so I didn''t bear the responsibility." "That''s bullshit, Levi," Joe argued. "You may have wanted that fight, and you may have put it to a vote because you didn''t want that decision on your own shoulders, but... but you put it to a vote so you didn''t make a selfish choice for everyone else." Levi whirled on Joe. "And I know that, too!" Levi pulled at his hair. "Fuck, Joe, I''m not nearly as lost as you and Grace seem to think I am. I. Fucking. Know. I know I only meant what was best by giving the decision to a group vote. But I knew it was too dangerous. And I was the leader. I should have actually been a fucking leader and called it off." Then Levi turned and stomped away at a brisk pace. "Levi, don''t-" Joe started to say. "I just need some time to think. Leave it alone, Joe." ---- Paige finally forced herself out of bed. She wanted to see Levi. She needed to know he was okay. Everything was messed up. She didn''t even remember most of the fight. Maddy was gone. Knowing Levi, he blamed everything that had happened on himself. "Grumpy, can you tell me where Levi is at?" Paige asked. ''Aye, miss. We''ve kept a good watch on him. He''s at his old camp,'' Grumpy answered. She stood and almost walked out the door before realizing she was naked. Looking around, she quickly found everything to be clean and folded, sitting in a chair next to the bed. She got dressed quickly and then headed out the door. ---- Levi had his back to her as Paige approached. He sat with his legs crossed as if he were meditating, but she knew he wasn''t with the way he was hunched forward. She slowed her steps as she drew closer, wondering what to say. "Levi?" He quickly turned and stood. Before she could say anything else, he closed the distance and wrapped her in a tight hug. He just held her like that for a long time. She felt his tears on his face and squeezed him back tighter. Then Levi finally pulled away from her and looked her over. "I''m glad you''re okay. Everything is okay, right? You didn''t do anything to cause permanent damage?" "No, I''m fine. I''m a little exhausted, but everything seems okay," She answered quietly. He tried to smile in response. It hurt Paige to see how hollow that smile was. "Are you okay?" She asked. Levi gave her a dismissive shrug and turned away from her. "I kind of have to be, I guess." After a second, he slumped back into his sitting postion on the ground. She sat next to him. For a long time, she said nothing. She knew he was beating himself up about everything that had happened. When she finally did speak, she wasn''t sure it was the right thing. "You know, you don''t have to be. Not really." "I don''t have to be what?" Levi asked, sitting up and looking at Paige. "You don''t have to be okay. It is okay to not be okay, sometimes." Paige put a hand on his back. For a moment, she saw tears well up in Levi''s eyes, and then he turned his head away from her. He tried to discreetly brush tears away, but she knew what he was doing. It took a while for him to answer, and when he did, his voice was strained, holding back the tears he wanted to let out. "You''re wrong. No, I''m not okay. But I have to be. I can''t be better next time if I just fall apart. I don''t deserve to let myself fall apart. I can''t make the same mistakes again." "Levi, it isn''t your fa-" "Yes it fucking is!" Levi raised his voice. "You don''t get it. Maybe because you''re the only one who came out without really losing anything. Maybe it''s your class. But, we don''t all get to be carefree and Untamable, Paige. Some of us have to bear the weight of our responsibilities...our fuckups." Paige thought she saw his eyes glow white for a split second as he yelled at her. His comment about her class had cut her. And he was an asshole if he thought losing Maddy didn''t hurt. Her mind reeled. What did he mean when he said she was the only one who hadn''t lost anything? He still glared at her, breathing hard. His eyes were wide, and his nostrils were flared. She''d never seen him so angry. She smelled it on him, so strongly it overwhelmed his smell of grief. She wanted to fight against him; she wanted to run away. Instead, she stared at him frozen and forced her own face into a glare. "What got nothing to say to that?" Levi demanded, clearly still furious and hurting. "I just wanted to-" Paige started to say. Again, Levi interrupted. "Just tell me it wasn''t my fault. Already heard it from Joe. Will probably hear it from Grace later. I don''t need to hear it from you, too." Paige''s fist clenched and she resisted the urge to punch him. "Well, fuck you Levi, I guess I''ll just leave you here to wallow." Her words came out colder than she wished they had, but she got to her feet. "Yeah, leaving is probably a good idea." Levi''s voice was flat. "Guess so." Tears welled up in Paige''s eyes as she turned away from him. It felt wrong. She just wanted to be there for him. But Paige walked away anyway, and Levi didn''t stop her. 50 - Tears and Birdshit Paige wandered for a while. She was hurt that Levi had pushed her away, but she also knew he was hurting. As much as she wanted to hold onto that hurt and stay angry, she couldn''t. He didn''t even need to explain it to her. He was blaming himself. She just hoped that he wouldn''t take too long to pull his head out of his ass. Still, Levi''s words about Paige being the only one who hadn''t really lost anything nagged in the back of her mind. She couldn''t help but feel like what he''d said had some weight. She wanted to know what he had meant. ''Hey, do you know where Joe is right now?'' Paige asked Grumpy through telepathic communication. ''Aye, miss. He''s out at the old hard sparring pit,'' Grumpy answered. ''He''s sparring?'' Paige asked. She knew Joe had always been active in the sparring pits, but she really hadn''t expected him to get back to it so soon. Especially with his new Captain position and the responsibilities it came with. ''No, miss. He''s just sitting. It is only him out there, right now.'' Paige almost decided right then to not go and speak with Joe. Trying to talk to Levi had gone wrong, and half of that was probably because he just needed to be alone. She didn''t want to push Joe in the same way. But Joe wasn''t Levi. She doubted he''d get angry with her, even if he didn''t want to talk. It only took a few minutes for Paige to make her way to the hard spar pits. For some reason, perhaps nerves or fear of what Joe may say, she snuck her way to the edge of the clearing. Paige was glad she did. As she approached, she saw Joe facing her direction. He was on his knees, head bowed, mumbling. She tried to pick up on his words, but she couldn''t make them out even with her Enhanced Hearing. She considered using her Ability to enhance her hearing with the Bobcat form but chose not to. It seemed disrespectful, and she felt bad for trying to eavesdrop in the first place. Then she noticed Joe''s arm was missing and felt an emptiness in her stomach. She saw what Joe had lost and couldn''t help but feel responsible. She could only remember a few glimpses of the fight from while she was in her rage, but that in itself made her feel like it was partially her fault. She took a step back, deciding she really didn''t want to talk to Joe after all. Joe''s head suddenly lifted, and he stood. "Whoever''s there, come on out," he boomed with his authoritative voice. Paige thought about bolting, but before she could, Joe called out again. "Come on out, Paige." She froze for a second and then stepped around the tree. "How''d you know it was me. Actually, how''d you even notice me at all?" Joe gave Paige a genuine, if somewhat subdued, smile. "I was really mostly guessing someone was there. It felt like I was being watched. Guess I''m a little on edge. But, when I noticed the extra crows, rather than just the one who''s been following me..." Joe pointed to a few in the surrounding trees. "I figured it was you lurking." "Joe... I''m sorry about your-" Joe cut Paige off. "I know. It ain''t your fault, though, so don''t worry about it." Joe moved back and took a seat on the log bench behind him. He gestured for Paige to take a seat next to him. "Guessing you talked to Levi?" He added as she settled down next to him. Paige nodded, trying to keep tears from spilling out again. "Don''t take anything he said personally. He''s in a bad place right now." Joe patted her on the back. Then he turned to look at her. "But he didn''t say anything too out of line, did he? I''ll go straighten him out if he did." Paige shook her head. "No, not really." She hesitated before continuing. "Said I didn''t lose anything and everyone else did. I don''t think he meant it to hurt me, but..." Paige looked at Joe. "I wanted to know. I mean, I get it with Maddy, and David is probably a wreck right now. But I didn''t know about your arm. I still don''t know what Levi lost, either." Joe nodded. "Not exactly sure what Levi lost, either. I have some ideas based on some of what I heard, but not my place to say in the first place." Joe squeezed Paige''s shoulder gently. "But I don''t think it matters. I don''t think Levi is actually that concerned with what he lost. You know, you were the first thing he asked about when he woke up. That tells me what he was really concerned with, right there." Paige nodded, but the tears were pouring again. "Hey," Joe continued. "Cut him slack and don''t get upset that he wants a little space right now. He hasn''t even gotten the chance to sort out his own thoughts and guilt about everything yet. He''ll work it out. Then you''ll be the first person he wants to talk to, trust me." "Thanks, Joe." After a long silence, Paige took a shuddering breath, and her tears found a new well from which to spring. "How''d she die? I thought... I thought your skill saved her." "It did. The first time." Joe leaned back and looked toward the treetops at the edge of the clearing, his eyes losing their focus. "When we realized you and Levi hadn''t gotten away, we came back for you. That''s when the troll got my arm. Then... Maddy. I''m not exactly sure how. David won''t say much, and I''ll be damned if I press him on it. He''s already on the edge, as it is." "That''s s-so fucked up. She died t-twice." Paige was sobbing, now. "Yeah." Joe said. "I guess when it is your time to go, it''s just your time, and there''s nothing that can stop it." Paige tried to get herself together. She felt anger at Joe''s words and latched onto the feeling to pull herself from the grief. "You believe that bullshit?" She asked, regretting how bitter it came out even as she said it. Joe shrugged. His gaze still stared out at the treetops, but Paige saw the sadness on his face. "Kind of, I guess. I sure would like it to be true." "What was that? When I got here, were you praying?" Paige asked. Her tears were finally subsiding. Joe looked at Paige and nodded. "Yeah, I was praying." "I never took you as the religious type." Joe stared back at Paige for a long second, then shrugged. "Well, I''m not all that great of a Christian, so I guess I don''t go around talking about it. And, if people want to hear preaching, they''ll go to church. But I believe, yeah." Paige''s mouth hung open for a moment, brows furrowed. Then she spread her arms and gestured around. "Even after all this?" Joe scratched at his beard. "Yeah, guess so. I was always too stupid to understand all of it anyway. Now, there''s just more that I don''t understand. But, let''s say... believing saved me. More than once. Through some of the worst things. Those are stories for another day... but yeah, I''ll keep on believing." Anger flared up in Paige, but she pushed it down, knowing Joe was just being genuine and open. Her answer still had more bite than she would''ve liked. "Well, sorry, but I just can''t. I don''t think I ever really did, and I definitely don''t understand how you do now." "That''s fair. I''m not trying to convince you that you should," Joe offered a gentle smile and a light squeeze of her shoulder. Taken a little off her guard, Paige asked a question she had not meant voice. "So what were you praying for?"Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. "For you and Levi and David to be okay after all this. Mostly David, to be honest. He''s in a really bad place. I''m worried. Have you gone to see Maddy''s body--to pay your respects, yet?" Paige shook her head and looked down, trying to push down another round of tears. "You should," Joe continued. "But when you do, be careful of David. He won''t leave her. And... I don''t think he''ll get violent... but he''s been lashing out. Just keep that in mind when you talk to him." Paige just nodded, still staring at the ground. "Hey," Joe said. He waited until Paige looked up at him before continuing, making sure she was looking him in the eye. "Sometimes bad things happen no matter how hard you fight to stop them. I''m sorry. It will be okay, though, in time. I promise." Paige wrapped her arms around Joe''s neck in a hug. "Thanks, Joe." Joe patted her back. "I''m glad you''re okay, kid." As Paige pulled away, Joe caught her eye again. "You should go see Maddy. Say your goodbyes. I know it''s hard. But trust me, you need to. But... don''t freak out about her...condition. I don''t want to say more than that, for now. I have my reasons. Just know, there''s something wrong about it, but she is really gone." Paige just nodded as her throat tightened, and the tears began again. ---- Paige felt a little better after she left Joe. Maybe it was his words. Maybe it was just that she''d been able to cry and get more out. She decided to take Joe''s advice and made her way to the cabin that housed Maddy''s body. She tried not to hurry but found herself at the cabin far too soon, anyway. As she approached, she saw David''s expression. She stared David down as he sneered at her. Joe had been right. Without even speaking, David''s demeanor, the way he held himself, the look of hate in his hollow eyes... it told a story of how changed David was. "David, I''m-" "Shut up. Don''t fucking say it." His voice was cold. She nodded. "Can I... I just want to say goodbye." David stared at Paige like he didn''t even know her, like they hadn''t spent time bonding and growing close. He gave her the look you''d give a salesman at your doorstep... if that salesman was trying to sell manure in the middle of a shitstorm. Then, to Maddy''s surprise, David jerked his head back to gesture she enter the cabin. "Yeah. Guess Maddy would want you to," was all David said. "Thank-" Paige started. "Don''t." David raised a finger at Paige. "Just don''t. Just go say your goodbyes." Paige nodded and slipped past David, entering the cabin. Her chest squeezed tight as she opened the door. She was afraid of what she was going to see, but knew she had to do it anyway. Joe''s words had only added to that anxiety. Paige wasn''t expecting Maddy''s appearance. She was expecting a mangled, bloated body... maybe even for the head to not be attached. She was expecting to barely be able to recognize Maddy. She''d only been to a few funerals in her life, but the dead never looked like they had in life. She was not expecting Maddy laying on the bed like some perfect sleeping beauty. She was more beautiful now than she''d even been in life, with a peaceful expression on her face. There wasn''t a single blemish or scar. There wasn''t a single pimple or speck of dirt. Even her robes were pristine. The only thing that Paige didn''t recognize was the full head of long, lustrous brown hair. Someone had even brushed it, Paige suspected David. "She''s beautiful, huh." David''s voice came from behind Paige. Paige looked over her shoulder, not turning fully. She couldn''t speak, so she just nodded. "Well, at least I have that," David said. Then he turned to leave. "Say goodbye, but make it fast," he added before closing the door behind him. After he left, Paige grabbed Maddy''s hand and squeezed. It was soft and limp in her grip. It was warm. For a moment, Paige thought Maddy was still alive. She quickly checked for Maddy''s pulse. There wasn''t one. Paige had no idea what was going on, but she was damned sure going to ask. Then she focused on Maddy, just holding her hand. Seconds stretched on as she tried to think of what to say. "I just..." Paige started. For a moment, that''s all she had in her, the only words that she could think to say, headed in a direction she didn''t know. Then the words fell from her without thought. "We were just starting to be good friends. Why did I have to hate you when we first got here? I wasted so much time we could have had because all I saw was a spoiled, rich bitch. I-I''m so... sorry." Paige''s tears came unbidden and uncontrolled then. But she had more to say, and somehow managed to keep talking through her tight throat, snot, and tears. "You were super funny, you know. I wish I could just sit around a fire bullshitting with you one more time. And you were so, so beautiful. I felt a little jealous about that at first. And you were still such a kind and thoughtful person. You were a better person than I am, by so, so much. And I somehow thought I could judge you when I first met you. I hate that I did that." For a few minutes, Paige stood sniffling, just looking down at Maddy''s face. Then she said goodbye. "Your cooch didn''t really stink that day. But I''m still glad I said it did, because I always smile when I think about that moment with you and your hilarious response." Paige leaned over Maddy, giving her a gentle hug. "I wish we''d have gotten to be real best friends. I am going to miss you so much." After enough time had passed to feel awkward for hugging a dead woman, Paige finally straightened herself. For a while, long enough to pull herself together and stop crying, she just stood holding Maddy''s hand. When she finally felt composed, Paige gently laid Maddy''s hand at her side in a relaxed position. Then Paige forced her herself to turn away and walk out of the cabin. Paige waited until she was past David''s perch on the stairs and standing on the ground before she turned and asked David her question. For some reason, as beautiful as Maddy was, and as happy as Paige was to see Maddy like that, it also made Paige feel uneasy. "Why is her body perfect like that? She''s still warm. What the fuck is that about, David?" "Hey, hey, hey." David raised his hands in defense. He twisted his mouth into a smirk. It looked forced, yet something about that made it even darker--scarier--as he stared back at Paige with hollow eyes. "Just a thank you gift from your buffalo pal. It couldn''t bring her back, so I got as much as I could out of it." Paige froze. Her blood ran cold. "David, you better not do anything... I mean. That''s wrong." David''s face twisted in rage. He was in Paige''s face in an instant. "How fucking dare you even suggest... I love her! How dare you even hint I''d do some twisted, sicko shit. Fuck you!" She felt spittle hit her as he screamed in her face. She felt the rage rise up inside her, but her guilt came down like a hammer and crushed it. He was right. David had loved Maddy, and even if he hadn''t, he wasn''t that kind of person. He would never do something like that. Paige lowered her gaze. She almost said she was sorry again but thought better of it. She decided it was best to just leave. As she turned to go, David spoke again. "You know, if you hadn''t gone all pycho-bitch and lost it, it would be Levi dead instead of Maddy. And Joe would still be able to aim his piss and hold his pants up at the same time." Paige halted for a second at his words. Then she began walking at a faster pace, afraid of what David would say next. "Hell, if you wouldn''t have lost your shit in that rage, maybe you''d have been able to get Levi out, too. Maybe neither of them had to die... Guess we''ll never know." David''s voice was filled with pain and spite. Paige tried to shut his words out but realized that she''d stopped walking away. "Well... heard Levi gave up every skill he had to save you. Can''t imagine that kind of resentment will be good for your relationship." David laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Well, good luck to you two lovebirds. I hope you get all the happiness you both deserve." --- Levi stared down at the book in front of him, A Brief Introduction to the Esoteric Realities of a Post-System World. He wondered if it would have made a difference with Maddy. The thought of giving the book to her had crossed his mind once, and then he''d forgotten all about it. He hated himself for that. He couldn''t help but break down every moment from the first time he''d met Maddy. From farther back than that, as far back as when he''d arrived at the safezone. Even farther, when he''d fucked up his interview and gotten his cursed Class. At what point could he have done something different, and changed the outcome? All of them? Any of them? None of them? As he stared down, something white and wet hit him on his hand. Levi lifted it to his nose and sniffed. Bird shit? That''s when Levi noticed all the crows in the clearing. Their cawing was deafening. How had he not heard it before then? Then his mind panicked as he thought of Paige. Was she in trouble? What other reason would get the crows trying so hard to his attention? Levi jumped up, dropping the book to his feet. He had enough regrets. And Levi realized he''d just added one to the tally, as he remembered how he and Paige had parted. He wasn''t going to add another one. Not if he could help it. "Take me to her!" Levi yelled out to the crows. The crows all took flight at once, scattering, and Levi couldn''t follow the direction of any of them. For a second, he felt fear and frustration, but then he heard a caw. Turning, he saw a single crow. The crow fluttered to a limb a little farther away. Levi followed. The crow moved again, faster, and Levi sped up to match its speed. Then the crow went farther, and Levi was sprinting to keep up. Fear gripped his heart as he ran through the woods, unable to use any boosting skills. Paige needed him. ---- Paige stumbled through the woods, fidgeting with the small item in her hand. She could have easily made the way to her destination. Her senses were sharp enough to navigate the darkest night, and the sun hadn''t even quite set. But her attention was elsewhere. She finally found the location she was looking for. She took a shuddering breath as she settled down on the dead log at the bank of the large pond. This was where Mama-cat had chosen to teach her. This was where Mama-cat had said goodbye. This is where she''d kissed Levi for the first time. It was a good place. She lifted the plain item and looked at it under the moonlight. "Guess this is when I need you the most, Mr. Stowe," Paige said as she stared at the dull gray coin Levi had passed on to her with their first meeting. As the question of how she was supposed to even use the coin entered her mind, everything went black. 51 - Sexy Sandler in My Soulspace Levi was too late as he stumbled into the clearing at the edge of the pond. He watched as Paige lifted the coin and then simply disappeared. So, she was going to see Mr. Stowe. That was what the crows were worried about? Levi didn''t get it. He was worried about Paige, too. He''d pushed her away again, and he needed to fix that. He knew she was probably hurting. Even before he''d been cold to her, she''d probably been hurting about Maddy''s death. But Levi was pretty sure that her coin was a good thing. Based on his own experiences with Rick, he was also pretty sure that Mr. Stowe would want what was best for Paige. Levi looked around at the perched crows, who''d gone silent. "This is what you were worried about? She''ll be fine, guys. Mr. Stowe is a good thing. I''m sure he''ll do whatever he can to help her... though I''m not exactly sure what the coin does or why Paige used it." Another wave of caws rippled through the treetops, and a single grow drifted down and landed on the fallen log where Paige had sat. "Master Levi, we are afraid because she wants to change her class," the crow spoke. Not with its mind as the white buffalo had, but from its mouth. Its voice was exactly what you''d expect a crow''s voice to sound like, and Levi couldn''t help but think of Gilbert Gottfried. "You can talk? Like actually talk, with words?" Then Levi''s mind focused, "And why on earth would she do that?" "You know why. She feels guilty because of being lost in her rage. She blames herself for Maddy''s death, among other things. And she blames her class because she blames herself." Levi made his way to sit next to the crow. "That''s not... I mean... anything could have happened. No matter what class she had, whether she was in a rage or not..." "That''s rich, coming from someone blaming himself the most of all," the crow answered. "That''s different," Levi argued. "Everything is different. Two kernels of corn will never be identical, but they are both kernels of corn." "Really? Crow wisdom? Actually, though, not half bad. How can you talk, though, for real?" Levi asked again. "We corvids were quite well known for our ability to speak, even before the system. A Beastfriend connection obviously has the potential to enhance it. How can you be so daft?" The crow answered. Before Levi answered, another crow fluttered down on the log next to Levi. "Levi is stupid," it cawed with actual words, too. "Greetings, Hemlock. Where is Madam Grace?" The first crow asked, still speaking in English. "Master comes, Grumpy. She comes. Brings Joe. Close, close." The second crow said. Levi assumed this was Grace''s familar. Levi was about to ask how close when Grace and Joe entered the clearing. "I came as fast as I could. Where is she?" Grace looked shakey and sweaty. She held a walking stick that shook as she used it to support some of her weight. Joe tried to help support her with his one arm, but she absently swatted his hand away. Levi stood and faced them. "Too late. She already used it." "Stupid girl. I swear, you two both give me a damned headache," Grace limped her way to the log and eased herself down. "Well shit." Levi nodded and sat back down. "I warned her to be careful about David. I know he had to have said something to get into her head." Joe said as he joined them on the log. "I should have went with her." "Not your fault, Joe. I was pretty cold to her earlier. I try to be better, then I just... I mean... every fucking time," Levi leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and hung his head. "Hey, we all have our own issues. Don''t beat yourself up too hard." Joe slapped Levi''s back in a supportive gesture, but Levi thought it was a little too hard and somewhat meant to hurt. "Well... we''re not sure it will even work. None of us even know what that coin does, other than give her a meeting, of some sort, with her Mr. Stowe." "First time I''m hearing of it, at all," Joe commented. Levi quickly explained the circumstances of the coin he''d given Paige upon their first meeting. "So we don''t even know if what she''s trying to do is possible." Joe commented when Levi was done. "Nope," Levi answered. "Well, nothing we can do about it now, except sit here and wait," Grace grumbled. "I don''t know that there''s nothing we can do." Joe scratched at his beard. "We can still support her. To do what she''s doing, she''s probably feeling pretty terrible about herself. We can be here when she gets back. We can let her know we care about her." Levi felt his heart tighten at Joes words. Goosebumps rose on his arm and tears formed in his eyes. Joe had given him the answer he needed. "Yeah, if she does come back with a different class... and even if she doesn''t. I can be here waiting for her." Joe squeezed Levi''s shoulder in a much more approving gesture this time. "You know, you''re getting there, brother. I see it. I''m proud to call you a friend." "Joe, I love you, you know that. And I know you''re right, but I''m still going to give her an ear-full for being a silly girl." Grace looked away and huffed. "I''ll just give her a big hug first." Levi thought he heard Grace''s voice tighten and the hint of tears finding their way into them at the end of her words. He couldn''t be certain of that, but Grace''s voice held more genuine emotion than he''d ever heard. That emotion completely undermined her snark. "Aye," Grumpy''s voice came from the other side of Levi. "I so desperately hope she doesn''t change her class. But I reckon that''s for selfish reasons. No matter what happens, us crows will always be her friends... and yours, too. We''ll all be here waiting when she returns." At Grumpy''s words, all the crows loudly cawed, filling the air with deafening agreement for a few long seconds. Afterward, there was a peaceful silence, as everyone sat in agreement. Until Levi jumped up in alarm. ---- Mama-cat had watched as her daughter had made her way through the forest. She had smelled the distress on Paige, and decided to follow. Her daughter was acting foolish, that much she knew for certain. Her daughter would have certainly noticed the bobcat following if something was not wrong. Curious, Mama-cat watched as Paige made her way to the pond. She saw her sit and pull out the metal object. Then her daughter had just disappeared. Mama-cat had almost broke into the clearing to sniff around when her daughter''s mate made his way to the bank. So instead, she chose to stay hidden and watch. When Levi and the crow began to speak, she used her daughter''s ability to understand their language. Their conversation concerned and angered her. Why would her daughter do such a thing?This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. As more people joined them, Mama-cat listened intently. Her instincts told her to leave. To abandon her daughter. But something else inside her told Mama-cat not to abandon her daughter, no matter how stupid she was being. She watched on as all the others made their choice. And then, Mama-cat made hers. If her daughter came back changed, she would be waiting to witness that. If her daughter came back with her class intact... Mama-cat would make sure she provided the proper lessons so that her daughter would never be so foolish again. With her choice made, she joined the group, easing out and sitting next to her daughter''s mate and those her daughter called ''friends.'' She felt content as she committed to her choice, in a way she had not known before. It was better than a belly full of prey or napping in the sun. She knew she had made the right choice. And then her daughter''s mate spooked like a prey animal. Mama-cat suddenly realized that she should have given her daughter a better education. She''d never realized how bad humans could be at choosing mates. ---- Paige opened her eyes to see Mr. Stowe with his legs up at a desk in front of her, nose in a book. It reminded her of a teacher''s desk, complete with a desk calendar, fake plant, a few stray pens and pencils, and a small globe--though the continents on the globe resembled nothing like that of Earth. There was even a small apple at the corner. She blinked, wondering where she was. She looked around expecting a classroom of some sort, but it was her old bedroom, or some representation of it. It was her old bedroom in the sense that she recognized it, but there were some huge differences. Behind Mr. Stowe was a picture window, and the landscape beyond was a grassland, much like that of the Realms, except she could see a herd of wild horses grazing instead of buffalo. On either side of the desk were bookshelves. At a glance, she didn''t see a single book she didn''t recognize as one she''d read. Paige had forgotten how much she had actually enjoyed reading. There was a One Direction poster to her left, but it wasn''t one she''d actually had, rather one she''d always wanted. On her right was a poster of her life-long celebrity crush in a rather flattering pose, shirtless, with a physique that was a little too muscular to reflect reality but was still somewhat dad-bod. Everything else about Adam Sandler, from his haircut to his goofy grin, was 100% from the movie 50 First Dates. She wanted to laugh, but embarrassment compelled her to bury her face in the soft object she''d had in her hand. She pulled her face back immediately, realizing there had been something in her hand for the first time. It was the stuffed horse she''d had her entire life, Junipeero. He was worn and lumpy, just like the last time she''d seen him. As she looked down at the Junipeero, she realized she was sitting on her old bed, with the sunflower comforter she''d always loved so much. "Where am I?" Paige heard a book snap closed and looked up to see Mr. Stowe pulling his feet from the desk and sitting up. He set the book to the side on the table, before answering. "A representation of your soulspace. Similar to what Levi experienced when he upgraded his Core, but far more stable than his, I''d imagine." "Huh," Paige gave another glance around the room. "He never told me about his. Not really what I would have expected. I wonder what is inside his." "They change. Actually, we Spirits change them, as is suitable. But everything that exists in these representations is already there. Though, I can''t say I''d want to see what is in Levi''s, if I am being honest." Mr. Stowe adjusted a pen on his desk as he answered. Paige''s eyes locked on Mr. Stowe. "Why is that?" Mr. Stowe met Paige''s eyes before continuing. "Well... I can sense my siblings. I can sense what they experience, although only very little. My sibling does not have an easy time with Levi." Mr. Stowe gave Paige a sad, fake smile. "But, that''s not why you''re here, now is it?" "No... but..." Paige sat the stuffed horse next to her and stood, steeling her resolve. "You know, already don''t you? So let''s just do it. Tell me what my choices are." Mr. Stowe gave a more genuine smile at her words. "I am happy to see you have grown so much, but I think not, my dear. At least, not before we talk about things." Paige felt anger rise, and then pushed it down again. She was starting to hate feeling angry. "You can do it though, right? You can change my class if you wanted to?" Mr. Stowe gave a slow nod. "Not myself personally, no. But, yes, I can make it happen. But I won''t. Not until we talk about things. So, will you please have a seat, so we can have that talk?" He folded his hands on the desk as he spoke. Paige wanted to refuse him, but his voice was a gentle invitation, not a command, and he sat there looking like just a cute old man, waiting for her with kind eyes. So she let out a breath and sat back down on the bed. "Thank you. Now, do you want to tell me why you want to change your class?" Mr. Stowe asked. "You already know, don''t you? Why don''t you just tell me," Paige answered. "I know most of it, yes. And I am sorry, my dear girl. That is a terrible thing, to blame yourself like that. But, out of my respect for you and because I feel like a conversation would be more productive, I would prefer this be a conversation." Paige stared at Mr. Stowe for a long few seconds, before she finally huffed. "Fine. I don''t like that have to fear losing control. That rage. David was right. That''s what got Maddy killed, that''s why Joe lost an arm, that''s why Levi sacrificed all his skills." Paige watched as anger passed over Mr. Stowe''s face for the first time. "David is being a vindictive little shit right now, and he''s wrong." Mr. Stowe said in a growl. Paige jerked straight. "Mr. Stowe, you cursed. You don''t ever curse." "Well...that p-pisssed me off," Mr. Stowe answered. He closed his eyes for a moment and then his face slowly relaxed into something more peaceful again. When he opened them, he looked into Paige''s eyes. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news my dear, but your class had nothing to do with that rage. That''s just there. It''s you. No matter what class you take, that rage will be there with you... but that rage did-" Paige interrupted Mr. Stowe with a rush of words. "So I killed Maddy. It was just me, David was right, I-" Mr. Stowe slammed a fist on the table. He face was angry again. "No, Paige. Listen. Perhaps I should have started by saying this. What David said was grief-fueled nonsense. What if you hadn''t gone into a rage? What would have actually happened? Would you have been able to actually continue fighting the troll as long as you did? Probably not." "You know what would have probably happened? Realistically?" Mr. Stowe continued. "You''d have tried to save Levi, anyway, without being in a rage. Then you''d have died. Then the troll would have finished off Levi. And then, they''d have all still came back for you two, and then they''d have all died, too." Paige took a shuddering breath. "You mean..." "Yes... you didn''t get anyone killed. If anything, it might have saved everyone who did survive," Mr. Stowe finished, more gently. Paige let out a sigh and closed her eyes. After a moment, she opened them and spoke, "I still don''t like that I lost control." "Nor do I. But you didn''t really lose control this time, you gave up control, remember?" For a moment, Paige stared back at Mr. Stowe, confused. And then a memory flashed. Her last thought before she''d blacked out in anger had been ''Good.'' She''d let her anger take control. Mr. Stowe smiled as the realization hit her. "I knew you''d see it. So, do you still want to change your super neat, amazing class I picked for you?" Paige shook her head. "No. I like my class. And I guess it wouldn''t make a difference anyway." Paige closed her eyes and shook her head. "But I still don''t like the fact that I could lose it again. That rage, no matter where it comes from... I''m afraid of it. What do I do?" Mr. Stowe stood from his chair and walked around the desk. His movements were slow and deliberate, like any old man''s, and he was shorter than Paige had realized, barely taller than she was while sitting. "Practice some mental control excercises. I bet Levi would love to teach you how to meditate. Just don''t distract each other too much." Mr. Stowe waggled his bushy, gray caterpillar eyebrows at her. "But just in case, give me your coin," Mr. Stowe said as he stuck out his hand to her. "What-" Paige stared to say, before she suddenly felt the coin in her hand. Still confused, Paige did as he asked and handed it to Mr. Stowe. After he took it from her, he cupped both hands around the coin and closed his eyes. For a split second, Paige thought she saw a bit of light shine from his hands, but it was so brief she thought it could be her mind playing tricks. Then Mr. Stowe opened his hands. In his palm, the coin was no longer a dull plain gray. It was a bright silver and now had some design etched into it. He extended his palm to Paige, offering the coin. As she took it, she noticed how light seemed to reflect a sapphire sheen across the surface. Curious, she held it up to inspect it. On one side, she saw her own face, twisted in rage. It made her stomach twist to see it. Quickly, to put the image out of her mind, she turned the coin over. Levi''s face was engraved into the other side, but she recognized the expression on his face. It wasn''t Levi, but what he looked like when he was lost in his deeper meditative state... the way he was the night he''d created his sword. "What is this?" Paige asked. "Think of it as a get out of mind-jail free card...for both you and Levi. After all, I do owe him my life, too. You know what it is for. It can be used by either of you, for either of you. It only has three uses. And it should be mostly safe, but look at me." Mr. Stowe''s voice grew serious. When Paige looked up at him, he continued, furry eyebrows pressed together. "Do not, under any circumstances, use this if he''s stuck while uprading his core. It won''t save him, and it will kill us both." Paige nodded, knowing in her heart it wasn''t a promise she could or would be able to keep. Mr. Stowe sighed. "Why do I even try?" He lifted a hand and gave her a gentle smile. "Well, better get going then. Shoo!" And then he snapped his fingers and everything went black again. Paige''s eyes opened to the sun setting over a larger pond. Before she could even find her bearings, a voice cawed behind her. ''About bloody time, miss. And you better still speak bird, or I''m shitting on you, and I don''t care what the rest of the boys have to say about it.'' Then someone hugged her from behind. 52 - Almost Time to Go Grace finally released Paige from the hug and then smacked her in the back of the head. "What were you thinking?" Paige rubbed at the back of her head. Levi swooped in and gave Paige a hug from the front. "Hey, I''m sorry. I was cold to you and an asshole, and you didn''t deserve it. I know I keep screwing up, and I''m sorry. I''m trying to be better." ''Oy, bitch, you never answered. You better still have your Beastfriend class!'' Crows caws rang out, admonishing the lone crow, but also Paige for trying to change her class. Paige was overwhelmed by it all. "STOP!" Paige blew a stray strand of hair from her face and stepped back from Levi. "Stop." Everyone went silent and stared at her in anticipation. Paige raised her hands defensively. "I still have my class. Mr. Stowe set me straight." "Three cheers for Master Stowe!" Grumpy began, but Paige cut him short. "Shut it." Paige gathered herself. After a second, she realized why everyone was gathered and her irritation was replaced by guilt for being so mean to everyone. "Thank you for all being here, but it was a little overwhelming to have you all bombard me like that. And I still have my class. And now that I don''t feel so overwhlemed... you guys being here means a whole lot to me." Paige looked around the group, and her eyes finally caught sight of Mama-cat. "Mama-cat!" Paige rushed forward, smiling wildly. The bobcat stared up at her with an unblinking gaze for a long moment, then flicked an ear. ''I have failed you in your raising. The morning after tomorrow, you will meet me here. I must correct your failures.'' Paige tensed. Her blood ran cold under Mama-cat''s gaze. "Yes, Mama-cat." Mama-cat''s gaze drifted to Levi. After a moment, she blinked, flicked an ear, and looked back to Paige. ''Bring your mate. We will see if he is worthy of you. If he isn''t... he will wish he was.'' "Yes, Mama-cat." Paige answered. For once, she was scared of what Mama-cat was planning on teaching. ---- After they''d had dinner, Joe, Paige, and Levi sat around the fire in silence. Grace had gone inside, stating that the three of them needed to talk and clear the air. Iara, who had joined them for dinner, decided to follow Grace''s example and had excused herself, too. But none of the three spoke after they''d gotten their privacy. They all just watched the fire. Levi picked at his nails with his dagger. Joe kept poking at the fire with a long stick, stirring the embers and occasionally adding fresh kindling. Paige just stared into the fire. Even the crows remained silent. Levi was considering breaking the silence, when a voice came from the shadows. "Guess it ain''t the same without me and Maddy, huh? Not going to lie, I think I''d have lost my shit if I''d have walked up and you were all just bullshitting and carrying on like the good old days." Levi froze, jaw clenching tight. He wanted to jump up and punch David, but he knew if he lost his temper that it was likely to spiral into a fight to the death, with where both of their minds were at in that moment. Levi quickly sheathed his dagger in his boot, just to remove the temptation or any kind of interpretation David could make about it being in his hand. Paige stood, but she seemed more tensed to run away than fight. Joe slowly sat up straight, but he didn''t show any sign of alarm. "David. You here to curse and blame everyone all over again?" David stepped out from the shadows. "No." His face looked thin, and he had dark circles under his eyes. He somehow looked far worse, worn more thin, than when Levi had seen him last, just hours before. David moved forward slowly, as if exhausted, and took a seat. "No. But I''m still angry at all of you. Part of me hates you so much. I think I maybe always will. But I know it isn''t right." He hung his head between his legs, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He stayed like that as he continued speaking. "I meant every word I said to all of you. It felt good... or at least it eased the pain for a moment... to say what I had to say. Then... I was just there with her." Levi watched David closely. He wondered what would come next, what nastiness David could say or do. Then he saw the first tears fall to the ground between David''s feet. "I hate you guys so much. And that only makes losing Maddy so much worse. I hate what I said, and I still had to say it. Losing her... it... I feel empty. And I lost you guys because I lost her... because I can''t not be angry with you. I can''t not hold on to that." The tears kept falling into the dirt. No one said anything. Levi knew there was no right thing to say. He wasn''t sure what Paige and Joe were thinking, but he was glad they stayed silent. David was a powder keg. The wrong thing could set him off. Levi didn''t want to think about how bad things could go if that happened. He didn''t want to hurt David. No matter what David had said, he was a friend--one that was hurting. That aside, Levi wasn''t sure there was a whole lot he could do, given his own weakened state, if a fight did break out. Joe slowly got up. With calm, steady movements, he approached David. He crouched slowly at David''s side and placed his hand on David''s shoulder. "David, I believe you when you say you aren''t here to hurt anyone or cause problems, but do you care to tell me why you''re here. What is it you came to say?" David finally looked up at Joe. He stared at him for a moment before looking between Levi and Paige. The glare David gave them didn''t seem quite as hateful to Levi as it was when he''d spoken to David earlier, yet there was somerhing else in it that Levi couldn''t place. David''s face almost seemed to hold a resolve that Levi couldn''t understand. After a moment, David straightened, sitting up tall. "I came because I had to tell you personally. I didn''t want any of you to get the wrong idea." David looked around, meeting each of their eyes in turn. "I-I can''t... I can''t bury... I can''t just give up on her. I''m going to bring her back." "David..." Joe squeezed David''s shoulder. "Brother... she''s gone." David tried to shrug off hid hand, but Joe grip remained firm. "No! No. There''s a way to bring her back. The white buffalo said someone had the authority to do it. It can be done." "Who?" Joe asked. His eyes narrowed on David, but they looked more sad than convinced. David stared at Joe, mouth open for a moment, before yelling, "Does it matter who? It can be done!" "Who?" Joe asked firmly, gripping David''s shoulder tighter. "The buffalo called it the ''One Above All'' or something like that." David mumbled. Joe released his shoulder and stood. He looked down at David with pity for a moment, then turned away. Levi waited for Joe to say something, but he didn''t. David''s head sank back down between his knees. "David... do you mean the system or the entity?" Levi asked. David shook his head, but didn''t look up. "No, I asked. Something else." "So... you''re going looking for some mysterious God-like... something... hoping you can bring her back?" Paige asked. Her face was confused for a moment before it tightened into sadness, and a tear she had been holding back leaked from the corner of her eye. "David... I..." David''s head snapped up in a glare. "I know it is a longshot, at best. Maybe a fairy tale. I don''t care. I have to try. I can''t just let her go." Joe let out a long sigh. "David, we''re burying her tomorrow." "No you aren''t." David answered in a matter-of-fact tone. Joe turned back to David in a snap. "David... yes, yes we are. I know it is hard, but-" David''s face turned dark again. "No, no you aren''t. I already took her body and hid it." Joe glared down at David. "David... it''s only been a few hours... her body is still pretty close by. We''ll find her. But she needs to be buried. Don''t start acting like this. Please." "You think so, huh? Funny thing about the time dilation inside that portal... I spent days making sure she was hidden away in a safe place. Yet, here I am, a few hours later, having this lovely conversation with you." Joe maintained his glare at David, but didn''t say anything else. His fist tightened for a second, but then relaxed. Then it clenched again, and he raised it slightly, his entire arm tensing. Then he spun away from David. "Fuck. David. She deserves to be put to rest," Joe said in a growl. "She deserves to be alive!" David yelled back. He sprung to his feet. "I just thought... you all deserved to know... as her friends, that I took her and why." David''s gaze locked onto Paige for a second. "And don''t you dare try to accuse me of doing weird shit again. I''ll keep her body safe until I find a way to bring her back. I''ll either bring her back or I''ll die trying. I just thought she''d want me to tell her friends. So I''m telling you." David stayed tense for a long few seconds, then turned to leave. Joe turned back to David as if he was going to say something, but his mouth just opened for second, then he closed it and just watched David walk away. "David!" Levi yelled. David spun on Levi, nostrils flaring. His lips stayed tight and he waited to hear what Levi had to say. "I would hate me, too. You were right. I''d be fucking furious. I can''t even imagine... I''m even mad at myself. And I''ll spend the rest of my life mad at myself. But... Maddy was my friend. Truly. I''ll never forget her. So I''ll search, too, everywhere I go, for a way to bring her back. If I find one, I''ll light a huge bonfire in the realms, right next to the portal. Check for that from time to time. Until that day... you better stay alive and make sure her body is safe... okay." Levi was somewhat surprised David let him get the words out instead of interrupting him again. "Me too..." Paige''s quiet voice said through tears. Levi didn''t know when she had started crying. David looked between Levi and Paige. For just a second, Levi was sure David''s face softened just a little. Then it hardened into determination and he gave a single nod. "I''ll keep watch for that fire. And if you find a way to bring her back before I do... I might actually forgive you." Then David spun and disappeared into the night. ---- Levi felt an odd mixture of anguish and peace with things as he made his way to his old camp. He wished he could change things, make different decisions, never fight that troll... anything so that Joe didn''t lose his arm and Maddy didn''t die. But both of those things had happened. He couldn''t undo them. But Levi had to keep living. He couldn''t just give up. Levi let out a long sigh. "What are you thinking?" Paige''s voice pulled Levi from his thoughts. Levi thought about saying ''nothing,'' then he looked down between him and Paige, where they held hands, fingers interlocked. She hadn''t let go since they''d left Grace''s cabin. Neither had he. "I was thinking... ugh. How do I put it into words?" Levi started. "You don''t have to talk about it, if you don''t want..." Paige''s words were more gentle than Levi had ever heard them. "No, no. I want to answer. Just trying to think of the words. Give me a second to put it together." Levi squeezed Paige''s hand and continued walking in silence for a couple of minutes. He considered how to put his thoughts into what he wanted to say to Paige. It took him all of that time to realize that he should just talk. "I''m pretty sure bringing Maddy back is impossible. I think David has lost his fucking mind. But David''s desperate hope and determination made me realize something... I can''t give up. We have to keep moving forward. Even when it seems impossible and pointless. Even if you stop moving forward, everything else just keeps moving. Nothing can change the past and the future isn''t going to wait on us to move with it." Paige leaned into Levi''s arm and squeezed his hand tighter. "That''s kind of sad and kind of clich¨¦..." Paige let out a couple of subdued sobs against Levi''s shoulder. "But you''re right."You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. "Are you okay?" Levi asked. "I will be." "Are you sure you want to spend the night with me tonight?" Levi gave her a concerned glance. Paige straightened, her body going stiff. She didn''t let go off his hand, but she did put some distance between them. "You know, you really are an idiot about this stuff, sometimes. Especially for someone as old as you are." Levi looked away in embarrassment, but Paige just jerked him back toward her, and leaned her head into his shoulder. "Yes. I''m sure. After everything that''s happened I just want to cuddle up with you for a while. Maybe more. But cuddling first." After a couple seconds, Paige squeezed his arm tighter and groaned. "Definitely more... but cuddling after." Levi laughed. Then he leaned over and kissed her head as they continued walking hand in hand, never knowing how much that just fanned the flames. ----- Levi woke before Paige. He crawled from beneath the blankets and quickly got dressed. He had lost track of time, especially with the time dilation inside the portal, the Realms. It was near mid November, and the first real cold had hit East Texas. Levi made sure Paige was covered before stoking the fire and adding wood. It was close enough that she''d feel some warmth, and it would be there when she woke. Then Levi settled himself next to the fire, facing it and away from Paige. He dreaded what he was about to see, but he''d put it off far too long. Pulling up his notifications, one was flashing in his vision, preventing him from reading the rest. QUEST COMPLETED - Free The Great White Bison Accept Quest Rewards? Y/N It was the first time Levi had been forced to acknowledge a notification. He wasn''t sure why it was making him accept, but that notification wasn''t what truly worried him, so he quickly accepted ''yes mentally to dismiss the notification. 15780 Experience Gained for Contributions in the QUEST - Free The Great White Bison. One(1) ''Gear Upgrade Crystal Awarded'' for Completion of the QUEST - Free The Great White Bison. A small lavender crystal materialized in front of Levi. Levi stared at it for a while. He was going to use it. Even if he felt some guilt that Maddy had died during the quest, he was definitely still going to use it. He needed to be stronger. But he wasn''t going through his notifications for the rewards. He was facing the consequences. So he left the crystal where it lay. He''d pick it up later. He dove into the rest of his notifications. As he suspected, he was bombarded with warnings and skill revocations WARNING: You are attempting to tamper with a system mechanic. Permanent damage to skills and abilites may occur. Please desist. WARNING: You have tampered with a skill. This may result in permanent loss and other negative consequences. Skill revocation after skill revocation filled his list of notifications. Levi had known it was coming. Still, seeing it all laid out in front of him caused his stomach to hurt. And he hadn''t even looked at his status page, yet. Then he saw something interesting. The resources Mana and Stamina have been consolidated into a single resource. Your total new resource pool is now the sum of your two former resource pools. This new resource be may used to perform many of the same Skills and Abilities that required your previous resources. However, not all Skills and Abilites will function as they did before with this new resource. Name This New Resource? Y/N. Levi almost selected No, but didn''t want to accidentally give that decision to the system and end up with a shit name that didn¡¯t fit. After selecting Yes, he realized he didn''t actually have a good name for the new resource either. It took him another ten minutes to come up with a name. He didn''t want to go with Qi or Ki, like some martial arts stuff. Levi also knew ''magic, rage, or power were not only terrible but also bad representations of what the new energy was. In the end, he chose ''Go.'' It was simple. And in a way, it almost sounded like it could be from some martial arts related mysticism or ancient religion. It sounded kind of cool. Yet, it was just ''Go...'' As in go-go juice. It was simply the energy he used to do things. After choosing ''Go'' as the name for the new energy, he moved on to the next notification and was immediately disappointed. Class debuff ''Parched Soul of the Sage'' is no longer compatible with your resource pools. System corrections applied. Modified debuff assigned. Due to your Insatiable nature, you are compelled to learn new things, have enriching experiences, and explore the world. Perpetual debuff applied ''Parched Soul of the Sage.'' This is a Unique variation of the Parched Soul Debuff. This debuff cannot be removed. Parched Soul - You lose a stacking 2.5% ''Go'' regeneration every hour. When ''Go'' regeneration reaches 0%, ''Go'' may only be restored with Skills Abilites, or meditation. Learning or upgrading a Spell, Skill, or Ability resets Parched Soul and pauses the debuff for 12 hours. Leveling your Class resets Parched Soul and pauses the debuff for 24 hours. An Enriching Experience resets Parched Soul and pauses the debuff for 36 hours. Witnessing a Wonder resets Parched Soul and pauses the debuff for 72 hours. Discovering Hidden stats, mechanics, or information resets Parched Soul and pauses the debuff for 120 hours. -- Levi had really hoped the merge of his mana and stamina would turn out to be a nice little way out of the debuff, but he wasn''t actually surprised that it hadn''t turned out that way. The system seemed pretty determined to keep him bent over the barrel. But, the new mechanic of restoring his ''Go'' with Abilities or Skills was interesting. Maybe he could do something with that. He had no idea what, but it was a little bit of hope.The mention of meditation was new, too, and he''d have to figure out how that worked. On the other hand, the lack of any mention of potions seemed to hint that he''d no longer be able to restore ''Go'' with potions at all. Depending on how the new resource functioned, that could possibly be a problem. But one thing was certain, the new resource had different rules. After going through all the notifications, the only thing of any interest was that he''d gained two more levels. Deciding to finally bite the bullet and see exactly how much damage had been done, Levi finally pulled up his status page ---- Name: Levi Jimmer O''Hare Age: 31 Class: The Insatiable Sage Level: 15 Experience to next level: 1359/7800 Base stats: Physical Strength = 9 Physical Proficiency = 10 Mental Strength = 8 Mental Proficiency = 8 Spiritual Strength = 9 Spiritual Proficiency = 9 Skills: Martial Technique Tai Chi Chuan Skill Subset - Perfect Form Abilities: My Will Made Steel - The Sage may summon a weapon that takes on the properties Willed into it. Resources will be consumed according to the properties imbued into the weapon. Resource consumption increases as more Willpower is exerted. Warning: This ability has no safety limitations, and the Sage may cause himself serious harm or death if Willpower applied overdraws on available resources. ---- It felt like starting over again when Levi saw he''d lost almost every skill. And he knew he''d cut through every single profession skill before he''d even started sacrificing his class skills. Still, if he''d had to choose what to keep, it would definitely be his Tai Chi and his new sword Ability. That was an incredible win. What really shocked him was that he''d gained a total of five stat points. He knew he''d gained only two from the new levels, so that meant three came from going into his battle trance and sacrificing his skills. His stats were now much higher than his level reflected, and with the way his Core upgrade seemed to make those stats count for even more, he felt like he was a beast. It made him want to experiment with sacrificing skills again in the future, and he would, but considering how high the cost was and that he''d probably run into diminishing returns, Levi wasn''t expecting much. He was hopeful about his next core upgrade. He wanted to know how much that would increase the potency of his stats. He needed to think up some accurate test to measure how much it improved his performance. Levi thought back to when he''d chased the crow through the woods the day before. Even without access to resources, he had moved faster than a normal human by a lot, but at the time it had felt slow. His perception had changed. He needed to figure out how to use his new resource, Go. Even if he didn''t have skills to use with it, he knew from his experience sparring that those skills began with learning to manipulate the energy. He could still use it to boost himself, too. It just wouldn''t be as easy as triggering a Skill and letting it take over. It would be work. More importantly, that''s how he''d made all of his skills in the first place. Levi really needed a good spar without using his resources or skills. He needed to find his new baseline. He neeeded to understand his is improved body and how it affected his stats. How inflated his stats had become had really made Levi lose any sense of how strong he''d actually become. Unfortunately, all of Levi''s inflated stats seemed to be centered on the Spiritual and Mental categories. Other than improving his resource regeneration, Levi hadn''t seen any obvious effects. That was precisely why Levi was sure the only way he''d be able to learn anything was to spar or train without his boosting abilities. He couldn''t remember the last time he''d been in a fight without them, but now he had no choice. Levi suddenly realized that might actually be a good thing. It was funny, but maybe being stripped of his skills and taking a closer look at everything was exactly what he needed. Locking in that mindset, Levi closed his status page and let out a deep sigh of relief. Everything would be just fine. He looked at Paige, who was still sleeping deeply in their combined bedroll. ''Actuallly, everything is pretty awesome,'' Levi thought. He considered climbing back into the bedroll with her, but he was afraid he''d end up waking her. He''d wait until she started stirring, and then he''d climb in. Finally, Levi looked at his upgrade crystal from completing his quest. He wondered what piece of gear would be beat to upgrade. One by one, he reread the desceiptions of his starting gear. ---- Tunic of The Insatiable Sage - A linen tunic designed to be loose and flexible without an excess of fabric. -10% to stamina expenditure. Trousers and Leg Bindings of The Insatiable Sage - Linen trousers designed to be loose and flexible. Accompanied by light and flexible leather lower leg bindings. -5% stamina expenditure. +5% balance and footing. Supple Boots of The Insatiable Sage - Extremely flexible and light, lace-up leather boots. Stitch down. +5% balance and footing. +20% noise reduction while sneaking. Shin Bracers of The Insatiable Sage - Hard leather shin bracers designed to absorb impacts and turn away blades. +10% damage reduction when executing blocks. +5% effectiveness to deflecting attacks. Forearm Bracers of The Insatiable Sage - Hard leather forearm bracers designed to absorb impacts and turn away blades. +5% damage reduction when executing blocks. +10% effectiveness to deflecting attacks. Small Boot Dagger of The Insatiable Sage - A double-edged dagger with a 4" grip and a 5" blade for utility purposes. Balanced for throwing. Indestructible. Silk Sash of The Insatiable Sage - This sash is made of fine and sturdy silk. Promotes the learning of Skills and Abilities. Heavy Cloak of The Insatiable Sage - A heavy cloak of mixed materials, capable of covering the entire body. This cloak is waterproof. This cloak greatly retains heat and keeps out cold. This cloak may be used to create a small A-frame tent. ---- Looking at his gear, Levi realized how his tunic had literally ceased to be useful. Stamina reduction did nothing for him if he didn''t even have stamina. He''d have to upgrade the tunic one way or another, even if it meant replacing it. The problem was, he wasn''t sure if using the upgrade crystal would actually even help. There was a good chance that using the upgrade crystal would change the Stamina reduction to Go reduction, especially if the system was operating in fairness. However, there was always the chance that the system would do a far more linear upgrade, and he''d be wasting the upgrade crystal if he tried to use it. It was a huge gamble. The same was true of his trousers and leg bindings, with the -5% to stamina expenditure, but to a lesser degree. The bonus wasn''t as large and the bonus to balance and footing would still provide some function until he found a suitable upgrade. These he dismissed as something he definitely wouldn''t use the upgrade crystal on. Levi thought he could probably upgrade the cloak and maybe add some stat modifiers, but he''d regret that decision when summer came back around. East Texas was hot and humid. He didn''t want to invest in something he''d be miserable wearing for almost half the year. He immediately ruled the cloak out as well. His boots were good for balance and stealthing, leaning more for stealth. Yet Levi had never actually utilized, practiced, or tried to learn a skill for stealth. He felt like it would be a waste to upgrade them when he wasn''t really utilizing the bonus they gave anyway. He kept them in the back of his mind, not completely ruling them out for a future upgrade crystal, but he was definitely not upgrading them with the upgrade crystal he''d just earned. Both his shin and forearm bracers seemed like great options. Based on the wording, he was pretty sure the deflecting and blocking bonuses applied when he used his sword Ability. But, like his tunic, he considered how the system may implement balance if he were to upgrade either of them. With his tunic, he figured it would work in his favor. However, if the system wanted to limit how effective the bonus was when using his bracers, it could specify the bonuses would only apply when using his braces to block or deflect. Levi really didn''t want to risk that. He planned on using his sword a lot. Levi loved his boot dagger, but that was definitely out of the competition, too. It was more for utility and novelty than it was ever meant to be a weapon. If he hadn''t gotten his sword he might have considered it, but the truth was that he''d probably be using the dagger less and less in combat, now, and never in any capacity where it needed to be powerful. And then there was his sash. It said it promoted the learning of Skills and Abilities. Levi needed that. But it irked him that there was no value placed on the supposed bonus. He had no way of knowing exactly how much it had helped, and if he was being honest, Skills had been pretty easy to pick up. Yet, he''d only been able to gain one Ability, and he was certain he''d cheated the system to get it. There was no way of really knowing how upgrading that piece of gear would even change the effects he was already unclear about. Maybe if he understood more about how to legitimately develop Abilities it would be a good pick, but definitely not while that was entirely unclear. Levi briefly considered his meditation book, The Essence of You: Why What''s at Your Core May Be All You Need. He was pretty sure he couldn''t use the crystal on something that wasn''t considered gear. More importantly, though, his meditation journey and his biggest advancements with that meditation had been completely off script. Even if he did upgrade the book, it seemed the journey was deeply personal, and the basics only put your feet on the path. He was pretty sure that even if he could upgrade the book, it wouldn''t be as useful as it was at first and he could find his own way now that his feet were on that path. That left only one thing worth considering, the gamble. Levi debated hanging on to the upgrade token and waiting for when he got more appropriate gear. In a way, that was the safer move, because at least he''d know he was upgrading something that was already useful for him. On the other hand, even if his resources no longer matched his tunic''s bonus, the tunic had definitely been made for Levi personally. It was officially the Tunic of The Insatiable Sage. It may as well say Levi O''Hare''s tunic. In the end, Levi did the only thing that seemed worth doing, and used the upgrade crystal on his tunic. And gamble or not, it was a good bet. When he saw the adjustment to the tunic''s description, Levi knew he''d won that bet. --- Tailored Tunic of The Insatiable Sage - A linen tunic designed to be loose and flexible without an excess of fabric. -12.5% to Go expenditure. --- At a glance, it didn''t look like a huge upgrade, but it definitely was. His tunic had previously gave his stamina a boost, and not his mana. With his mana and stamina consolidated into Go, the new -12.5% to Go expenditure was a 150% boost in the effectiveness. Levi fell back on his back and laughed. For once, his overthinking had actually paid off. "What''s going on?" Paige mumbled, stirring awake at his laughter. Levi jerked upright. "Sorry, didn''t mean to wake you. Just used my upgrade crystal. It went well. You know what you''re going to use yours on?" "Used it on my daggers, when going to pee last night." Paige rolled over and pulled Levi''s cloak over herself. "I''m going back to sleep." 53 - An Ego, an Egg, and an Egress David approached the flat stone he had laid Maddy upon. He had lit a few lanterns to illuminate the cave. The fire light flickered, reflecting beautiful golden and red off her brown hair. Her face was serene, and she seemed to be in a restful sleep. That only reminded David of the truth, and anger surged through him again. ''No.'' He told himself, pushing the anger away and keeping an oath he''d made. Never in front of Maddy, never in front of her. His anger was for others. David gently placed the Lians-thrak egg on Maddy''s chest and wrapped her arms around it in a gentle embrace. Her body was warm. So was the egg. "There. Now, you two can keep each other warm while I am out hunting." David took a step back and looked at Maddy and the egg. ''Perfect.'' As he turned to grab his bow, quiver, and pack, the jingle of a bell sounded out in the cave. David spun. His eyes quickly scanned toward the sound. In the middle of the cavern chamber, just under the highest ceiling, what seemed to be a child was looking around. But as David''s eyes focused on the small figure, he realized it wasn''t a child at all, but a miniature version of himself, complete with his gear and even his currently sunken face. The figure paid no heed of David and just continued looking around. After a moment, the person or thing began to mumble to itself. It was quiet and clearly not meant for David, but he was still able to make out the words. "Really? Litrpg and romance? New low. Gross. And what in the hand-holding, easy-mode world is this? No castration, no tongue removal, no replaying memories of killing your own family... and no true, perfect evil. You''ve gone soft." The figure waved a hand and then appeared to stare at something in space. "Oh, you have some followers... not bad. At least I have an audience. Ooooh, and you''re actually finishing this one, huh. Bravo, I guess. That must be why I am here. Bad agreement you made with yourself, you stupid fuck. I still-" David cut off the small copy of himself. "Who the fuck are you and why are you here?" David''s tone was harsh and threatening, yet it seemed to have little effect on the figure. The copy turned to David and lifted a single finger. "I''ll be with you in a minute. I''m speaking with our god right now." "Our... God? Do you mean the One Above All?" David suddenly straightened. If this thing had a direct line of communication with the One Above All, David would do everything he could to have Maddy resurrected. The figure stared at David in disbelief for a few seconds, then doubled over in laughter. After a he had laughed himself to tears and then it finally subsided, he straightened and cleared his throat. "No... oooh, absolutely not. It''s ''god'' with a little ''g'' and a bit of sarcasm. Feel free to slap a little disgust on there if you want. No, no... I mean the very flawed person writing this story." "This... story..." David began. The miniature copy of David put a finger to his lips. A bracelet with a bell jingled at the movement. "You shush now. I wasn''t done speaking to the typing trashcan responsible for all of this." The figure then stared upward. "What happened? A little therapy, land yourself a happy marriage and a cute little family, and suddenly you go soft? I liked it a lot better when your stories were darker than the inside of a Nazi oven." Realizing the strange doppleganger was wasting his time, David let his anger take over again, and without a second thought, he''d loosed an arrow. The figure caught the arrow that David fired and looked at it casually. "Probably should have just made that not exist before it landed. Damned ADHD." The figure shook a fist into the air. "I get that from you, you know. Bastard." Then he looked at David and pointed at him. "You stop that now, before I send you to the worst place he''s ever created. You technically can''t die there, but you can experience death, over and over and over. I told you, wait your turn. I''ll be with you in a moment." David just stared at the creature in disbelief. He was so certain he was having some sort of dream that he decided to just watch as things played out. There wasn''t any point in trying to fight a dream anyway. The being gave him a curt nod, looked away into the space in front of him, and then flicked his hand. As David''s small copy stared into empty space, David could only assume it was looking at a status page of some sort. Without looking away from the empty space in front of him, the small figure pointed at David. "My name is Djinnghouls, so introductions are made. Now he can stop writing me as ''being,'' ''small figure,'' ''David''s small copy,'' etc. That shit is getting damned annoying... like nails on a chalkboard." "Jingles?" David asked for clarification, still certain it was all a dream. "Why does everyone... You know what, close enough, now hush." Jingles placed his hands on his hips and continued staring into empty space. Then he began mumbling again. "Oh boy. Three advertisements at once? That smells so desperate... even if it was a Christmas present to yourself." Jingles kept staring into the empty space but took one hand from his hip to start picking his teeth. "Yep. Totally understand why you don''t want me here. But you made the rules, fuckwit, now didn''t you?" Jingles suddenly spun to David. "Well, let''s get started. David, is it? As I said, I''m Djinnghouls, but you will continue to call me ''Jingles,'' because he hates me." Jingles jangled the bell at his wrist, making it ring out. He smiled wildly. All of the teeth were razor sharp. "Fitting enough, I guess." David stumbled in retreat at Jingles'' smile, his back landing against the stone where Maddy lay. "Who-Who are you?" David asked. Goosebumps rose on David''s arms as he truly saw Jingles. The pupils of Jingles'' eyes looked like someone had combined the vertical slits of a snake or cat with the horizontal, rectangular pupils of a goat, creating a cross shape in the center of the iris. The way he smiled at David with shark-like teeth, as he slowly approached, was sinister. And all of it was painted onto a mirror of David''s own face. "Well, I am the devil of our creator, of course. At least as close to one as any author can have." Jingles grinned wider with the answer. David tried to keep his breathing steady and regain control. He forced himself to speak levelly. "What do you mean by author?" Jingles had closed the distance between them and crouched to meet David''s eyes. "Oh, this is just a story, my boy. Just a single fiction among many. All living in the head of someone none of us should seek to emulate. And see, I am a just character, too. But when I was created, I was made into something greater. I am the chaos he created, beyond even his control, and guided by pure chance. I was made to oppose his will. Anywhere he is, I am. Every universe that has been created, every story, every written word... I am there. Waiting." "You''re insane." David answered, but he kept his back pressed against the stone. Jingles smiled brighter. "Sure am. That''s my job. That''s why the author created me." Forcing himself to be brave, David clung to the last thing Jingles said. He pulled himself straight and forced determination onto his face. "For the record, I think you''re full of shit. Maybe you''re just insane. But if we are just characters in a story, then that''s all you are, too." David pushed himself to his feet and stood straight. "For a moment, you got into my head. But you''re just a nutjob." Jingles stood and leaned in close, never taking his eyes off of David, staring up like some demented child. The grin stayed glued on Jingles'' face as he stared up at David. "You''re kind of right. I''ll never be the main character of any of his stories. I''m just a shadow, just like you. But the difference between us is that I was made to exist beyond his control." Jingles suddenly turned his back to David. "...Yeah, now things get fun. First, let''s take a little field trip." Jingles extended a hand and snapped his fingers. A folded, origami fortune teller, like those junior high girls played with, suddenly appeared in Jingles'' hand. Jingles brought the folded paper toy close and squinted at it. "Really?" Jingles sighed and held the paper properly. His shoulders slumped as he stared down at the paper. "I miss the days he just used random number generators. This is getting to be a lot of work." Jingles straightened and turned back to David. "Well, we use the tools we''re given. So...no colors. Instead, we have ''truth, despair, vengeance, and mercy.'' You know what, you would definitely only pick despair or vengeance, so let''s wait for the coin toss." "What...what are you doing?" David asked. He shifted uncomfortably at Jingle''s suddenly bizarre behavior.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "I''m showing you. Now shush, the author is flipping a coin." Jingles grew silent and closed his eyes. After a moment, they snapped open. "Heads for despair. So that''s..." Jingles'' fingers began moving the fortune teller. "D. E. S. P. A. I. R. Okay, now you''re supposed to pick 1, 2, 5, or 6." Jingles said after he''d finished, looking up at David expectantly. "Wait... why am I picking? You said we''re just characters. So wouldn''t the author pick?" David asked, completely lost on where Jingles was going with things. "Yep. But you are still you. Creation or not, you exist within the context of your nature and will not behave outside those boundaries. You won''t choose 1 because, to you, that means being without Maddy. You won''t pick 5 because that reminds you of the group you resent so much. So it''s either 2 or 6... but let''s be honest, we both know which one you''ll pick and why." David stared at Jingles in confusion, anger, and frustration, but answered anyway. "Okay, fine. Two. And you know why." Jingles just nodded before moving the fortune teller. "One and two." Jingles looked up to David. "Same choices. Same answer?" David just stared down at Jingles in disbelief. "Ah, you''re considering switching from two to six now...coin toss it is. Heads it is two, tails it is six. And I''ll flip the coin with the author this time for demonstration purposes." Jingles quickly used one hand to pull a coin from a pocket and flipped it. It landed heads up. "Well, let''s see what you end up with." Jingles folded back the paper and read the word written there. His grin spread wide with malice as he looked back up to David. "The worst of them, purely by bad luck. This universe has no official name, but we call it Grimworld." "Okay... so what does that mean?" David asked. Jingles stared David in the eye. With a wicked grin, he raised his arm and jingled the bracelet on his wrist. Then David was somewhere else. He had no body, but his vision was locked on the horrific events in front of him. They only lasted a second before he was suddenly back in the cave, vomiting. "Put things into perspective for you?" Jingles asked with a smirk. After David finished retching, he finally spoke. "Why wou... those boys were only... they were so young... why-" David began retching again. "Do you see?" Jingles bounced up and down and spun in a circle in glee. "He made me and gave me this power. This promise." David finally caught his breath and forced himself upright. "No. You''re some demon sent to tempt me or something. Maybe some very intelligent Denizen." David spat at Jingles feet. "That vision you showed me... that was horrific. Even if, and that''s a big fucking if, this is all some story we''re living in, there''s no way someone could create someone as beautiful as Maddy and how I feel about her and also be capable of creating that horror." "If you say so. But... and trust me, I hate to defend the guy... he doesn''t get off on it. They''re just sad realities within the worlds he''s created." Jingles'' eyes shone like fire as he looked to David. "But, I''m not here for exposition. I''m not here for you. I''m here for myself, and I finally have an audience. I do so hope that later, you''ll call out my name and beg me to return. But for now, I''ll leave you with a demonstration." Jingles disappeared, and David immediately heard a jingling bell behind him. David spun to see Jingles standing on Maddy''s stone platform, his feet to either side of Maddy''s head, leaning over the egg David had placed there. Straightening, Jingles gave David a wicked grin. "Heads, it actually bonds to you, which is impossible, and tails it bonds to Maddy, which is equally impossible... and then you''ll have to kill it to ever get near her body again." Before David could move to grab Jingles, he had flipped a coin and disappeared, but David saw as the coin landed on top of the egg. For a moment, David''s heart stopped. Then he saw the results were heads. A jingling came from behind. "Well.. lucky you, I guess." Jingles said in a cold voice. "Guess we need another coin toss. Heads nothing finds this cave, tails and the trolls find it tomorrow, and you spend every waking moment for a week defending it or Maddy becomes warm snack." David spun to face Jingles, but the demonic creature was already gone. Instead, he only saw as the flipped coin hit the ground, rolled in a tight circle for a few seconds, and then landed on tails. A jingle sounded out across the room again, and David spun to see Jingles'' satisfied gaze. He leaned casually against the far cavern wall. "Ahhh. Tough luck. You can''t win them all. But we still have one more coin flip." With that, Jingles flipped the coin. David sprang toward Jingles, but the world slowed as he lept. David saw as Jingles winked at him and then disappeared. The coin rotated in slow motion in the air where Jingles had flipped it. David dreaded what the results of the toss would be. Then Jingles'' voice was in David''s mind, as the world continued in slow motion. ''Will you come calling my name? You know, bringing her back is as easy as the flip of a coin for me... well, 50/50 chance, at least.'' Jingle''s laughter rang inside David''s head. ''You''ll never find any One Above All. I''m pretty much your only hope. So I say, heads you come begging and tails you spend your whole life stuck loving a corpse.'' Then, with the chime of his bell, Jingles was gone and so was the power slowing the world down. As time returned to normal, David stumbled in an attempt to regain control, but landed flat on his stomach where Jingles had been. He quickly recovered and attempted to catch the coin before it landed, but the coin seemed to have disappeared, too. David rolled over onto his back. "What the fuck was that?" He hoped it was all some hallucination caused by stress, grief, and lack of sleep. Yet, another part of him hung onto Jingles'' words. If he could bring her back... it was only a 50/50 chance, but... If David couldn''t bring her back any other way, it was still an option. After a while of laying on his back, weighing the options, David finally got to his feet. He didn''t trust Jingles one bit, but if what he had said was true, David had to get ready to fight trolls. But in the back of his mind, he couldn''t shake the question. Had the last coin landed on heads or tails? ---- Paige slung her pack over her back and turned to Levi. "You ready?" She felt great after spending time hunting with Mama-cat. She felt loose and coiled to strike, all at the same time. It was like she had liquid electricity flowing through her veins. Levi groaned as he threw his pack on. "Yeah, I guess it''s about time we get going." Paige grinned at Levi. "Age catching up with you?" "Ha. Ha. Laugh all you want, but Mama-cat went easy on you. Pretty sure she was just trying to play with me until I died and then got bored before she was finished." Paige only grinned wider. "Yeah. I don''t think she liked you at first. But at least you figured out how to use your new resource pool." Levi passed Paige, taking the lead on their way to the portal. "Well, the need to survive is, unsurprisingly, great motivation. Plus, it works way more intuitively and efficiently than stamina and mana. I have to work some stuff out, but it honestly seems easier to use. And... I named it ''Go.'' Just call it that." "Yeah... I''m not calling it that. It sounds stupid," Paige answered as she followed. "Well, that''s what it is named. What else do you plan on calling it?" Levi asked, with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "To be honest, my plan was to just avoid referencing it as much as possible until I came up with something to call it that didn''t make me cringe every time I said it." Levi was about to turn to glare at Paige when he saw someone ahead of them through the undergrowth of the forest. He tensed, and his vision sharpened, but he couldn''t make out who it was. He heard Paige inhale deeply through her nostrils before grabbing his arm. "Relax. It is just Joe and Grace," Paige informed him. As they drew close, Joe waived. "I figured you two would try to slip away. That''s why I asked Grace to have her familiar keep an eye out." "Traitor." Paige said, glaring at the crow on Grace''s shoulder. "Not traitor. Am Master''s special boy," the crow answered. Grumpy cawed a wordless disagreement from behind Paige. "Come now," Grace said, opening her arms wide. "I think we at least deserve a hug before you leave us." Paige gave a reluctant nod before giving Grace a half-hearted hug. Grace wrapped her up tightly and whispered something into her ear. Levi thought he heard ''I was wrong'' in part of it but couldn''t be sure. Either way, Paige wrapped Grace in a tight, genuine hug after that. Once Paige pulled away, Grace turned to Levi and spread her arms again. "Come on now," Grace said. Grace squeezed him tighter than Levi had expected when he''d leaned down for the hug. He noticed she held him so he couldn''t escape as she began to whisper to him. "You''ve been good for her, after all. Don''t fuck it up, okay. You still have my Witch''s favor, and I''ll make good on that one day... but you just keep being good to her and I''ll owe you double." Grace pulled away and patted Levi''s shoulder. "Be safe out there." Levi turned to see Paige releasing Joe from a hug. After they finished, Joe turned to Levi and extended his only hand. Levi took it and shook firmly. With his other hand, Levi pointed to the still empty scabbard at Joe''s belt. "Still haven''t gotten a new sword." Joe gave a small shrug and a sad smile. "I only have one arm, now. I can''t carry a shield and a sword. I guess I took that as God telling me it was time to choose between the two. I chose the shield," Joe answered. "Plus Iara says she''ll be enough sword for the both of us. I made her a lieutenant in the guard." Levi nodded and released Joe''s hand. "Good choice." "It would have been you if you weren''t leaving." Joe''s tone was matter of fact. "Have to," was all Levi could say without his voice breaking. Joe gave him a stiff nod. He didn''t say anything for a few seconds and then swallowed and cleared his throat. "Be safe out there. And... the council wanted me to be the one to give you this." Joe reached into a pouch at the back of his belt and produced a hand folded and wax sealed envelope. "It''s a request for an alliance and trade agreement for the other safezone. Give it to their leadership when you get there." Levi took the folded letter and tucked it into his pack before returning his gaze to Joe. "I''ll make sure it gets to the right people.'' Joe gave him another nod, face grim. "I have no doubt. And I''m sorry for any doubt I ever did have... Be safe out there, okay." "Always," Levi answered with a smile that felt both genuine and a little forced. It was hard as Levi turned away from Joe, facing the direction of the portal, but it still felt right. "Paige, you ready?" "Yeah. Let''s go." Paige''s voice was quieter than usual. Levi hated how subdued she sounded, so he did the only thing he could and led the way with confident steps. He didn''t allow himself to look back. They walked through the forest in silence until they stood before the portal. For a while, Levi just stared into it, trying not to replay everything that had happened. Then he felt Paige''s hand find his and their fingers interlock. "On three this time?" Paige asked. Levi couldn''t stop the small laugh as it escaped. "Yeah, on three." ---- Paige didn''t even have time to look around after going through the portal before a hot gust of wet air blew into her face. ''Hello, my human friend. I have been waiting.'' ---- THE END OF BOOK 1.