ã€ŠThe Gifted Gamerã€‹


 Rhys Chapter One. Edited.

    This novel is the work of Rhys Thomas. If you are reading this and it has not been published by Rhys Thomas, then this work has been stolen. Please report this to Amazon and me at email: [email protected]</a>

    (Wednesday. Date: 17-04-2463)

    I squinted and stared blearily at the computer screen before me. On it was an endless spreadsheet consisting of names, phone numbers, contacts, and gifted-license numbers that went on for 134 pages.

    Huffing an annoyed breath and ignoring the gossipy chatter all around me, I scrolled down the page. ¡°Micah Dragon Slayer. Seriously, who the fuck changes their name to that¡­ An Awakened and D-rank Gifted? Fuck! She¡¯s higher than me,¡± I muttered. I scowled until my face hurt.

    With a weary sigh, I leaned back in the chair in my office cubicle. I reached up, pulled loose my dark blue cotton tie, and ran a hand messily through my dark brown hair. Several phones in the office, including mine, suddenly chimed, notifying everyone that a gateway had opened. People were being summoned.

    That my own phone had chimed meant I was being called to do the grunt work. Which basically meant I was to play baggage-bitch for a group going through.

    I ignored my phone, knowing what it already was. Instead, I grabbed my headset and put it back on. Shoved my glasses back on too, as an afterthought. I got back to work and immediately groaned at the name I was calling.

    The phone on the other end rang, and for a second I hoped upon hope that I could scream down the line at the immature fucker, one Harry Scrote. Tell him how privileged he really was.

    Then the moment passed. ¡°Yo, who tha fuck¡¯s callin?¡± Hairy Scrote replied. He had a greasy, nasally accent, and I briefly wondered if he answered the phone like that when his mother was calling.

    With a mental sigh, I pressed on. ¡°Good evening, sir. My name is Rhys, and I¡¯m ringing on behalf of Hunter Insurances. May I have a moment of your time?¡± There was a pause as I presumed the Gifted on the other end digested my words.

    That was why I hated this place. They forced us to offer up our names as a way to draw attention away from those actually making their lives a living shit pit. The debtor blamed us because we passed the message along. But never the boss.

    No one really wanted anything to do with having insurance of any kind unless they were already a part of a guild. In this man¡¯s case, it was the Hunter Guild. Those who weren¡¯t with the Hunter Guild tended to take out insurance with us, buy rights for Gateways, equipment, or get a loan for their own ventures.

    For those who couldn¡¯t repay the debt, a C- or D-ranked Gifted was usually dispatched to resolve the matter.

    This individual I was ringing was actually current with his payments, though he had two more repayments to make of 500 credits each. And that was after borrowing 1500 credits from our sister company, Gate-Hunters Loans.

    His profile claimed that he was actually quite skilled, despite being a low D-rank, and his gift was necromancy. ¡°Uhhh...¡± Hairy Scrote replied intelligently.

    ¡°I assure you, sir, that this is nothing urgent. Just a simple update on the repayment plan you¡¯ve set up,¡± I continued, answering the unspoken question.

    ¡°Yeah...Uh, right,¡± he answered finally. I could imagine his head bobbing back and forth as he said so. ¡°So, what¡¯s the update? I¡¯m a busy man.¡±

    I smiled slightly.

    ¡°We¡¯ve had to extend the period of which you were to repay, is all. We are simply splitting your next two payments into four. You¡¯ll have four 250-credit repayments to make instead of your previously agreed upon 500. Unfortunately, though, sir, this will drag your repayment plan into and beyond the thirty-day term you set up with our sister company. This will mean that come the end of your payments, the new term will already here. We would like to offer you a new contract at the end of the month.¡± I finished. Again there was silence. I honestly felt bad for the poor guy.He¡¯s likely to be back for another loan come the end of his payment, like he had previously.

    He was strong, much stronger than me. Unfortunately, he had fallen into a spiral of endless loans and only made enough to scrape by each month. I knew what it was like to be in debt, and the amount of rent I paid contributed heavily to that. Both for my own place and my parents¡¯ apartment. However, I was in debt to the bank, instead of a corporate guild like the Hunters.

    This man would remain a target until he either joined the guild or moved to another city. Given everyone¡¯s distaste of necromancers, the first wasn¡¯t going to happen anytime soon. He could probably make enough credits to properly move, but well, that was on him.

    ¡°Um... Sir?¡± I asked when there was no response. I could hear a muffled throat clearing on the other end of the line. Picking up my pen I tapped it against my desk repeatedly.

    ¡°-Yes.¡±

    ¡°Would you like a new contract at the end of this month?¡±

    ¡°Yeeaah...¡± he replied slowly in a long exhale.

    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll set the date for your inclusion next month. It¡¯ll be just before your last payment is due. Will that be alright with you?¡± I smiled politely, like I was spraying a shower of daisies and sunshine out of my asshole.

    ¡°Yes,¡± he answered, this time more firmly. I began to wonder if knew any other words.

    I had to forcibly remind myself that this man, if he ever met me outside, could crush my head with barely any effort. Then he¡¯d probably make me his undead minion. I had heard some sick stories about what a few necromancers in the past did to the people they killed and raised afterwards.

    ¡°Good. Now can you please verify your license number for me?¡± I felt like a worker-drone.

    ¡°One moment,¡± came his response.

    ¡°Success, he does know something other than, ¡®Yes¡¯ or ¡®Yeah¡¯,¡± I muttered.

    ¡°Sorry, what was that?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    I wondered idly if I would have the chance to eat something later on before Gateway carrying. Not that I really had much other than a few cheap tubes of bacon paste and iced fruit.

    ¡°Hello, you still there?¡± Hairy Scrote¡¯s voice broke into my thoughts.

    ¡°Yes, Hairy I am. Do you have that number for me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s D-A-G-H, 2-3-1-7-7-9,¡± he finished, and I compared it to the copy we had of his license on the spreadsheet. It actually read more like: D-rank. Awakened. Gifted. Hunter-temp. Two hundred thirty-one thousand, seven hundred seventy-nine.

    This was his allocated number. At the time of his being bestowed a gift by the celestial Nezha¡¯set of the tricked mind, he was that number in count. Gifts were for those deemed worthy, but how it was used was up to the individual.

    Necromancers usually walked a dark and lonesome path for obvious reasons, but I didn¡¯t see them as being inherently evil. It was no wonder they went mad and became people-killers when they were shunned by everyone for a gift they didn¡¯t choose .

    I finished up the call, killed the line, and finally snatched my phone from the drawer under my desk. I had two messages when I turned on the screen.

    The first was from my sister. Hey, bro. Mom¡¯s funeral is this Saturday. It''s just us now. I was wondering if you wouldn¡¯t mind moving back in? Just for a bit. I could really use the company. Love, Kayla.

    I read the short message with a sad smile. Since I had Awakened two years ago, I had been working endlessly to pay the medical bills for Mom and make enough to help Kayla out at the apartment. She was 16 years old and would graduate soon. She had a love of nature photography. Her room was filled to the brim with prints of her work.

    She was all I had left now.

    ¡°That may not be a bad idea,¡± I mused to myself. The rent on my parents¡¯ home was significantly higher, but I would no longer be paying two rent bills. After I fired off a quick affirmative reply to Kayla, I looked at the next text.

    It simply read: Alert! Green gateway activity. Milton road. 8pm tonight.

    With an audible sigh, I closed up my phone and leaned back. The office clock hung up on the far wall above the throng of worker-drones. It was a digital thing, and read 5:02 pm. Twenty-eight minutes and I¡¯m out of here, I thought.

    ¡°Rhysy,¡± a sultry voice purred from behind me. At least I classified it as a purr, but it was mostly just her usual tone.

    Blinking, I tilted my head back even further and found the lines manager looking down at me. I hated being called Rhysy as much as I hated being called ¡®bag-bitch¡¯ by the guildies.

    ¡°Yes, Tilda?¡±

    Matilda had wavy shoulder-length, dark purple hair and deep purple eyes. Her full pink lips tilted up into a slight smile at my attention to her figure. Today she was stuffed into a white blouse and an open suit jacket, along with a pencil-thin black skirt that barely contained her black-stockinged legs and thick thighs.

    As she moved her weight to her other high-heeled foot, I caught the barest glimpse of the strap leading from her stocking up to her garter belt. Which I had given to her several years ago..

    We had been in a relationship, but broke up once she became Gifted. We reconnected after my dad¡¯s death and my own awakening. She and I became even closer since I had started working here during daylight hours. ¡°Were you summoned?¡± she asked me, and I smirked.

    ¡°Ah- since you¡¯re asking, I guess it¡¯s your group I¡¯m carrying for?¡±

    Her smile slipped. I knew she didn¡¯t like how I was treated by the other Gifted, even other Awakened kept me at arms¡¯ length. I was the lowest of the low.

    Not everyone treated me like shit; in most cases, people just wanted to get their work done and go about their day.

    ¡°Yeah... You know you don¡¯t have to¡­¡± she trailed off and I knew what she meant. It was mandatory for all Awakened and Gifted to attempt at least twenty-five gateways.

    I kept signing back up. My count was somewhere around forty-three gateways attempted. ¡®Attempted¡¯ only meant that I had accompanied others as a support or carrier. My reasoning was simple: I needed money to protect the people I loved.

    ¡°You know why I do it, Tild. It¡¯s all I really have, other than working here. Besides, a single mana crystal is literally worth half of what I¡¯m paid here.¡± I said, and then thought to myself: It¡¯s the only thing that feels real anymore. I looked back up at her. ¡°Mom¡¯s funeral is Saturday. Anniversary of the day the Red gate opened.¡± The very same day Dad was killed by the Gate-natives and I Awakened. ¡°Want to come along?¡± I asked.

    Her brows pinched together, and she bit her lip. ¡°Ouch,¡± she murmured. ¡°No, I can¡¯t, sorry. I would... I... I really do care for you guys, but it¡¯s just¡­ I met someone.¡± She gave me a small half-smile and a shrug.

    I nodded absently and swallowed as my gut churned.

    I always regretted not attempting to reach out to Matilda after we broke up. She had been with a few of the men around the office, and others outside the office too. But this weirdly sounded serious. Swallowing again, I nodded like a fool. ¡°Well¡­ That¡¯s¡­ Good?¡± Clever, I told myself. ¡°Is he good for you?¡± I added quickly.

    She nodded just as quickly in response. ¡°I think? I¡¯m not sure, we¡¯ll see how it goes.¡±

    I sadly smiled at her.

    ¡°Want me to drop you at home?¡± Matilda asked, and I nodded again, feeling awkward.

    ¡°Sure, sounds good. At least I won¡¯t have to take a train home then.¡±

    Twenty-five minutes later, I stepped outside H.I. and looked across the sprawling metropolis of New Eden. So named because it was the first city where a Gateway opened.

    Looking out, I saw the partial flicker of the Mana-Dome above. It covered the majority of the city. A spaceship breached the barrier and slowed its descent to dock with one of the many ports of the higher, richer, and inner districts of New Eden. And I wondered at it all.

    Mana-Domes had popped up everywhere a first gate had opened. After the vanishing of our planet from the Sol-System and the reawakening in the Janus system one hundred years ago, Terra had been assaulted by numerous gateways that lead to other realms and dungeons.

    Every time a gate opened, a percentage of those in the vicinity of the opening Awaken. They would become stronger, quicker, smarter, heal faster, and were far more deadly. If a gateway wasn¡¯t breached and closed within seven days, it would reverse and spill its inhabitants out into our world. As well as changing the environment to the one on the other side of the gate.

    Most gateways had to feed and leech off the Mana-Dome to stay active. The Red gateways didn¡¯t follow this general rule, and could open outside a mana field..

    After a solid year of fighting feebly against the gates way back when, Celestials sent by the All-Mother came down to bestow gifts straight out of a fantasy game to the worthy Awakened.

    ¡°By the Mother¡¯s saggy tits, it¡¯s warm out,¡± I muttered, and fanned myself after taking off my suit jacket.

    Matilda walked past and waved me on, ¡°You know you really shouldn¡¯t blaspheme.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± I said with a dismissive wave of my hand. What good has the Mother ever done for me?

    Once home, I stripped bare and thumbed subconsciously at the burn scars that marred the left side of my ribcage. My place was boxy and plain, and almost had the vacant, abandoned look most ¡®haunted houses¡¯ did. I walked into my small bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror, or at least what I could see of myself standing on my tiptoes. I was thin and short, though I had some muscle and a good(ish) physique, I was what people would describe as scrawny. I thumbed my scars again and exited after having a quick wash.

    Grabbing a gray t-shirt, my skinny cotton tracksuit bottoms, and my sneakers, I hopped into my living room and slouched onto the torn couch in front of my holographic television. ¡°Alexi, switch the vid on for me, please,¡± I said and waited... and waited... ¡°Fuck! I forgot I sold her,¡± I realized, grumbling at my decision for what was probably the fourteenth time since I sold my digital-companion two months ago. At least I¡¯d gotten enough to pay the rent.

    I finally turned the TV on and flicked to the news. The headlines scrolling along the bottom read: Two years since Red gate appeared this Saturday. Memorial service to be held at Eden¡¯s parks.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    It was still classed as a phenomenon. The gate had simply spun open, and decimated the entire neighbourhood. Monsters and Natives had come through and killed as many as they could. Then they simply left before a response could be made. The whole thing had apparently taken fifteen minutes.

    My father¡¯s death had been the last, and I was still certain they had gone out of their way to kill him.

    Before that, the last time a Red gate opened was thirty years ago. It stayed open for seven long years. For all intents and purposes, Reds were a wholly different breed. I flicked through the channels once again. There were countless talk shows about the nature of the Celestials and the Mother. The talk show hosts still talked about responsibility and who was to blame for the Vanishing. Churches preached the greatness of their divine Mira¡¯darana, the Celestial of a painted soul.

    Another channel showed a Warrior Guilds advert, attempting to recruit more members for their ¡®big¡¯ push into the Purple Gates. They followed Furos¡¯kyrn, the Celestial of the strengthened will.

    I couldn¡¯t give a shit about organized religion or their gods, but I partially believed in the Mother, at least enough to curse her name colorfully every chance I got.

    For a time, I simply sat and stared at nothing. Eventually my watch beeped like the irritant it was. Forty minutes and a mag-train ride later, I stepped out onto Milton Road and paused at the sight of the giant green swirling vortex. It seemed like a tear in the fabric of reality as it distorted everything around it. Like a crack in the center of a mirror, it bent and fractured everything close by.

    The Green classification was mainly quest-related. They usually had a challenge or a puzzle that needed solving while waves of beasts fought against your team. The max number of combatants for a Green gate was usually ten, and at least one D-rank or higher was always present.

    The D-rank in this team was Matilda, a Knight class. The golden hilt of her great sword was shaped like a pair of spread wings welcoming the sun. The weapon hummed with a magical aura. She stood in an immaculate silvery-grey suit of full body armor; the face plate of her helmet raised. I could see the stern frown she held there for a moment.

    That frown immediately softened for her counterpart, some finely dressed, blonde, princely-looking fucker with a bow. He was everything I was not: handsome with a good body and a bandoleer of blue mana crystals strapped around his waist like a flashy display. ¡°He¡¯s either D- or C-rank,¡± I muttered. Only those ranks of Gifted could combat a blue gateway and obtain the blue mana crystals.

    ¡°Hello everyone, your baggage carrier has arrived. Don¡¯t mind the average Joe here, I¡¯m simply slipping amongst you to carry your belongings,¡± I grumbled as I moved past, unnoticed by all.

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s the baggage bitch! You won¡¯t find any treats in those bags of yours,¡± someone called at me. I half-expected Matilda to shout back a harsh response like she usually did, but she didn¡¯t say anything. Too interested in the sparkling blue princess, no doubt.

    I stared at the gate, ignoring those who had nothing better to do than hurl insults at me. y mind fogged and hazed as the world bent around it. Before I even noticed, twenty minutes had passed while I stood in a trance. I blinked several times as people began entering the gate. I, of course, was to carry up the rear, one of the three most dangerous positions in a group assault.

    I knew I was only at the rear so that my death would warn the others in front of me. It kept me at a distance from the rest, for which I was grateful.

    ¡°Howard,¡± I heard Matilda voice crack like a whip at the front of the group after we walked for a while. ¡°Get up here.¡± Her tone left no room for complaint. I knew Howard. He was a wizard whose speciality lay in inscriptions and making things go boom. He could cast three chants to Mira¡¯s silken mound, then he was dry of Mana.

    ¡°What does it say?¡± I heard Melody, the group¡¯s cleric, say sweetly. She was dressed in a gaudy white and bright red robe accented with rhinestones. Her red hair was tied back in a tight braid, revealing the light dashing of freckles across her nose, cheeks, and neck.

    ¡°By three. By three. By three,¡± Howard muttered loudly. ¡°By three they went. By three they returned.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s obvious,¡± Prince said. He sneered at the wizard. ¡°There will be three pathways ahead. Three must enter each.¡±

    ¡°Or it could mean that only three people can continue from here,¡± I muttered.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a fair point,¡± someone close by replied. A few others nodded after the man repeated what I said. Tilda looked my way, shock written plainly across her face, as if she had forgotten until now that I was here. Her purple eyes lit up upon seeing me, though she looked guilty. Prince, on the other hand, looked like he was on the verge of forming a new asshole on his stupid face, he was pressing his lips together so hard.

    His blue eyes flashed with anger as he sneered, ¡°What does some poor Awakened know of hunting? I suggest you stick to your craft, bitch, and leave the Gifted to theirs.¡±

    I shrugged and turned away from him, knowing that would just annoy him even further. Some of the others in the group shouted their opinions of me as well, and some shook their heads. Matilda never spoke a word. She simply looked away. Is this even your group anymore, Tilda? I thought.

    As it happened, there were three branching passages. I saw His Princeliness smirk my direction, to which I cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Alright, three for each! Tilda, take your two and head for the left passage. I¡¯ll take mine and head straight. The others can go right,¡± Prince announced..

    Matilda nodded at his commands. ¡°Of course, Drake,¡± she replied. Her face was alight with her smile, and her eyes were hazy and glassy. How strange, I thought. I saw Melody and Howard furrowing their brows at how easily this ¡®Drake¡¯ took command.

    They left me standing there, alone with a single torch and a pack full of pickaxes and shovels. I moved off to one side of the cavern by feeling along the wall until my fingers passed from rougher surfaces to smoother, colder ones. Dumping the bag at my feet, I retrieved a pick and got started on the wall. I retrieved a hand drill and foot long pike, with a hoop at it ends from my pack. Its purpose was simple, I needed somewhere to holster my torch after all.

    Fifteen minutes later, I heard a sound like a distant cry coming from the passages. They distorted, echoed, and bounced around, so it was hard to discern which it came from. I swung the pickaxe at the deposit of dull Mana crystals on the wall, gradually chipping away chunks and stuffing them into the carry bag. These were practically worthless as they so numerous throughout New Eden, and dull crystals were only bought by the lower rankers. ¡°At least I¡¯ll make something from this, if I can¡¯t have any proper mana crystals,¡± I said with a huff of air. I rubbed at the sweat coating my brow. ¡°Though something tells me I probably won¡¯t be making my fair share at all tonight.¡±

    Sighing, I dropped the pickaxe and gathered up my chips to store them away. My requirement for being the baggage bitch in a gateway dive was three dull mana crystals. Sometimes I was paid up front and told to stay out of the way. Other times I wasn¡¯t paid at all, and the group would only threaten me if I reported them to their license boards.

    My musings were cut short as a menacingly low growl sent a shiver up my spine. Looking over my shoulders, I saw a massive white wolf. Its claws and teeth glinted as if they were metallic. The slit at the center of its head snapped open when it spotted me. A bright red bead in a void of blackness peered at me, then moved around in a searching roll.

    Frozen, still in shock, my eyes darted about for anything useful I could use in my defense. Being Awakened meant I wasn¡¯t completely helpless, even if I was weak. The average Awakened was four times stronger than the average human. Me, I was only twice more, which in and of itself was still something.

    The wolf stepped fully into the central chamber of the cavern from the middle passage. ¡°Why do I get the feeling they let this one through?¡± I growled deep inside my throat.

    As if according to some unspoken signal, the wolf bounded forward, closing the gap so blindingly fast I barely saw it. I dropped my chips onto the ground and dove to the right, hurling myself bodily at my pack of equipment. I slammed into it at a roll. Not even a second later, the wolf shoulder-checked the wall, trying to halt its momentum. It came down on my dropped pickaxe, crushing the wooden haft.

    Rolling to my side, I shot my hand into the pack as I moved. I pulled out the broken length of a longsword. It was a green-class item and cost me 300cs. I had bought the stupid thing last month, only for it to break the very same day against some weird blue-furred baboons with hands at the end of their tails and antennae where their eyes should¡¯ve been. I was absolutely certain I¡¯d been ripped off.

    Now it was the only tool I had, other than a few pickaxes. Deciding it was better to utilise all I could, I grabbed one of those as well, to use in my off hand. The one I had used previously was now crushed as the wolf stomped towards me. Thick lines of drool dripped from its snarling jaws as it bared its teeth at me.

    It was maybe six feet in height, and towered over me. With a growl, I bared my own teeth back. I may be incredibly weak by Awakened and Gifted standards, but that didn¡¯t mean I was a coward. Lunging forward and closing the distance, I stabbed out with my long sword. The blunt broken end smacked into wolf¡¯s side and skidded along its ribs as my momentum drove me forward. I slid with it, and brought the pickaxe in my other hand around in a mighty¡ªby my standards¡ªswing. With a simple toss of its head, I was thrown onto my back, the blade lost from my hand.

    Then it was upon me, its face snapping toward my own. I leaned away with just enough distance that it didn¡¯t engulf my head. The wolf bit deep into my neck and shoulder instead. With a scream of fright and pain, I flailed out, kicking beneath the bulk of its body. Each movement I made only caused the three-eyed wolf to sink its metallic teeth in even further. I was sure it would close its jaws entirely shut around my body.

    The pickaxe, you damn fool! I screamed mentally at myself, cursing my stupidity for having forgotten about it. Somehow it had landed only inches from my hand. With a grunt of pain, I brought the pick around and feebly hit its side. That was enough to dig the pick a few inches deep between two of its ribs.

    The wolf yelped and let go of me. I clamped a hand around my bleeding neck wound and scooted my ass backward. The monster snarled and looked straight through me, as if I were a nuisance that wouldn¡¯t just die.

    ¡°Nice doggy,¡± I mumbled painfully. I shifted back as it prowled towards me. A menacing aura practically bled off the beast. The light from my torch on the wall flickered and wavered, as if the very air itself wanted to snuff out my light.

    It was my only source of light in here, and, as if on cue, the light finally blinked out. My hand brushed against the pommel of my broken longsword. The light came back on.

    ¡°What the-¡± Then the wolf was before me, its jaws wide open, its tongue wiggling for a meal and its teeth stained in my blood.

    I grabbed the sword in a reverse grip and brought it over my head. The light died again as I flicked forth with my arm, aiming at its face. Sweeping the blade in, I felt it catch as I was smashed into the ground.

    Five long, sharp claws scored my side as I fell. Pain exploded through my shoulder as I was smacked roughly about, but I knew I would die if I didn¡¯t act immediately.

    After a moment, I got my feet under me, and still managed to maintain my hold onto the broken sword. I bodily checked the wolf with my wounded shoulder, then twisted the sword. We fell to the ground, with me straddling the creature¡¯s belly. It slashed wildly at me with its claws, scoring me deeply in several places. It howled in pain as I twisted my sword again and shoved it deeper. Its paws sliced me up while I fumbled for its throat. Before I knew it, the wolf¡¯s jaws were around my arm and it began to shake its head violently from side to side.

    I screamed and stabbed the wolf as it tore my arm to shreds with those metallic teeth. Then my sweat-slick hand slid off the grip of the broken sword and I cursed as the wolf managed roll on top of me. It barked and gnashed, and spat out my arm as it went for my face again. I did the only thing I could do in that moment: I had to willingly shove my other arm into its mouth.

    Biting back my cry of pain, I kicked out with my right leg and hit the blade still lodged in its side. The wolf yelped and slammed me into the ground, driving the air out of me. I coughed and managed to push and slide backwards until I was crouching. Then I rolled under my trapped arm, shrieking as the joint dislocated when I was wrenched back. By then I grabbed the sword, yanked it out of the wolf¡¯s side and swept it around. I felt my arm pop, crack, and grind. With a hateful cry, I planted the broken end of my sword square in the fucker¡¯s third rolling eye.

    Suddenly it was over. The beast¡¯s legs gave out as it flopped lifelessly atop of me, my arm still wedged in its jaws. Its heavy bulk pressed down on me. ¡°No, no, no,¡± I hissed. I tried in vain to push against it, but I couldn¡¯t. I was exhausted.

    Within that moment, I thought back to my childhood. I liked watching old Earth shows. One show was called Tom and Jerry, and a character in it, a dog named Spike. I don¡¯t know why, but the simple thought of that show, and that dog, and my shitty situation, made me laugh.

    Much to my own stupidly bad luck, I heard a deep, belly-shaking growl and the clink of claws across the ground.

    ¡°Oh shit,¡± I wheezed. Then came a yelp, splattering sounds, and two distinct thumps.

    ¡°Rhys?¡± a voice called out, as the heavy sound of boots pounded into the central cavern.

    ¡°Why isn¡¯t there a light in here?¡± another voice shouted in an annoyance.

    ¡°Look over there!¡± another shouted.

    Blinking as I gasped for a breath of fresh air, I tried to reply. Nothing came out, only a gurgled sort of hiss escaped. Suddenly, I saw a light. It was yellow and orange, the glow reflecting against the ceiling of the cavern. The air rushed into me when the entire bulk of the wolf was lifted off and thrown to one side.

    With that, I evacuated my lungs in a coughing fit. Rolling to one side, I curled up in agony. Awakened could heal wounds much faster than the average Joe. I, on the other hand, would likely not be walking away from this. Clenching my eyes shut to hold back the flood of pitiful tears, I turned away from my rescuers.

    Hating¡ªnot the first time¡ªhow fucking weak I was.

    It had to be Matilda, Melody, and Howard.

    ¡°Oh, Goddess!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s lost too much blood-¡±

    ¡°Just leave him-¡±

    If I die now, I¡¯ll miss the funeral. Does it matter? Kayla is strong and determined. If anyone can survive in a world as shitty as ours, it will be her. My thoughts were halted as warmth and lightness spread through my body. It broke through my moody and death-accepting haze. I heard a soft chant, beseeching Mira¡¯darana to heal me. The warmth faltered as Melody finished her chant, as I knew it would.

    Spells such as healing could only be used by the Gifted on the Gifted, it was just how it worked. It was how the classes were separated. Humanity was the low standard, then Awakened, and then the Gifted.

    Awakenings were accidental, a result of gate openings. Gifted, though, were selected by the celestial gods. Hah, fuck the gods. Fuck. The. Mother. Fuck my shitty life...Blackness swept over me, finishing my statement for me. I floated in the abyss for a while. Now and then I caught glimpses of concerned and apologetic faces as I groaned inarticulately and cursed my rough treatment. The reverberating echo of the cavern disappeared completely, to be replaced by sounds I didn¡¯t recognise at first.

    The cavernous ceiling was there one minute, then stars filled a black sky the next. Blue and red lights reflected off the armor carrying me, highlighting the dents and claw marks furrowed into the steel suit. ¡°Wha- cha doe,¡± I asked, my voice seemed oddly muffled. Then I passed out completely.

    I awoke sometime later as the bright light of day crept through the curtain of a hospital room. ¡°Well, at least this is a familiar sight,¡± I mumbled and blinked hard.

    Sitting up with a soft, aching groan, I appraised myself of the wounds I was expecting to see. ¡°Guess they managed to get me out of there. Wonder if they closed the gateway?¡± I blinked at the clock on the far wall, but couldn¡¯t make out the time without my glasses. Soft snores broke through my concentration. Looking down, I saw Kayla slumped over my hospital bed, her light brown hair tied back. Drool smeared her cheek wetly as she moved. I poked at her head, smiling slightly. Kayla¡¯s eyes snapped open, wide awake and aware; she had been a light sleeper ever since the Red gate had destroyed our family.

    ¡°Rhys?¡± she asked, her eyes misting.

    ¡°Hey Kay, I¡¯m sorry I woke y-¡± I began, but I was interrupted when she crushed me in a hug.

    ¡°I- I thought I lost you, and I didn¡¯t know what to do,¡± she said as she sniffled into my thinly-gowned chest.

    This is an Awakened ward, I guessed. The IV solutions they used to heal Awakened injuries were essentially healing potions.. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll be alright, Kayla.¡±.

    My sister was taller than me by a few inches even though she was younger than me by nine years. The doctors stated that my growth had halted once I¡¯d Awakened. I would never, without being Gifted, gain more muscle or grow taller. Forever the skinny and short baggage runt, I thought bitterly. Kayla¡¯s eyes were hazel like mine, but normal, Since the Red gate opening, I had red specks like glassy fragments glinting within my irises.

    All those that Awakened had a part of their body change permanently to match the color of the gate that awoke them. Their pubic hair color could change, or their eyes, fingernails, or genitals. Matilda was a rare example: her eyes and hair both changed after a Purple Gateway sprang into existence in her neighbours¡¯ backyard.

    ¡°Matilda called me and told me. She was worried I wouldn¡¯t find out if she didn¡¯t. You know how these places can be,¡± Kayla told me, interrupting my thoughts.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I replied. I did know. If you weren¡¯t conscious and responsive, they could do what they liked with you until they were told otherwise.

    ¡°The doctors hooked you up, and you¡¯ve been here since last night. They couldn¡¯t completely repair your leg in one sitting though, so you¡¯ll be on crutches until they can.¡±

    I scratched the back of my head awkwardly, ¡°So, do you know if they closed the gateway or not?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°No, they didn¡¯t. From what the investigators could gather, the monster that attacked you came from a central passage or something. Some guy called Drake Sembrane came by to apologize.¡± She turned her face up to peer at me. ¡°He came and left with Matilda. He didn¡¯t seem particularly happy that I was here.¡±

    I nodded and patted her back. ¡°What time is it? Where are my glasses?¡± I asked. Kayla got up and turned her wrist around. A holo-screen appeared a few inches above her wrist phone.

    ¡°It¡¯s... 10:34, Thursday,¡± she answered with a smirk at my look of disbelief. ¡°What? It¡¯s not my fault you¡¯re still working with the old tech bro. You really need to upgrade.¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh. And how much is that upgrade costing you?¡± I frowned. She didn¡¯t respond, but smiled sweetly at me instead. Taking the hint, I dropped it. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get out of here. I hate these places. You can help me get back to my place and pack my things.¡±

    She looked at me curiously. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Why? Well I¡¯m moving back home after all,¡± I said. It felt right. For the first time in a long time, I¡¯d made a choice I was comfortable with making. The rest of the day sped by quickly after that. I checked out with a promise to return for more treatment. We packed up the things at my boxy apartment. I didn¡¯t own much, so it was easy.

    The crutches were a pain in the ass, and the fare I spent on a hover-taxi was ridiculous. However, the instant I walked through my parents¡¯ front door I felt my aches and annoyance from the day leak out of me. I was left feeling warm and content Kayla waited on me hand and foot, to the point that I had to ask her to stop.

    We spent the whole evening side by side, watching TV and old movies. ¡°Hey Kayla,¡± I said as she snored against my arm, ¡°Go to bed Kay, you¡¯ve got school in the morning.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t wanna,¡± she sleepily yawned.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t, your poor, injured brother may just be foolish enough to carry you up to your room,¡± I warned.

    ¡°Ugh, fine.¡± She got up, kissed my forehead like Mom used to do. She slunk away. ¡°Night, Rhys.¡±

    ¡°Night, Kay,¡± I replied. I blinked rapidly. ¡°By the Mother¡¯s shaven gate, do I miss my family,¡± I whispered with a sigh into the darkness, and wept quietly to my silent audience.

    This novel is the work of Rhys Thomas. If you are reading this and it has not been published by Rhys Thomas, then this work has been stolen. Please report this to Amazon and me at email: [email protected]</a>

 Rhys Chapter Two.

    <u>(Friday. Date: 19-04-2463)</u>

    I got up as the door bell rang repeatedly. ¡°Alright, alright; I¡¯m coming,¡± I said aloud, then more quietly, ¡°these stupid crutches.¡±

    Hobbling to front door I unlocked and open it. ¡°Sign here please,¡± came an automatous voice as a delivery droid practically tossed a screen in my face. I did as instructed, then the none-descript droid tossed an envelope down at my feet.

    ¡°Hey!¡± I said in surprise and looked up to see to a van floating up as it took off down the city. Closing the door, I looked to the packet, in scripted print blue text, that glimmered It read Peters and Holland. The font so flowery and artistic I expected to see a love heart after the name. ¡°The bank, this can¡¯t be good.¡± It wasn¡¯t.

    ¡°Firstly, we would like to offer our condolences on the recent departure of <u>Abigail Trent.</u> We hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits under the Mothers ever watchful eye, and that blah, blah, de-blah.¡± I muttered scanning through the introductions and the usual jargon about the Celestials presence in our daily lives. it was all rhetoric bullshit, so I didn¡¯t really care.

    ¡°It has be made aware and brought to our attentions that your current living arrangements, have not been kept up to the standard rental rates. Thus, we believe that you should thus far and going forward¡ªwho the fuck uses thus twice in the same sentence¡ªbe paying a rental fee of <u>twenty-two hundred</u> credits. As well as the back dated fees owed to one Landlord; Robert Elman of <u>nineteen hundred</u> credits. We would like to a set up a meeting to discuss a¡­ Simple monthly payment plan from you and/or your parents trust fund to help facilitate these owed funds better. What. The fuck?¡± My eyebrows climbed, working my glasses up my nose in disbelief.

    ¡°Things can never just go my way, can they?¡± I asked to no one, and then laugh bitterly.

    The meeting was to be held next week, <u>Tuesday at 15:00pm</u>. ¡°So, we essentially owe 3100-credits. Something isn¡¯t right here. And who the fuck is Robert Elman?¡±

    ~*~*~*~

    Saturday came and found, Kayla and I along with a few family friends or neighbours who had survived the Red gate, at my mother¡¯s burial. ¡°We come in the Mothers light,¡± a priestess from the Mothers Embrace said. Kayla had wanted one to attend and speak the rights of passage. Who was I to argue with my little sister.

    ¡°To say farewell to our beloved Abigail, so that she might find peace and freedom within the Mothers holy garden. To know that her dreams may live on through each of us,¡± the priestess yammered on. She began a chant of magic which I knew was nothing more than a display than anything actually divine or a blessing.

    Leaning against me; Kayla cried openly, a sight I hadn¡¯t seen since Dad¡¯s own funeral. I guessed it was finally hitting her, that we¡¯re alone now, I thought.

    There was a soft pop as the priestess finished her chant, to me and to other awakened or gifted who could see the actual magical Latticework spring into life as the spell activated. Golden sparkles glittered atop my mother¡¯s coffin, just as they settled there they evaporated. The spell was commonly named as scatter-dust, helpful in detecting tripwires.

    It was a big joke in the gifted community about how average-Joes fell for this sort of magic. Then the priestess chanted a levitation spell the framework springing to, like the gears and mechanism of a clock, each magic cycle within the latticework spun as she finish her chanting. Her murmuring grew shakier and I could see a slight tremor in her hands clasped before her face. A blue light surrounded the coffin and began to gently pulled my mother¡¯s dead body into the earth.

    There was a second as I heard a loud thump as the coffin hit the dirt roughly. Standing a fraction straighter, the priestess tussled out her robe. In a loud voice she proclaimed: ¡°From the Earth we Awakened, to the Earth we Vanish,¡± all who followed the Mother mumbled a chorus of the phrase. One by one, people approached my mothers¡¯ coffin to sprinkle a helping of dirt and mutter their goodbyes. Then they came and shook hands with us and to pass on their condolences and to let them know if we needed anything.

    Lastly was a man in sharp dark grey suit and thin balding hair, he flicked in some dirt, brushed his hands and turned to me. I saw a guild ring on his right hand¡¯s pinkie finger. The design, a black onyx serpent on a scarlet red background. Everything about the man screamed immaculate precision. On his dark navy-blue tie was a small silvery pin in the shape of a snake eating it¡¯s own tail. Compared to my cheap 50cs suit, I looked more like the dirt being scattered on my mom¡¯s coffin compare to him.

    He smiled thinly and greeted only me, ignoring my sister completely. Now that he was closer; I could see eyes. Bright red shards crossed his viperous green iris¡¯s forming an almost perfectly shaped triangle. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about your loss. I didn¡¯t know Abigail personally, but I did do some business once with Devon, when he was alive,¡± the man said casually casting out my fathers¡¯ name. Now here¡¯s something you¡¯ve to understand. My father was quite a secretive man, especially when it came to his past works and the like. I mean I didn¡¯t even his name was Devon till I was 14 years old. I¡¯d been falsely arrested, after some kids who I was hanging out with at the time, stole from a store. My father had to supply ID, which I knew from his expression at the time, he hadn¡¯t wanted to do.

    The man watched me neutrally for a second or two, as if to gauge if I was intrigued about my father¡¯s past.

    ¡°Oh, Dad rarely talked about his past. Mr?¡±

    ¡°Hah, silly me. Robert Elman,¡± he replied. More like eel-man you slimy slippery twat, I thought instantly and struggled to keep my expression under control. I gave the face to a name a tight smile. Lets gage his own response shall we.

    ¡°Well it was good to meet you Mr. Eelman. Will you also be attending the bank meeting next Tuesday?¡± I asked politely. His venomous green and red flecked eyes blinked twice rapidly.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see. Now I really must get going, it was a pleasure to meet you both. I look forward to seeing you again Rhys. Ta-ta for now,¡± he said and moved passed me, our shoulder brushing slightly.

    ¡°Rhys,¡± Kayla hissed from beside me, ¡°who was that man?¡±

    ¡°That Kay. Is our apparent Landlord,¡± I answered and released my breath in an explosive sigh.

    ¡°His eyes...¡± Kayla muttered, her voice trailing off. For the first couple of months after the Red gate, she wouldn¡¯t or couldn¡¯t looked me directly in the eyes, as if they were a reminder of that day, of what we had lost.

    They certainly were for me, even now. But life carry¡¯s on.

    Nodding I answered, ¡°yeah, he was either there. Or at the start of the Red-7-gate,¡± I finished, concluding what she couldn¡¯t. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go say our farewells. Before the Mother task¡¯s us with trimming her hedge or something.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Kayla hissed at me, in exasperation.

    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ll be good,¡± I said innocently. I stood off to one as Kayla made her farewells, instead of dirt, she gently placed down a white lily flower bulb, sobbed her goodbyes then turned and hugged me tightly. She stepped away from me afterwards.

    Doing the same with my own, I stayed crouched over the grave awaiting to swallow Abigail Trent¡¯s body. I took in a deep breath, and in a whisper, I talked to a body I couldn¡¯t see, devoid of my mothers spirit and gentle warming smile. ¡°I can¡¯t help but feel as if I failed you mom,¡± I started; running a hand through my hair. ¡°I know you would say I didn¡¯t and that I shouldn¡¯t keep cursing the Mother as I do. But I blame her as much as I blame myself, I couldn¡¯t be there for you.¡±

    Tears streamed down my cheeks as my throat threaten to clench shut, to stop from speaking the words I felt so deeply. ¡°I couldn¡¯t be there, just like I couldn¡¯t for dad. Even now so much is being stacked against me¡­ And I don¡¯t see a way out for me. But I promise you again; like I did all those years ago. That no matter how far I fall, I¡¯ll protect Kayla in your place. Goodbye for now mom, I love and miss you, now and always.¡± I finished, half expecting to hear a beep as I finished.

    ¡°Pretty little speech,¡± a sweet melodic voice said from behind me. I went to turn, to look at who had spoken but I couldn¡¯t, my entire body was as frozen as a statue. ¡°At! Don¡¯t. Move,¡± a finger came into view and pointed before me. There in the dirt the petals of mine and Kayla lily¡¯s peeled back and bloomed.

    ¡°What the-¡± I said standing and moving away from the grave, ¡°I can move. Who?¡± I said looking around, but no one was there, everyone had simply vanished, even Kayla was gone. ¡°Kayla?¡± I asked loudly, I mind churning, were we vanishing again?

    ¡°Hush,¡± that same voice came again. When I turned this time, I found myself looking at a white-haired woman of about thirty, black pinpricks centred her white eyes. She wore a sheer green gown that exposed more than it concealed, it looked to be made of leaves and vines. Small berries dotted throughout the gown.

    ¡°What? Are my tits not Saggy enough,¡± she said emphasising the word by groping her full chest through the gown, berries around the area burst is she gripped herself roughly. ¡°Or does my hedge need a good trimming?¡± She said with a teasing smile around the word, though it looked more like a snarl to me.

    Again, she emphasised her words, this time by moving the slit on the thigh of her gown to expose her hairless vagina. The pale pink slit open for the world to see and only me here to watch. ¡°Is that not enough?¡± she asked playfully, still holding up her gown. I realised I was staring at her sex and quickly looked away with as I scratched at the back of my head as nonchalantly as I could. I caught the flash of a smirk on her face, and my mind raced to connect the facts.

    ¡°So, what can I do for you, Mother?¡± I asked, not looking at her. Damn if she wasn¡¯t so oddly disturbing and weirdly sexy at the same time. Stop acting so casual, your talking to thee Goddess, I screamed from the depth of my mind.

    ¡°Oh, please I¡¯m no ¡®Goddess.¡¯ I neglected my creations for so long that the instant I return, not one but two of the great Forerunners are assembling against the Deep One.¡± She said clearly reading my thoughts, fuck, is she rambling? ¡°You are quite right, don¡¯t tell anyone I said that by the way- the stuff about forerunners that is. Hate to vaporise you.¡± She shrugged, walking over towards and then past me, trailed her fingers against my chest, warmth spread from the touch and the grass lived and died in her wake.

    ¡°Did you know that you¡¯ve cursed and blasphemed my name; this year alone more than anyone has in the last three. I mean some even shout Oh Mother! during sex,¡± she said throwing her hands up into the air in exasperation. ¡°Which is disgusting, I have a name after-all, I just don¡¯t share it with my peons.¡± She wiggled her fingers at peons.

    ¡°What about your worshippers?¡± I asked boldly.

    She huffed, ¡°they¡¯re idiots, don¡¯t even get me started on the churches.¡±

    ¡°Corrupt?¡± I guessed, she nodded.

    ¡°And then some.¡±

    ¡°Hah,¡± I said and breath a short laugh. She was terrifyingly powerful but also seemed weirdly grounded.

    ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re getting side-tracked from why I¡¯m here,¡± she said, and all sense of joviality were replaced by a stern firmness. ¡°I want to make you a deal Rhys Xavier Trent, tallest of my smaller roots.¡±

    I frowned at her words, ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±

    ¡°I moved Terra here to the Janus system as you call it for a reason. To fight back against the invaders of my mine and my sibling¡¯s Domains. The creatures of the abyssal plane will, in one years-time, make their first purposeful breach through the astral barrier. You won¡¯t and don¡¯t need to know what any of that means just yet. Suffice it to say, I need a monster of my own, someone capable and a suitable partner for the Alliance Rokkaia-¡± She abruptly cut herself off to glance fearfully skywards. ¡°-Alliance he will make in response. Plus,¡± she purred at me. ¡°It¡¯ll be fun to watch you fall over all the corpses you¡¯ll surround yourself with. It will be mildly amusing.¡±

    ¡°Till then, I¡¯ll need a champion as it were. Someone who can act as my representative without all the flashy jewellery and banner¡¯s proclaiming so,¡± she waved her hand about in a dismissive gesture. ¡°You¡¯ll need to fight and grow,¡± she growled as she danced around me. Her feet leaving dead trails of grass everywhere.

    ¡°So, you want me as your representative, to this¡­ Rokkaia?¡± I started and cast a quick glance up at the sky, feeling a chill settle against my bones as I mentioned that name. ¡°And to act as your champion, in your stead. But till then I¡¯ll remain here and grow stronger and fight these abyssal creatures in one years time.¡± I finished summarising all the little snags of detail I could.

    ¡°Pretty much,¡± she said with a nod and spun about in place her gown spinning and lifting with her movements.

    ¡°Mother seriously?¡± I said as if chastising a child.

    ¡°Oh, sorry. Considering that you¡¯re going to accept anyway and that we¡¯ll be bound, call me Annaleigh. I much more prefer that name over Sal¡¯re¡¯al or Mother.¡±

    ¡°Okay... So, how do we go about this then?¡±

    She stopped and turned to me once again; her playfulness now replaced by a mask of concentration. ¡°You know your mind never really shuts up.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ should hope not, I would hate to be dead.¡±

    ¡°Touch¨¦, now. I, Sal¡¯re¡¯al. Domain leader of Sol, Janus and watcher of Leathanria, so offer and do offer Bzzt! my gift.¡± A sound like static rang in my ears as my entire being clenched in place. A feeling I couldn¡¯t describe but what felt like pressure overwhelmed my mind and heart in a crushing wave of force. The rest of her announcement was drowned out as the feeling grew and intensified, and I drowned in the energy overcoming my senses.

    Then it all suddenly pulled away, leaving me gasping and curling up on the grass besides my mother¡¯s grave. ¡°Do you accept?¡± Mother - Sal¡¯re¡¯al - Annaleigh¡¯s voice snapped through me like a car crash.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I said with a gasp.

    ¡°Do you accept?¡± she asked again.

    ¡°YES! I shouted my voice growing heated.

    ¡°Do you accept?¡± My heart bounded against the confines of my ribcage; my veins bulged as my throat contracted as if I was asphyxiating on my very words.

    ¡°Yeesss!¡± I shouted in loud hiss, my head vibrating violently as my heart promptly exploded. With wide eyes I looked up at the sky as Annaleigh floated over on a cushion of force and air. She said something to me, but I heard nothing. You fucking killed me, was all I could think at her in response.

    She reached down towards me, in her outstretched hand floated a cube of neon blue light. It was segmented and divided like an old Earths Rubik¡¯s cube. Small lines of blue glowing light zigzagged and spread out like the coppery pathway patterns on a circuit board.

    I could hear nothing, and only thing I could see was Annaleigh concentrating as she did something to me, reached into me, filling the space where my heart had beat its final, moments ago. A few minutes later her hand came away bloody, she made a whistling gesture and wiped the back of her bloody hand across her forehead.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Nothing happened for several seconds; then I felt it, as what I could only assume were those same line¡¯s I saw bleeding through the cube, spread throughout my body.

    My whole being itched and shook violently with a spasm, though I felt no pain, just a mild discomfort at all the rattling and wiggling going on inside me. I¡¯m going to have a terrible headache once this over, came an errant thought. Then everything came alive as a tingling sensation one of lightness filled my lungs. I know this feeling, I thought as stark clarity washed over me. Then a chill of coldness enough to make me shiver and cause some mild shrinkage, started at the top of my head then knifed down through my brain. My vision swam a bright blue, when it had gone red before, the only other time I had felt this way.

    I screamed intelligently, my mind flashing back to when I had Awakened the first time. Watching helplessly as my father died as I underwent this process. Being trapped in my own body shouting internally as grey-skinned lizardmen dragged him across the ground, where they then broke each limb and finally removed his head.

    Then I was brought back to the present as it all drained away and I could move once again. Sitting upright I immediately slammed a hand into my chest. It was unblemished, no scar or crater where my heart had literally exploded like a damn Xenomorph popping out of me. There was nothing at all, and I saw that I was completely nude.

    ¡°You know for a skinny runt, your carrying quite the weapon there,¡± I heard Annaleigh¡¯s voice tittered at me.

    Staying seated I panted as the adrenaline wore off. ¡°What. The. Fuck. Annaleigh,¡± I growled in disbelief.

    ¡°What?¡± she asked, sounding legitimately confused, still floated around on her cushion of air.

    ¡°Whadda ya mean, What?¡± I said making a poor impersonation of her voice, ¡°You fucking killed me,¡± I hissed the words out angrily.

    ¡°Bzzt! You will not take that tone with me again,¡± she said, commanding me and I obeyed immediately. ¡°Yes Mother,¡± I replied with a sarcastic roll of my eyes

    She took a deep breath as her face went scarlet; then she breathed it out, instead of chewing me out. ¡°Sorry,¡± she said with a small shrug, her shoulders slumping.

    Breathing out all my anger and annoyance in a sigh, ¡°well. What did you do to me then?¡± I asked as a way to change the subject, though not by much.

    She grinned, ¡°I Awakened you,¡± she started.

    ¡°But I already was,¡± I said interrupting her. She gave me that look I knew so well, and I promptly shut my trap.

    ¡°Yes. I Awakened you a second time, so an Awake-awakened,¡± She explained, and I blinked.

    holy fuck! my brain screamed at me.

    My mouth though offered, ¡°double-awakening?¡± Annaleigh shook her head; white shoulder length hair flinging about as she did so.

    ¡°Reawakening,¡± she countered, and this time I shook my head.

    ¡°How about¡­ ¡®Woke.¡¯¡±

    ¡°seriously?¡±

    ¡°What? Sounds cool,¡± she rolled her eyes which looked quite hard to do, considering they were almost completely white and all.

    ¡°Fine. I ¡®Woke¡¯ you,¡± she said, making air quotations around the word from her cushion of air.

    Hah, I am so not funny.

    ¡°Yes, so I did that. I guess you¡¯re now twice better than an average Awakened now,¡± she said considering. ¡°If an E-rank Gifted is four times stronger than you- sorry- and you were the weakest. The Reawakening would have you at the highest peak of an Awakened, and then some, putting your awakened-reawakened-woke self on par with a low E-rank gifted. Then add the fact that I gifted you,¡± she said but I interrupted her with a hand wave.

    ¡°Wait, hold up. You gifted me?¡± I asked my voice going up an octave.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied with a frown. Before I even knew what; I was doing and to whom, I wrapped Annaleigh, the All Mother, Goddess and creator of my world in a tight hug and spun about laughing as she squawked indignantly. ¡°Rhys! What¡¯re you doing?¡± she yelled, fighting against me.

    ¡°Thank you, thank you, thank you. You have no idea how much- how much this means to me,¡± I said my voice catching. Then I felt her thin arms close around my neck and return my embrace briefly. Her scent was that of a fresh spring day and excited me with happiness.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, now put me down before I have to command you to,¡± she said.

    ¡°Yes Mother,¡± I answered with a grin.

    ¡°Right as I was saying¡­ I gifted you, onto top of Reawakening you. No,¡± she held up her hand as what was the start of a bajillions questions tried to spill from my mouth. ¡°Let me say this and get it out of the way. Our contract means I hold your true name. You will never have to fear someone else finding it as my presence will shield it for you.¡± I guessed that had to do with weird static I heard. ¡°Seriously stop with all the kinky ideas flooding through you gutter of a mind,¡± she said a touch annoyed, as a flash of all the potential things she could force me to do to her.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± I said sheepishly. ¡°So, what gift do I have then, and are we still at my mom¡¯s funeral?¡± I asked as the sudden realisation hit me.

    ¡°Firstly, Yes to the latter. I made a field of mana and slowed down the time for all within. As to the former that¡¯ll be difficult to explain, because¡­ it¡¯s mildly broken, in the overpowered way,¡± she explained cryptically. ¡°I gifted with the Gamer class,¡± she said with some finality I didn¡¯t understand. I¡¯m pretty sure I heard a few crickets chirping away in the silence.

    ¡°Huh?¡± I replied dumbly. With a sigh Annaleigh settled herself more comfortably and with a wave of her hand a magical latticework sprung and activated in an instant. It was so fast and completely devoid of a chant that as soon as I even registered that it happened, it was over. I blinked and the spell was done. Her cushion spreading out and becoming a mattress for which; she laid down on her side facing me.

    ¡°The gift I granted you is called: Gamer. It¡¯s a tool of growth, think levelling up in games, gaining experience and inventory¡¯s. It¡¯ll activate tomorrow after the Mana cube system I planted in you has finished acclimating to your body,¡± she explained.

    I reached up to my chest and felt at my heart? Which was apparently a Mana cube system. It at least beat like a normal one did. ¡°Okay, firstly, that¡¯s sound cool as shit, my title could be something like the Gifted Gamer, or whatever. Secondly what do you mean Mana cube system cause I don¡¯t think I quite understand what that means.¡± I said as my hand moved down to my burn scar to thumb nervously at it, except it wasn¡¯t there. ¡°What the hell? Did you take my scar away as well as my heart.¡±

    ¡°That sounds oddly romantic,¡± She replied with a cocked eyebrow, ¡°and yes I got rid of the ugly thing. It was a mar on my project. Besides you¡¯ve basically been reborn again¡­ for the third time, what do you think happens when someone Awakens dummy,¡± Annaleigh said with a tight smile.

    ¡°Oh, oh... yeah, I get it now.¡±

    ¡°The mana cube system is essentially a condensed version of what I did with the Mana domes. I just squished it down into a shape, used a little something to keep it self-sustaining, then linked it to a storage I set up to allow better growth and utilisation of Mana. And get this, you¡¯ll be able use spells without chants and outside of the Mana fields as you¡¯re basically your own Mana dome. Though the use of your Mana will quicken your fatigue, but you¡¯ll have time to explore that come tomorrow. Just think of your life as a game going forward, except without any respawns,¡± she finished quietly, almost in a murmur. ¡°I really do hope you¡¯ll pass the coming trials and quests. I¡¯ll try to pop in from time to time, see how your doing. But I do need to go, running late as is. Got an extremely powerful being to make a deal with and a son to feed my blood to. Oh, and one last thing, sorry about your eyes, its completely unavoidable. They may just give you away and try tell anyone about your gift without having them sign a contract with me first.¡± She snapped her fingers gave me a wink, ¡°ciao!¡± and vanished.

    I blinked, disorientated as I found myself back where I was, crouched over by my mom¡¯s grave, the lilies were still spread wide to the sun in full bloom.

    ¡°Rhys?¡± I heard Kayla¡¯s concerned voice say my name, smiling sadly I stood as Kayla came to my side. ¡°Where are your glasses? Did you drop them?¡±

    Blinking I looked at my sister and then to my surroundings, realising I could see perfectly fine. Going to need some non-prescription glasses going forward. Don¡¯t want to draw too much attention, I thought with a mental nod. ¡°Wait Rhys,¡± Kayla said halting me from moving. ¡°Your eyes... they¡¯re blue. like- really blue.¡±

    We rang a taxi after I said for the fortieth time that I would explain everything when I could. We drove about the lower district of New Eden where we lived. As traffic was abysmal with the collective gathering for the memorial of the Red gate.

    New Eden was basically split in such a way that everything catered more to the gifted and wealthy than to the Awakened and Humans. It was all towering buildings and cramped technically advance spaces the further towards the centre of New Eden.

    The higher your status in society was, the higher up you lived, the more power you wielded.

    The claustrophobic living conditions and the tightness everyone felt living towards the outer rim of the city got better the further in you went. We lived in the outer ring of the lower districts. After the entirety of our neighbourhood was decimated with the Red gate.

    The government moved those left homeless and alive to an apartment tower which Kayla had been staying in alone for the past two years. There was an uneasy alliance between the city government and the G.A, the Gifted-Association. G.A owned the majority of all guilds within New Eden City. The competition was all mainly profit based, buying up the rights to gateways. Or buying entire neighbourhoods and plots of lands where access to a gateway was most likely.

    I, myself freelanced for both; being just a simple carrier as no one could really solo a gateway, unless they were b-rank and above. The difference between the G.A and E.N.G, Eden¡¯s New government, was one of guilds and gifted.

    G.A had more guilds, where the E.N.G had the most powerful gifted, a White and black rank. The highest the guild association had rank wise, was a few S-ranks.

    Then there were the underground guilds, smaller established guilds and groups that grew too tired of all the politicking. The third major faction likely held the most power in the city, The churches of the Mother and the celestials. Though the church never publicly debated with the government or the association. They were still shady and corrupt, information right from the horses mouth. Mother¡¯s mouth¡­ Annaleigh¡¯s¡¯ mouth. You get it.

    ¡°One big floater stew, awaiting the flush,¡± I said looking out over the dense congestion of hover-cars and bikes. ¡°Hey. Want to go somewhere and eat out?¡± I asked the distractedly quiet Kayla. Mourning for mom was done quickly for us both. We were upset and saddened at the lost, but in truth the outcome was inevitable. Really, we had mourned her death months ago, when I found out that the new trial being tested for comatose patient¡¯s would cost me 63,000cs a month. I couldn¡¯t even take out a loan that big. Then there the odd offer to hand moms vegetated state over to a private firm called Augur. A shady company owned by a far larger shady corporation. That was working via private contract with the Eden¡¯s New Government.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s sounds nice. We should also pick you up a pair of glasses as well. ¡°Driver,¡± I called to the driverless taxi cab. ¡°Yes sir,¡± came the automatic response. ¡°Correct route to the Outer Rim market district please.¡± There was a sound like a cha-ching as I was immediately priced for the new route, my bank card firmly wedge within card machine. It wouldn¡¯t be released until payments were finalised.

    The rest of the day was spent shopping, dining and avoiding entrances down to the ground level of the outer rim. Simply moving throughout the outer city district was dangerous, which is why most moved in crowds or stuck to busy areas. The worse then, was simply having your pockets cleaned out.

    As we moved, I caught sight of several gifted patrolling in their well-equipped groups. Each group composed themselves as weapons masters, rangers, clerics, magicians, monks, fighters, barbarians and knights. Each title class had sub classes, like a weapons masters would become a swords master after mastering bladed weapons. A ranger could become a rogue and utilised traps and disarmament. So, on and so forth.

    Not being gifted myself I didn¡¯t know or understand how someone could rank up in their respective classes, where some others would spend years doing the same thing and achieve nothing.

    ¡°Rhys,¡± Kayla said from ahead of me; breaking through my thoughts. ¡°Stop staring at them. There¡¯s an opticians other there, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t staring. Just thinking,¡± I grumbled at her back, and passed an unusual patrol of security droids. The noise of the market district so loud that I would¡¯ve been surprised if a gunshot could be heard over the din.

    Security droids were New Eden¡¯s brand spanking new policing force. Brought in privately by the governing body.

    Moving with the crowd we crossed an intersection and came to a stop in front of Farias Sightless Eyes. ¡°This looks... intriguing,¡± I mumbled under my breath. The store was squat in comparison to the two-clothing stores, on either side of the shop. It practically went unnoticed.

    It was a dull white building with dark windows at the front. From what I could see peering Inside, were aisles filled with shelving and several different assortments. What Kayla had taken for an opticians was in fact an unlisted magical goods store owned by a gifted, ¡°a witch if I had to guess.¡±

    ¡°Come on,¡± Kayla grumped at me. ¡°Hey, wait -¡± I started intending to stop her. But she was already walking inside, and the door dinged as it opened. The scent of dust and magic hit me, almost making me flinch. Rushing in behind Kayla, I stepped inside only for the entire place to brighten immediately at my entrance.

    ¡°Magically shielded and suited to the Awakened and gifted if I don¡¯t miss my guess, then how the hell did Kayla¡­?¡± I started but shook my head.

    The store was far larger on the inside and ranged back quite a ways, packed to the brim in magical goods. ¡°Oooh what¡¯re these,¡± Kayla said in an excited tone. She picked a pair of bronze goggles named Tarik¡¯s Vein Sight, the label marking them as a blue class rare magical item. ¡°Hey don¡¯t-¡± I started.

    ¡°Huh, well that¡¯s crappy. I can¡¯t even see out of them,¡± Kayla huffed. Placing the 83,000credit item down on its stand a tad too roughly for my liking.

    ¡°Of course, you won¡¯t silly. They¡¯re for gifted, not even I¡¯ll be able to see through them,¡± I explained. Kayla then looked at me thoughtfully, more so at my eyes. My ¡®Woke¡¯ eyes, yeah that sounds cool.

    Quirking an eyebrow at me, she turned and moved further within the store. I didn¡¯t see a store clerk or the owner at all, in fact I¡¯m pretty sure that as we moved; the store just kept elongating. Like we were moving on a treadmill. Then something caught my attention on a separate aisle. Looking to Kayla I saw that she was fingering through a selection of green item tiered jackets that were still way out of our price range.

    Moving over the aisle I came to a vertical glass case with a staff resting against on a dark red velvet cloth. The wood of the staff was a darker brown to the point of black; two golden rings adorned either end, a scrolling script of what I could only describe as flowing glyphs ran it¡¯s whole length. At either end I noticed there was a clear partition in the wood running about foot from the end towards the centre, ¡°maybe the creator intended to add blades at either end,¡± I suggested to no one. Looking at the label, I read aloud, ¡°unidentified item. Reserved,¡± nodded thoughtfully and went to re-join Kayla.

    ¡°Oh! Rhys check this out,¡± she started, jumping slightly as I came to stand beside her. She pointed at a pair of floating orbs in a gilded cage similar to a birds cage. The orbs spun lazily around one another, one a sky blue with what looked to be actual clouds floating across it¡¯s surface. The other was a darker blue and I thought I caught movement within the orb; as what could only be the outline of a fish ghosted in its murky depth.

    I moved my finger over to tap at the cage. But as my hand came closer the orbs stopped floating and immediately smacked against the bars of their cage loudly.

    Kayla and I jumped at the clanking noise it generated, and as I withdrew my hand the orbs resumed their listless spin. ¡°Well that was interesting,¡± I muttered. The label simply read ¡°Magnonous¡¯s Orbs of Effect,¡± in purple writing. ¡°An epic class item,¡± I mumbled; shocked that this store have an epic item.

    Epic items were usually hung on to as they were obviously powerful. Not as much as say an Orange- a relic or a Magenta- a legendary, but powerful still. ¡°Who ever sold these, either made a killing or got terribly ripped off,¡± I said having seeing the price-tag. 4500,000-credits, the fact that these are left out on display means either the owner of the store isn¡¯t worried about thieves or they¡¯re incredibly powerful themselves.

    Drawing my attention away from the label I looked down the aisle to see a woman standing with her hands folded in front of her behind a desk and a store terminal. She smiled politely when she saw me look her way. ¡°Well that isn¡¯t discomforting at all.¡± Kayla dallied along, as I moved passed her and towards the woman. As I got closer; I saw just how strikingly beautiful the woman was.

    Dark wavy hair spilled over one shoulder exposing her perfectly angular high cheekbones and pale face. She wore black lipstick to match her dark brown eyes hooded by a flush of black eyeshadow. To compliment her looks and to complete the gothic-witch ensemble. She wore a black sundress that hugged tightly to her petite figure, highlighting her perky chest and flaring out at the hips. Around her waist was a black ribbon tied into a bow behind her back.

    ¡°Welcome to Farias Sightless Eyes, may I help you with anything?¡± the petite woman asked as I neared. Her voice was sweet and soothing to the point of gentle.

    ¡°I. Uhhh...¡± I began intelligently. Unsure how to probably phrase my request, or to even bother.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she prompted me, her head tilting slightly in a curious way as she stared and waited for me.

    She not gifted with eyes like those that¡¯s for sure... Wait, ¡°I need something to hide and conceal Awakened eye colour. Don¡¯t suppose- you have any?¡±

    She blinked owlishly at me and then gave a small nod. ¡°That we do sir, may I ask your preference?¡± she asked me, and I nodded.

    ¡°Sure. Glasses preferably,¡± I replied. She turned from me and started tapping away at the terminal, feeling awkward I looked over my shoulder to see Kayla wondering about the aisles. I blinked surprised as I saw that the room had shrunken, and the store entrance was now on the opposite side from me.

    ¡°Will they need to be prescription lenses?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± I answered, ¡°just something to play the part,¡± I added needlessly.

    ¡°May I ask what specific colour is to be concealed?¡± she asked.

    I frowned unsure, ¡°blue?¡± I questioned, though who I wasn¡¯t sure. The woman turned away from the terminal and looked at me in obvious confusion. Well I guess the Reds still there then, ¡°-and Red,¡± I added lamely. To add to my nervousness, I ran a hand through my hair, as her head tilted again.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure I understand. Sir,¡± she replied slowly.

    We¡¯re leaving! I screamed in my skull and smiled at the woman. ¡°That¡¯s quite alright, I need to be going anyway. Thanks for your help,¡± I spat rapidly, turning away from her with a small wave. ¡°Ah wait sir you¡¯ve-¡±

    ¡°Kayla we¡¯re going,¡± I called ahead at my sister.

    ¡°Kaaay,¡± she answered happily. Then all of a sudden, a vibration roared up my spine demanding my attention with a warning of danger. Without a seconds hesitation I felt myself slip into the sensation as my body moved with a graceful fluidity I had never known. My legs slid backwards slowly as I twisted to my right. My right arm felt as if it was unfurling from my side, and I caught the glint of a glass dagger as I reached out and slowly snatched it out of the air. My hand flipping the dagger between my fingers for a second then carrying the momentum of the thrown weapon upwards to bury itself in the ceiling.

    I stared up as an eerie quiet settled over my heart. Looking from the glass dagger lodged in the ceiling to my hand, I gave a small shake of my head. With a shivering spine of something I had never felt before, I looked to the witchy-looking woman and frowned. ¡°Well,¡± I started; my voice conversational and odd to my own ears. ¡°That was hardly called for, don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    The woman had frozen in her tracks, half-way out from behind the desk, ¡°y-yes,¡± she answered, her voice shaky with obvious surprise. ¡°I... Apologies sir,¡± her sweet voice was small now. Whatever she saw in me, frightened her.

    ¡°Well, sorry about the ceiling and all that,¡± I said in a friendly apologetic manner, gesturing up the hanging dagger. Her eyes followed my hand up towards. ¡°I really do need to be going,¡± I said and started to turn away.

    ¡°Wait,¡± she called after me as I walked towards the exit. ¡°What¡¯s your names,¡± once at the door I looked at her and saw that she closing the distance. She stopped though when I glanced back. With a smile and small shake of my head I left Farias Sightless Eyes store behind.

    This novel is the work of Rhys Thomas. If you are reading this and it has not been published by Rhys Thomas, then this work has been stolen. Please report this to Amazon and me at email: [email protected]</a>

 Rhys Chapter Three.

    <u>(Saturday. Date: 20-04-2463)</u>

    ¡°Well? Spill it,¡± Kayla growled at me the moment we got home. It felt as if weeks had gone by in a single day, I thought tiredly. She hadn¡¯t mentioned it all day and I was beginning to hope Kayla had forgotten. Moving past her I walked into the living room and sat down on the sofa to take off my shoes and socks.

    Wiggling my toes, I thought hard on what I could actually reveal.

    Did Annaleigh ever specifically state that I couldn¡¯t mention her or the Reawakening? Kayla came over and knelt besides the sofas armrest. ¡°Please Rhys,¡± she pleaded, concern written across her features. ¡°Something obviously happened at Mom¡¯s funeral. I don¡¯t know when it did; but your eyes were normal and then...¡± she trailed off. I imagine Annaleigh would¡¯ve warned me not to, if I wasn¡¯t allowed to partially discuss it.

    ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯ll tell you,¡± I told her, taking her hand to reassure her. ¡°You didn¡¯t look in the grave did you, after placing your lily?¡± I asked and she shook her head, her brows pinching slightly in thought. ¡°When I placed my own lily on moms coffin well¡­ Something happened. They bloomed Kay, and then. Then I kind of maybe-did-definitely meet Mother. The Mother,¡± I began and told her everything minus the gift I was granted.

    ¡°So, you¡¯ve what? Been awakened once again?¡± she asked with slight disbelieving shake of her head.

    ¡°I prefer ¡®Woke¡¯ personally,¡± I said with a shrug.

    ¡°Yeah... No. You¡¯re terrible with naming things,¡± she replied with a grimace and shook her head again. ¡°This is all true?¡± she asked for like the 7<sup>th</sup> time.

    I nodded, then paused. ¡°There is more but Annaleigh said I shouldn¡¯t reveal the information unless I make them form a contract with her. I just don¡¯t know how to that,¡± I revealed.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe just how casually your throwing about the Mothers name,¡± Kayla hissed at me.

    I shrugged, ¡°if you saw how flighty she was, you would be as well. She¡¯s - Uh... Nice and fun to talk to,¡± I said, sounding unsure.

    Kayla sighed loudly and dramatically at that, ¡°I swear if we get cursed or blighted, or whatever because you couldn¡¯t keep it shut. I will castrate you, Rhys. You can be sure of that,¡± she stated tiredly.

    I saluted her, ¡°yes Mother.¡±

    Night came and I found myself in my old room, ¡°what did I do with those crutches?¡± I asked to no one in particular, scratching at the back of my head. ¡°Oh well. It¡¯s not like I used them after the funeral anyway. Probably still there actually,¡± I thought aloud. My phone chimed a notification from where it charged on my bedside table. Looking at the unknown number that had sent me a message, I thumbed the notification and brought it up.

    Good evening Rhys, the text began, ¡°uhhh- okay. Not creepy at all,¡± I breathed out. Should I reply, I don¡¯t- I thought but was interrupted when my phone chimed again.

    This message read, do, you wish for a better life. A better chance at what was denied you. ¡°Shit. Guess whoever¡¯s sending this saw I that read the message,¡± I said as the chime sounded off. To become the betters. To rise from the filth of the outer ring. To connect with those others who were stepped upon and cast away. All because you weren¡¯t their equal. I blinked at the message, sorely tempted to reply as it hit all the right spots about how I had felt. But that was exactly it, tomorrow my life would change once again. One final chime came and then silence, if you and all those like you, wish this. We at Elman Industries can give you that future. ¡°Seriously! Elman as in Robert Eelman? This guy is so fucking annoying.¡±

    ~*~*~*~

    A noise rang through my skull and woke me early the next morning. Feeling groggy and tired, I flipped my phone and saw that it was 06:45am. ¡°Uhhh....¡± I groaned my voice rising as I stretched. The sound came again, a series of chimes, like an alarm tone. It was quiet at first and then rose in pitch and sounded as if it was coming from all around me.

    ¡°What the...¡± I yelled over the noise, as if on response to my verbalisation of annoyance. A cerulean blue transparent screen popped into existence about two feet in front of me. ¡°Hell,¡± I exclaimed and flinched at the suddenness of it all. Moving to sit upright I pushed with my hands to move, only for them to fall away as I clipped the bed and fell off, flat on my ass. Blinking and groaning, I looked to see that the screen was still there.

    <u>Message Alert!</u>

    Welcome [Player] (Unread)

    Daily Quest: (Unread)

    Finally seeing the screen for what it really was, and a shit eating smiled plastering my face; I reached up and tapped the unread for Welcome Player. Then blinked and leaned my head backwards as an even larger screen materialised into existence.

    <u>Welcome [Player]</u>

    Mana Cube System has fully acclimated to the [Player] Mana has begun to fully regulate throughout the host body.

    (Alert!) Congratulations! You have been granted the [Gamer] class.

    Now as a gifted you may go forth and reap your foes. Then feed your body, mind and mana with the experience earned from crushing those very lives!

    (Alert!) The System will provide quests that MUST be obeyed. There will be a penalty provided should you fail. Rewards (though may vary) on completion.

    (Alert!) The System has generated key phrases for better utility. [Player] Commands: Status Window. Messages. Quest Objectives. Inventory. Options. These commands can be utilised through abbreviation and without verbalisation.

    Enjoy the Game. I¡¯ll be watching.

    Luv, A.

    ¡°This is so-fucking-cool,¡± I said in awe. When Annaleigh had mentioned to think of my life as a game going forward, I hadn¡¯t thought it would go the literal whole nine yards. ¡°That¡¯s ominous,¡± I said reading the must obeyed message. I imagined the System that was providing these displays; was a mixture of the Mana heart I had Installed within me, and my own mind.¡± The system obviously has a sum of set boundary¡¯s and rules it has to abide by. ¡°That¡¯s got to be a message from Annaleigh¡­¡± I said frowning at the final words. ¡°Status,¡± I said aloud. An instant later a new screen appeared in front of the Welcome Player message. With a mental thought I dismissed the message screen. When another screen materialised over the layout of my Status window, blocking it from view.

    <u>Daily Quest: Mandatory.</u>

    [Incomplete] Push-ups. (0/100)

    [Incomplete] Sit-ups. (0/100)

    [Incomplete] Burpees. (0/100)

    [Incomplete] Crunches. (0/100)

    [Incomplete] Squats. (0/100)

    [Incomplete] Sprint. (0/10km)

    (Warning!) Daily quests are mandatory and must be completed within the allotted 24hours. Failure to fulfil and meet the requirements will result in a harsh punishment. Rewards (though may vary) upon completion.

    ¡°No...¡± I started in disbelief. ¡°No, no, no-no-no-no, no...¡± I stared at the daily quest window, blinking owlishly. ¡°This has got to be a joke. She set this up, didn¡¯t she!¡± I said firmly nodding my head like idiot. ¡°I don¡¯t workout, who does these days? We¡¯re all perfect...¡± My words trailing away as I thought.

    I knew what the daily quest meant, I understood it. I just didn¡¯t fucking like, ¡°I hate be forced into thing¡¯s,¡± I grumbled running my hands over my face. Sitting up I moved back onto my bed, my phone screen now reading the time at 06:53am. ¡°let¡¯s get this all sorted away first. Then I¡¯ll start... -Working out,¡± clicking my tongue on those words and flicking the quest screen away I brought my Status window to the forefront. ¡°Huh,¡± I stated.

    <u>Status Window</u>

    Name: Rhys Xavier Trent

    Level: 1

    Class: Gamer

    Profession: None

    Title: None

    Reputation: None

    <u>Stats.</u>

    Health: 100/100

    Mana: 100/100

    Fatigue: 34%

    <u>Attributes.</u>If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Strength: 10

    Vitality: 10

    Intelligence: 10

    Agility: 10

    Sense: 11

    Luck: 10

    <u>Remaining Points:</u>0

    <u>Passive Skill</u>

    Gamers Guide [Lvl: Max]

    <u>Expand upon further Levelling.</u>

    ¡°That¡¯s interesting. I guess that from my talk with Annaleigh about my Reawakening and becoming Gifted. The base number of my stats being 10 is actually quite high for an E-rank gifted. I¡¯ve even got an extra point in Sense,¡± I said, thinking aloud. My thoughts on what Sense was; drew my mind back to the sensation I¡¯d felt when I avoided that dagger throw in the magical store.

    ¡°Did that mean I was applying my attributes before my gift even properly kicked in, that¡¯s pretty neat if true. Means that Sense is a constant, always active awareness,¡± I nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Wait,¡± I paused frowning at my fatigue. ¡°Why is it 34%?¡± I asked and clicked on fatigue hoping it may just provide more information.

    <u>Fatigue:</u> State of tiredness.

    +Vitality. +Agility. +Sense.

    Affected by physical conditioning, mana drain and active skills.

    Mana drain and active skills usage have a minimal drain, but accumulated usage of such will hamper the body¡¯s response time considerably and Sense attribute.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m physically shit and weak. That my Fatigue is up 34% just from waking¡­ Or is that my flat line?¡± I grumbled sourly. ¡°Okay next was Messages,¡± I said but all I received was a dull negative sounds like a buzzer in my head. ¡°Nooo messages, from the message screen-thing, alright. Quest objectives,¡± I said and received a minimised screen displaying the title: [Daily Quest]

    I nodded expecting as such and decided to think Inventory instead this time. Without a seconds delay a new transparent window popped open next to the smaller quest one. Dismissing the quest window, I focused fully on the inventory display. It was remarkably simple, a set of squares laid-out like that of a chessboard.

    Above these squares were tabs marking each as:

    Weapons.

    Armour.

    Potions.

    Books.

    Quest.

    Nodding at what I basically expected I raised my hand about to flick the window away when I saw a side tab running the vertical length of the inventory display.

    Equipped.

    I poked the tab and another shorter window slid out from to the side of my inventory. It showed a hollowed figure in a vague representation of me. Above the figure were three letters; CND. ¡°Condition maybe. It would make sense,¡± I stated. My representation was stood with its arms and legs spread wide. Besides each of my limbs were a 100% status mark, including that of the head and torso. Then besides each section of my figure was a smaller transparent blue box; they were empty, showing I had nothing equipped as of now. ¡°Well I guess that answers the question of whether my clothing is counted as armour or not,¡± I said sagely.

    Then just to confirm, I tapped the Armour tab. The display switched from an empty weapons tab to an empty armour¡¯s one. I left it there and looked about the page, within the equipped screen and besides my arms were four smaller boxes. ¡°Uh-huh, Rings as well then,¡± I nodded and seeing nothing else, I closed down my inventory and with a thought brought forth my Options display.

    Requests was the first option that caught my eye. Pressing it, the screen switch to a blank one, then text started to appear slowly by increments.

    <u>Command Requests?</u>

    YES/NO

    [Type request here]

    ¡°Wait. Does this mean I can make a request to have new commands added to the system? What about changing those at present?¡± I said thoughtfully. ¡°No,¡± I answered aloud, and the system took my verbal decline. ¡°Why fix it, if ain¡¯t broken,¡± I muttered.

    The options screen reappeared again, and I swore an option was missing. I had four options previously I was certain, now there were only three.

    The last was ominously named, ¡°call Mother? Yeah-no. Had enough crazy yesterday, don¡¯t need more right now. Besides isn¡¯t she working on some deal?¡± I mumbled. The second option was Character settings. Pressing the tab, I was surprised when I was provided with a warning.

    <u>(Warning!)</u>

    The Following settings can greatly alter the [Player] personality, appearance, race, body, head, eyes and hair.

    The penalty for using and adjusting the following settings are: Permanent Fatigue of 40% -2 Strength. -3 Agility. -1 Intelligence. Permanent removal of Passive Skill: Gamer Guide. Re-evaluation of class selection.

    Do you wish to continue to the following settings?

    YES/NO

    ¡°Whoa. Talk about a round-about way of warning someone off of something,¡± I grumbled in annoyance. For a second there I had dreams of a life spent being incredibly good-looking, tall and muscular with a pompous noble name like Alaric and surrounding myself with a harem of beautiful and exotic women. ¡°It would¡¯ve been cool to see different races and take a short-cut to being fitter. That penalty loss though is harsh, but I get it. No,¡± I answered firmly. I paused as the screen changed. Hearing a clatter from the kitchen area down the hall from my room. I guessed that Kayla was up, ¡°always was an early riser. What¡¯s early for me at least.¡±

    The new display had Character Settings crossed out and greyed. Beneath that was now four other smaller options.

    Hide [Player] Signature: ( ON/PARTIAL/OFF.)

    Conceal [Player] Equipped items: ( ON/PARTIAL/OFF.)

    Convert acquired Mana Crystals and Gold to [Player] currency: ( ON/PARTIAL/OFF.)

    Scratching the back of my head I read the options, then read them again. ¡°Alright... for now let¡¯s go with. On, Partial and lastly¡­ Let¡¯s do Partial again,¡± I said highlighting each one I confirmed. Thankfully the options didn¡¯t grey-out and become unusable to me, my choices were simply circled. Dismissing the screen and options entirely I stared at the blank space, ¡°that¡¯s everything,¡± I said letting out a deep sigh. ¡°Guess there¡¯s no procrastinating and putting this off is there. I swear the next time I see Mother I¡¯m gonna bend her over and fuck her brains-¡± I started to say then realised the context of what I was saying, and promptly gagged in my throat. Tasting the filmy coating of saliva in my mouth I got up. ¡°Sleep is for the weak,¡± I grunted, ¡°and dead,¡± and spent the rest of my morning getting to work fulfilling my daily quest. I didn¡¯t want to fail and see what kind of penalty was in store for me.

    ~*~*~*~

    Fatigue: 93%

    The notification window popping up as I panted, my whole body was a sweaty flailing mess as I jog-stumble-ran along the street. I knew the neighbourhood well enough around the apartment and surroundings blocks that I could lap them any numerous amount of times without running into a rough crowd.

    Though as most in the outer rim of the outer ring, were either normal humans, awakened or low E-rank gifted. I wasn¡¯t particularly worried. The real problem was running into a gang consisting of a large number of all three. Gifted may not use guns as they aren¡¯t that effective against gateway monsters and the like. It didn¡¯t mean bullets couldn¡¯t hurt or kill us.

    New Eden city had seen two civil rebellions, protesting the discrepancies between Humans, Awakened and Gifted. Both times the Awakened had sided with humanity. The second time even a number of high-ranked gifted had joined their number¡¯s. It resulted in a cruel culling of sorts and a push against the lower classes towards the outer ring. It was one of the rare instances where the G.A and the E.N.G had banded together against a civil movement. As always it had turned bloody.

    They say you can feel the shifting of power in the city; just before something cruelly bad is about to happen. I on the other hand couldn¡¯t feel shit as I thrashed about in what I called Running. Puffing for air I stopped and folded over planting my hands on my knee. People walked past ignoring the idiot exercising, one even shouting at me to, ¡°use a gym, you dumbass.¡± After he nearly walked into me. ¡°People and there... phones,¡± I huffed back. Yeah right, a gym is more likely to badger me into a membership than actually let me workout, I thought.

    <u>Daily Quest: Mandatory.</u>

    [Complete] Push-ups. (100/100)

    [complete] Sit-ups. (100/100)

    [complete] Burpees. (100/100)

    [Complete] Crunches. (100/100)

    [complete] Squats. (101/100)

    [Complete] Sprint. (10/10km)

    Using my forearm to swipe at my brow, I breathed out slowly. Looking to the neon yellow wrist watch Kayla had given me when I said I was going for a jog. I saw that time was now 3:33pm. ¡°Holy shit¡­ This has taken all day,¡± I muttered breathlessly. I had practically pass-out after each goal was completed. Thankfully they weren¡¯t set in such a way that I literally had to finish them once I started. I had taken numerous breaks per exercise and even mixed them up into a routine of sorts. I wasn¡¯t a big fan of music so I all I¡¯d heard since 7am is my stupid, annoying, wheezing breath and the repeat slamming of my heart in my chest. ¡°I am so fucking weak,¡± I hissed at myself.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± I heard a polite feminine voice say.

    ¡°Oh, uh- sorry,¡± I said without looking up and moved over a to a bench. It was covered colourfully in graffiti and gull shit, the only not-so covered part was at the end. On the wall behind the lesser-smeared seat was a stylized graphic of a cock squirting cum directly over that part of the bench I was about sit on. ¡°Nice,¡± I muttered but inside I was giggling prettily.

    ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t you that guy?¡± I heard the same voice from behind me ask. Ignoring her; thinking she wasn¡¯t talking to me I sat down. ¡°Excuse me. Sir. Hey, don¡¯t ignore me,¡± I looked up to see the shop worker of Farias Sightless eyes. Except this time; I saw her eyes were a bright green. She must¡¯ve hidden them somehow, contact lenses? They¡¯d be neat to have. Shame they irritated my eyes so badly, I thought. Deciding to play dumb wouldn¡¯t help either. I was staring after-all. Like an idiot.

    ¡°Hi?¡± I replied uncertain. Then as an after-thought; I added, ¡°not gonna throw first and ask questions later?¡± Looking at my fatigue window I saw that it was at 87% Damn is it slow, I thought. Looking at the as of yet unnamed woman I frowned in concentration. She was wearing comfy clothing, something someone would wear out for a jog. She had on a light grey hoodie unzipped enough to expose her pale flesh and the dark purple cross-back sports bra; her small chest was packed tightly into. Her legs were covered by skin-tight sports-leggings with the breathable mesh down along the sides of her shapely yet petite legs. She was remarkably lean for her size and frame.

    ¡°Yeah... I mean, no I¡¯m not. I just-¡±

    ¡°Threw a glass dagger at a customer,¡± I interrupted. ¡°Which I can¡¯t remember if you apologised for, I¡¯d hate to get the E.N.G involved.¡± Yeah, I was being petty and the E.N.G getting involved would likely worsen shit for me more than her. They¡¯d asked her why she¡¯d done it, and she would divulge her suspicion¡¯s to them.

    ¡°I really am sorry. It was just; you were the second guy this week to ask for the same item. He was nice at first, then he started threatening me after I asked about his eyes. They¡¯re a lot like yours you see, he said I would lose everything if told anyone about him. Took a pair of glasses, paid and then left,¡± she shook her head. I noticed that her black hair was in a tight braid; the end peaking over the lowered lip of her hood.

    ¡°Eyes like mine?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she confirmed nodding her head.

    ¡°Eyes like mine¡­¡± I muttered to myself and starting to feel uneasy. I¡¯d had a look at my own eyes since yesterday of course. They were indeed a different colour than my original hazel. Now they bright blue to the point of striking, more eerily was the red shards that I had from before, when I first Awakened, were now thicker and had moved to the rim of my iris. Peaking out like the closing shutter of a camera.

    ¡°Triangle?¡± I asked. Standing, I looked squarely at the Farias store proprietor, ¡°this man that you spoke to. Were his eyes green, like venomously green? With Red gate shards forming a triangle?¡± I said gesturing up at my own eyes.

    ¡°Y-yes,¡± she answered stepping away from me slightly.

    ¡°What is going on?¡± I asked. ¡°Did he give you a name? Do you recognise him from anywhere?¡± I fired off quickly.

    She shook her head, ¡°no he didn¡¯t and no I don¡¯t.¡±

    I nodded; figuring as such. The very fact that she would risk attacking someone that reminded her of the man was answer enough to how much she distrusted him. Is it the same man, I thought. ¡°Thanks anyway,¡± I said to her and started walking off, Fatigue 82%.

    ¡°Wait!¡± She called after me, ¡°what¡¯s your name?¡± But I was already moving, running the route back towards home.

    This novel is the work of Rhys Thomas. If you are reading this and it has not been published by Rhys Thomas, then this work has been stolen. Please report this to Amazon and me at email: [email protected]</a>

 Rhys Chapter Four.

    <u>(Saturday. Date: 20-04-2463)</u>

    ¡°Rhys is that you?¡± I heard Kayla shout from her room.

    ¡°Yeah- it¡¯s just me Kay, everything alright?¡± I could hear the pop music coming rather quietly from her room as her door was ajar. Then I heard two different laughing voices, one Kayla¡¯s, the other Matilda¡¯s. Great! As if I didn¡¯t have enough to deal with. Now my ex is here, I thought with a scowl plastering my face. Removing my shoes and sweaty socks at the front door, I slid into the kitchen and retrieved a bottle of water.

    Funny how the hardest thing to acquire in this city was milk and fresh meats. Solely for those who can afford to buy them in bulk. Meaning the people of the inner district.

    I squeezed and crushed the recycled plastic as I drained it¡¯s contents. With a burp and a long hissing breath I sighed and slumped against the kitchen worktop. ¡°Man... that was good,¡± I said breathily, sweat pouring off my face. I heard a low insistent chime in my skull. ¡°Oh yeah shit,¡± muttering I brought up the completion message for the daily quest.

    <u>Quest Rewards</u>

    For the first time completion of the [Daily Quest] You¡¯ve earned all three rewards.

    Be advised you will not earn all three again. Rewards vary from Level: 15+

    Reward 1: +3 Ap. (Attributes points.)

    Reward 2: Instant Recovery.

    Reward 3: Blue Gateway key. [Dungeon]

    Accept: YES/NO.

    Selecting yes, I was surprised when my whole body locked up in place, the crushed plastic bottle falling from my hand, as every fibre and muscle in my body spasm intensely and rapidly. A blue film washed over my open eyes, and as soon as it had begun, it ended.

    I felt remarkably hale and fresh considering I had been sweaty bucket mere seconds ago. ¡°At least we know how instant the instant recovery is,¡± pulling up my fatigue window I was surprised to see it at 33% ¡°Thirty-three more daily quests and I¡¯ll be at zero,¡± I muttered with a slight grimace.

    Minimising the window, I brought up my status screen. Just as the screen materialised two smaller windows popped up as well before it. Quickly reading through the notifications I then glanced to my attributes.

    +1 Vitality. +1 Agility.

    <u>Remaining Points:</u> 3

    I saw how next to my Level: 1 there was now a [5%] which I thought to be my experience percentage to the next level. ¡°Thank god I don¡¯t have to deal with EXP notifications. Would just as sooner stab myself in the eye otherwise,¡± I mumbled along as I read.

    The +1 increase to Agility and vitality was gratefully accepted. Though the +1 to my vitality did nothing to my health-stat, ¡°maybe that¡¯ll raise per every two points gained. Since I don¡¯t have any magic yet, I¡¯ll go physical base till I do. I¡¯ll leave Intelligence and Sense alone for now, hmm... luck- I¡¯ll increase that every now and then.¡±

    Nodding I did as I said, pushing the + sign twice on Strength and once on agility. My strength now at a 12 and my agility as well at 12. The increase of my strength by two pushed my health up by 10 points bringing me to 110Hp. The combination of my stat increase with Agility; lowered my Fatigue to 32%.

    ¡°This is¡­ Pretty fucking cool,¡± I said feeling a chilling vibration rolled throughout my body enhancing me. I could just see myself becoming so stupidly overpowered. ¡°A monster,¡± I said with a sigh, recollecting Annaleigh¡¯s words to me.

    Pulling open my Inventory I flipped the tab¡¯s over to Quest, within which I found one of the little view windows; was a small circular disc with a blue gem floating within it¡¯s centre. I hadn¡¯t actually played around with my inventory yet, unsure of how to exactly withdraw the item; I simply tested by reaching through the screen towards the Blue Gateway Key. My fingers and hand vanished through the screen inch by inch; I felt an odd weightless sensation wash over my hand. It reminded me of when I was a kid flying my hand out the window of dad¡¯s car, my hand skimming the wind, like a surfer would a wave.

    Then I enclosed my grip around the gate-key and withdrew. The weightlessness slipping off my hand as I removed it from my Inventory.

    The gate key thrumming rhythmically as the gem pulsed in concert. It was weighty as well, far more so that I had originally thought. A system screen message materialised as I held it flat on my palm.

    <u>Blue Gateway Key [Dungeon]</u>

    Class: [Rare] D-rank Item.

    Single use item: To activate the dungeon-key, travel to Forrunow Ladder in the outer rings lower levels.

    Press the Gate-key against any doorframe or archway structure and a gateway will open.

    Making thoughtful noises as I spun the gate-key around in my hand, I contemplated my options. I still had to fulfil my contract to close the green gate. ¡°Wonder why we¡¯re leaving it so late. If we fail on Tuesday, the gate will simply reverse and then either the G.A or the E.N.G will have to send a force in combat it. Taking a deep-breath I popped my neck, grabbed my hoodie and left the apartment to the sound of my name being called. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with them when I come back,¡± I said. If I come back, was what I actually thought.

    ~*~*~*~

    An hour later I found myself walking the lower districts of the outer ring, after a stunningly expensive taxi ride. ¡°Always is going to the lower levels. High risk of being robbed, shot, stabbed, kidnapped and killed. Sometimes not even in that order,¡± I mumbled. My gaze constantly shifting about the eerily quiet street of Forrunow¡¯s ladder. Like all lower streets it was dirty and unkempt, trash littered the grounds as rats ran openly and unafraid. I had even heard rumours of monsters escaping from gateways and living throughout the lower levels. Some captured and used as entertainment in underground fighting-pits.

    Stepping across the road and towards the archway of a set of steps leading up into a boarded-up building. I glanced skywards and saw that way, way above me was the bright pink glow of neon; outlining a holo-board with a nude animated woman spreading her legs and making a come-hither gesture with her finger. Which she licked and played over the lips of her artistically drawn vagina. Blinking at the oddly obvious display for what was either a brothel or a strip-club, I brought my attention back down to the foundation of, or one of, said buildings above.

    It was then that I saw movement filter out from the corner of my eye, something flickering through the shadows. Prowling and keeping to the corners or under the over-hangs of shelter.

    I wasted no further deliberations, pulling the Blue gate-key from my Inventory. The blue gem flashed an intensely vibrant glow, decorating my surroundings in a shimmering blue light. I blinked as spot¡¯s coloured my vision.

    Squinting I managed to make out the left pillar of the archway and the small rusted green square with a little smudgy grey figure running down a brown streak towards an exit door. I reached out and quickly slammed the blue key against that same square. I heard a crack as the gate-key sunk into the brittle stone then a whirring noise as an equally blue gateway twisted into existence from nowhere; filling the archway.

    Like all gateways¡¯ I couldn¡¯t see through it, but I knew what to expect at least, blues were notoriously dungeon or labyrinth class gates.

    Meaning waves of monster and floors either going up or down. According to the awaken and gifted rules, the education we received young in case one our number¡¯s at school became an awakened.

    I wouldn¡¯t be deemed high rank enough to enter a blue gate. Usually only D and C-ranks would enter. There were no strict guidelines preventing someone of a lower ranking gift entering a higher-ranking gate. Just the simple truth that if that doing would likely end with them never returning.

    I stepped through the churning vortex at the centre of the gate.

    This was my first-time soloing a gateway, let alone my first proper dive. I was two parts nervous and frightened, and two parts excited and thrilled to test myself for once.

    I felt the cold wash on my body as I passed through.

    I came out a upon a small enclosed area, directly ahead of me was a small dented grate with light filtering through from the other side. Then suddenly I heard a clinking sound from behind me, heart thumping in my chest I spun about and watched as the gateway solidified shut. The blue swirling light still decorating the small area I was in. System prompts started to crowd my vision as the low chimes rattled inside my skull for each one.

    <u>Warning!</u>

    [Player] has entered the Fellbait Dungeon.

    <u>Alert!</u>

    [Player] cannot exit Fellbait Dungeon till either dungeon boss has been defeated or a Homestone is used.

    Frowning as I read the messages, ¡°what the fuck is a Homestone?¡± I asked nobody, nervousness raising my voice slightly.

    Homestone: Single use item.

    Homestone can only be employed within a gate-key accessed gateway. The purpose of the item is to deliver the wielder back to a location they¡¯ve set as home. Usage will enact a penalty of fatigue and mana drain. Break¡¯s upon use.

    ¡°Well that¡¯s just shitty and helpful; all at the same time,¡± I sighed and dismissed all the displays. Turning away from the solid gate I marched over and hunkered down by the slim grate about a foot off the floor; embedded in the wall. ¡°Seems I can only go forward¡¯s,¡± hooking my fingers into the grate, and with a solid tug the grate came away, it¡¯s small bars dented from where my hands had been. Nodding I placed it to one side and shimmied onto my belly and through the tight divide, into the area beyond.

    Standing; I dusted myself as best I could and looked out over the sprawling complex of what I could only describe as an underground hive of dilapidated shanty buildings. Nothing more than rusted iron, wood and mud fixtures were the make-up of each structure. Long leaning wooden beams tied and strung together were embedded along the walls of the underground city, the beams holding an unsteady foundation atop which were an enumerable amount of shack-houses.

    Torches and braziers lit the narrow streets and pathways to and from between buildings. Looking up I saw that sunlight was faint and peeking through a hugely massive and expose crack in the high domed ceiling. Water droplets cascaded through and several roots hung out from the crack. From there the ceiling domed downwards, directly beneath he crack at the centre of the city was a lake-sized pond.

    ¡°I feel as if I¡¯ve been shrunken down, and placed Mother knows where¡­¡± I shook my head, looking out at the supposed dungeon. Fellbait Dungeon. Looking directly down from my ledge and squinting, I saw a group of bipedal rat-men marching along below. Dressed in a dirty red scarves, their leader carrying a rusted bronze halberd and an iron edged wooden kite-shield, the rest had crudely edged swords or daggers.

    ¡°Oh shit. Am I in a rat warren?¡± +1 Intelligence. 120Mana, Great. ¡°Guess that confirms that then,¡± I said sourly and looked back out over the city. Warren. There had to be thousands if not more rat-men out across the expanse and I had to find one. ¡°Just... Look for the biggest or highest building. That¡¯s how usually is, isn¡¯t it?¡± I scanned for what was probably one minute but felt much longer. At the far-right side of the dome and warren was what looked to a manse sized shack. I caught vague outlines of guards in a constant rotating patrol of the area. ¡°Guess that¡¯s my best bet. Now how to get down?¡±

    ~*~*~*~

    An agonisingly slow hour later; I managed to hand grip the wall down. Looking back up and sweating buckets I realised there was no possible way for me to escape back this way at any speed. Clenching my hands tightly into fists, I crept along the path I¡¯d seen the patrol take. Now that I was on the ground floor of the city, sound were oddly echoing and continuous. As if the very air was a song of many, many voices. A concert of high squeaky noises filled each alley as if a mischief of rat-men were right there.

    ¡°Hate to run into a crowd of rat-men,¡± I mumbled quietly. ¡°Who knows how many diseases I¡¯d gain from just breathing the air in proximity to them.¡± I halted as I heard the heavy marching match of stomping feet and grunts.

    Pausing; I sidled up against the support beam of a shack above. It wobbled when I rested my weight against it but otherwise remained firmly still. Fatigue 49% I grimaced at the message, the climb down had raised my fatigue by 17% I was a breathy and clammy mess as I sweated through the fright and excitement of being in this situation.

    Then I heard the groaning and squeaking of a door hinge from behind me. My shoulders tense as I flinched and stumbled forward¡¯s slightly. Spinning in place I stared with wide eyes as my breaths quickened considerably. From the wide-open door of a dirtied shack; a broad-shouldered rat-man stepped out, pulling at the scrappy and shortcut breech-bottoms it wore.

    An orange name highlighted above it¡¯s head as It fiddled with itself. Turaisha¡¯Fell, Rat-Lieutenant. There were no level¡¯s displayed for the sentient monster besides it race, rank and difficulty colour. But I could guestimate that the orange meant it was strong.

    It¡¯ll see me in a matter of moments. I need to act now, I screamed at myself internally.

    My feet moving before I could even process what I was doing as I sprinted at the ratling. It¡¯s overly large nose twitched as its head snapped up to meet mine, large brown pupils stared widely at me in shock.

    Then I barrelled into the lieutenant, enfolding my arms around it¡¯s middle as I picked it up. My back screamed as my final steps became heavier, my arms crushing tightly, then my back popped as the ratling delivered an elbow down onto me. -30Hp

    I hissed through it, ¡°damn, your heavy,¡± I wheezed out and threw us both through the door the lieutenant had stepped out of. Falling within and landing flat on my stomach, I rolled and groaned in an aching pain as my back felt sorely bruised. -5Hp

    The ratling tossed about and smacked into the far wall of what I came to quickly understand was a latrine of sorts. Bright green Flies swarmed the entirety of the interior, most converging around the darkly painted and generously smeared hole in the floor. Shit-stains and scuff marks preluded the literal shithole.

    Then a message from the system slammed into my face.

    Resist Disease in affect: 100%

    Thankfully I couldn¡¯t smell a damn thing as the lieutenant was already on me. It¡¯s paw-hands enclosing around my throat as it lifted me bodily into the air. The rat squeaked and gurgled some nonsense that I didn¡¯t understand. Then the resistance counter dropped five percent to 95%

    I gripped the greasy fur of it¡¯s arms as it strangled me, trying to keep my weight above my shoulders, hoping the vertebrae in my neck wouldn¡¯t pop. -5Hp 90% Oh fuck this.

    Ripping what I could away of it¡¯s fur in the hopes it might drop me; I instead winced as the choke tightened, -10Hp. The squeaking Became a high-pitch squeal of laughter, the ratling¡¯s voice raising an octave in mad delight. A long fleshy pink tongue flicked out of it¡¯s mouth and slid up the length of my face, 80%

    Nope. This stop¡¯s now, I thought with a mental yell. My hand shot forward and clasped its tongue firmly, the lieutenant¡¯s eyes widened as I squeezed for all 12 point¡¯s I was worth, then as fluidly I could I flung my arm backwards pulling at the tongue.

    It¡¯s paw-hands loosened instantly, it squeaking muffled by pain. Before I could fall to my ass, I enfolded my legs around its waist and rolled backwards bodily forcing all of my weight back and down. Tightening both of my holds on the lieutenant I dropped and rolled, it¡¯s head enfolded over my back. I twisted at the last second as we hit the ground, my elbow coming out to wrapped its neck in strong grip. My legs still wrapped around it¡¯s middle as I jerked back on its tongue and squeezed its neck in a chokehold.

    Rigidly tense, I quickly let go of the tongue and snapped with the same hand out to palm strike it¡¯s jaw shut around its protruding tongue. Then I used both arms to secure my chokehold more firmly. I felt its claws sink and scrape at my shoulders, arms and chest -25Hp.

    After what felt like forever, I felt and heard it¡¯s last death rattling throes; as it¡¯s legs and arm kicked and thrashed piteously. Then nothing more than a deflatingly long hissing exhale. I still kept at it for another thirty seconds. I couldn¡¯t tell you how many times I had seen an E-rank attack something; wounding it and thinking it¡¯s dead, when it¡¯s either faking or passed-out. Only to return and kill the E-rank and then his friends.

    Shakily, I unclenched my arms from around it¡¯s neck, it¡¯s jaw fell open; dismembered tongue fell in ruin¡¯s onto the floor, flinching I struck at it¡¯s head with my fist.

    Breathing heavily; I did it again. And again, and again, till there was nothing more left of its head than a cratered brain soup-skull. Disentangling myself I fell onto my ass, inhaling deep-shitty breaths. Placing my head between my knees I counted to five and exhaled, then inhaled and repeated.

    +1 Strength. Pulling up my status window to see my health, I quickly glanced at the other prompts: Fatigue 72% Resist disease: 65% ¡°Well, that could¡¯ve gone better,¡± I muttered tiredly. Trying to gain some semblance of control over my erratic nerves by talking out aloud. A glance at my status window made me wince at the 35/110 Hp. Then more messages bloomed into view.

    <u>Congratulations [Player] Level up: x3</u>

    ¡°Damn¡­ Three levels from just one fight, that can¡¯t be right- unless the rat lieutenant really was way out of my league,¡± I mumbled thoughtfully and press the next prompt with a mental command.

    Level 2: +4 Ap awarded. Reward: 1-lesser potion of healing.

    Level 3: +4 Ap awarded. Reward: 1-lesser potion of healing.

    Level 4: +4 Ap awarded. Reward: 1-lesser potion of fatigue.

    For defeating your first opponent, [Player] has been awarded the following.

    <u>Passive skill:</u>

    Perseverance [Lvl: 1] If the [Player] health falls below 30Hp, a 10% increase to Intelligence and Agility is granted for an extended cost of fatigue. Affect: Luck.

    <u>Active Skill:</u>

    Disabling Strike [Lvl: 1] All attacks against targeted limbs have a 10% chance of critically wounding. Affect: Luck. Agility. Strength.

    Accept: YES/NO.

    I nodded my head in clear agreement with the awards given, though truthfully; I felt a bit bewildered. As I thought on the rat man I¡¯d killed, I released It hadn¡¯t been that difficult in retrospect, same faults and fragile areas as a Human. ¡°I guess the higher threat level don¡¯t just mean they¡¯re stronger but also more intelligent and experienced or better equipped maybe,¡± I said thoughtfully.

    Pulling up the Potions tab in my Inventory, I pulled out both of the lesser health potions and read the small prompt when I examined them. Instant effects: +25 Health points. ¡°On both potions. I guess that¡¯ll mean the fatigue potion restores the same amount. They¡¯re all Lesser rank so the baseline for lesser potions is 25 then.¡±

    They were more akin to vials than potions, a glinting red liquid swirled about within the vial. It was a thick solution and downing both almost made me gag as a result.

    They were cherry hinted in flavour but the instant the fluid touched my mouth I could feel a flood of tiny grains within solution that made my tongue numb and tingly on contact. Then I tensed and shivered as a chill ran through me and blue tinted my vision momentarily. A boost of +50Hp, made the pain in my back a dull ache and the heated scrapes from where the ratling had clawed me shift as if they were about to seal and close. But instead they just tingled and then settled the wounds, so they were no longer bleeding.

    Health: 85/110. Mana: 100/100. Fatigue 59%

    ¡°Now to distribute my 12 stat points...¡± I said, my voice trailing away as I thought over where to apply them. ¡°Having 12 mean¡¯s I can broaden out more. If I had to guess about how my attributes affected my status it would be...¡±

    Strength is linked to Health and Fatigue. Vitality is linked to Health, Mana and Fatigue. Intelligence is linked to Mana. Agility is linked to Fatigue. Sense is linked to Mana, and Luck is linked to both Fatigue and Mana. I thought, my brows pinching together in concentration.

    The rat lieutenants body was still there and still had the identifier above it, but now also had [Dead] notified in grey. I would have to see if I could retrieve anything off it¡¯s corpse. ¡°Okay¡­ I¡¯ll put 1Ap to Strength making the attribute 14, which raises my max Health to 120 and a -2 Fatigue. 3Ap going into Vitality is¡­ a 20-point more boost to Health, 5 points boost to Mana and -1 fatigue. 8-points remaining...¡± I muttered and rubbed the back of my head in thought.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    ¡°3 into my intelligence brings the attribute to the same level as my strength at 14 and raises my Mana by 25 points. 5-points left. Let¡¯s do... 4 points in Agility bringing me a -3 Fatigue.¡±

    I stared at my attributes feeling as if something was amiss about the amount of increases to my stats. They seemed pitiful and I wondered that if once I was pass a certain threshold the increases would be exponential compared to the small sums I was dealing with now.0

    The difference between myself and a D or C-rank was still incredible. Matilda was really the only D-rank I had spoken to and gotten along with. Though she was lower D-rank by a small margin as far as I could tell. Pushing my final point into Sense and raising the attribute to 12 gave me a 15-point boost to Mana.

    Confirming; I then locked up in place as a spasm ran through me like a high jolt of electricity. Bright yellow light coated my body and filled me with warmth. Then what felt like a crack sounded from my sternum and then an ease of tension and pressure evaporated off me as the yellow light faded.

    Health: 85/140

    Mana: 145/145

    Fatigue: 26%

    My fatigue was washed away as the tension eased out of me and my levelling ended. I sat up a little straighter, the reduced baseline of my fatigue was incredibly useful. ¡°I¡¯ll have to start applying more points into Sense also, with that +15 boost to mana,¡± I muttered under my breath. I felt greatly superhuman with the way I could apply and curve my growth as I wanted.

    I wasn¡¯t officially a gifted yet, nor did I have a Gifted License that would allow me to attempt gateways legally without a guild or group. Only those who didn¡¯t have a license joined the underground guilds. Which wouldn¡¯t be that bad of an idea, if the majority of them weren¡¯t basically criminal gangs.

    I may just have to keep my gift a secret for some time till I can figure something out. ¡°Alright let¡¯s loot the Lieutenant and then skedaddle out of here and hunt down that Boss rat,¡± I said and then grunted; getting to my feet my body already feeling lighter.

    Moving over to the corpse a small window popped open just beneath it¡¯s identifying title. 50G. 7Mc. I pocketed the currency allowing the system to convert the partial amount of gold to credits though it kept my Mana crystals. Which I saw no sign of in my inventory.

    Pulling my status window back up, I saw that just under my name, level and class section was a new section displaying my Credits: 5,836. Gold: 25. Mana Crystals: 7. ¡°Holy shit,¡± I muttered in disbelief staring at my balance. ¡°How the hell did it do- You know what, I don¡¯t need to know. As long as it works it¡¯s fine with me. I must¡¯ve had 836 credits left,¡± I said thoughtfully. Closing the window, I saw nothing more on the Rat-Lieutenant.

    Walking back to the door I noticed how it was still ajar. ¡°Thank the Mother no-one walked past and needed the privy, it would¡¯ve been hard to explain this away. Considering I don¡¯t actually speak their language.¡± Looking out and seeing no-one nor hearing anything other more than the flies enjoying their meal, I stepped out.

    Then door groaned loudly as I attempted to close it quietly. Realising the futility of doing so I simply knocked the door with my heel and walked back the way I was attempting to previously.

    I made my way through the city keeping to the outskirts, not wanting to draw any attention to myself. I deftly avoided several patrols by climbing over the roofs of a few shacks and waiting there till they passed.

    Unfortunately, as my goal came into sight my luck ran out when the roof beneath my feet collapsed, slanting at an angle, sending me tumbling out onto the bare streets directly behind a rat patrol I had been avoiding.

    They of course heard the noise and turned to sniff me out. Getting to my feet I quickly patted myself down to make sure I wasn¡¯t hurt. With a glance at my health I saw it still read 85/140. Turning about I did a quick scan of their names. They were all grey with a single orange, who identified the same as the Turaisha¡¯Fell Rat-lieutenant, I had managed to kill.

    ¡°The only problem is that they¡¯ve all got weapons. I don¡¯t...¡± Shrugging I sped forward at a smaller ratling whose fur was spiked around his chin like a strange neck-beard.

    It squeaked and tried to back away as I closed the distance, solely focusing on him/it/her? Whatever. It stumbled towards me as those behind pushed it out at me like a sacrifice. I felt sorry for the little-guy and with my new found agility I felt incredibly flighty. So, as neck beard panicked squeaking it¡¯s revenge and cursing it¡¯s compatriots mothers, for the ugly bloated fur balls they were.

    Which as a side note, I had actually stumbled upon a female ratling being speared (not in the die way either) by some soldier rat as it lay there, fat and unfeeling, all giant twelve nipples flopping about as the soldier smacked it¡¯s hips squealing and grunting, back and forth against it.

    I had almost thrown up over them at the sight.

    Leapfrogging over the stumbling rat I snatched his weapon; a small jagged dagger. Thrusting that same weapon into his sacrifice-ers neck, I sawed through and then twisted; hooking an arm up the back of the tattered top it wore and Lifting the ratling a few inches off the ground. Then I ploughed forward into the other¡¯s using the body as a shield. I knew I couldn¡¯t keep this up for long as I took a few minor cuts from spear tips scrapping along my shoulders and outer thighs, -10Hp. Resist Disease in affect: 95%

    With a grimace I threw corpse at a ratling trying to outflank me and cut the arm off another that tried to do the same to me. Then a halberd came sweeping in for legs, time slowed a fraction as a violent vibration of danger shot through my nerves and signalled me to follow my Senses.

    Leaping a foot off the ground I twisted my lower half at the waist and followed through with my torso, the scenery spun as I did and when I landed, I had shake the disorientation away. I swayed and then turned it into a dive and rolled as a grunt-ratling moved to tackle me to the ground. I came up just in front of another who then delivered a slash across my back.-10Hp. 85%

    Hissing; I reacted by opening it¡¯s Achilles-heel with my dagger, and then back-flipping from where I crouched onto the downed rat-man¡¯s torso, which I promptly drove my dagger repeatedly.

    -1 foe, -1 critically wounded.

    The system notified me helpfully, spitting to the side with a scowl I scurried off of my kill as the rest advanced. There was something like 4 remaining and the Lieutenant. My previously disarmed foe was off to the side kneeling over its stump of an arm, moaning and whimpering, besides it was a spear I had ruined when I had taken it¡¯s wielder¡¯s hand.

    ¡°I need something with longer range, something to help better apply my active skill to.¡± They spread out as the leader rat squeaked something at them in their language, which was probably not any good for me. Deciding my best bet was to head them off I advanced for my closest target. A dark-brown furred ratling with a scared-up nose that looked as if it had been chewed on.

    I ducked beneath its flailing sword swing and tried to slash out at itis knee, but a shield pounded into my side sending me tumbling across the dirty ground. -16Hp. Winded, I crashed down to the ground wheezing and coughing, I caught sight of a shape coming at me; it¡¯s arms blurring forward as something glinted at the end of its thrusting hands. Panic rose in me and I rolled hearing the thud of the spear stabbing the ground. I rolled back and flung a leg out clipping the ratling¡¯s shoulder and sending it crashing down besides me. Hopping to my feet I quickly stomped on it¡¯s neck, it¡¯s paw/hand trying to stop or plead with me, was then crushed into it¡¯s throat beneath my shoe.

    The moment cost me though as a swords tip pieced through the skin and flesh just below my right armpit. -30Hp. Bleeding! -1Hp, per 5 second. 65% With a grunting cry I twisted suddenly bringing the impaled sword with me but dislodging it from it¡¯s wielder. -1Hp, I punched out into the offenders snout, hearing the crunch as the bones of it¡¯s jaw broke and cracked under my blow.

    The ratling fell back with a cry of agony it¡¯s paws coming up to cover it¡¯s face. -1Hp. Health: 16/140 I didn¡¯t have time to consider my options though as the rest came for me.

    Passive Skill activation: Perseverance. My mind sped as my wounds lightened fractionally, though nothing outwardly happened. Skimming through my surrounding with my +10% Intelligence and+10% Agility increase, I caught sight of my remaining opponents. -2 foes, -2 critically wounded, -1Hp.

    Then the last two grunts and the lieutenant were within mere feet of me. I snapped up the spear still lodged in the ground from the ratling whose throat I had crushed. The shield bearer moved to block my strike; but I fainted for him and instead activated Disabling strike. Burying the crude spear tip in the other grunts head, through it¡¯s eye and into its brain critically wounding, meaning the entirety of its head exploded around the spear tip.

    The strike had been so quick that it actually threatened to throw me off-balance, as my left-arm blurred forward faster than I could make out, only seeing an impression of after-images for my own movement.

    -1Hp. I froze for a second. In-fact, we all did as my newly acquired spear founds it¡¯s home in the fleshy brain of the ratling-grunt. I braced my feet, twisting my wrist and used the distraction to my advantage, leaning and heaving on the shaft to slice out and through the rat-man¡¯s head. It did as such, and I used the momentum to knock the spear shaft into the shield bearer. -1Hp.

    The clunking sound of my wooden shaft hitting the metal rim of the kite-shield was hollow and rang out loudly. I pulled back and then struck out for the ratling¡¯s knee, but my foot slipped and skidded on the rat blood pooling around my shoes. I missed my target and instead penetrated the upper thigh and clipped its¡¯ femur doing so.

    Then with a thought I activated my skill, my arm pulsating and pushing. Then I watched in horror as the rats leg practically exploded around my spear as a wave of intangible force rippled down my weapon length and into the rat.

    -3Hp. -3 foes, -3 critically wounded. Fatigue: 94%

    Panting, I collapsed to my knees. The sword that had been sticking out of me, must¡¯ve slid out but I couldn¡¯t feel a damn-thing other than how bloody tired I was. I heard calm footsteps approach me, the lieutenant! I thought helplessly. Warning prompts flashing up in my vision telling me what I already knew; I was dead on my knees. Health: 10/140.

    This is fucked! So, fucking stupid, running at them all like that. I thought angrily at myself. Then my head was violently yanked back as a paw/hand gripped my hair. I stared up blearily at the big dark pools of the Lieutenants pupils. It spoke softly, it¡¯s squeaky chittering voice slow and awed but determined to still see me dead.

    I activate Disabling Strike as I held the spear tip pointed up just beneath it¡¯s chin, the now familiar pulsation shook my arm and I loosen my grip on the shaft.

    One minute the blurry impression of the lieutenants¡¯ face was there, the next it was replaced by vertical crater. Brains and bones, and the fleshy interior of it¡¯s head was all that remained. The front half of it¡¯s face exploded upwards into a showering of chunks.

    -1Hp. -4 foes, -3 critically wounded. Resist Disease: 56%

    I fell backwards as the lieutenants¡¯ body fell upside down beside me. I slipped into the nothingness, then slipped out as a low insistent chime rattled my skull. But I was so very tired, maybe too much so. Then in my haze the prompts spilled through.

    -1Hp. Health: 8/140. Mana: 145/145. Fatigue: 98% +1 Strength, +1 Vitality, +1 Agility, +1 Sense.

    <u>Congratulations [Player] Level up: x4.</u>

    My eyes drew to the two instant recovery rewards I¡¯d gained, and I immediately smashed the prompt to use one. Just in time as well, as I felt myself drifting away into the grey murkiness. Then a blue filmy light coated everything, and I came back to full awareness by slow degrees.

    For a while I watched the narrow rays of light filtering down upon the rat-city through the cracked ceiling. I was certain I was going to die, and yet here I was, where I had fallen. I rolled over onto my hands and knees and clambered unsteadily to my feet. I took in my surroundings; my sudden movement heralding a screech of surprise. Looking towards the sound, I saw the back of the neck-beard rat scurrying away.

    ¡°Oh well,¡± I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m not mentally stable enough yet to even consider giving chase.¡± The rat bodies hissed, gurgled and expunged fluids out their orifices as their bodies slowly began to self -digest. Walking around I started by retrieving what weapons I could, at least those intact enough to be useful. ¡°To think my first set of weapons are crude iron and bronze made.¡±

    [Item: Turaisha¡¯Fell, Crude Iron Spear. Type: Polearm. Mod: +5 Attack.]

    [Item: Turaisha¡¯Fell Lieutenant, Bronze Halberd. Type: Polearm. Mod: +10 Attack.]

    [Item: Turaisha¡¯Fell, Crude Rusted Dagger. Type: Small Arms. Mod: +3 Attack]

    Shoving the weapons in my inventory I looked at the shield by my feet and frowned, I couldn¡¯t remember the shield-bearers shield actually breaking when we fought. A glance around showed that all the rat-men were now dead. I mentally checked that my level had indeed increased by four and with a mental thought I willed my resistance status to the surface, Resist Disease: 100% Breathing a sigh of relief, I was thankful that the system worked this way. I imagined that when the counter hit zero, then I would likely become inflicted with whatever disease the rats were carrying.

    ¡°Let¡¯s loot their bodies. I¡¯ll leave increasing my stats till I¡¯m closer to the manse-thing,¡± I said wiping at my face then a siren went up over the city. ¡°I guess neck-beard was faster than I thought, or the rat ran into another patrol. Yeah¡­ Time to hurry up,¡± I said and got to work looting their bodies of a hefty bounty; in terms of currency. They had nothing else on their persons, no valuables other than their Mana-crystals and Gold.

    I looted: 140G and 25Mc.

    Bringing my total of gold up to 165G, which was all immediately converted and I now had sum of 40,836-Credits. ¡°What in the... Mothers tits is happening? This is - this is just too... Incredible. Wait- did I lose money?¡± I said; frowning thoughtfully at the display, the conversion seemed wrong.

    I heard a collective cry go up from one of the many narrow pathways of the city, retrieving the rusted dagger from my inventory I set off at a jog towards in the direction of the manse. Keeping to the outskirts of the city. I weaved through the shadows as I avoided swarms of patrols. Worrying about being cornered or herded. So, I kept on a constant move always heading towards the right side of the dome¡¯s wall.

    But the number of guards and the spread of their routes drew me to the realisation that they were most probably sniffing me out. I stopped by a parted sideboard on a shack, it was slanted enough that I could get a foot on and leap to up to the roof. There I spider crawled along getting low and spreading my weight. Then I froze as two rat-men came around the corner at the turn off ahead in the street. They both sniffed the air for several seconds, and then were stepping cautiously forward as if they were about to enter the proverbial lion¡¯s den.

    I stayed motionless as they inch further and closer to my position. The rat-men started to chitter quietly back and forth. I was getting twitchy at the thought that they could simply track my scent to where it was strongest; then send a runner for reinforcements. I¡¯ll wait till they¡¯re closer, then act. I thought with a nod. They shifted warily the closer they got, when they were less than three meters from where I perched. I tensed and rose slightly from my position, as a gong sounded off in the distance. The noise rebounded off the walls of the shack buildings.

    The rat-men heads swivelled off towards the noise, they chittered at each other heatedly in what seemed like an argument. Then they moved off and towards the deep thrumming sound.

    ¡°Did they find something?¡± I asked myself in a whisper, thinking furiously. ¡°If they did find something, some form of evidence they could use it better track me by- Or... They¡¯ve just found the Lieutenant I killed in the shithouse and are collecting there where they¡¯ll backtrack the scent all the way to poor old me.¡±

    Huffing and groaning quietly I resumed my Spidey-crawl, imagining I look like some dumb low-budget imitation of the super-heroes comic from Old Earth.

    ~*~*~*~

    The Manse was actually a lot larger than I first realised¡ªas I came upon it¡ªwhen seeing it from the ledge where the gateway is situated. Then a question clocked me in the brain as I thought of that location, ¡°could they follow my scent to the gateway?¡± My stomach churning at the thought; that for some strange unexplainable reason; the gateway would actually open for the rat-men.

    I walked the perimeter of the compound around the Manse. It was more akin to a giant shack-like castle. Built like every other building within Fellbait dungeon; but just bigger. The moment my foot past over and on the actual grounds of the Manse though, I received a quest prompt.

    <u>Quest Objectives:</u>

    Kill the Grey-Abomination of the Turaisha¡¯Fell: 0/1.

    Desecrate the Turaisha¡¯Fell Throne: 0/1.

    (Warning!) Quest is mandatory and cannot be denied. Penalty for failure is <u>DEATH</u>.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s lovely!¡± I said with false cheer and a sigh. I dismissed the window and then crouch-ran across the grounds to the eastern wall of the Manse. Their were fewer and fewer guards by the minute and I imagined they were spreading themselves out more to watch for intruders. ¡°Either that; or they¡¯ve retreated inside,¡± I muttered, scowling at how shitty my luck could get.

    Which was stupid when considering that I could actually raise my Luck.

    Creeping along I kept close to the wall. There really wasn¡¯t anywhere I could hide and conceal myself, as the grounds around the Manse were fairly open and unobstructed. ¡°Just have to hope that nobody looks my way,¡± mumbling I stepped around the corner of the eastern wall; intending to make a beeline for the entrance. When my head smacked into the torso of a Turaisha¡¯Fell Rat Lieutenant. ¡°Uhhh.... Sorry?¡± I tried, wishing that my luck could be replaced with something useful like charisma.

    A chime rebounded off the inside of my skull. Ignoring it; I duck beneath a shoulder sweeping Halberd. Retrieving my trusty dagger, I skewered the ratlings genitals through his breeches in two quick; speedy thrusts. The lieutenant unhesitatingly dropped its halberd, clutching at the wounded area. Before it could scream, I dashed forward; driving my dagger into it¡¯s chest where the heart is, at least where I thought their hearts were.

    Thinking rapidly; I withdrew my dagger only to drive it in again, striking and penetrating the same spot. I jumped up, leaping at the ratling, my free hand gripping it¡¯s snout to shut it up as I spun about it. Then I sliced into its throat, blood gushing out spilling over my hand and blade. Then my dagger was through and out the other side of its neck. In three fast movements. It was dead.

    +1 Agility. I breathed a sigh of relief and grimaced at the sight of my arm. ¡°Kayla is gonna kill me,¡± I said; looking up from my gruesome hand to a stunned mansion patrol of six rat lieutenants. ¡°Well fuck...¡± I whined exasperatedly.

    Knowing that if I ran now; they would just as likely follow. And not knowing the inside layout of the Manse I could easily end up cornered or worse; find the boss and have to face both it and my pursuers.

    So instead, I waited and moved further back along the eastern wall. Wanting something at my back so I couldn¡¯t be flanked.

    I felt mildly better about my odds now, no sunshine and rainbows of unicorn shit, but more like a cool breeze on a shitty day. Inside an underground domed city. Infested with a population of bipedal squeaking Rat-men. They of course rushed me; my heart literally jumped at the sight of six of those fuckers coming at me all at once.

    My throat dried, and convulsed. But then, I suddenly realised I was moving. With a literal spring in my step I started killing. And killing I did.

    Their orange names suddenly faded to grey and three solid chimes bounced off the inside of my skull. I ducked a thrusting halberd spike and kicked out; hitting the inner knee of one lieutenant. The knee popped under my blow and collapsed inwards sending the ratling screaming and tumbling to the ground. I stabbed it through the throat. +1 Strength.

    Then I flicked out with my dagger, throwing the weapon over-head to my three o¡¯clock and remarkably found purchase it the eye of another. +1 Agility.

    ¡°Two down, four to go,¡± I said cheerily. Then swept my arms out like I would swinging an axe or something similar. I wasn¡¯t 100% sure about what I was doing, but just flowing through with what felt right. With a thought the bronze halberd materialised into my hands, as the axe-head swept across the shoulders, separating the head of my third lieutenant. +1 Sense.

    I followed the momentum that my swing brought me and spun; bringing the halberd spinning around my shoulders where I caught and blocked a strike. +1 Luck.

    I kicked forward against the flat of the axe head sending it sailing up and unbalancing the overreaching rat lieutenant. As it stumbled forward, I caught the shaft of my halberd spun it in my hand and drove the spike tipping the weapon through its chest. ¡°Four!¡± I yelled triumphantly.

    Leaving the weapon there I turned and saw one of the remaining lieutenants running away. ¡°Well that¡¯s just rude. Showed up and didn¡¯t even bring any gifts. I¡¯ll just take your soul instead then,¡± I mumbled darkly. Stepping backwards slightly; I stretched out my left hand before me aiming at the fleeing ratling. My right hand out behind me as the crude iron spear materialised there. Then I blurred forward, throwing my whole body into the throw, I grunted as the spear left my hand sailing straight and true. Nailing the escapee in it¡¯s back and sending the ratling skidding several feet before stopping dead.

    +1 Strength. +1Agility. +1 Sense.

    Looking around I walked over to the corpse with my dagger buried in it¡¯s eye socket. Retrieving it after having wiped it clean on the fur of the ratling. I turned to the last two as they drop their weapons, falling to their knees; jabbering on at me, their demeanour one of pleading.

    I made my way calmly and patiently over to the lieutenants as they kept up their begging. It grew more frantic the closer I got.

    ¡°You won¡¯t suffer any longer,¡± I said soft and quietly. Driving my dagger through one and the other¡¯s temple before they could react.

    A single chime reverberated at the base of my brow. I went about looting their bodies as well as the first lieutenant whose throat I¡¯d opened and retrieving all of their bronze halberds. [Item: x7. Turaisha¡¯Fell Lieutenant Bronze Halberd. Type: Polearm. Mod:+10 Attack.] I quickly swept them into my inventory, and I had an idea, but I would need to find a secure place to fully explore it.

    That meant going home.

    The most amazing thing I got from their corpse¡¯s was the gold they each had on them, bringing the collective sum to a total of 50G per a body. Meaning I had just looted 350Gold, converted to credits it was 70.000Cs. That added with my present account, I now had a sum I¡¯d never made before nor thought I would see outside of daydreams.

    Credits: 110,836. Gold:00. I also got a sum of 49MC, bringing my total to Mana-crystals: 81.

    ¡°Do I even bother checking my notifications, my head¡¯s already spinning from the money I¡¯ve made off a few rats,¡± I thought aloud; rubbing at my eyes. ¡°Though I could be facing the Boss possibly any minute now.¡± Fuck it, I thought bringing up my previous notifications; I read through them.

    ¡°With the added levels I¡¯ve received during this fight. I¡¯m at about: [Lvl: 12] and I have 32 points to spend,¡± I nodded thoughtfully looking at my new prompts. I walked back to the eastern wall and leaned against it as I sorted through them. ¡°I am generating way too many levels, so quickly that it¡¯s worrying,¡± I sighed. My reasoning that because it made me suspect that there were far greater opponents out there. That I would need this kind of early boost to simply go up against.

    ¡°Considering that their names changed from orange to grey after I killed the lieutenant here,¡± I continued; glancing over at the ratling whose hairy scrote had gotten friendly with my trusty dagger. ¡°I¡¯m now at a point where instead of three levels per lieutenant and one per six ratling grunts. It¡¯s 1 for 6 lieutenants and possibly double that for the grunts?¡± Then I looked to my level up window message, dismissing the window that immediately showed Levels five to eight.

    <u>Congratulations [Player] Level up: x4.</u>

    Level 9: +4 Ap awarded. Reward: 1-Lesser potion of healing.

    Level 10: +4 Ap awarded. Reward: 1-Lesser potion of healing.

    Level 11: +4 Ap awarded. Reward: 1-Lesser potion of fatigue.

    Level 12: +4 Ap awarded. Reward: 1-Lesser potion of fatigue.

    Reward 1: x1 Instant Recovery.

    Accept: YES/NO.

    <u>(Alert)</u>

    Congratulations [Player] You¡¯ve discovered the Attribute: Charisma.

    Charisma: With this Attribute [Player] can compel, inspire, attract and induce fear in other¡¯s.

    This Attribute is systematically linked with Vitality, Intelligence and Luck. Due to the combined association, and the discovery of a new Attribute. A new passive has been acquired.

    <u>Passive Skills:</u>

    Incite [Lvl: 4] [Player] can manifest strong emotional responses such as: Bloodlust, Fear, Charm, Slowness and Paralysis. This Attribute works as both a Buff and Debuff depending on target. Affect: Charisma. Vitality. Sense.

    ¡°Alright... Charisma isn¡¯t totally useless. I can basically Debuff bad guys now. Though I imagine it¡¯ll depend on whether or not they¡¯re a lower level than me. Alright. Okay... let¡¯s bring forth the dreaded Status Window,¡± I said dramatically.

    Fighting had actually increased my attributes, which was a boon. Though I couldn¡¯t imagine it to be anything permanent going forward. ¡°Just when I¡¯m stupidly overpowering sentient rat-men,¡± I said with a smirk. Looking over my increased gains before submitting my attributes points.

    Lvl: 12.

    Health: 150.

    Mana: 160.

    Fatigue: 21%

    Strength: 17.

    Vitality: 15.

    Intelligence: 14.

    Agility: 20.

    Sense: 15.

    Luck:11.

    Charisma: 34.

    ¡°Uh-huh. Does that say something about me? That my Charisma Attribute is so big?¡± I muttered with a frown. ¡°My Intelligence and Vitality are the lowest of useful stats and with 32Ap I can definitely raise them both, highly even. Then it¡¯s the problem of balancing all my attributes. I have skills but no magic, so intelligence isn¡¯t so much a priority as of yet... Wait. What if I¡¯m awarded magic from increasing my Intelligence,¡± I wondered aloud, rubbing at my chin in thought.

    +1 Intelligence.

    Sighing, I gave my forehead a light slap. Whereas I mentally gave the system and Mother the middle finger.

    ¡°So, increasing attributes, has the chance of gaining skills; and or magic. Just don¡¯t know how much I need to increase them by.¡±

    Making my decision, I went about finalising my attributes, then paused when I had 12Ap remaining. I thought for a moment, I knew being strong and having strength wasn¡¯t the be all and end all of life. But in New Eden City only those who¡¯re wealthy and strong in either supporters or power. Or in power and money, can live better lives. ¡°And I need all of these things,¡± I said in quiet introspection.

    Then an idea started to form in my mind. One that spoke to a place I wanted more than anything. A place where I could belong, as cheesy as it sounds. Where I would find a home not haunted by the mercurial ghosts of memories. But one that I would build myself, for me, for my sister and any others who were not accepted. I would take them and make them something to be reckoned with.

    I pushed the last of my points into Strength and Agility dividing them equally.

    (<u>Alert</u>)

    Due to dramatic increase in Strength and Agility Attributes. A new skill has been awarded.

    <u>Active Skill:</u>

    Haste [Lvl: 1] Speed is exponentially increased, for an extended cost of fatigue in 15 second intervals.

    Blowing out an explosive breath, I shook my head at how the system could simply change up my shit. ¡°Lets go poke the bear.¡± Getting to feet, my body felt tighter and leaner than previously. I had to sit after increasing my Attributes. Now I was ready and raring to go up against that, that could possibly kill me.

    It was the challenge I was excited for now.

    This novel is the work of Rhys Thomas. If you are reading this and it has not been published by Rhys Thomas, then this work has been stolen. Please report this to Amazon and me at email: [email protected]</a>

 Rhys Chapter Five.

    <u>(Saturday. Date: 20-04-2463)</u>

    Moving along the eastern wall I walked confidently by, uncaring if anyone saw me. I was still an idiot; that much I knew. But the high from the fight and the levelling had an affect on me. Filled me with a moderate sum of arrogance.

    The entrance to the Manse was rather large; at about, 4.5-meters and I pushed it open. The sound of rusted hinges and stone grinding made me wince as my teeth ached. Opening it; I waited, listening for any hint of a sound. But all that came through was the stale warm air from inside.

    The actual door to the Manse was actually quite well decorated. Long bands of bronze; shaped and welded to resemble something like that of a portcullis, framed the geography of the door. Massive rings of iron doorknockers centred the piece; though they looked more like a fixtures as they were sealed and welded to the stopper.

    I moved within, the only light illuminating the darkness of the interior was that which came with me. All was silent within, and the stale whispered hauntedly.

    A once red-carpet line the centre of the stairs opposite where I stood, now stained darkly with blood. Deep gouges cut jagged ridges into the walls and floor. Cracks bled out from several deep impact sights in the ground, just a few feet from the entrance.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s gonna be big, isn¡¯t it?¡± I said sourly. ¡°That¡¯ll be why the door is so damn huge and heavy.¡±

    Fatigue: 18% I was well rested, the force I applied at the door only giving me a 3% rise. Moving further in; I crept along till I saw that two hallways were on either side of the stair case at my eleven and one o¡¯clock. They seemed more catered to the smaller variety of ratlings.

    I was about move towards the left-hand hallway when a tremendous thump! Shook the floor beneath me, rattled the walls and rocked the ceiling, knocking loose thick layers of dust.

    Then a scream of distress, fear and panic chilled me to the bones, followed by more screams of many different voices. All sounding like a concert of screeching and wailing banshee¡¯s.

    Darting up the stairs without a second thought, I bounded off to the left side and made my way along the walkway overlooking the entrance chamber I had been in. Then I dashed through a side passage about 3 meters wide.

    A horrendous cackling laughter froze me in place, the shear insanity of the maddening laugh made me dry heave. An endless echo of doubt crossed my mind as I swam mentally through a fog of fear. Drenched in sweat as the intensity increased the further, I moved.

    I realised my fears meant shit to me as I had a Little sister to take care of, and debts to pay. Not to mention the green gateway on Tuesday. Then I was harkened back to the idea I had begun forming, all fear was washed away under that single cheesy ass hope I had.

    A screen notification blocked my vision; reading it over I smiled and then dismissed it with a wave.

    Affliction Debuff: Fear.

    Passive Skill: Incite has activated: Fear. Affliction Rebuffed. +1 Sense. +1 Intelligence. I stomped my feet forwards moving louder than I¡¯d fully intended to. But the unceasing laughter didn¡¯t die off, in fact it was joined by another more high-pitched and squealing in delight.

    I ran as something in that mad laughter felt startlingly insane. Then I was there at a heavy iron door, that looked more like it belonged on a medieval dungeon. I put my ear against it and the sounds of sniffling, crying and a low penetrating groan.

    The laughter chittered and tapered off followed by a series of smacking sounds and grunts. The speed of each becoming more audible through the door.

    ¡°Rush in, kill the fucker. Take his head find the throne and I¡¯m homeward bound,¡± I said quickly running through a mental checklist as if I would forget what I was doing here. I knew exactly what I was doing, I was hesitating. ¡°Come on- come on, move.¡± I hissed and squared my shoulders, then ran at the door. Bounding through and into the room beyond, I skidded and froze at the horrific sight that greeted me.

    The room was something akin to a prison and holding area; with multiple cells filled with strange naked women, scales of every colour lining the sides of their body¡¯s brow and jawline. Their eyes were huge, with vertically slits for pupils. The sclera filling their eyes, were a deep yellow or green. They numbered about thirty, dirty and sobbing. Only a few saw me enter, as the rest like I; were staring in disgust and dread at the sight of my first red identified enemy. Or should I say, enemies.

    Khrum & Sprall. Ruling Turaisha¡¯Fell. Grey-Abomination. It was a giant 5-meter tall rat and was easily 3-meters broad from shoulder to shoulder. Packed with rippling muscle, it¡¯s hairless, pale, pinkish flesh stood stark within darken room. It¡¯s right arm fit the rest of its body where the left was tiny and deformed, looking gnarled and curled in itself.

    Fur dotted the scalp of it¡¯s head in tuffs. At the lower centre of it¡¯s body was a another ratling, this one was of a grunt size and melded within the flesh of the bigger. It¡¯s small under belly and tiny limbs moving constantly, clawing at the air as it squeaked and chittered upwards towards the bigger of the pair.

    Beneath them though, was what heralded the smacking sound. One of the scaled women was dead beneath them, her head crushed, dark purple blood leaking between the fragments of bone and gore. The body thrust forward, moving as the abomination¡¯s speed built. It¡¯s humongous arm holding the corpse in place like a doll-toy.

    Cold anger burned within my eyes, as Incite unconsciously activated again rebuffing fear debuff¡¯s. As their collective pleasure build, I walked towards them- it, unhurriedly. They cried out in unison spurting their disgusting filth within the corpse.

    The bigger head rose up from it¡¯s bliss and I realised the women in their cells had stopped sobbing and were now watching me. I kept moving even as; Khrum, I thought. Stared at me in obvious shock and bewilderment. The smaller Sprall taking a second longer.

    I activated Haste. And the world crawled as I stepped upon it.

    No sooner had I left the position I had been standing Khrum & Sprall started to withdraw themselves of the dead woman. Within a flickering eye blink, I was besides the body, my hand flicking out, to sever the shafts of their genitals. As I moved the halberd, I¡¯d brought screaming forth I used Disabling Strike just as the axe head parted their flesh easily and explosively. Screaming slowly in pain, Khrum and Sprall tried in vain to stop me and cover their injury.

    I had made the first move, now to follow it up. My brain felt hazy with fury.

    I struck out again, this time with the spiked tip of the halberd. I rammed the length through the rat-kings throat. Except my halberd skidded off its skin as a slightly reddish tint blossomed against its pale pink flesh.

    Is that a skills? I asked, mentally shrugging in replied.

    So instead of attempting the same thing again I rammed the spike into the expose wound of Sprall¡¯s smaller severed genitals. Smiling at the pain I was causing the thing.

    So caught in what damage I was dealing, I didn¡¯t notice the back hand that sent me sailing through the air to crater into the far wall beside the door. -45Hp. Health: 200/245. I grimaced; falling to my side as I slid down the wall. My back and ribs ached terribly. Then my Haste deactivated as another screen blotted my vision. Showing a display of my body and limb condition. I saw that my torso now read: 75/100%.

    I wheezed, scrambling to get to my feet, as the tank sized rat stomped my way. The smaller body still hurling and screaming in agony. Its head rolling back and forth in a pain-filled delirium. Khrum¡¯s giant fist pounding into the floor and cracking the wooden planks that were surprisingly still holding steady as it lumbered after me.

    I withdrew my trusty rusted dagger when they were within a meter away from me, and Khrum was raring to pound me bloody and flat like a pancake, I simply added insult to injury. I threw my dagger underhand burying the crude blade up to the hilt in Sprall¡¯s chest.

    +1 Agility. I almost laughed manically at the prompt.

    Diving out of the way I rolled, springing to my feet, I summoned forth my crude iron spear and waited as the Khrum paused it¡¯s rampage. They spun in place, a drowsy movement. Khrum holding Spralls¡¯ head in it¡¯s hand, the smaller of the two squeaking it¡¯s final goodbye.

    It wouldn¡¯t been a sad thing to watch, but the other colder half of myself saw the dead woman still being defiled even after her death. I couldn¡¯t even imagine the horrors these women must¡¯ve seen, those that survived being this things play toy probably ended up either pregnant or horrible disfigured afterwards.

    The colder half of myself churned at these thoughts and breathed a kindling breath of righteous anger, as it killed what little sympathy I might¡¯ve felt for the thing.

    I became uncaring. No. Not exactly uncaring; more unfeeling for the monstrous child that it was, ruining its¡¯ toys.

    I swept my arm back, simultaneously activating Disabling Strike and Haste. My movements a blur; reminiscent of my first time using the strike. As my arm exploded forwards as the spear in turn exploded from my throw. The wood of the shaft splintering and crunching in every direction; the spearhead remained true though. Spralls¡¯ head was eviscerated in a shower; as it¡¯s tiny brain sprayed across Khrum¡¯s head, arm and chest.

    It roared a cry of outrage and anguish.

    Something I myself had felt once, when I watched father being brutally murdered. The grief I had felt. Then it was cut short, and I blinked. Khrum had vanished, and I was left dumbly staring at the spot it had been previously. A shadow of haze glimpsed at my side, then my arm wrenching out of it¡¯s socket as I was tossed up and about, thrown like a ragdoll into the ceiling. My face and chest rebounded of the hard wood and rusted iron nails. My head swam, vision blurring as I became weightless once again.

    Torso: 45/100%

    Right-arm: 25/100%

    -100Hp.

    Right-arm critically wounded!

    ¡°Rhysy,¡± my mother¡¯s voice, spoken in a haunted parody of her usual warm soothing tones.

    It rose like a vaporous serpent, up and out from the depth of my memories to strike at me.

    I stared at my parents half a second before it happened. I have forgotten what we had been arguing about that day. I just remember staring at mom as she paused in her cooking to turn her stern eyes on me. I heard the front door of our house click open, dad calling out that he was back from work. My parent¡¯s greeting one another with love and tenderness. My father asking where Kayla was and my mom replying to him.

    Then just as my dad moved to talk to me, the ground shook. The whole house rattled as a loud booming horn blast shattered the windows. We all gasped in surprise, my mom then screaming as the pot on the cooking stove spilled and splashed the burning hot water onto her arm and neck. My dad screaming and cursing, moving to help my mom as I did the same.

    A wave of red light blossomed all around us, my dad then yelled for me to get my mom up as he moved to the front door to go get my sister. Kayla was playing over at her friends house; directly opposite ours. I turned to see him fling open the door to step outside when a great wave of force destroyed everything.

    I remember standing there frozen what felt like a lifetime, my eyes drifting to my mothers¡¯ face as she screamed for dad. Then it was as if everything was thrown to the right, the whole house decimated and flattened as we were. Then tossed to the left, juggled, and then being sucked into; towards a giant vortex of red light. Car alarms blurred, animals and pets screeching and barking. Great monstrous roars and the sounds of plasma-like weapons firing. People were screaming and crying everywhere. But I was trapped within our house, my hand still holding my moms, though I couldn¡¯t see her.

    The water spilled from the cooking pot dripping through all the debris piled on top of me to splash onto the side of my chest. Then red tinted my vision, and I became paralyzed as I awakened. While suffering from the pain of being continuously scolded and burnt.

    I came too in a different room. The thundering of the floor beneath me told me I needed to move, to get up and run. Fatigue: 68% I shook my head dizzily as I tried to shake the cobwebs free from my mind. I went to roll over but the pain from attempting so; told me to do otherwise.

    Popping open my Inventory and downing two vials of healing potions, I did a quick check of my status. +50Hp. Health: 150/245. Mana:225/225. Fatigue: 66% Internal bleed healed. Critical wounds done to limbs cannot be healed till mended. I grimaced; expecting something like this, but not liking it all the same. ¡°At least my torso now reads 75/100% My arm is fucked though,¡± I said sourly glancing down at it hanging limply at my side. I moved, swinging my body carefully as I climbed to my feet.

    I hissed through the dull constant ache but was glad to see that my health didn¡¯t go down. Moving to the far side of the room; I stumbled and stopped as I nearly tripped and fell down a hole in the floor. Through the dim light of the interior of the Manse; I saw the holding room below.

    It was a solid 7- or 8-meter drop. Frowning; I felt the violent racking of my being as the pounding of what could only be Khrum lumbering up through the Manse in search of me.

    I searched about for options, opposite me was the door to this attic room I was in. It was a dark vacant thing of a room, completely devoid of anything other than dusty cobwebs.

    I shuffled my way over towards the door, but instead of opening and stepping through, I scurried and hid in the corner on this side of the room. Crouching low, I waited and was immediately surprised and cowered when the wall beside me exploded forth in a hail of debris as Khrum smashed through and skidded to a stop.

    Shocked; I shook my head quickly to clear away the fog, Khrums¡¯ skin was no longer tinted red, so I figured it¡¯s skill or whatever it used was now on cool-down. I got up to a jog from my crouch and braced myself, ramming forward¡¯s I crashed into the back lower half of Khrum. I was like a Gnat smacking into a brick wall. The only thing that crumbled and fell flat was me. I caught the flash of a fatigue alert but didn¡¯t pay it any mind.

    Instead I summoned forth one of the remaining seven Bronze Halberds, half crawling forward to jam and to drive the spike into its lower back.

    Khrum squeaked in pain and tried to flail backwards at me, to swat me off. I pushed further; leaning bodily into my weapon and stood on achy legs to send us both tumbling through the hole and back into the room filled with cells.

    As we fell; I caught sight of the mush that had once been Spralls¡¯ head on the floor at the side of the room. I hung onto the shaft of my halberd, driving it down even harder as we fell. Khrum smacked down face and body first into the floor below, it shook and creaked under the weight and suddenness of the impact.

    I flopped down an instant later landing squarely onto Khrum¡¯s back; crying out in pain as the end of my halberds shaft scrape along my side as I fell. Landing roughly onto my dislocated arm.

    The pain jarred me to clutch at the offending shoulder and thrash about. Clenching my teeth shut with an audible clack I groaned as Khrum began to shift beneath me. I looked up and saw the stunned expressions of the scaled women watching us fight. They all seemed fine, which was a blessing as I now considered that Khrum could¡¯ve easily taken his frustrations and anger out on any them before pursuing me.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    -25Hp. Right-arm CND: 20/100% Fatigue: 76%

    Standing from my knees and groaning, I summoned a second Halberd. ¡°Take,¡± I growled out; spitting some blood off to the side, spinning the halberd in hand and punching the spike down into Khrum¡¯s back just beside the other one. ¡°The fucking hint and die already,¡± growling, I got ready to summon another; when Khrums fist formed at it¡¯s side and slammed down into the floor; wrecking and shattering, pitching us out and into another fall.

    I hung to one of the two halberds protruding like lightning rods out it¡¯s back. Then I was falling; my legs trailing and flapping out behind me as we plummeted down. I summoned that third Halberd and threw it before me while activating Disabling Strike.

    The weapon flashed forward penetrating and driving down to the first band around the forward grip of the Halberd. Khrum howled a squealing moan that chittered off in a cry as we rebounded off the floor of the throne room. I bounced off of Khrum¡¯s broad shoulder and tumbled to the ground rolling in a blinding heap of misery. As the bones with my shoulder, snapped and crunch, worsening even further.

    I did the only thing I could. x1 Instant Recovery: Max Status.

    There were no vials or potion, just the mental press and instantly I gasped with relief as the entirety of my focus and being were drowned out in what could be only be described as weightlessness.

    I was now whole and fully restored.

    ¡°This shit is soo¡­ broken,¡± I sighed; climbing to my feet. Khrum was about 10 meters away from me, unmoving. I saw no death signifier by its name, so I brought out another halberd and threw it across the distance. Like I was casually playing target practice with my buddies¡ªof which there are none, I mentally noted. But Khrum didn¡¯t need to know about my introverted lifestyle.

    The spike of the halberd sunk deep into the side of the abomination, +1 Agility. I heard a grunt but no other signs of movement or distress. Was Khrum playing possum?

    I got closer and then spectacularly, expectantly, it roared in triumph as it pounded the spot where I had been. Haste activated as I blurred up in a jump and slammed my own fist into the side of it¡¯s head. +1 Strength.

    The blow was strong enough to snap Khrums¡¯ head off the side as its body rocked unsteadily in a sudden daze. Khrum fell back down onto it¡¯s side, tongue lulling through its gasping mouth. Overly large yellow stained teeth welcomed a disgustingly foul breath that would¡¯ve made me gag had I not moved away.

    Haste still in affect I popped up beneath the open lower jaw. Reaching in, I curled my hands around the back on its lower gums. My grip becoming slimy and wet. Then I proceeded to pull as I jammed my foot against the upper jaw for all I was worth. A single thought driving me to cruelty, to make this monster experience pain, so it suffered slowly for the things it had done to them women and those before them.

    Khrum came back around to full awareness just as I was tearing and dislocating its lower jaw. Thin threads of flesh and tendons stringing between and across the grotesque tear I¡¯d made.

    +2 Strength.

    Blood gushed forth and I decided to leave it partially torn as I backed away. It screamed a monstrous wail, desperately clutching its hanging lower jaw, and for several seconds I watched as Khrum piteously try to move it¡¯s jaw back into place. Like a big stupid animal, wondering why the wound wouldn¡¯t just fix itself. Blood flowed freely through its fingers and down it¡¯s chest onto the ground.

    Incite Activated. Buff: Bloodlust. My bloodlust pulsed out from me in a visible wave of black mist enclosing everything within a radius of 10 meters from me. I saw Khrum¡¯s eyes slowly climb fearfully up my body, past my head and then beyond. I smiled villainously. ¡°Khrum...¡± I spoke softly. My tone chilling and yet impartial. ¡°You¡¯re an abomination, a creature, a monster,¡± I told it. I knew it didn¡¯t understand any of the words I spoke, but the sentence was being past all the same. ¡°For your actions, for you mere existence I render sentence upon you,¡± I recited like some reaper of judgement. ¡°Your death will never appease those no longer living, it will not even smudge the stains you¡¯ve left upon this world. But with your end; those above may just sleep a little easier.¡±

    Your words have resonated with the will of Sal¡¯re¡¯al. Enact your right, Reaper of Judgement.

    I blinked at the unexpected prompt and the implications it held. The inky pool of dark mist made manifest by my bloodlust came together into an obsidian physical strand about a foot long.

    It floated before me, beckoning me to take hold and claim my title. From that strand a scythe formed, it sucked at the life and spirit of all living beings. It held no discerning blade, but it seemed as if the dullness of the shadowy tool would steal the life of those judged unjustly and cruel all the same.

    I tried to analyse the scythe, but nothing came of it. Without hesitating I swept the scythe through Khrum¡¯s head but instead of parting flesh or decapitating its head from its shoulders. My dull shadowy scythe came through out the other side of Khrum with a dark red mist trailing behind.

    I heard a distant wailing and haunted cry. It sucked the breath out from me and invigorated me all at the same time. The instant my scythe past through it evaporated into mist and that mist sunk into my skin.

    +1 Deep-Soul claimed. Title claimed: Reaper of Judgement. Khrum & Sprall. Ruling Turaisha¡¯Fell. Grey-Abomination. [Dead]

    I looked up to the ceilings as level ups a-washed my vision. I ignored them for now. Leaning forward I looted Khrum; surprisingly Sprall had to be separately looted even-though they shared the same tag for their name¡¯s. Saving all of my prompts for when I was home, I called up my Quest Objectives, seeing 1/1 for killing the abomination. ¡°All that¡¯s left is to desecrate the throne. But before that,¡± I looked upwards again to the ceiling we had broken through. Several heads peek through the bars of their cells looking down at me, I smiled and waved up at them.

    They ducked back and hid from sight. Sighing I retrieved the halberd¡¯s impaling Khrums¡¯ corpse and proceeded to make my way back through the Manse and up to the holding cells. There were several pits of broken flooring and uneasy passages that rocked beneath my weight the entire way there. I walked inside, as the scaled women were conversing with one another in hushed hissing tones that tapered off quickly when I entered.

    I knew their worry. They didn¡¯t know me. Didn¡¯t know I was going to free them. To them I could just be here to replace Khrum and Sprall in their daily sessions of torment. I grabbed my dagger, which had been thrown aside by Khrum, after I nailed Sprall in the chest with it. I crouched to retrieve my spear but saw that it was utterly destroyed. I let out a small groan at the loss and kicked it away from me. I move to the cell door¡¯s and one by one I ripped them open, snapping the lock and hinges of several doors as I went by.

    Soon all thirty or so women were outside their cells stretching and hugging one another tightly.

    A few stood off to the side with hard eyes staring at me, watching and calculating. I waved one of them over, all of them beautiful women. But these one¡¯s had a side to them that seemed martial in comparison to those hugging and weeping opening.

    They conversed amongst themselves quickly then nodded in unison. One of them step forth and bowed low towards me, as did those behind her. All of the other women seemed startled at the display. The one who stepped forward hissed at the collective of weepers.

    I made out one word through it all that seemed to stick with me. ¡°Duala ¡¯dais,¡± the woman said gesturing at me. She then gave me a small apologetic smile. I was honestly so caught up what was going-on that I had forgotten why I had waved for someone to speak to. The cast of women went lower onto their knees pressing their forehead on to the backs of their hands.

    ¡°Seriously you don¡¯t need to do that,¡± I said softly gesturing for them stand up. ¡°Uh- ah, you can¡¯t understand me huh?¡± I asked tilting my head at the representative. She just continued to stare right through me. ¡°Hmm. How to get this across if I can¡¯t...¡± I started but a new prompt chimed in the recess of my skull. Congratulations: You¡¯ve learned the language of the Cawraith¡¯Phdu.

    Closing the prompt; I shook my head. ¡°Huh. That¡¯s - uh... Not actually that surprising, do you understand me now,¡± I said looking to the woman. It was hard to tell the difference between each of the women, as they were all identical except for different colour scaling of their brow, cheeks, jawline and on the sides of their body¡¯s.

    ¡°Yes. we hear you Unat ¡¯Duala ¡¯dais,¡± the woman replied, the fact her address for me didn¡¯t translate must¡¯ve meant it was more of a title. ¡°What do you command of us?¡± She asked respectfully. Her voice a slow hiss like that of a deflating balloon. I pulled out the halberds from my inventory and planted each except for one which I was kept for myself. A nice little souvenir from my first dungeon.

    ¡°Take these and escape from here. If we¡¯re at the eastern side of this rat-city. You need to head south and stay close to the wall of the dome, they¡¯re less patrols as far I could tell. Keep heading along and scan the surface of the wall, looked out for a lip of stone jutting out several feet up. There¡¯s a ledge and a crawl space, and through there you¡¯ll be able to escape,¡± I finished, and then adding I hope, to myself afterwards.

    I could only imagine there to be some form of passage or entrance there before my gateway had opened through to Fellbait Dungeon. ¡°Unat ¡¯Duala ¡¯dais is not to accompany us back? We would award you Crana¡¯devchek and spend the nights of dust in endless bliss,¡± she said.

    is she propositioning me? I shook away the thought and desire it could¡¯ve led to. They were incredibly beautiful, but I hadn¡¯t freed them; just to fuck them. ¡°No. I¡¯ve yet more to do. Now off with you and stay safe. Hate to free you, only for you all to die afterwards,¡± I said waving at them dismissively.

    The leader stepped towards me as the other¡¯s parted; moving at a sedate pace. ¡°I am Deere Hilop,¡± she said tapping between her breast¡¯s, which I had been doing such a good of not gawking at. As she said her name, the identifier for her title blurred from a grey Cawraith¡¯Phdu to an orange Deere Hilop.

    I grinned and tapped my own chest. ¡°Well, Dee my name is Rhys Xavier Trent. What¡¯s this world called by the way?¡± I greeted and added with a smile.

    ¡°Hmm... Dee? I like it. Rhysis,¡± she frowned testing my name. It rolled off her tongue oddly; sounding more like ¡®racist¡¯ than Rhys. ¡°We are in far eastern ranges of Kashira. The greys took everything west and north of here, If, we should meet again Rhysis Scavier Trent. I will have that night of bliss,¡± she hiss-purred at me. Turned around and then jogged off to catch up with her people.

    ¡°Well conscience, it¡¯s just me and you now. Damn they¡¯re gorgeous though,¡± I muttered to myself. I spent the next ten minutes scouring the interior of the Manse from top to bottom and then back up again. Till I found what I was looking for: bags upon bags of gold coins and even a nifty looking knife about the length of my forearm. It had a smooth ivory handle with an odd gold glowing script running along the make up of the handle and then onto the blade itself.

    The flat of the blade was a charcoal black and the lines of writing became silvery once upon the flat. The single edge was incredibly sharp and a dull grey about half an inch thick into the flat. The Knife tapered to a wickedly narrow point. It was a mean-looking thing, used for precise hits and puncturing organs, I guessed.

    Rotating the knife in my palm I found its weight completely comfortable. Almost like it had been made for me. Moving through some quick stances and concealment¡¯s. I lashed out suddenly with the knife, it¡¯s dull grey edge leaving a visible line of mist in its wake.

    [Item: Heava¡¯liku: Mist Fang of the Kasha Dust-plains. Type: Small Arms. Class: D-rank. Mod:+45 Attack. 10% Confusion. +5 Active Skills.] It was a fucking Blue. I almost threw-up. The world was fucking with me, I just didn¡¯t yet know how. I mean how could anyone be this lucky. Blues items were rare and magical and only the lucky few found one in a dungeon. No one ever, as far as I knew, found a blue item on their first dungeon dive. First in the sense that I was now gifted. I found several scrolls, though many were blank, and a few runic stones.

    I stuffed everything that wasn¡¯t nailed down into my inventory. Even a few rings though none had a magical enchantment. I left the now bare loot-room with a damn skip in my step and found myself back at the throne room, then proceeded with the gritty task of removing Khrums¡¯ head.

    The throne was a simple large high-back chair. Dark blotches of blood tinted the geography of the wood. I set Khrums¡¯ head down on the chair and stepped back. Nothing happened. Frowning; I looked about as if the answers were somehow around me and I just couldn¡¯t quite see them.

    ¡°Leave a mark maybe...¡± I trailed off looking down at my trusty companion of the last few hours or so. ¡°You do have a blue now though,¡± muttering I stepped up to throne and planted the rusted dagger straight into Khrums forehead. As I stepped away this time, a loud chime rung through my skull vibrating it to the point of discomfort and making me wince and jump from the suddenness.

    Then I was stepping through the gateway.

    My first dungeon completed and the rewards to claim once I was home. It was night-time, the time dilation of gateways seemed to effect even the key summoned ones. I was outside the arch of the foundation building of the brothel/strip-club. I frowned at the surrounding crowd that began to gather around me.

    They were all dress in yellow and dark-green gang colours, their tattoos lit with a vibrant blue glow, though I couldn¡¯t make out what any of them meant. ¡°What¡¯re you doing down here boy?¡± one of them asked, his eye colour a vibrant green, were contact lenses.

    Awakened and gifted could mostly tell the difference on some instinctive level, like there was present we all recognised in each other. Marcus Benedict, his name bloomed grey above his head. ¡°Well Marcus. It just so happens I was in neighbourhood. You know, perusing the streets in search of filth,¡± I said coolly. My use of his given name startling him and a few others. Incite Activated. My cold fury and untamed bloodlust spread forth in a crashing wave sinking the gang members and thugs to their knees. I pulled my hoody up around me as a chill wind swept through the dilapidated streets filled with hustlers and drug dealers alike. I patted Marcus on the shoulder, ¡°I do believe I found what I was looking for. Goodnight to you all,¡± I said with a wave and walked off to call a taxi home.

    +1 Sense.

    An hour or so later I climbed out of the cab after paying my automated bill. I stepped onto the path of my parent¡¯s apartment level and quickly moved to the front-door to press the thumb pad, but it was already unlocked. ¡°What the?¡± I wondered slowly. Sudden worry crept into my mind. Had something happened to Kayla? Did she mean to leave the door unlocked. No, she was always consistent and meticulous when it came to these things. My thoughts a blur as I entered quietly.

    The lights in the living room were still on, is she still awake, I wondered internally. Which is odd considering I had checked the time on the way over and it read: 11.25pm.

    Had she stayed up worried for me? With a sheepish expression I took off my shoes and made my way into the living-room. Sat on the couch was Matilda, her purple hair tied back behind her head, her light cream skin covered in a thin sheen of sweat. It got really warm in the apartment block at nights, something to do the building behind us generating a palpable amount of heat.

    She hadn¡¯t noticed me yet, for which I was thankful. She was wearing dark navy leggings and a white tank top, her legs folded beneath her on the couch as she read something from the glass holo-tablet she owned. Kayla draped in a blanket was asleep besides her, her head resting on Matilda¡¯s thigh. I kept my head low and walked inside. I tried the best I could to keep my eyes concealed. Tomorrow; I would have to return to that Farias shop and try to purchase some glasses that could hide my unique eye colour.

    ¡°-Rhys your back,¡± Matilda said startling at my sight of my approach.

    ¡°Yeah... Hey Matilda,¡± I replied quietly.

    ¡°Mother...¡± she started her voice trailing off. ¡°What¡¯ve you done to your clothes?¡± Then it was my turn to startle, I gave an imperceptible glance down and realised I was covered in dirt and blood, with numerous wide cuts slashing across my clothing.

    Sighing I gave her a noncommittal shrug. Still not looking at her fully. I trusted Matilda, or at least I did when we were together. But now, it was different. I was something with the potential to be monstrous. I didn¡¯t know if I could thrust that burden of knowledge upon her, or how she would react to such.

    ¡°Got into a few scrapes on the lower levels,¡± I supplied untruthfully. Her name flashed up at in the corner of my vision. Matilda Simmons. Knight. She was strong enough to pose a challenge to me, but I knew that didn¡¯t fully mean anything. Surprise attacks and preparation could kill anyone.

    Am I really thinking about this? I thought in shock. ¡°Thanks for coming by Tilda,¡± I told her, wanting her gone after the morbid thought I had considered.

    ¡°Yeah... I came by to see you both. But Kay said you were out running after having worked out this morning,¡± her voice faded, and I could hear both the smile and the slight worry in her tone.

    ¡°I just started today. It¡¯s¡­ something to help clear my head,¡± I said, bending down to smooth away some non-existent hair from my sister¡¯s forehead. I went to pick her up and carry her off to her room, when Matilda¡¯s hand stopped me, ¡°let me do that. You go get cleaned up and throw those clothes away,¡± she suggested.

    But I shook my hooded head at her, the underlining meaning of her words. She was strong enough to pick up Kayla without waking her and struggling. She had watched me try as much quite a few times.

    Now I was different though. ¡°I got her,¡± I replied shaking off her hand. I didn¡¯t mean or want to be distant and callus with Matilda, but my thoughts just kept spiralling down a funnel of what if scenarios.

    I had to prove that I was indeed worthy of my gift. That I wasn¡¯t as weak as others made me out to be. At least not anymore, I¡¯m not.

    It had been the reason we¡¯d broken up after-all, nothing malicious like jealousy- okay maybe a little. Human¡¯s and Awakened mix together easily, but human¡¯s and gifted didn¡¯t niche well together at all. Different lifespans and the fact that gifted spent almost every week fighting for their lives, to become strong, make money and safeguard Terra.

    When I had Awakened from the Red-gate two years ago, I had become distant. Locked in an internal vice of sorrow, pity and anger. All aimed at myself. ¡°Rhys?¡± she asked, and I realised I had been lost in thought.

    ¡°Sorry- was away there for a moment,¡± I gathered Kayla up easily and stood back up straightening. Kayla didn¡¯t stir, her head resting in the crook of my chest and shoulder. I carried her to her room, once in bed I set her alarm on her wrist phone and exited, closing the door behind me.

    Matilda stood at the end of the hall, her shoes in one hand, bag and jacket draped over her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go,¡± she said apologetically.

    ¡°Alright- I¡¯ll see you Tuesday at the gate,¡± I replied.

    She frowned in the dim light cascading out from the living room. ¡°You aren¡¯t in work tomorrow?¡± she asked me.

    ¡°No. I¡¯ve got tomorrow off, to grieve and what not,¡± she nodded.

    ¡°Kayla said that Abbey¡¯s funeral was nice¡­¡± she trailed off as if grasping for a subject, a way to communicate with me. But I was more than mentally drained than I thought.

    ¡°Nice?¡± I asked her quietly. My voice coming across sharper than I had intended, but I couldn¡¯t stop the bitter tones I felt from burying my long dead mother. ¡°Yeah. Burying her could be considered nice. She would¡¯ve liked to have had you--¡± I forcibly shut my mouth with a snap and shook my head. Cutting myself off from the deep pit of regret and jealousy I was tumbling through.

    Was she seeing Drake as I buried my mother? Or had she just not attended as a way to distance herself from us Human¡¯s and Awakened. I saw Matilda freeze as my words hit her, ¡°goodnight Matilda,¡± I said, quietly offering her the way out. Feeling angry at myself, I turned away and headed for my bedroom door. Matilda¡¯s goodbye following me, sounding emotional, and yet hollow to my own ears.

    ¡°Goodnight, Rhys.¡±

    The damned flood of prompts spilled out in front of me the second I led down. Each one demanding my attention. With a groan I went about reading them all, distributing my points, selling and equipping items and finally, learning some Magic.

    This novel is the work of Rhys Thomas. If you are reading this and it has not been published by Rhys Thomas, then this work has been stolen. Please report this to Amazon and me at email: [email protected]</a>

 Interlude: Prompts & Status

    <u>Congratulations [Player] Level up: x5</u>

    Level 13: +4 Ap awarded. Reward: 1-Lesser potion of healing.

    Level 14: +4 Ap awarded. Reward: 1-Lesser potion of healing.

    Level 15: +4 Ap awarded. Reward: 1-Minor potion of Fatigue. 1-Minor potion of mana.

    <u>Hidden Quest Completed:</u> Tutorial.

    Health and Mana increases will be exponentially higher. Attribute points gained per level are increased by 1, instead of the usual 4. Passive and Active Skill levels will increase in rank. Store System [Option] has been enabled. Magic System has been enabled.

    The struggle begins now [Rhys Xavier Trent]

    Level 16: +5 Ap awarded. Reward: [Item: x1 Ring of Mishap. Type: Accessory. Placement: Hand. Class: D-rank. Mod: +10 Luck]

    Level 17: +5 Ap awarded. Reward: [Item: x1 Vial of Maylith the Ash Phoenix blood. Type: Single use. Class: Black rank. Unknown Affect.]

    Reward 1: x2 Instant Recovery.

    Reward 2: x1 Homestone.

    <u>Title Claimed:</u> Reaper of Judgment [Souls Claimed: 1(consumed, +7Ap). Further soul consumption could have confound effects on Appearance, Skills, Magic and Race. [Warning!] Changes through soul consumption will not penalize you.

    <u>Awards: Khrum & Sprall.</u>

    Gold: 250 [Claimed]

    Mana Crystals: 70 [Claimed]

    [Item: x1 Chest of Gonro. Type: Armour. Placement: Torso. Class: D-rank. Mod: +10 Defense.]

    <u>Active Skill</u>

    Stone Flesh [Lvl: 1] Once activated your defense gains a buff: 10% to physical damage.

    Congratulations: You¡¯ve learned the language of the Cawraith¡¯Phdu.

    You have befriended Deere Hilop.

    <u>Quest Rewards</u>

    Kill the Grey-Abomination of the Turaisha¡¯Fell: 1/1.

    Desecrate the Turaisha¡¯Fell Throne: 1/1.

    +7 Ap awarded. [Claimed]

    [Item: x1 Purple Gate Key. Location: Kasha. Type: Adventure. Class: A-rank.]

    [Item: x1 Hallowed Box. Type: Mystery. Class S-rank.]Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    [Item: x1 Gauntlet of the Veil. Type: Armour. Placement: Arms. Class: D-rank. Mod: Phase. +10 Intelligence.]

    <u>Books</u>

    [Item: Ensorcelled Scroll. Type: Tame. Cost: 450M (Mana.) Cool-down: 9 days.] For a permanent cost of 100 Mana. You can Tame; up to one beast at a time. Attempting to Tame another beast will cancel the previous contract, and result in a dire penalty.

    [Item: Ensorcelled Scroll. Type: Telekinetic Reach. Cost: 30M (Mana.) Cool-down: N/A] Self-explanatory.

    <u>Rune-Stones</u>

    [Item: Runic Stone. Type: Magical Sight. Cost: N/A. Cool-down: N/A. Passive ability: activated by conscious thought.] Mage Sight grants the user a modicum of night vision along with the ability to perceive magical formations, runes, weaves and script.

    [Item: Runic Stone. Type: Blank. Cost N/A. Cool-down: N/A] A blank rune stone.

    Alert: Magic System enabled. First strand is accessible.

    Accept: YES/NO

    <u>Status Window</u>

    Name: Rhys Xavier Trent

    Level: 17 [2%]

    Class: Gamer

    Credits: 380,836

    Gold: 00

    Mana Crystals: 151 [226,500Cs]

    Profession: None

    Title: Reaper of Judgement [Souls Claimed: 01]

    Reputation: None

    <u>Stats:</u>

    Health: 500/500

    Mana: 505/505

    Fatigue: 14%

    <u>Attributes:</u>

    Strength: 39

    Vitality: 28

    Intelligence: 28

    Agility: 40

    Sense: 26

    Luck: 24

    Charisma: 36

    <u>Remaining Points:</u>0

    <u>Passive Skills:</u>

    Gamers Guide [Lvl: Max]

    Perseverance [Lvl: 1]

    Incite [Lvl: 4]

    <u>Active Skills:</u>

    Disabling Strike [Lvl: 1]

    Haste [Lvl: 1]

    Stone Flesh [Lvl:1]

    <u>Magic:</u>

    Tame [450M]

    Telekinetic Reach [30M]

    Magical Sight [N/A]

    Magical Strand [Accessible]

    <u>Weapons:</u>

    [Equipped Item: x1 Heava¡¯liku, Mist Fang of the Kasha Dust-plains. Type: Small Arms. Class: D-rank. Mod: +45 Attack. 10% Confusion. +5 Active Skills.]

    [Item: x1 Turaisha¡¯Fell Lieutenant Bronze Halberd. Type: Polearm Mod:+10 Attack.]

    <u>Armour:</u>

    [Equipped Item: x1 Chest of Gonro. Type: Armour. Placement: Torso. Class: D-rank. Mod: +10 Defense.]

    [Equipped Item: x1 Gauntlet of the Veil. Type: Armour. Placement: Arms. Class: D-rank. Mod: Phase. +10 Intelligence.]

    [Equipped Item: x1 Ring of Mishap. Type: Accessory. Placement: Hand. Class: D-rank. Mod: +10 Luck]

    <u>Potions:</u>

    x4-Lesser potions of healing [+25Hp]

    x4-Lesser potions of fatigue [-25Ft]

    x1-Minor potion of mana [+50Mp]

    x1-Minor potion of fatigue [-50Ft]

    x2-Instant recovery

    <u>Books:</u>

    <u>Quest:</u>

    [Item: x1 Vial of Maylith the Ash Phoenix blood. Type: Single use. Class: Black rank. Unknown Affect.]

    [Item: x1 Purple Gate Key. Location: Kasha. Type: Adventure. Class: A-rank.]

    [Item: x1 Hallowed Box. Type: Mystery. Class S-rank.]

    Items Sold: +4 minor quality silver ring¡¯s. [100G.]

    <u>Expand upon further Levelling.</u>

    This novel is the work of Rhys Thomas. If you are reading this and it has not been published by Rhys Thomas, then this work has been stolen. Please report this to Amazon and me at email: [email protected]</a>

 Rhys Chapter Six.

    (Tuesday. Date: 23-04-2463)

    Climbing out of the cab, I stood in front of a branch of Peters and Holland bank. I yawned after cracking my stiff neck. The neutral ring was teeming with activity. People were generally freer in this part of the city, as it was actively monitored by both agencies of the G.A and the E.N.G. Though they were truthfully; more interested in what the other was doing, than any actual harassment of Humans and Awakened, by the Gifted. Most Gifted lived here as well, as it is the central hub for all gate-activity in New Eden.

    A higher number of gateways frequented the outer rings, but in neutral they were higher ranked. Which also meant more of a threat level to the occupants living here. But with so many Gifted living here, I doubted anything serious would ever happen.

    The bank was a building of complex spiralling window¡¯s and a bronze coloured steel enforced framework that twisted like cords of steel only intersected by grav-lifts moving employees up and down. The building looked more like a shiny twisted metallic tree thunk, than anything.

    ¡°I guess it just matter¡¯s whose inside,¡± I muttered, adjusting the concealment glasses I was wearing. I had bought them off the system store for a measly 100 credits. They would¡¯ve likely been worth a fortune in a store like Farias, I was sure. I stifled another yawn and blinked my eyes rapidly.

    I had worked out yesterday and today as well. Getting up at around 6:00am to do my exercises. My Fatigue baseline had only dropped by 1% since then. From that, I could only deduce that the rate of which it was decreasing would slow more so going forward. Which lead me to believe, that once my fatigue reached the very base limits it could go, my daily quest would become something else entirely.

    I had never been unhealthy in terms of weight or diet, because those factors; for me at least, had never changed since I Awakened. Now with my new Gift, my body was changing so rapidly that it was both exciting and a little scary.

    I was now sitting at a healthy Fatigue: 13% and I had only been Gifted for three days. Yet, it felt longer because Fellbait dungeon had seemed to have sucked the sense of time out of me since.

    Walking through the entrance of Peters and Holland, a scan drone searching me and everyone else for potential threats, magical or otherwise. It scanned me twice and moved on, and I hid a smirk.

    ¡°No need to look as arrogant as you feel. Still in your shitty office suit after-all,¡± I chided myself quietly. I needed new clothes anyway as most of my thing¡¯s other than hoodies and tracksuit bottom didn¡¯t quite properly fit anymore. ¡°Should go shopping tomorrow, bring Kayla with me and treat her to something nice. I¡¯ll have to register for a license soon as well,¡± I said trailing off as I came to one of the many reception desks.

    A human woman greeted me with a serviceable smile, somehow looking more robotic than the service droid next to her. ¡°Hi, Rhys Trent here for a meeting about the Complex R. A-1; apartments in the outer ring,¡± I said by way of introduction and the woman nodded. ¡°Of course, Mr. Trent. One moment please,¡± she replied smoothly.

    Glancing about, I saw that the bank was packed tight in some areas with extra security everywhere. I itched to activate my Magical Sight but worried that their security bots and sensors would pick up my Mana signature. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Trent. Do you know who you¡¯re supposed to have your meeting with?¡± she asked me, a slight frown creasing her forehead.

    ¡°No, I really don¡¯t. I have the letter with me that was sent as well, if that¡¯ll help?¡± I said reaching into my breast pocket and retrieving the envelope. When I looked back up, envelope in hand I saw that the receptionist had stepped back from the counter and moved off to one side.

    Staring at her, I couldn¡¯t help but cock an eyebrow in annoyance, did she think I was going to pull a gun on her. Her polite mask came back as quickly as the frightened one vanished. Wiggling the envelope about, in a somehow placating manner. I placed it on the counter as the receptionist gave me a genuine apologetic smile. She then frowned at the glass phone in her hand.

    ¡°Ah, yes. Of- of course Sir. I¡¯ll- I¡¯ll send him right up,¡± she said, her expression ranging from concern to confusion. ¡°I won¡¯t be needing that after-all Mr. Trent. Peter¡¯s and Holland will see you now,¡± she told me as a man came to my side; gesturing for me to follow him. The man moved as if he was on a treadmill, everything about him seemed exact. Precise. Programmed.

    I had met with Peter¡¯s and Holland several times before and both had come across as greedy men. Though neither were in no way near such an expansive waist line. No, the only lines they wanted and were willingly to expand were the lines of their pockets.

    The grav-lift dinged, so lost in my thought¡¯s that I hadn¡¯t realised that we had stopped. Man-bot walked off without a word back to me, his prim and laser exact everything was starting to piss me off. He showed me to an unfamiliar office and opened the door waving me on. I gave him a nod of thanks which he didn¡¯t return nor noticed. Prick.

    Entering the room, I frowned slightly. It was like a window had an affair with a plant. Cause there were damn plant¡¯s and windows everywhere, even on the floor, much to my chagrin. I was fine with height¡¯s, when I wasn¡¯t looking down at my potential splat and death. ¡°Mr. Trent, please come in. Good to see you, and sorry to hear about your loss.¡±

    I looked up and saw Peter Matterson and Michael Holland, sitting so close together you would¡¯ve thought they were Siamese twins. Though that problem had been fixed a long time ago. The only Siamese twins out there these days, were those who wanted to stay connected.

    I wasn¡¯t sure which of them had greeted me, so I smiled falsely and bobbed my head; taking the only proffered seat across them. I had to hide a wince as I sat, the metal chair was like the epitome of an ice stake being rammed so far up my ass I felt it at my shoulders.

    Now that I was closer, I saw that in fact both men had taken steps to actually looking almost like identical twins. Short blonde hair and thin faces pierced by sharp blue eyes. It was as if I was looking at a rendition of the Hitler¡¯s perfect beings, the master race. One of the few historical documentaries still available from Old Earth. One moved and the other made an almost identical movement as they squirmed comfortably in their warm plush high-backed chairs.

    ~*~*~*~

    Thirty minutes or so later, they finished. Sounding out all of the extra costs and permits and plans I should¡¯ve paid for and how it irked them that I had been free to not fork out a fortune so that they could stuff it with the money pile of credit chips they hid under their mattresses, I smiled at the thought of them both sharing a bed, or more likely, bunkbeds.

    Hearing enough of their drivel, I raised my hand and they looked at me questioningly. ¡°Can I just ask ¡­ when exactly did Mr. Elman purchase Complex R. A-1?¡± I asked, one of the two, I really wasn¡¯t quite sure who was who anymore. They began flipping through the pages of their piled notes and documents, which was odd. I hadn¡¯t seen actual paper in such a long time. ¡°Ah- he¡­ Mr. Elman brought the complex 14 days after you were reassigned there 2 years ago,¡± the man said looking up at me.

    ¡°You see, that¡¯s funny. I don¡¯t believe myself, or my sister; who would¡¯ve been underage by then had signed any sort of agreement to Mr. Robert Elman being our landlord. And it most certainly couldn¡¯t be my mother who was comatose at the time as well. Tell you what. If you can present those signed documents to me and have them verified ¡­ by a warlock. I happily throw my money at you all day,¡± I said cheerily. I was bored of their rambling spiel already.

    Glancing at my Kayla-loaned-watch I saw I had an hour left of my weekly break. I stood up and gave the men a nod as they spluttered at and after me. Though neither actually rose to follow me out. I was but another fish in the pond, there were always other¡¯s they could catch after-all.

    I moved outside into the midday sun as a car flew over but didn¡¯t land, instead the doors slid back and deposited several dark duffle bags out the hovering car. I frowned as I watched the men jump out of the car and land beside the bags. They each wore different coloured snake masks and pulled a different assortment of weapons from the bags.

    One even popped out a 4-foot spider bot, tap a series of commands into the holo-terminal on his wrist and the bot wound up a plasma round from one of the two mounted barrels attached to it. The fiery blue churning ball of death sailed past me and slammed into the entrance. That on impact exploded the double front doors to the bank inwards leaving a fizzing scorching outline on either wall of the entrance.

    They had no identifiers or anything above their heads. Taking a gamble I shouted to catch their attention as they proceeded past me. ¡°Hey,¡± one the five gunmen swung their sights on me. And disengaged the safety, with an audible click. It was a mean looking piece of weaponry. But I just raised my hands, a friendly smile plastering my face.

    I didn¡¯t feel threatened in the least.

    ¡°Peter¡¯s and Holland are upstairs,¡± I said by explanation. ¡°Not sure which floor. But look for one with a bunch of plants in it.¡± The gunman paused, and then nodded their head at me, turning to join the others.

    ¡°Ah, the injustices of banking,¡± I thought aloud, and when about making my way back to work.

    I sat at my desk late that afternoon as the people around me gossiped about the bank robbery and eventual kidnapping of Peters and Holland. My phone dialled me an alert, reminding me of the impending Green gateway jaunt this evening. ¡°Why the hell have they left it so late,¡± I wondered. I could¡¯ve asked Matilda, but I wasn¡¯t entirely sure she was calling the shots of her group anymore. Which meant it was likely Drake; the rich prissy princess rogue. ¡°Not even gonna try. Maybe... maybe we lost too many people? I haven¡¯t actually checked either.¡±

    ¡°Rhys!¡± came a shout from the side of the room. The authoritative tone could only mean one person was calling me up. My boss and the co-founder of Hunter Insurances. His partner ran the Loan company, the more lucrative side of the deal if you ask me. I stood up just in time to see his door close, sighing I walked past the pitying stare of my co-workers.

    I wasn¡¯t particularly great at my job. I filled quotas and other endless shitty goals to appease those in higher position¡¯s than I. But I never tried to exceed those goals, to push forward. Because I, like everyone else working here knew we were trapped.

    I knocked and waited; I took the time to button up my suit jacket. ¡°Come in,¡± came a gruff mutter through the door. I moved within and stood a foot away from his polish wooden desk. He didn¡¯t look at me, so I just stared at the bald shiny spot on the crown of his head. ¡°You wanted to see me Jim,¡± I said, my tone flat and polite.

    He didn¡¯t reply, instead he kept tapping away at his terminal. I looked out through the window behind his bald pate and noticed something. The reflection in the glass showing me exactly what he looking at. Pictures of a pretty teenage blonde girl, possibly in her early twenties. She was in ridiculously skimpy clothing, and she looked nothing like Jim¡¯s wife.

    Who was stupidly beautiful.

    Then a message appeared underneath, Jim smiled devilishly and tapped a reply. Then he looked at me, and I squirmed my vision away from the window. ¡°Yes, were gonna be moving somethings around soon, expanding and filling more of the floors above. Ms. Simmons has put you forth for a potential re-examination. Apparently, she believes you have the merit to hold a higher position. Though your feedback tells a different tale,¡± he trailed off; leaning back in his chair and arching fingers before him as he gaged my reaction.

    I was both grateful to Matilda and hurt, she was trying to help me, better me.

    She was taking pity on me. And that crushed me all the same.

    Pity, pity was what I felt briefly as Khrum¡¯ tried fixed it¡¯s jaw. I felt pity, and disgust for the stupid brute of an animal. ¡°But I¡¯ve decline her suggestion. In fact after revaluating your time here,¡± Jim continued. His round face greasy and shining in the light reflecting through the window. ¡°I¡¯ve concluded that you can hold another position. A position in postal has opened up, and I¡¯ve put your name in for the raffle,¡± he smiled evilly at me.

    And I realised at that moment that I honestly didn¡¯t need to work anymore. So I smiled back at him, to him it must¡¯ve looked forced. Like I was trapped and needing the work, no matter how shitty and tiring it was. Postal wasn¡¯t bad, but it was dangerous. A job where your responsible for giving a notice to debtors, that they were late.

    A lot of the time the Post-boys just don¡¯t come back. Other companies and businesses have delivery bots and droids, like the postal droid who gave me the letter from the bank.

    Jim nodded understandingly at me, yet smugly, ¡°Ms. Simmons will be troubled that she couldn¡¯t fuck her friend up my ladder. So you¡¯ll slide down a rung till I say otherwise,¡± he hissed at me.

    Yet I just kept smiling, in fact it widened upon hearing his closing statement. ¡°Well Jim, your in luck. because I¡¯m quitting as of now. I need the pay you own for this months work and my holiday pay. Then I¡¯ll be having a stunning conversation with your wife,¡± I said stunning him and myself. But I was feeling positively blas¨¦ about all this.

    Turning around I walked outside his office, his door left open. ¡°Oh and Jim, the Blonde your messaging and creeping on, it¡¯s disgusting. Fuck ya later,¡± I called back to him, hearing his sudden curse of panic.

    Chasing after me, his pace much slower than my determined walk. He stopped and shouted, calling for me to come back. Everyone here knew he was a cheating prick. I was just the only one who¡¯d actually confronted him about it. Now it was out in the open. Moving to the empty grav-lift I stepped within just as the doors chimed shut. One smooth ride later and I was at the ground floor.

    Kasey, the Awakened receptionist gave me a smile, ¡°going home so soon Rhys?¡± she asked me.

    ¡°Nooo. Just- quit. Enjoy your life Kasey,¡± I said with a small wave, moving outside. I stretched in the dimming light. Feeling free and unconcerned, our debt and banks problems had been temporarily fixed. What with the robbery and kidnapping. I no longer had a shitty job, and now I could focus on just myself and Kayla. Bringing out my phone, I slid up the plastic screen and dialled Kayla.

    A few second went by, ¡°Rhys?¡± someone said my name. I turned and found Matilda behind me, Drake on her arm. My eyes skidded across them blanking them from my thoughts and vision. ¡°Uhhh Brother?¡± Came Kayla¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Hey Kay, want to grab some lunch?¡± there was a pause, then.

    ¡°Sure ¡­ but aren¡¯t you at work?¡±

    ¡°Nah, I just quit; I want to spoil my little sister.¡±

    There was another, more extended pause this time.

    ¡°Okay Rhys, I¡¯ll get dress and wait for you.¡±

    ¡°See you in a bit.¡±

    ¡°Just Quit?¡± said Matilda. I started down the steps in front of H.I and moved to one of the several taxi cabs park there. ¡°Rhys! Where are you-¡± Matilda said shouting after me. ¡°Ignore him Tilda, let¡¯s go inside.¡± Came Drake imperiously smug tone.

    I wanted to crushed his spine beneath my boot. But I had been acting rash a lot today. And I was worried that I may actually just do that. ¡°No. It¡¯s just,¡± Matilda started to say but then I was within the taxi and off to take my sister shopping.

    ~*~*~*~

    ¡°Alright, spill it,¡± Kayla said in an imperious tone. It was an hour later. We were in the neutral ring, and Kayla and I were at a restaurant. One of those outdoor caf¨¦/bar/restaurants thing¡¯s, I wasn¡¯t quite sure of they had a name. We were sitting at a table on the roof, and I was enjoying the first beer, I¡¯d had in the last two years. I wasn¡¯t much of a drinker, but I felt particularly relaxed right now. My sister on the other hand was a nervous wreck.

    We¡¯d just finishing eating. I¡¯d ordered the house sandwich, which was a mess of cheese, burger, bacon, onions and egg in a bagel bun. Kayla the ever-starving student ordered: steak, chips, onion rings, mushrooms and a side of salad. All of it, fresh meat. A pricey affair, but one most deserving. ¡°Rhys!¡¯ she hissed at me; staring her hot chocolate. It had a stupidly complex name, that sounded like all of its ingredients made up into a word. Her tone was warning though, so I spilled.

    ¡°I¡¯ll show instead,¡± I placated, raising a hand as I laughed. ¡°We¡¯ll go shopping after this, clothes and maybe even start looking at a car, I can drive, just never been able to afford one.¡±

    ¡°What are you-¡± she began but I slid my phone across the table. My bank account on display, Credits: 377,536. Kayla¡¯s eyes grew round and watery, then she her brows pinched in worry. ¡°Rhys how did you--¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all 100% legitimate,¡± I interrupted her, ¡°I would tell you. I just don¡¯t think I can yet.¡± She nodded slowly as tears ran down her cheeks. ¡°I promised Mom I would look out for you,¡± I told her gently, ¡°and this money. This money is just the start; soon we can start looking for a new place. Help set up funds for you, so that you can study to your hearts content. We¡¯ll buy you a new camera, a proper one you don¡¯t have borrow or rent from your friends. Then we¡¯ll live more freely than we have been.¡± I finished and Kayla just stared at me in shock.

    ¡°You know,¡± she said, her cracking slightly as she spoke. ¡°You¡¯ve changed so much over these past few days that I worry. I... I know there is more, you haven¡¯t told me about what happened at moms funeral.¡± She hissed the last word quietly and I nodded in confirmation.

    ¡°When I can, I will tell you Kay,¡± I said honestly.

    ¡°I know you will Rhys,¡± Kayla sighed, ¡°¡­she doesn¡¯t pity you by the way. She just doesn¡¯t know how to help you.¡± I know she meant Matilda, and I breathed out a heavy sigh. There is almost always something conflicting when it came to Matilda. I had liked her a lot, but even when we were together, she would always try to fix little things about me. Or set thing¡¯s in motion that I would benefit from. But to me, they were falsehood¡¯s I couldn¡¯t accept, and she never understood why.

    I had wanted something of my own creation. She got something greater, a Gift. Then she stripped herself away from me, inch, by slow inch. ¡°Well maybe she should come to understand that I¡¯m doing quite fine on my own,¡± I replied sourly. Kayla nodded, seeing was believing after all. ¡°Now hurry up and finished your drink, we¡¯ve shopping to do and I¡¯m feeling mighty generous. I may even buy you something,¡± I said smiling and downed the last few dregs of my beer.

    Kayla clapped happily like an excited little girl, ¡°I¡¯m already done. Come on let¡¯s go,¡± she chirped at me, practically jumping to her feet. A few dreadful hours later, we crawled back home exhausted. We--I¡¯d¡ªprobably spent around 30-40thousands credits on clothing, and a glass-skin television. A new phone for myself. A wrist one similar to Kayla¡¯s. I had also bought several suits and comfy clothing to lounge around in.

    Kayla, I seemed to have decked out in a small storage of clothing and other various items. All for her own personal amusement, because I had never seen her be so petulant and greedy, like a spoiled child when I refused her. I was now sitting at a sum of, Credits: 331,300. I dumped my stuff in my room and stretched, popping my neck and back.

    I moved to Kayla¡¯s room, knocking on her door. ¡°Trying on my clothes,¡± she shouted through the door.

    ¡®It¡¯s alright, just saying that it¡¯s time for me to head out. The Green-gate and all.¡± Something fell to ground, ¡°Shit,¡± Kayla cursed, her feet stomping in a rush. Then the door swung open quickly, and Kayla peered up at me.Stolen story; please report.

    When did this happened, I suddenly realised. I was much taller than her now, nearing around 6¡¯2.

    ¡°Your still doing that?¡± She asked, concern laden her voice heavily.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I replied simply. She stared at me, seeing my conviction and nodded fractionally to herself as if affirming something she had already known. Then she hugged me, her arms tight and almost pleading. ¡°Don¡¯t get yourself hurt or killed for that matter. I need my brother...¡± her voice broke. And I hugged just as tightly, if not more so in return.

    But I didn¡¯t have the words to pry her worry from her. So I settled for no words at all.

    ¡°I need my brother ¡®s money after-all. How else am I going to buy all the new stuff that comes out. Just wait till Holly see the thing¡¯s I have, she¡¯ll be so jealous,¡± Kayla muffled into my arms. I knew she was trying to lighten the mood, and I was thankful for it.

    I laughed lightly at her words, ¡°so vain my Sister, so vain.¡± She whacked my arm and headed back into her room. Not bothering to close her door. I went back to my own room and changed into a plain black t-shirt, a zip-up grey hoodie, skinny jogging bottoms and a pair of trainers.

    My armour was always on, just magically concealed even to me. I tested out the hand phasing capability of my gauntlet by taking out items from the fridge and sitting up breakfast that morning. Then I stepped outside in the downpour of rain and charcoal coloured skies.

    It felt like an omen of bad tidings.

    I shrugged and made my way over to the taxi we had pulled in on, and I climbed in with a, ¡°Thanks for waiting, Milton road please.¡±

    We were off.

    ¡°Ah... Here he is, our little baggage boy,¡± Drake said, his greeting conveying enough of an introduction that everyone else, either ignored, scrawled or snarled at me. I didn¡¯t mind, not one bit. I looked around and noticed quite a few new faces. Only Matilda, Melody and Drake were here from the previous group.

    I didn¡¯t count. I wasn¡¯t gifted after-all, at least to them, I wasn¡¯t. Then I saw a familiar face and my expression soured. The shop keeper from Farias Sightless Eyes. I hadn¡¯t actually gotten her name and hadn¡¯t planned to. ¡°Damn stalker,¡± I muttered. She turned to look directly at me and gave me an amused smile at my expression. Then she blinked several times as if she was staring at a stranger.

    The glasses, I thought. She gave me a subtle gestured, a light touch to the bridge of her nose. A question. I sighed and gave her a small nod confirming. She wore a jet-black dress that was lacy at the arms, and just short of being a mini dress. Knee-high black suede boots hugged her lean legs. Beneath the veil of her dress I caught a glimpse of black fishnet stockings riding high up her thighs. Her eyes were dark and smoky, and I saw that here ears had a few piercing¡¯s in each. Her lips stained black in a soft pout.

    My dick gave an involuntary twitch at the sight of her, she looked forebodingly sexy as hell. She also held no discernible weapons I could see. ¡°Wonder where she keeping the glass dagger then?¡± I mumbled to myself, my mind wondering.

    ¡°Shut-up,¡± a large man growled, he was decked in plate and leather armour and bumped my shoulder. He had a giant hourglass shield with white fur around the edges, it seemed horribly impractical. He also carried a massive war-axe as well. Joshua Gilbert. Warrior.

    Hoping to train and become a Tank-Knight or a Paladin is my guess, I thought. ¡°No problem Gilly, I¡¯ll be quiet.¡±

    ¡°How did you-¡±

    ¡°Hush-hush, the show has just begun.¡± Drake, finishing his prep talk looked to Matilda. Her armour looked dented but clean. Her long sword swept off her back. Then she and Drake stepped through first followed by everyone else afterwards. Most of everyone here except the few from before were low to high E-rank¡¯s. As per usual, I was the last one to step through as the group split into different teams of 4. Usually the G.A and E.N.G only allowed a certain number of people to enter a gateway. As the more that did enter, the more likely a high rank monster came about. There¡¯s even been documented cases, where a higher amount of gifted enter a gateway, likelier for the gateway to change. None who entered knowing this had happened.

    The entirety of this group split to about 3 groups of 4. Plus the odd one: Me, made us 13. The limit was usually 10 and the minimum 7. I adjusted the packs of on my shoulders. I couldn¡¯t see Howard the wizard anywhere and that worried me. ¡°So, you¡¯re the baggage carrier?¡± a sweat voice drifted up to my ears as I stared at dark tunnels ahead. I blinked twice and looked down to my left to see the shop keeper standing there. ¡°And your stalking me...¡± I started and glanced at her identifier: Amara Farias Ayala. Blood Witch. I hid my smile. ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s it like being a Blood Witch, Amara?¡± I asked annoyed at being called out by someone who just wanted to provoke a response from me.

    Her face slackened at my words and her hands closed into fists, a slight red tinge outlining them, then it stopped. And she spun away from me. Stomping off to join a group. Which happened to be, Drake, Melody and Matilda. ¡°Is the man building a harem,¡± I said and scoffed in laughter. Amara sped on, as if my laughter was aimed at her. I didn¡¯t mean to be harsh with her, but I was tired of taking everyone¡¯s shit and saying thank you afterwards.

    Melody greeted her with a concerned smile, and they exchanged a few words. Then Melody glanced my way as I sat on a rock waiting for everyone to get their asses in gear. I gave the cleric a smile and shrugged. Melody shook her disapproval. And I oddly felt chastised by that simple gesture. She had tried to save me when I was bleeding out after-all.

    ¡°Alright everyone let¡¯s move, since our last wizard didn¡¯t make it. We¡¯ve brought on a witch. We¡¯re hoping she can translate the passages better and we can finally move on to close this gate. Gather up and follow me,¡± Drake commanded. Like usual I stayed behind and then brought up the rear.

    I whistled a tone quietly as we moved through the cavern. Ahead I could hear fighting and the barking sound of wolves. I saw the men and women in front of me shiver in part excitement and fear. Then I heard it a soft patting sound underlining the shout¡¯s of battle ahead. Turning around I looked back into the darkness behind me, a slow smile curling my lips. ¡°New recruits,¡± I shouted at the men and women near me suddenly, and they spun about in fear. I moved off to one side and gestured at the encroaching darkness behind. ¡°We¡¯ve got company,¡± then three red furred wolves broke out from the shadow.

    Snapping and clawing at the E-rank¡¯s.

    The wolves were nasty massive thing¡¯s. Sharp metal teeth and claws gnashing, snarling, scraping. One came through the shadows for me. Almost unseen. But I had activated Magical Sight and was awarded a modicum of night vision. I could also see the Mana within the beasts pulsing with the drum of their heart beat. When I locked eyes with the wolf and It immediately bent low whimpering in terror and then scuffled backwards fleeing with a yelp.

    Bresac Re¡¯dere Wolf. I blinked, turning my attention back over to the new recruits as I stood off to side. None were dead so far which was a good sign. But a few did have minor wounds. Yet none of the Re¡¯dere Wolves had any sort of injury ailing them.

    ¡°Jason draw the left; Maggie summon some magic on that fucker when Jase has him distracted but stay behind me. Steward see about popping a bolt or two into the right one to keep it at a distance,¡± Joshua Gilbert shouted at his team.

    They moved to obey but were hesitant to do so. They were new to danger. Everything for them was piss and fear. I wanted to help simply because I could see Josh and this group of recruits going far if they hone themselves. For starter why was Steward their archer, using a crossbow? Yes, they¡¯re great for stopping power, but between quarrels is a moment you don¡¯t want to be caught unaware. Jason sped left in the narrow tunnel moving further towards me, trying to catch the left wolf¡¯s attention.

    It glanced at Jason, saw me instead, then danced back with a snarl on it¡¯s face. I stared at the wolf as Jason came to stand feet from me his shortsword quivering in his hand, as he danced nervously from foot to foot. Finally realising that the wolf wasn¡¯t going to follow. ¡°Josh, it¡¯s not following.¡± Jason shouted over to the tank.

    ¡°Damn it,¡± was all the reply I heard. Then the three closed in on the tank and mage. The mage woman, Maggie, tried desperately to channel her magic through her chant, but her shaky voice and constant stopping kept her from being useful. Steward on the other hand actually managed to nail the right-side wolf in its back thigh.

    But that attack was like a signal and the wolves rushed forward all at once; the right only slower than the others. Steward tried to load another bolt, but his fumbling hands kept catching and misplacing the quarrel. Joshua roared a challenge and battered into the oncoming tide of red fur as they converged. I crouch down and sat on my heels, elbows resting on knees and chin in hand.

    Maggie ducked away with a frightful scream as a snapping barking face emerged to the side of Josh¡¯s shield.

    Steward retreated a few steps and I thought he would run, but he didn¡¯t and with a nervous glance between his friends and wolves he tried again to laboriously load another bolt.

    Jason who was in front of me stood frozen. Watching as his friend fought off being mauled to death. I saw the wounded red wolf limping towards steward, who seemed more worried for Joshua and Maggie than himself. Now your chance Jason. Flank the wounded now, you and steward. Take him out, then onto the next pelt. As if hearing my thoughts. Jason sprang into motion. His movement¡¯s loud and obvious as he thumped forward. One of the two wolves attacking Joshua shield spun as Jason past by. It tried to take a snap at him as he ran, but a shield bash from behind sent the beast on to its side whimpering.

    I heard a loud feminine grunt and look to my right and further up the tunnel to see Matilda ram her great sword through the stomach of lunging wolf, lift it into the air and then kick if of her blade. Her dark imperial purple braid swung about her as she scanned for more foes.

    Jason tackled into the side of the injured wolf. His sword thrashing down like a wooden stick. I was sure that the majority of his hits were made with the flat of his blade. But some made it through and as he backed off from the growling wolf. Just as a quarrel slammed into the side of it¡¯s head, killing it on impact. Jason panted, his body shaking frantically, while Steward cheered his success jabbing his crossbow into the air.

    Then a grunting shout of pain from Joshua snapped the two back to focus. Joshua had managed to fend off the two beast¡¯s attacks. But he could only do so much as Maggie had curled in on herself. Her terror getting the better of her. Josh¡¯s boot brushed Maggie¡¯s head and he glanced down distracted by as he gave ground.

    The distraction however was enough for his shield to waver too far left and a claw swiped out to gouge the meat from of his right upper thigh. The leather pants doing nothing to protect him. Steward and Jason rushed to their friends protection, but they were too late as Matilda bounded past Joshua and Maggie to sever the legs from the left wolf. Her movement fast and swift even in her knight armour. Then she twisted up and over the falling wolf to slam her sword down into the lower back of the wolf who¡¯d swiped at Joshua. The sword parted the beast easily, the strength and drive powering it through and then back to where Matilda sheathed it, on her back.

    Joshua cried out and collapsed to the floor, his team members swarming him. Maggie bursting into tears and apologises. Then Melody was there, chants going, golden light sigil¡¯s splaying forth to cover his leg. The magical formation was a latticework of octagons within rings, the strange magical wording written within flaring to life as she channelled mana through her prayer.

    I stood from my crouch and when to the far wolf corpse, the one who¡¯d been double teamed. I got to the busy task of cutting out the Mana crystals, knowing that no one other than myself got or even collected gold of the corpses I looted the +15G and Metallurgy teeth X4, Metallurgy Claws X16. And I did the same to the other three.

    I caught snippets of conversation between Joshua and his team, with Matilda and Melody. So I was surprised when Joshua came over and thanked me as I worked meticulously to carve out the Mana crystals. ¡°Uh- Thank you. Without your warning, I fear it would have been far worse an encounter than it was.¡±

    I rubbed the blood off my hands with a cloth I kept handy, as I popped the two small grey mana crystals into the pack. I shrugged my shoulder¡¯s, ¡°no problem Gilly. Try not to die just yet. I fear this gateway are far larger than we realised, and they¡¯ll be plenty more fight¡¯s to come,¡± I said and gave him a nod returning to my work.

    ¡°Yes. I believe Rhys is right. A fair warning to adhere to on all gateways. Not everything is as it seems. Gateways have been known to change, to increase in rank and change even after gifted have gone through. Now go catch up with the rest, Melody and I will be along in a moment.¡± The group nodded their heads gave us a wave and jogged up the tunnel. I sighed softly knowing what was coming. I swept the bangs of my dark brown hair out of my face.

    ¡°I need a damn haircut,¡± I sighed. Silvery plated boots came into view just on the other side of the stinking corpse. ¡°So, gonna tell me just what in the fucking hell¡¯s you were thinking?¡± Matilda hissed angrily at me. I cocked my head to the side on purpose, a confused expression plastering my face as I looked up at her scowling features.

    ¡°What? You mean warning the recruits, I just did-¡± but her growl warned me off. I stood and stretched looking down at her slightly. I saw a look of surprised pass her face when I stood taller than her. ¡°Honestly. Because I don¡¯t need that place. In fact, I don¡¯t need this one either,¡± I said and shrugged. As if that answer would please them. Nope not at all. Matilda rubbed her temples in frustration, but Melody stepped in, ever the soother this one.

    ¡°I think what Tilly is trying to get across is why did you quit your job? If you don¡¯t need the credit, why were you working there to start with. And why throw away the help she was offering you? Please Rhys, answers these. I would like to know as well.¡±

    I sighed and looked up the path, Amara was leisurely making her way down towards us. ¡°I quit because Jim is a disgusting prick. I quit because I don¡¯t need yours or anyone¡¯s help. I don¡¯t need or want your handouts. I don¡¯t because- and I know your gonna ask. ¡®But I put forward that request and Jim assured me he¡¯d manage it.¡¯ He decline the suggestion Tilda. Said I was to be demoted to Postal for trying to fuck. My way. Up his ladder,¡± I paused for breath. I hadn¡¯t realised my voice had grown louder.

    I saw the hurt plastering their expression at my words. ¡°I was trying to help-¡± Matilda started, her voice hoarse with emotion.

    ¡°I. Don¡¯t. Need. Your. Pity. Stop trying to help me Matilda, and just see me for who I am for once and not what I am,¡± I said roughly hissing the words thrown my clenched teeth. ¡°But that¡¯s all I¡¯ll ever be to you and everyone else, something to pity and carry shit around,¡± I exhaled a deep shaky breath, my hand flexing. My gift at the tip of my fingers. Do I show them? Do I end this fucking parade? One last strike-- god I hate myself sometimes.

    ¡°Go back to Drake, Tilda. Go join him up there where you can look down and pity those beneath yo-¡± I went to continue, but my head suddenly snapped to the left as a fist connected with it. -5Hp.

    ¡°Damn it! What the hell is your face made of,¡± Amara cried out through the pain in her hand.

    ¡°Let me see,¡± Melody cooed at the Blood Witch. ¡°You¡¯ve broken your wrist, you silly idiot.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not the idiot, ask mister Martyr over there about his eyes,¡± Amara argued back at the Cleric.

    ¡°His eyes?¡± Melody asked questioningly. I cracked my neck in an attempt to rain in my anger. But all that left me with was feelings of regret. I turned away from them to hide my shame at how I acted and picked up the double pack¡¯s. I caught a glimpse of Matilda¡¯s hand reaching hesitantly, to stop me, but I moved on. I knew she did after-all. ¡°Amara. What do mean his eyes?¡± Melody repeated.

    ¡°Nope. Not telling you. He should tell you himself not me uh-uh. He scares me too much. I only punched him to snapped him out of his self-imposed alienation shit.¡±

    I cut into the Bresac Re¡¯dere Wolf. Uncaring of the internal organs that spilled out as I located the mana crystals with my Magical Sight. ¡°So that Blondie up there can work his charms on Purple there.¡±

    I watched her out the corner of my eye. Her hands gesturing about to and throw. ¡°His charms?¡± Melody asked bemused.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Amara hissed at cleric, her head bobbing rapidly. ¡°He¡¯s been working a charm through Purples necklace for quite some time now from what I saw.¡± I stood up straight and gave her my full attention. I saw Matilda staring at the Blood Witch in confusion. Her hand coming up to her chest. ¡°A necklace?¡± Matilda asked her voice coarse.

    Again, Amara bobbed her head, ¡°can you tell how long it¡¯s been active for? This charm¡­¡± Melody asked, and Amara nodded at her. Then peered at Matilda her eyes squinting, as did I the same. I saw the bright blue mass of Mana within her body and amongst all the strand of blue there was a pink. A single strand, festering there like a parasite.

    I curled my hands till they almost became claws at my side. Then I felt an odd sensation, like pressure building across my brow. It was an uncomfortable feeling, but one that felt right. So, I pinched my brows together in concentration and focus on the pink strand of mana. ¡°Can you destroy the charm, without breaking the necklace?¡± Matilda asked and Melody nodded at her friends words. ¡°Yes, I can...¡± Amara trailed off. With instinctual flick of hand as the strand pulsed, I disintegrated it.

    The pressure fled me all at once and I breath a sigh. ¡°Oh! Wait It was destroyed. The charm that is, someone...¡± I heard Matilda and Melody breath out heavily, their expression angry and disgusted the same. Amara on the other hand, trailed her head through the air following something unseen and brought her focus right towards me. As the other women went about arguing softly, I placed a finger to my lips for Amara. She swallowed dryly and nodded her fearful gaze at me.

    I stepped back till was I swallowed by the shadows and there I let loose with Incite. My boiling anger and rage. The disgust. In the distance tunnels of the caves, wolves and other bestial monsters cried out as my bloodlust spread forth and confounded them, bathed them in a taste of the true terror I was to unleash upon Drake. ¡°Where¡¯s Rhys?¡± I heard Matilda say. I stepped out of the shadows as Amara pointed my way. Her look of fright mixed with something I didn¡¯t understand. Something akin to arousal within her striking features.

    Awfully crazy that one. Her personality is so different than the last time I had met her. Maybe it¡¯s the outfit? I knew a few people who would change their personality to fit clothing they wore, like switching out different masks for contrasting roles. Matilda looked at me, her hand high on her sternum. ¡°Did you know?¡± she asked me. Her lips tasting the words and not liking them one bit.

    I shook my head, ¡°no. I had no idea. Uh- I suspected something though.¡±

    ¡°Oh, please feel free to share,¡± her tone affable, yet riddled in sarcasm.

    I ignored it, ¡°you acted- strange- around him,¡± I began unsure how to describe the look she held for the man. ¡°It was like love, but more. Like worship,¡± I went to carry on, but she snorted at me. I felt my annoyance rise and I clamped down on my anger. ¡°Forget it,¡± I said and started off for the tunnel. ¡°The woman I knew wouldn¡¯t sell out her group for some stranger, letting them call the shots. And she most certainly wouldn¡¯t leave tackling the gateway till the very last minute.¡±

    I moved as her voice trailed after me, ¡°but that¡¯s just it, isn¡¯t it,¡± she said softly. ¡°You knew me, just not anymore.¡±

    She was right of course, and it was bitter pill to swallow. I still wanted her in my life, but the woman I had pined for, isn¡¯t there anymore. Someone else had awakened in her place. That got me thinking. Was I the same? I placed my hand over my left side, felt the steady drum of my heart as the beats washed against my palm. Scars as well from that dreadful day, were no more.

    They say that only one in five Awaken from gate-ways appearances. Those that do, die and are reborn. All the better for it. Regardless of the suffering they¡¯ll come back to. Reds like me were rare. My own mother was in process of awakening when a crumbling bathroom tile among the ruins left by the Red gate. Fell and smashed into her temple. From there she was in limbo. Dead and yet undying. The process of the Awakening constantly trying to manage some fragment of healing while enhancing the body. But it was all too little.

    That the was reason I¡¯d had my burn scars. Possibly the reason I was so weak for an awakened.

    I was healing as I was dying to be reborn anew.

    I came to a stop at the outer fringe of the groups. Dropped my packs off by a wall and sat down. I heard the heavy plated feet of Matilda cresting the ascending tunnel and saw her immediately search out Drake. Was there still some lingering affect I couldn¡¯t see? That whatever charm Drake had placed on her was no longer needed. That It was done. I didn¡¯t know and that pissed me off all the more for it. I looked to my hands in the fiery torch light. Sconces bearing torch fire had been placed on spiked tipped poles around the group. How had I done it? What exactly had I done? Questions but no answers.

    Utterly useless when you¡¯re the one that¡¯s meant to know.

    Melody came up and placed a hand Matilda¡¯s shoulder, guiding her off to one side. Then Amara rose, her green eyes predatory in the fire light. Glinting in hidden amusement, or hunger. Did Blood Witches feed on blood? I didn¡¯t know and didn¡¯t really have the nerve to ask.

    They had been culled for a reason, that I remember.

    She saw me then, her hand on hips as she surveyed me up and down where I sat. I gave her nod, her lips curling in a minute smile. Then she wiggled the fingers of the broken hand at me in a wave. Mended and healed.

    ¡°Hey,¡± came a nervous voice off to my right. I willed my eyes away from the enchanting Blood Witch and focused them on Jason. The warrior stood a few metres away from me.

    The rest of his companions, including Joshua gave me grim yet respectful nods. As if seeing their first fight, had made them part of a club called grim fates. I¡¯ll keep that name to myself, I thought sagely. ¡°Hey back,¡± I said in greeting. Jason stepped forward some more, squirmed about nervously and looking unsure. I checked a sigh and gestured to the ground around me, ¡°Sit down. You look like your about to piss yourself,¡± he and his friends gave a short laugh, some of the tension leaving them. ¡°So, what can do for you?¡± I asked, crossing my legs and rubbing at my knees.

    This time it was Maggie who spoke, her dark blue hair curled into a bun, her bright light blue eyes framed by the shadows of her glasses. The fire dancing the freckle on her face. She moved the satchel bag on her hip as she got comfortable, legs folding beneath her. She, like most mages, wore light and easy to move clothing, which meant fuck all protection. ¡°We¡¯ve been thinking ¡­ You¡¯ve been through a lot of gateways, right?¡± she asked, her voice a little nasally, from crying I imagine.

    I nodded and she continued. ¡°You saw how we did- it was a...¡± she trailed off.

    ¡°Disaster,¡± I suggestion bluntly. Everyone winced at my words, but Joshua nodded in agreement.

    ¡°It was,¡± he said, his tone soft and sorry. It was an apology to his friends and to himself.

    ¡°So, what do you need from me?¡± I asked trying to bring them back to the subject at hand, other than their morose feelings.

    ¡°Do you have any advice? Any problems we need to fix, to iron out our faults in our teamwork,¡± asked Steward and I eyed them speculatively. Honestly. Today seemed to be a day of hard truths for all of us. So, I went about telling them what I saw, gave them suggestions about changing their equipment to something that would suit the team better instead of their own needs. How their plan had been a good one, but it didn¡¯t account for mistakes and hinged too much pressure on everything going exactly the way they planned it. Then I turned to Maggie, ¡°do you know what a lot of start up mages and the like used to do when they started out?¡± I asked her and she shook her head. ¡°listen to music, keep something on repeat, that has a similar rhythm to a quick magical chant you can use.¡±

    She blinked at me, ¡°they actually do that?¡±

    I nodded, ¡°yes. Better yet, now that you¡¯ll be earning through gateways and such. Try to find equipment you can enhance with spells, a few words and a pop of magic. A staff you can pay to have rune laced. Something long-term. The cost will be significant compared to the price of a simply wooden staff, but it¡¯s hardly anything in comparison you what you could have when combined together.¡±

    They were hooked to my words, like I was some the guru of sage wisdom on how not to die. ¡°But you should already know these thing¡¯s, has the group lead not talked to you?¡± I asked them, they all shook their head unison. ¡°I... I tried to speak to Drake. To ask for advice, but he just told me that this was the way it was for newly Gifted. We either die in this gateway, or we die in another.¡±

    I laughed humourlessly at that. I had seen countless people die tackling gateways, to the point that I was mildly blunted to the effects of grief. Though to lose, and almost-lose your friends, well that would force any man or woman to pause and re-evaluate their lives. ¡°Well your in luck,¡± I said give a hands a quick clap together. The sound making them flinched at the loudness, I watched as several people look our way. I leaned in to them, ¡°Drake isn¡¯t the leader. Matilda the purple-haired knight. She the actual leader of the original team, prince Prick is just an insufferable twat that always get¡¯s what he wants.¡± My voice came heated, almost a growl. ¡°Go to Matilda with what I suggested and see if she agrees or has anything to add,¡± I said waving for them to shoo off. ¡°Thanks. Uh- Rhys was it?¡± Joshua asked. I gave him a small nod, as the rest waved at me.

    A few breath¡¯s later they were crowding Matilda, who looked pleased and shocked that they came to her. Melody standing by looked up from Josh¡¯s group discussion with Matilda, the cleric looked my way and saw me watching. Then she bent down and said something to Matilda who paused in what she was saying. Then gave a fraction of a nod. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. Gifted women were an attractive pain in my arse. Strong and versatile but more prone to outburst¡¯s of intense emotions. Or was that all women? A question better left for Annaleigh maybe.

    This novel is the work of Rhys Thomas. If you are reading this and it has not been published by Rhys Thomas, then this work has been stolen. Please report this to Amazon and me at email: [email protected]</a>

 Rhys Chapter Seven.

    (Tuesday. Date: 23-04-2463)

    We moved on and an hour or two flew by quite quickly. Drake and Amara lead up front followed by the two E-rank teams, then Matilda, Melody and then me. There had been a few more attacks, as the path we walked seem to grow more endlessly.

    The beast¡¯s we encountered steadily growing larger and stronger, to the point that the newly Gifted had to back Matilda and other D-ranks up. They worked well in coordinating the recruits, making them act as distraction¡¯s and buffeting against the waves of growling fur. I came to understand that during one such attack, the wolves bunched themselves together and moved oppose to where I positioned myself.

    I would walk to one side of tunnel and they would start fighting to move frantically to the other. I used this to the teams advantage unbeknown to them. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear about your mother, Rhys,¡± said a voice. I blinked away from the dregs of my thoughts and saw that it was Melody speaking to me. Matilda was moving ahead of us but not by much.

    ¡°Thank you¡­?¡± I said, but it came out more as a question.

    ¡°I met Abigail once,¡± she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice. I imagined I wore a similar smile when speaking of my mom. She always provoked a response of warmth and kindness in others. She was a timid person in reality, but always strived to show other¡¯s a kind smile and greet them with an embrace. ¡°It was back when you and Tilly were together. She welcomed me like I was part of your family.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, she was like that with pretty much everyone,¡± Matilda cut in before I could respond. ¡°Those who were rude to her or hurt Rhys as a kid would run for their lives when she came for them.¡± I looked up from the ground to stare at Matildas¡¯ back as I nodded at her words.

    ¡°Kayla¡¯s no different,¡± I said, and Matilda snorted at that.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her in years,¡± Melody noted.

    ¡°You should, she would love the company,¡± I replied to Melody. ¡°She even recently got a bunch of expensive new clothes as well,¡± I muttered. Feeling odd, as If I was inviting the gorgeous Cleric over for a date and using my sister as an excuse. Melody was about to reply when a shout came from up ahead and our groups converged.

    ¡°What is it?¡± someone asked.

    ¡°Is it the script?¡± Another asked in return.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the witch?¡± Drake¡¯s imperial tones rang out. I saw Amara scowling distastefully at the back of his head, as if, in doing so she would actually burn a hole right through him with her gaze alone.

    ¡°By three enter. By three keys will they face. By thee Guardian¡¯s they shall perish,¡± Amara said not having moved out from behind Drake. The imperious archer jumped slightly and turned to scowl haughtily at the Blood Witch. He then nodded, smiling as he held the answer. ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll split up. I¡¯ll take Matilda...¡± He started but his voice trailed off as he met Matilda¡¯s flat stare.

    ¡°No, you idiot,¡± Amara interrupted, ¡°Mother help you. You¡¯re as dumb as you are pretty.¡±

    And I caught on immediately, riding the Blondie can fuck off band wagon.

    ¡°We don¡¯t split up, because there is no need to. The script only really talks of the ending. The final encounter. Not how we split ours number to get there,¡± I said smiling and shaking my head at the archer.

    I looked at Amara and saw the Blood Witch smiling at me delight, her black skirt bouncing as she moved. The pale flesh of her pert ass catching my eye, and then gone as she stopped by Melody. The Cleric giving her a look and a weary sigh.

    ¡°Shut. Up. Awakened. You haven¡¯t a fucking clue what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Drake hissed at me.

    ¡°Oh? And you do Drake,¡± Matilda¡¯s words snapped his head around to glare at her as he drew his seething attention away from me.

    ¡°Come Tilda,¡± he said mockingly, ¡°you honestly think some retarded weakling from the Outer Rim is smarter than I am.¡± He laughed incredulously. ¡°Some parentless nobody. Who quit it¡¯s only fucking job, just this morning?¡± He sneered at her, spittle flinging out from his mouth as he took in a deep shaking breath. All pretence of his friendly demeanour towards her gone.

    Matilda looked from him to me, and there; deep within her dark purple eyes glimmered the same regret I held. ¡°Yes, he is. Or haven¡¯t you noticed? Too busy working your charm perhaps?¡± She asked, taking a step forward.

    The archer blinked, then his eyes narrowing in suspicion, they quickly widened as he stepped away from her imposing figure. Moving himself over towards the other group of Newly gifted.

    ¡°Fine! We¡¯ll do it your way. Come on then Awakened. What should we do? Maybe some mining? Or should we simply stop and profit from the work of others? Hmm, well? Come on baggage-boy,¡± he kept at it for another thirty seconds till he then realised I wasn¡¯t going to reply. This only angered him more.

    I coughed to clear my throat as all eyes turn to me, and I was reminded of my co-worker¡¯s pitying looks as they watched me walk into Jim¡¯s office. Had that been today? It was hard to remember. ¡°Amara, could you please repeat the script,¡± I asked the Blood Witch who smiled, repeating as she did so. ¡°Before. When we first entered this gateway. Howard only managed: ¡®By three.¡¯ Some genius had the idea of splitting our group into three¡¯s. That didn¡¯t work,¡± I started. Though a part of me was wondering now, if that had been Drake¡¯s idea or mine.

    I didn¡¯t actually know any of the details of what had happened during the gateway, but the results were obvious. ¡°So, the hints we can take are: Three entrances. Meaning the possibility of multiple layers to this gateway. By three enter. We¡¯ll probably need three keys for these three entrances. So those two are directly tied together. As for the Guardians well¡­¡± I shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ll either face one guardian or all three at once. Which is why we¡¯ll move as a group,¡± I shrug again, ¡°just pointing out the obvious really.¡± Then I thought for a moment

    ¡°Anyone have any trap detection?¡± I asked aloud. The majority of people shook their heads. But Amara, Maggie, Melody and Steward each raised their hands. I knew Drake most likely had such a talent, but he wasn¡¯t playing as part of the team. Which was fine with me. ¡°Okay those with trap detection move up in front. We¡¯ll have a tank or warrior class besides each of you.¡±

    Looking to the others in our group, it was fairly obvious by their equipment that the majority of the recruit were warrior class gifted. ¡°Alright we¡¯ll move in fours, those in front will consist of someone who can detect traps and a guard of warriors. Once detection is made, I want the front four to split into gaps and guard. This¡¯ll allow the second group of four through to disable. Once that¡¯s done the third group of four will take lead, and then we¡¯ll rotate out. Detect. Guard. Disarm. Rotate. If there¡¯re beasts, we¡¯ll pull back and fight them in an area where their bodies won¡¯t accidentally trigger something.¡± Glancing around, I waited. ¡°Agreed?¡± I asked the slack faced stares.

    Joshua¡¯s big frame nodded, ¡°agreed,¡± he replied and like a crack in a dam his answer was the first droplet of many more.

    In one fell swoop an ¡®Awakened¡¯ had taken the group leader position right out from under Drake.

    The only problem was that being the leader, was like walking across a length of fraying rope. Each mistake made; each gamble lost unfurled the thread¡¯s you were balancing on. People started to move themselves into teams as I watched on. Matilda stepped up beside me, her armoured shoulder bumping me lightly. But she didn¡¯t say anything, and I was happy with the silence. The spike of regret that intermingled with my roiling jealously was abating now. My anger towards her cooling, but now doubt had crept in. Doubt in myself, the baldness I felt to finally speak up for once and not be drowned out my others unreasonable prejudices.

    Am I any better though? Doubtful.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯re moving,¡± said Matilda¡¯s. Her voice brought me out of my thoughts. ¡°Right. Let¡¯s move,¡± I grunted.

    ~*~*~*~

    We¡¯d been stopping almost every couple of yards, to disarm various traps. All were magical in nature, but I didn¡¯t know enough about magic to discern what they were capable of. No attacks came either, which honestly surprised me. And I may have made a slight oversight when two of the other group¡¯s warriors took my packs and slung them over their shoulders.

    I fought against pacing as we moved as slow as a snail.

    That changed however when we left the first of the tunnels and ventured into a wide-open chamber. Overhead was the familiar the rocky and earthy formations of the cavern, extending over us till it stopped and became a square granite brick. I froze, lowering my gaze to take in the giant entrance before us. Enormous white granite steps rose up towards an equally proportioned bronze coloured door. Then my eyes were drawn to the two stone and clay sentinels, guarding either side of entrance.

    They were Golems Knight, and were Incredibly deadly, C - B rank monsters.

    Like a figurine of stone that imitated a knight of old Earth legend¡¯s. The one on the left side held a shield before its chest. Before that was a sword planted into a slit on the stone pedestal.

    On the right side, a knight held two crossed short hand axes over its chest. I watched the dim pulse of the strange lifeblood run down the veins-like cracks that ran in rivulets down their bodies. Like droplets of water meeting, they interconnected across the figures. I gulped and It sounded incredibly loud in the stunned silence. ¡°Those are...¡± I started but stopped, worry that my voice may trigger them to act.

    ¡°Yes...¡± Matilda said in a whisper from beside me. Then I felt her hand tugging against my own, our fingers intertwining with one another¡¯s.

    Golem Knight. Berserker. Golem Knight. Weapons Master.

    ¡°We need to move slowly back towards the way we came,¡± I said quietly. As Drake and the other group; with the two carrying my packs moved beyond and back out into the passage. Then I heard a deafening scraping sound ring out as the Shield knight¡¯s sword began to slide out of the stone, slow inch by slow inch.

    ¡°What the... No!¡± I Melody cried out suddenly from behind and I spun just as the wall rippled and closed over the tunnel sealing us from our way out.

    <u>Quest Objectives:</u>

    Slay the Guardians of Bresacs Tomb: 0/16.

    Collect the Keys to Bresac Armaments: 0/3.

    Kill the Wraith¡¯s of Bresacs the Hound Keeper: 0/3.

    (Warning!) Quest is mandatory and cannot be denied. Penalty for failure is <u>DEATH</u>.

    ¡°Ah shit,¡± I muttered grimly. The sword steadily unsheathing itself from the ground. I blinked rapidly. The Knights were at least somewhere between 15-20 feet in height. Normal attacks wouldn¡¯t do much damage to them, but as I flickered my Magical sight on and over them, I saw the roiling mass of Mana pouring all throughout their bodies.

    Less so in the Berserker, but I guessed that that would change the moment the shield knight fell, maybe. Or after a certain amount of time had passed even. Looking at the people around me, I saw that everyone was focused on the Golem Knight¡¯s now. ¡°Does anyone know what a golems weakness is?¡± I asked everyone.

    Then Amara¡¯s ashen face turned to me, ¡°mana cores. The bigger the Golem, the bigger the core.¡± I thought on that, as I fought against the mental image of my heart exploding, and Annaleigh replacing it. I dismissed the morose image and stared at the Golem Knight. Just slightly under its right collarbone was the actual core of the Mana lifeblood, flowing in a steady outpour.

    I flexed my right hand as a plan formed in my mind. Health: 495/500. Mana: 505. Fatigue: 18. I grimaced at the 5-point loss of my health caused by Amara¡¯s tentative ministrations. ¡°Everyone back against the wall and spread out,¡± I turned to Matilda. ¡°No matter what keep Melody safe, She¡¯s our only healer.¡±

    Matilda blinked rapidly and then frowned at me as if I was an idiot for stating the obvious. But then her expression froze when she saw my determination. ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot,¡± she hissed immediately at me.

    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± I said, overdramatically placing my hand over my heart, wounded by her ever-cutting words. Then I turned away, ¡°Annaleigh!¡± I shouted into the air. ¡°You warned me about this. Something about forming contracts with you.¡±

    ¡°Rhys, what the hell are you doing?¡± Matilda shouted after me as I stepped away from them.

    ¡°He¡¯s fucking cracked!¡± squeaked Amara in a mad giggle.

    ¡°Rhys,¡± Melody hissed warningly. But I just waved them away.

    Then I shivered as the Mothers voice, trailed up my spine. ¡°Hello, my dear monster to be,¡± her voice came from everywhere within a sphere around me, and I saw everything slow to a crawl outside the bubble. ¡°You¡¯re not within my domain, so I cannot show myself physically. To do so where you are, would attract the Deep-one. And we¡¯re not ready for that yet.¡±

    ¡°Right, anyway. The reason I called was my current situation,¡± I told her, trying to keep us on track.

    ¡°Ah, yes. You do find yourself in some over-stimulating situations my dear creature.¡±

    I Ignored her and carried on, ¡°I¡¯m going to be needing those contracts you mentioned previously, like ¡­ very soon. If we¡¯re not all death by then...¡± I trailed off as Annaleigh started to hum to herself.

    [Item: x?? Contract of Sal¡¯re¡¯al. Type: Contractual Binding. Class: Unknown.] The prompt popping up and blocking my vision. ¡°There, should be with you now. I¡¯ll come visit you later on in the week, so we¡¯ll chat then. Bye-bye,¡± then she was gone. Time flickered back to regularity, and I cracked my neck with a satisfying pop. Turning to look at the collected faces of Amara, Matilda and Melody. Their expressions one of concern and fear, though Amara¡¯s had a tinge of excitement bordering on arousal in the way she kept squirming and rubbing her thighs together.

    ¡°You wanted to know why I quit early,¡± I shouted at them as the golem completed unsheathing it¡¯s sword from the ground. Taking off my glasses I stored them in my inventory and felt the lush thrill of fear and battle. Incite unfurled away from me, smoky tendrils trailing out beneath me like slithering ghostly shadow¡¯s, as I walked towards the golem.

    ¡°Wait for it to swing, then strike,¡± I whispered a little shakily to myself.

    ¡°Holy fuck! He¡¯s gifted?¡± Someone exclaimed behind me. I smiled devilishly up at the golem as It stepped forward off it¡¯s pedestal to tower over me. It¡¯s sword pointed down in a two-handed reverse grip. I heard the people scream out, telling me to run. Instead I summoned my knife: Heava¡¯liku, spinning the blade on the flat of my palm. It¡¯s weight strangely reassuring and comforting.

    The knight brought it¡¯s sword up hanging like an executioner axe above me, then it brought tip straight down. Haste bloomed around me, and time crawled as I sped up. Jumping I pushed the flat of my shoes against the flat of the golems blade, as it sped past me slowly. Then I took another step, and another, then again. Leaping off that and back flipping into the air I paused as my momentum changed and I hung there precariously. My bloodlust sending forth feeler like probes at the golem but inciting no response. Oh, well.

    The knight¡¯s sword slid into the rocky ground for several feet, trailing a bloom of dirt and dust. Then I threw out my left hand activating Telekinetic Reach. -30Mp. Even as the world crawled around me, I pulled back my arm when I felt the magic take hold to sling shot myself across the distance. I slammed into the knights shoulder. My free hand gripping and finding purchase as I crouch against its collarbone. Then, my right arm was phasing through the stone, knife extended out to pierce its core.

    As quick as thought, and just as I felt the tip of my knife scrape along the surface of its Mana core, scarring it lightly. A massive gravelly stone hand smacked into my back as if squashing an annoying bug. The blow stunning me, and I almost let go, but sheer determination bade me to hang on. The hand closed around me, the pressure of it¡¯s contracting grasp, gave me pause to scream and curse at it. It tugged at me, a probing thing as if to test if I was alive still.

    -35Hp. Torso: 85% Damn, how was it keeping up with me? I still had several seconds left on Haste. Then the offending hand tried to pull in earnest, my hand gripping the ridge of the stone shelf acting as it¡¯s collarbone. The tips of my finger¡¯s digging in and scrapping as I was pulled off. I cried out just as Heava¡¯liku carved an inch-deep grove into the Shield Golem¡¯s core.

    Mana spilled forth, cascading down the length of my arm, the sensation was initialling a thrilling thing but then the burning light washed over my right arm. Like thousands of fire ants all nipping and crawling down over your skin. I felt my veins boil and begin wiggling like live eels. Then my whole arm was free yet charred and horribly melted. I caught a glimpse of my arm¡¯s CND flickering red as the numbers plummeted down.

    With a thought I unequipped my Gauntlet of the Veil. No use in losing such an item due to my arrogance. I then saw why the knight was some how keeping pace with my enhance speed. The Berserker was now in on the action and apparently bore a similar ability to Haste. It had moved even as its counter part had slowed. Then I was flicked about and thrown, sailing across the short distance of the chamber. My back exploded with pain as I crumpled against rocky wall, the throw having enough force that I practically folded under the pressure, forming a depression in the area I hit.

    I then fell the short distance to fetch up face down on the ground, my head turned away from the knight¡¯s. -63Hp. Torso: 58% I was a damn idiot. Wanting to show off. To show these people than even I could be incredible. Do incredible things. But the golems were on another level. They covered each other perfectly. One: speed and offense. The other: defense and endurance. They made up for what the other lacked and I realised, I couldn¡¯t do this alone.

    I needed the others. I had a few fights with some Rat-men, and I thought I could conquer the world. I felt the dashing of dirt against my side as someone skidded to a halt near me. I heard Melody whispering a prayer and gold rose light incandesced like wisp¡¯s above me. I almost told her not to bother, that it wouldn¡¯t work.

    Flashes of the lucid thoughts I¡¯d held, just last week in this very same gateway. I thought of my potions and of my instant recovery¡¯s. I had wanted to conserve them, to not use them. Saving them for when they were really needed. Then the wisps of golden light flecked red and sunk into my flesh. And purity assailed the core of my very being, examining it and finding it lacking.

    They began to restructure my core, to strengthen it and in so doing; were healing me. There was more to healing than I first realised. But more on that later.

    +35Hp. Health: 432. Torso: 95% Fatigue: 39%

    I got up to my knees and took a deep gulping breath. Melody was muttering and shaking her head beside me, blabbering on about how insanely stupid I am. ¡°Yeah- whatever. You healed the stupid right out of me. You happy? Now move away a minute,¡± I grumbled at her. I did a quick scan about and saw Amara and Matilda. The pair standing with their backs to us in a line of defense. ¡°Here take these-¡±

    ¡°What are you¡­?¡± Melody started to ask, as I reached into my Inventory and withdrew x2-Lesser potions of Healing and x1-Minor potion of Mana. ¡°Rhys. These are-¡±

    ¡°Use the two healing potions only when necessary, they don¡¯t heal much. The mana potion is for you. You¡¯re the healer after-all,¡± I explained and stood up to join my companions. I had been an idiot to show off. Defeating Khrum and Sprall had made me believe that no matter how high a challenge my opponents were, surprise and swiftness would easily bring them down. I was wrong.

    Gifted formed groups so that they could cover for one another. Though eventually, I knew I would be powerful enough to tackle any and all challenges. There was always someone or something, smarter and stronger out there than I was.

    Attribute unlocked: Wisdom: 12. At this Attribute¡¯s current level, your Mana Regeneration rate is: +2Mp per every 6 seconds.

    ¡°Ugh! You have got to be shitting me-¡± I shook my head, blinking at the prompt. ¡°No wonder I¡¯m so stupid. My wisdom is so shitty,¡± I let out a laugh.

    ¡°Rhys! What¡¯re you going on about?¡± Matilda hissed over her shoulder at me. The guardians hadn¡¯t moved from where they stood, just off of their pedestals.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°Never mind, I¡¯ll explain later. Suffice it to say. I¡¯ve been Gifted for three- four days, tops. Feels longer,¡± I scratched at the back of my head. ¡°To simplify matters till I can tell you three properly. I¡¯m a Gifted that grows in strength by killing monsters and completing quests. I¡¯ve already cleared a Blue gateway, filled with diseased bipedal rats,¡± I shook off the mental image of the female ratling being fucked.

    Why did weird shit have to pop into my mind at the oddest of moments.

    ¡°You did what?¡± Melody and Matilda asked simultaneously.

    ¡°And I¡¯ll explain later,¡± I waved it off dismissively, ¡°just not right now. I can use Mana without chants or prayers. No, I don¡¯t use Hymn¡¯s, I¡¯m not a warlock ¨C I think. Right now, I¡¯m more of a Magician/Rogue hybrid.¡± I looked over to the wall, where all the newly gifted were bunch up against. Their faces slack and frightened. ¡°I was an idiot,¡± I stated firmly.

    ¡°Uh- yeah. No shit,¡± Amara snickered.

    ¡°We¡¯ll need to work as a team for this. Amara, anything your Blood Witchery can do?¡± I asked the Blood Witch. Matilda¡¯s and Melody¡¯s heads snapped over to gaze in surprise at Amara¡¯s small petite figure.

    She shook her head, ¡°none. Though I can probably summon something to bind them. Only problem is the shield knight has higher defense, so he won¡¯t be bound so easily.¡±

    I nodded at her words. ¡°Matilda, I need you to run distraction on the shield knight while Amara work¡¯s to bind the Berserker. Melody, I¡¯m going to involve the E-ranks in this,¡± I said firmly and raised my hand as I saw her about to object. ¡°I know, I know. It¡¯ll be dangerous for them. But we need everyone in on this. I¡¯m going to have them play hit and run on both targets. They¡¯ll hit the berserker first while Matilda is keeping the shield knight¡¯s distracted. Then as the berserker goes to pursue them; I¡¯ll attack at it¡¯s back and draw it to us,¡± I said wiggling a thumb between Amara and I. ¡°Melody and the E-ranks will then back up you, Matilda. Amara and I will keep the Berserker company long enough for her to work another binding. Then we¡¯ll rinse and repeat. Melody, I¡¯ll need you to keep them moving no matter what. Okay?¡± I asked, worry clear in my voice, a few breath¡¯s passed before their hesitant nod¡¯s.

    Was this really the best idea I could come up with? No probably not ¨C But I was new to being gifted. I¡¯d had seen how several teams had worked over the last two years. I had also seen them plan endlessly only to die miserably, screaming as they were torn apart. Was I fit to lead? Absolutely not. Was I the only one doing something other than staring helplessly in denial? Yes.

    Yet, seeing their scared faces drove home that Kayla was waiting for me. Just as they all probably had someone waiting for them. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s cautiously move over to Josh¡¯s team and explain the plan to them. Hopefully they¡¯ll see sense and help us,¡± Matilda offered gruffly. As if already expecting them to argue against my mad plan.

    They did actually, though for a totally different reasons. ¡°I doubt we¡¯ll do much damage against either Golem,¡± Josh reasoned.

    I could see his point and agreed. ¡°Which is why your acting as a distraction. You distract the berserker and Matilda draws the shield knight away. Once the berserker is distracted, you¡¯ll move on to support Matilda. Give her a break and a chance for recovery. Amara and I will deal with the berserker till Matilda is ready to draw the Shield Knight once again. Once I see that your on your way back. Amara will have hopefully done binding the berserker. We¡¯ll repeat this till either one is dead, then we can focus our attention on the other. If something goes horribly then ¨C then we¡¯ll improvise. None of us are cut out for this fight, so we need to coordinate and act swiftly. If everything go tits up, retreat to the wall.¡± Then I withdrew x2-Lesser Fatigue potions and tossed them to Matilda. She looked at the yellow vials quizzically. ¡°Use them when your really tired. They don¡¯t do much in singular uses, but together they¡¯ll lessen fatigue.¡±

    I squared my shoulders and looked over to the golem¡¯s standing sentinel before the entrance. ¡°Hopefully this¡¯ll go smoothly, and we¡¯ll get it in one pass.¡±

    Then, I promptly remembered that there were sixteen of these things, and I felt my shoulder sag fractionally. ¡°Amara,¡± I whispered to the Blood Witch as she came to stand beside me. Josh¡¯s group were already moving off towards the centre between us and Matilda who was on the far-left side of the chamber now.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± she purred, and I felt her inch closer to me as a shiver visibly ran through her.

    ¡°How long does it take for you to activate a binding big enough to hold a golem in place?¡± I asked. ¡°I probably should¡¯ve asked this before,¡± I added. Feeling quite stupid at how quickly I¡¯d overlooked the other¡¯s capabilities.

    ¡°It¡¯ll take about 20 seconds,¡± she answered, and I winced at how long it would take. ¡°But I¡¯ve already begun the process,¡± she said, and I looked at her. Not seeing nor hearing her chant or prayer. Nor even gesture through the sequences to begin her spell.

    Yet I saw her magic and it was unlike anything I had seen before. Magic tended to coalesce as shapes or formations. They spun and intwined through the process of spellcasting. But Amara¡¯s magic, was a living thing. Bloody red glyphs emblazoned to life across her skin. Marking her like so many branding¡¯s.

    Then She closed her eyes and a glyph blazed ominously on her forehead. Which then split open revealing an obsidian void, at its centre a red jewelled eye. The eye spun about in the darkness of the slit to face me, and I tried my best not to flinch at its intense focus.

    Amara raised her arms, extending them before her. I drew my attention away from her third sight long enough to watch as blood flowed sinuously out through the glyphs. They converged on the palms of her small hands. Little balls of ruby red, that roiled cloudily beneath their surface. Amara¡¯s magic was all kinds of crazy and cool.

    I understood now why Blood Witches and Blood Mages were so feared. Blood magic was more in truth, flesh magic. Blood Gifted made formations, using either their own or others blood. It worked a lot like sacrificial rituals, the more given, the more power obtained. Witches tended to form glyphs and sigil¡¯s within their bodies and project that same spell outside themselves.

    But this sort of blood magic used the casters vitality. Which was surprising when I realised through Magical Sight, that Amara had also cast a Vampiric Drain on not just the health of whomever she wished to attack, but also their mana.

    Her black swept back behind her head as she finished casting. The blood ruby balls of magic cupped in her hands. There was a flash of red from her third eye, and the blood balls in her hands disappeared as a red spell formation sprung into being beneath the feet of the Berserker. I heard Matilda taunting the Shield Knight and I twisted to watch as the mana within the Shield Golem started to throb erratically.

    Then a portion of the Mana rushed throughout the interior of its stone and clay body. It gushed out with a silent hiss from a small fissure in the Shield Knights back. The bright pulsing Mana misted with a flash of red to be then drawn through to Amara¡¯s outstretched hand. Amara¡¯s Blood magic went about devouring it and replenishing her own reserves of Mana. The spell formation beneath the Berserker Golem activated and tendrils of blood rippled up from out of the spell.

    They coiled around the Golems legs, snaking their way up it¡¯s shins, knees and then thighs. Latching ropes of blood snagged the Golems arms and encircled its neck. Only then did the golem begin to budge against the bindings. Amara swayed unsteadily and stumbled into my side. ¡°Hey. Are you alright?¡± I asked her concerned. Watching as her blood tendrils fought to bind the Berserker in place as it thrashed.

    ¡°Everyone move now!¡± I called out. They all jumped at the sound of my voice, and I realised I wasn¡¯t the only one shocked at Amaras¡¯ display of power.

    ¡°Been ¡­ too long - since I¡¯ve had a meal,¡± her voice was dazed, and her expression was both weary and satiated. ¡°I Haven¡¯t fed from another¡¯s Mana in years. After Blood Gifted were culled. I just hid my magic, hid everything,¡± she explained to me. Her hands drifting and fluttering across my arm and chest.

    ¡°We need to move. They¡¯re attacking,¡± I said, firmly taking her hand in mine. I caught a glimpse of Matilda ducking under the shield knights swing with a knee-slide, that carried her to one of it¡¯s legs. There, she hacked mercilessly away at the back of the Golems knees, each swing biting deeper and deeper into the stone legs. The damage was minimal, but I imagined a hundred of her blows might actually end with her cleaving straight through.

    Joshua¡¯s team and Melody marching ahead of us, dived headfirst into attacking the bound Berserker. Steward unleashed a bolt from his crossbow, his aim tracking the golems static head as the it strained to escape the blood bonds. The bolt then slammed into its face, but had zero affect, other than making the golem try even harder to be free.

    Maggie lifted her hand and as quickly as possible, she recited a chant. A small magical formation circling her outstretched hand in a blue latticework of hexagon within circles. Then a bright white bolt exploded out from the spell with enough force to make her arm recoil and sending her stumbling into Jason, who managed to keep himself and her moving.

    The bolt struck the crossbow quarrel protruding from the golem¡¯s head. The large mana bolt crashed into the golem with a deafening boom that snapped the berserker¡¯s head back from the blow. The combined attack left a chunk of stone missing from the golems head. Then it was Joshua¡¯s turn and he sprinted ahead fractionally as the others slowed. But instead of attacking he spun to face his team and crouched, bringing his hourglass shield up above him.

    Then Jason was sprinting forward to rebound off the shield as Josh flung him up, behind and over. Jason barrelled through the air to slam his sword deep into the other side of the golem ruined visage. Though it really had no external damaging affect. The fact that his blow connected with a channel of Mana flowing through the golem body. Made it¡¯s inside recoil as if in shock and pain.

    The golem let out a faceless roar, as Mana thundered through its veins. Then Jason was falling, caught up by Josh and slung to the side to continue running. ¡°Impressive,¡± Amara said quietly from my side and I had to agree.

    I felt a warm sense of pride rising within me for the newly Gifted team. They were passed the Berserker now and off to combat the Shield Knight, to relieve Matilda for a spell.

    ¡°Ready?¡± I asked Amara. The Blood Witch nodded, her dream-like state making her head rock slightly from side to side, like she was listening to music only she could hear. A silent concert of blood and magic. She made a dismissing gestured, and cancelling her spell made the struggling Berserker topple over, like the imaginary string¡¯s hauling the golem up had been snipped.

    But it was quick to recover and twisted to regard the fleeing team. But instead of following; it¡¯s stony, ruined and featureless face twisted to regard Amara and I. ¡°I just knew something would go wrong.¡±

    ¡°Why isn¡¯t following them?¡± Amara asked me urgently, her tone now sounding more stable than dream-like.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a guess, but the deactivation of your binding may have shifted the golem¡¯s agro to us instead of the actual damage dealer¡¯s.¡± It crouched onto all fours then, it¡¯s image hazing over and evaporating. Instincts kicked in and I picked up a squealing Amara. Activating Haste and jumping into the air. We shot up as I felt the massive drain on my fatigue, then the wind whipped about us as we fell. Amara¡¯s small black skirt hiking up to reveal her black lacey panties but what was between her legs was what caught my attention.

    I saw the Berserker golem smash into our previous location, axes already sweeping in to hack apart the area. Our fall began to gradually pick up speed as weight and gravity pulled on us. Then the golems head twisted uncomfortably and spun on its body backward to face our falling figures. ¡°Hang on tight!¡± I shouted to Amara and then the familiar haze-like afterimage filled the Berserker previous spot. It was upon us then. Looming over us its arms already blurring inwards to slash us in two. Curling us up into a ball, I rocked us forward feeling the slight swipe of air passing over us. As I deftly avoided it¡¯s weapons.

    I heard Amara gasp and scream in fright and maybe even a little pleasure. We rolled into the Berserker¡¯s massive body and slid down it as another axe passed over us skimming by a hair¡¯s length. I slammed Heava¡¯liku in a reverse grip down, into the stone of the Golem. The charcoal and silvery blade trailing mist through the deep gash I was leaving as we slid down it¡¯s body and around, out to the other side.

    Then we were falling again, I gripped Amara tightly to me and seeing no other way I activated Telekinetic Reach. -30Mp. Reaching out my hand; now devoid of my knife, we hurled ourselves down into ground. I impacted badly, my ankle twisting it as we hit. -25Hp. Right-leg: 78/100% Crashing down, I rolled bringing Amara with me as took the brunt of the damage.

    My hand cupping the back of her head, fingers threading her silky black hair to pressed her protectively against my chest. We came to a stop and I sat us up, my ankle beaten and bruised silly. Numerous cut¡¯s and scrapes from the ground layering my body.

    I more resembled a lower level street beggar than anything else now.

    Amara stirred in my lap. Her jade green eyes peaky up at me blurrily. Like a jungle covered in a dewy mist, she stared up at me. Then a loud crash made the ground tremble and we both looked over to see the Berserker¡¯s body flopped down unceremoniously and hit ground like a ragdoll.

    As it crashed down, I heard the call of my name come from our left, and I looked over in shock to see Matilda riding the Shield Knight. Her great sword wedged into a crack on the Knight¡¯s shoulder as the recruits fought to draw it¡¯s attention. She reared back pulling, wedging and tugging for all her she was worth. But who was calling me? ¡°Rhys! Where is it¡¯s core?¡± I heard Melody shout clearly over the din of the golem hammering it¡¯s face into the chamber wall, guided by Matilda.

    Oh, right - I never did tell them. Did I? My head spun for a moment then refocused. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s beneath the collarbone right side,¡± I shouted back. Then I removed a Lesser potion of healing but paused before downing it¡¯s contents, ¡°Amara?¡± I said my voice sounding a little dry. Blinking, she returned back to herself and smiled up at me. There was fragment of madness to her smile in that moment.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± She hummed questioningly at me. Then snuggled in further on my lap, getting more comfortable.

    ¡°A-any injuries?¡± I asked, a note of concern for the Blood Witch.

    She blinked owlishly at me, her smile gaining in it¡¯s intensity. ¡°None¨C silly. Drink your potion,¡± she said sweetly. Then her hands cupped beneath my own raising the vial to my lips. I watched her expression for a moment. As my own lips parted, my head tilting back slightly to accept. As I did, so did she; mirroring me. Her black lipstick stained lips parting as my own did for the potion. I saw her red tongue undulating in her mouth and rolling across her glistening white teeth.

    Damn, if she didn¡¯t have an affect on me. Then I realised how closely we were approximated to one another, the soft pert globes of her ass pressing comfortably and almost without pressure or weight into my lap. She felt damn right comfortable in my arms, and right then I wanted nothing more than find a quiet spot and ease myself inside her.

    As if understanding exactly what I was considering, Amara squirmed harder into me, wriggling her hips as devilishly smile her face. Then she popped herself off my lap in a slow wiggling roll that made my cock pulse and my hands curled into fists. Then potion kicked in and I felt mildly better, my ankle no longer as sore and my head was clearer. +25Hp. Right-leg:85%

    I stood, Amara needlessly helping me to stand. Her hand staying within my own, gripping it tightly. ¡°It would seem that our dear Berserker is stunned, Amara?¡± I asked looking at her and saw that she was already in the process of binding the Golem. Like before, a flash of glyphs across her skin, their brands glowing brightly red. Then blood flowing down my arms to ball in her hands. A moment later, her third eye flashed with magic and thick tendrils of blood snaked out of a spell formation to coil themselves around the Golems body.

    As soon as it was done. I re-equipped my gauntlet and ran over, jumping so that I landed in a crouch atop the downed Berserker. Moving to its collarbone I paused and without any fanfare or hesitation I drove my arm down. Phasing through the stone with my blade extended. The core pierced easily as my knife slid through. The Mana within the golem began to erupt violently as quickly as my arm had entered. I withdrew not wanting to be mana burned; or whatever it was I¡¯d felt before. The Berserker¡¯s glowing veins in its head, neck and shoulders, started to pulsate rapidly. Realising what was coming, I jumped away to land at Amara¡¯s side. Then the golem spread forth a dazzling array of cerulean light, that seeped through the veins of its body; which became nothing more than grey dust afterwards.

    ¡°Well... that was anticlimactic,¡± I muttered standing from where I crouched with Amara.

    ¡°Just how it is sometimes. Come. We¡¯ve another to fight and finish you know,¡± Amara answered me.

    ¡°No. I just...¡± I said sighing, my voice trailing away as she dragged me after her.

    Health: 432. Mana: 461. Fatigue: 69%

    In the end I wasn¡¯t needed. Matilda had simply stayed on the Knight shoulder and kept stabbing down till she found the Mana core. Which She¡¯d swiftly ripped out from the golems body and tossed aside. Slay the Guardians of Bresacs Tomb: 2/16. Congratulations. Level up: x6.

    ¡°Wait. What. The. Fuck. I just levelled six times ¡­ Is this- Is this from the Berserker alone? Or from both... even tough I didn¡¯t...¡± My voice fell off as I realised everyone was staring at me. I saw that Matilda and Melody both wore bemused expressions, as Amara played about tapping her finger on the Mana Core and ignoring me completely.

    I rubbed my hands together nervously, ¡°I take it you all, want to know?¡± I asked everyone. Joshua and his team remained silent yet nodded. Matilda stared flatly at me not commenting, but making her stance known.

    ¡°Yes Rhys. An explanation would be wonderful,¡± Melody said without a hint of sarcasm.

    ¡°There¡¯s a problem to that though,¡± I replied rubbing my brow.

    ¡°What? To telling us?¡± Matilda asked me and I nodded in response.

    ¡°You have to sign a contract-¡±

    ¡°What does the contract say?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t actually know.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know. Yet we have sign it,¡± Melody stated evenly.

    Again I nodded, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Amara cooed, at either me or the Mana core I wasn¡¯t entirely sure. I pulled up the quest tab in my inventory and slid my finger over to the contract but paused before taking it out.

    ¡°Seriously though, if no-one wants to sign it. I suggest you go to the far side of the room,¡± I told them and waited in case any of them decided just that. Shrugging I moved my hand through the screen, but my fingertips hit the something like a button, and pressed. Suddenly everyone either jumped or flinched away from something I couldn¡¯t see. I frowned at each of them seeing them blink in surprise. Then they began poking at the air and I understood exactly what was happening. It was a little amusing watching them interact with what could only be a system window. It also made me a little self-conscious. I wondered if I looked just as bewildered and stupid as they did, prodding at the air.

    Seeing as they were going to be reading for a hot-minute, I took the opportunity to walk over to the dust pile left by the Berserker. Above the powdery grey pyramid, was the Golem¡¯s identifier along with a greyed out [Dead]. Looting the Berserker, I gained: 350G, 15Mc as well as x5 Mana Core fragments, and the Runic Stone: Berserk. Which was a passive skill. When health drops below 25%. User will activate Berserk and all damage will be negated for 1 Intervals. Affects: Fatigue. Just as I was about to use the Runic-stone, I paused. I wasn¡¯t alone in this struggle anymore, so why should I profit alone?

    I nodded; firmly deciding to share the loot going forward, though I was keeping the gold to myself of course. I had ideas after-all and maybe... just maybe these people could be the first to join me in my pursuit. Stashing away the Rune Stone I walked back over to the Shield Knights pile. ¡°How come I can¡¯t see what their contract say? I¡¯ll have to ask Annaleigh about that,¡± I said with a thoughtful nod.

    Though I was suspicious of what they were reading, and why it was taking so long. Another 350G and 15Mc. I was also perfectly surprised to find yet another Rune Stone as well. [Item: Runic Stone. Type Spell Ward. Cost: 15M. Cool-down: 15 seconds. Caster can erect a wall of Mana that reflects all types of magical attack.] ¡°Why isn¡¯t it-¡± I about to ask when the Rune was immediately absorb as I tried to use it.

    <u>Alert!</u>

    Runic Stone cannot be learned. Incompatibility found between Accessible Magical Strand and Spell Ward. Runic Stone: Denied. ¡°Well¡­ That¡¯s a new one.¡±

    The spell seemed amazingly straight forward as well, and all I wanted was to claim it for myself. But I couldn¡¯t. Sighing in resignation I turned back to the group and found who would benefit the most from the stone.

    ¡°Melody,¡± I shouted to the cleric, who then looked up at me and blinked in surprise when I threw the Rune Stone to her. ¡°That¡¯s a Runic Stone. Funny little thing¡¯s that give you spells- Anyway, it¡¯s a Spell Ward ¨C spell. Cost¡¯s 15 Mana to cast and can reflect all magical attacks, though I imagine it shit against physical. It also has a fifteen second cool-down,¡± I nodded finishing.

    Melody just stared at me, mouth agape. Then Matilda let out a dry chuckle that sounded a little bit hysterical to me. ¡°And just how do you know that, huh?¡±

    ¡°I read it,¡± I answered simply. To which she looked more surprised and stopped laughing, to blink at me. A prompt surprised me, as it filled my vision. Amara Farias Ayala has accepted her oath of loyalty and secrecy. She will join your party once you¡¯ve reached level: 45. Now Amara will reap in the benefit¡¯s provided by your Mana Cube System. Once she is fully acclimated to this gift, she will gain the ability to use internal Mana. To grow as you can, but within her respective gift.

    I blinked ¨C read the prompt ¨C blinked again. Then I shut my eyes only for a new message to appear, its chime rattling through my skull nosily.

    Be careful [Rhys] now you¡¯re no longer alone in this. Were you ever truly though? ¡°Well that¡¯s considerably ominous,¡± I said a sigh, ¡°and fucking cryptic.¡±

    ¡°What is?¡± asked a voice and I didn¡¯t need to open my eyes to know who it was. Amara came over and sat beside me, resting her head against my shoulder. Her arms hugging her knees in an oddly fragile look. Melody Quinn has accepted her oath of loyalty and secrecy. ¡°What did the contract say?¡± I asked Amara, switching subject instead of trying to explain the deeply troubling thought I¡¯d had just now.

    ¡°I¡¯m actually bound by contract to not tell you,¡± she sighed and shook her head. ¡°Not until a certain someone has had the chance to discuss it fully with you. Though I can say that it does cover everything about you, and what you¡¯ve done since you became Gifted. I skimmed over them though. I want to understand you as you. Not the you, you are when I¡¯m not there.¡± Her voice taking on that dream-like quality again. Her head pressing deeper into my side. I smiled at her words, nonetheless.

    It told them everything I had done. So much for my own secrecy, I guess.

    Melody walked over to us then. The Runic Stone still in her hands, unused. I briefly wondered what would happen if somebody actually declined the contract. How would that affect us going forward on this quest? I didn¡¯t know and that troubled me deeply. I didn¡¯t want to force these people into a situation they thought they couldn¡¯t escape, without selling their souls or something to me.

    I heard Amara¡¯s breathing even out, as she fell asleep. Melody gazed down at the sleeping Blood Witch, then at me and shook her head in exasperation. ¡°What?¡± I asked and my voice came across a little whiny.

    ¡°Nothing you need to know - at least not yet anyway,¡± she answered coyly. I frowned at her in annoyance, I wasn¡¯t one to just simply ignore such obvious and blatantly vague hints. But I did for now, having a more pressing matter to discuss.

    ¡°Melody,¡± I said her name and she turned to face fully towards me, sensing the seriousness in my tone. ¡°Was there a price? Something you had to pay?¡± I asked worriedly.

    She shrugged, ¡°not really. It was more of a ¡­ suggestion. Something that¡¯ll need to be discussed between us, and after you¡¯ve talked with ... Annaleigh.¡± As she finish speaking, I glimpsed past her shoulder towards Matilda and saw her staring back at me, an odd expression flittering across her features.

    Then she lowered her eyes back to the screen that I couldn¡¯t see and continued reading. I drummed my fingers nervously, playing them across my forearms till Melody finally sat down on my right, like Amara pressing herself in close to me. Resting her own head on my shoulder.

    Wait a minute, I thought quickly. A sudden urge to run filling me. Does the contract tell them everything? Like everything! Like my thoughts or just... I didn¡¯t bother following that line of thought any further. I waited and waited till eventually I could feel my eyes slipping shut, Melody recently having fallen asleep as well and Amara snoring softly. Their warm body wiggling against me every now and then. Warmth suffused the inside of my chest and throat.

    Matilda Simmons, Jason Brent, Maggie Hakwin, Steward Osul and Joshua Gilbert. Have accepted their oaths of loyalty and secrecy. My eyes strained to stay open, to see Matilda¡¯s expression. Had she doubted me? Had she thought this some sort of nefarious plot to take away her freedom. To charm her. To coerce her to my side. Did she think of me like she thought of Drake? That I might be manipulating her, in some way. Was that her line of thought; reading through her contract? My eyes sealing shut as if by wax and I couldn¡¯t pry them open again. No matter how hard I tried. I drifted off to slept in the company of two gorgeous women and a third glaring daggers over at me.

    <u>Congratulations [Player] Level up: x6.</u>

    Level 18: +5Ap awarded. Reward: x2-Lesser potions of healing.

    Level 19: +5Ap awarded. Reward: x2-Lesser potions of healing.

    Level 20: +5Ap awarded. Reward: x2-Minor potions of mana.

    Level 21: +5Ap awarded. Reward: x2-Minor potions of fatigue.

    Level 22: +5Ap awarded. Reward: x2-Instant Recovery.

    Level 23: +5Ap awarded. Reward: x2-Minor potions of healing.

    <u>Stats:</u>

    Health: 650/650

    Mana: 760/760

    Fatigue: 13%

    <u>Attributes:</u>

    Strength: 39

    Vitality: 38

    Intelligence: 38

    Agility: 40

    Sense: 36

    Luck: 24

    Charisma: 36

    Wisdom: 12 [2Mp per 6Secs]-

    <u>Remaining Points:</u> 00

    This novel is the work of Rhys Thomas. If you are reading this and it has not been published by Rhys Thomas, then this work has been stolen. Please report this to Amazon and me at email: [email protected]</a>

 Interlude: Robert Elman

    I stretched as the hospital gown given to me by my own employee¡¯s fell away. I heard a few startled gasps escape the newer researchers as they caught sight of my body. The head researcher of Augur Initiative rushing over to help several other lead engineers and scientists set up the maintenance apparatus.

    I marvelled at my own reflection. I was part machine after-all. Or was I more machine now? The skeletal framework designed so long ago by Devin Trent was still within good repair. But I had my people working on upgrades. My thought¡¯s processing the memory of Devin Trent. He and his son were so alike.

    There was something different about Rhys though, that I couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on. My secretary had informed me, that Rhys had received our messages. Yet he hadn¡¯t reply. I wanted to repay him for what his father had done to me. Done for me.

    ¡°How long until we¡¯re ready to go global?¡± I asked Joseph the head researcher. The wiry old man scratched the bridge of his nose in thought.

    ¡°A month at least,¡± he muttered, and I cocked an eyebrow at him. The gesture made worse when the skin on the left side of my face slid down with a depressurised hiss to expose the shiny skeletal plating and a very organic eyeball. Joseph nodded firmly, even as a few others stepped back in shock. ¡°We¡¯ve got all the parts we needed to begin, and the government has accepted our contract of permanency within the city. We just need to be ready to respond if a revolt happens, Robert.¡±

    I nodded, ¡°if it happens, it happens. I¡¯ll not cry over spilled milk, even if that spilled milk is Humanity and the Awakened rising up, augmented by our tech. If the people want to stand side by side with the Gifted and not under their heel. They¡¯ll pay to be augmented by us,¡± I shrug. ¡°What of our strike team? How went the bank?¡± I asked Joseph.

    ¡°Went off without a hitch,¡± Joseph smiled. ¡°Our target, even helped the strike team by giving them the location of the owners.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    ¡°He did, did he?¡± I asked with a frown, outstretching my arms to either side as a scanner past over me.

    ¡°Yes. Our intelligence has found a few discrepancy within his bank account as well. Recent transactions and credits appearing in his account with no discernible trace. He also quit his job this morning.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯re you up to kid?¡± I asked to myself and rubbed at my chin in thought.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t move sir,¡± one of the engineer¡¯s told me and I nodded.

    ¡°I believe we should move onto our secondary target. The first is clearly not responsive to us ¡­ But his sister¡­¡± Joseph¡¯s voice trailed off suggestively.

    ¡°Move on it tomorrow,¡± I told him with a firm nod. My own thought¡¯s trailing away to the night I became as I¡¯m now. ¡°Maybe even use his sister as a bait. Red¡¯s after all, have a greater margin of success than the others.¡±

    Devin Trent had changed me all those thirty years ago. He among others trying to combine artificial intelligence and cybernetics with Awakened organic flesh. I didn¡¯t even know the original owner of the Awakened half of my body. Any and all traces of the facility I had awoken in had been wiped out long ago. The first thing I saw being the bright flash of the red gateway that lasted seven long years and the dull paralysing ache my Awaken half was experiencing.

    Now I understood what happened to me. The dead Awakened half of me had experienced a second awakening as the two frameworks of my being melded together as one.

    I was a unique entity. Alone in a whole full of prejudice.

    Which is why I¡¯m going to balance the scales. Give Humans and Awaken a chance to rise up, even if it starts a war in the city. I looked to the stacks and rows of cybernetic and prosthetic augmentations displayed before me and couldn¡¯t help but grin.

    Maybe with enough chaos in the city, it¡¯ll draw another Red Gateway.

    ¡°Joseph,¡± I called to the man as he started to turn away.

    ¡°Yes, Robert?¡± He replied turning back.

    ¡°Lets¡¯ also advance the timeframe on those Void Mana Emitter¡¯s.¡±

    Yes. The streets were likely to be painted red in the coming months.

    This novel is the work of Rhys Thomas. If you are reading this and it has not been published by Rhys Thomas, then this work has been stolen. Please report this to Amazon and me at email: [email protected]</a>

 Rhys Chapter Eight

    <u>(Tuesday. Date: 23-04-2463)</u>

    I came awake feeling woozy, like I was drunk. The increased attributes forcing my aware body to rack with an almost pleasurably amount of sensation. I checked my watch and realised I was still within the green gateway, as the time hadn¡¯t changed since we entered. And the sensation of pleasure wasn¡¯t just my stats increase alone.

    A hand pale white hand was beneath my bottoms, giving my rising erection a light squeeze and a slow caress. The black sleeve and pale skin informed me of whose hand it was, Amara. In a moment of gasping exhilarating, I looked to the Blood Witch and saw that she was still asleep.

    Is she jacking me off in her sleep? My inner voice asked in disbelief. As my hard cock slid through the channel formed by the smooth palm of her small hand. My hips thrusting lightly driven by desire, feeling the sensitive head of my cock rubbing against her palm. Her thumb capping and caressing the tip each time I slid through. I gasped at the sensation, every part of my being trembling with want and need. To keep this going. To extend this moment somehow.

    Then I once again realised where we were and what needed to be done, as well as the people around us. Most oddly, was that they were all depending on me in some small way; to bring them through this. Hating myself and cursing the Mother for the fool that I was. I lightly grabbed Amaras¡¯ wrist and gently pried it away from my throbbing¡ªnow¡ªhalf-erect cock.

    For a brief moment there, her hand had clenched like a vice and I froze. Then slowly withdrawing her hand and placing it within her lap with a slow exhale, I moved as if among sandcastles. Melody hands grabbing my arm and trying to keep her pillow where it belongs. She and Amara made disgusted noises as I freed myself from their clutches. They shuffled towards each other then, as if drawn by magnets and clung to one another sleepily like they were life preservers. I stood adjusting myself and huffed out a breath, blowing the air up into my face and hair. Looking around I spotted Joshua¡¯s team, where they were all huddled together, resting. All of them dead to the world tired.

    I didn¡¯t see Matilda anywhere until I shot a glance over to the massive bronze doors, the guardians had been well ¨C guarding. She stood before it fists balled against armoured hips. Her great sword resting against the left side pedestal before the door. I moved over to her cautiously, unsure of how she¡¯d react to me; now that she knew- well, everything. ¡°Hey,¡± I said deciding a simple normal approach would probably be better.

    She didn¡¯t look at me and instead moved away towards her sword. ¡°That¡¯s¡¯ not a good sign, is it?¡± I asked myself quietly. I sighed heavily, rubbing at my face and feeling mentally exhausted though my fatigue said otherwise. ¡°So, that¡¯s it then. You¡¯re just going to ignore me?¡± I asked at her back.

    She scoffed and grabbing her great sword twirled it in her hand and shaking her head a touch bitterly. ¡°You honestly have no idea, do you?¡± She asked me vaguely.

    ¡°No idea of what?¡± I said almost snarling the words and catching myself before doing so.

    ¡°That you did all of this to us.¡±

    ¡°Did what?¡± I asked confused.

    ¡°You¡¯re the reason why we¡¯re here.¡± Her voice cold, quiet and impassive. Her sword still in hand. Then I felt the familiar cold thrilling wash of pre-battle.

    ¡°Matilda¡­¡± I said softly. ¡°I didn¡¯t do this to us. I didn¡¯t bring us to this gateway. Drake ¡­ and you did that.¡± I winced as words left my mouth.

    ¡°You mean how I¡¯ve been manipulated. By someone I thought I cared for, may still care for,¡± she hissed at me and shook her head. ¡°I thought I knew you Rhys. But after reading that ¨C that thing. Everything that you¡¯ve thought about me. Blamed me for. How you thought I pitied you, even when all it was- was care.¡± Her words growing more heated and louder as she spoke. Then her face scrunched up, nose red and eyes teary.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t leave you. I broke up with you, because I couldn¡¯t stand how you looked at me.¡±

    ¡°looked at you,¡± I repeated incredulously my own voice a snarl now. ¡°For fuck sake Matilda. I damn well Lov- Grh,¡± I caught myself and shook my head. ¡°You know what. It doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯re through.¡±

    ¡°Oh, but we aren¡¯t,¡± she said stepping towards me her sword coming up to her side. ¡°Because even after all this time you¡¯re still pining after me,¡± she spat venomously. I flinched as my vision briefly swirled red. Then I remembered what Amara and Melody had hinted at. It had told them everything. Including, how I felt about them, having known Matilda the longest meant she would¡¯ve read my constant conflicted thoughts every-time I saw her.

    I took a deep breath and tried to compose myself, ¡°yes,¡± I said with a small smile that actually threw her off a bit. ¡°I do still have feelings for you,¡± I nodded, and breathing out slowly I continued. ¡°But, regardless of my feelings. I stayed away, and you moved on Tilly. To bigger and greater thing¡¯s.¡±

    My smile turning sad and a touch bitter.

    ¡°I moved on?¡± she shouted in disbelief parroting my words in a question. ¡°I didn¡¯t move on Rhys. Every fucking-time I saw you. I saw the disgust you held for me; I saw the envy you had that I was no longer just an Awakened - but also a Gifted.¡± She shook her head, purple braid shaking loose behind her as she did so.

    I started to shake my head with a disbelieving laugh, but I froze and wondered if I had felt as she said. We had been friends for a long while, since school if I remember correctly. Matilda had Awakened the year before we had started to properly hang out. Then a year and half after that she had asked me out.

    I did something then and took a mental step back. I objectively looked at my feeling, churning them through my mind in an instant. Every single moment we¡¯d spent together staying with me, like so many regrets. The boiling bubble of conflict. The mess of envy and disgust I felt for her, for being with someone as lowly as me.

    The bubble then fragment and fractured into more. My negativity about being with her. Then Matilda had been become gifted as a warrior by Furos¡¯kyrn the celestial of the strengthened will. I felt both proud and small beside her. I was dejected at the sight of my own girlfriends success and achievements as she began to train as a knight. Slowly, by increments, we began to drift apart. A matter of me no longer seeing her as a person but as a Gifted instead. People who were so far removed from humanity that the rules we held within New Eden City were basically trash to them if they so decided.

    Then she just broke away completely and pursued others and trained more. All the while I willowed in doubt and dejection, believing she had left me because we were too different. Too far removed from each other to understand what the other wanted.

    ¡°When Devon died and your mom in a coma, and you an Awakened. I tried to reach out to you, to help you. But all you saw was me pitying you and Kayla. Maybe I did pity you - you Asshole. But I also cared deeply. I was so stupid to believe that maybe we could actually move past what we had felt for one another. Now I realised that you never did, your fake smiles and words of support. All. Bullshit,¡± she hissed at me and then swallowed thickly, her sword angling up readying to pierce me with it.

    ¡°You did pity me Matilda and ¨C and you still do. I can see it in your face,¡± I said, flicking my wrist in a gesture at her. ¡°You just wanted to help me?¡± I asked, in a mocking tone. ¡°But all your help ever did, was make me feel lower and more beneath you. It¡¯s why Jim said I couldn¡¯t fuck my way up the ladder. I quit H.I. because I needed to distance myself from you entirely. It¡¯s why I ignored you. It¡¯s why I didn¡¯t tell you about this,¡± I said, waving at everything around us then at myself.

    Her face contorted into anger and betrayal. ¡°You didn¡¯t trust me?¡± She asked in a growl, it was more a statement than a question.

    I shook my head, ¡°I didn¡¯t trust you, to not see it as a problem. Something you could fix and correct. That you would have to see me as an equal, and that ¨C that would betray your image of me. That I was dirt beneath you. Which is why I wasn¡¯t surprised when you and Drake found each other,¡± I said with a light chuckle.

    That pissed her off, which was exactly what I expected. Her eyes bore into mine for a fraction of a second, they twitched erratically left and right. Her expression twisting and firming into white-hot anger.

    She screamed incoherently and rushed me with her sword, stabbing out for my face. Thrusting her sword¡¯s end in an attempt to shut me up. I noticed that everything was awake and watching now. I saw Melody raise a hand as if to protest how stupid this was. With the flat of my hand, I slapped aside her great sword with enough force to drive the tip of her sword straight into the ground. Without even breaking stride Matilda lunged at me, fist baring down to beat against me. I blocked a punch and shoved her follow up strike aside. Then I kick in the gut causing her to stumble back. Matilda flicked her hand and her great sword vibrated once, dislodged itself and shot back to her waiting hand.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t even fucking trying!¡± She almost screamed at me, spit flying out from her mouth.

    ¡°Neither are you, Tilda. Let¡¯s stop this before someone gets hurt,¡± I replied calmly and cracked my neck. If we did in fact fight for real, I wasn¡¯t I¡¯d be able to hold back on not wounding her. I needed a nonlethal way of stopping her. I frowned and scanned about, unsure of what exactly I was looking for. Nothing. Matilda¡¯s identifier then did something I hadn¡¯t seen as of yet. The orange of her name and gift phased red. ¡°Oh fuck,¡± was all I manage to mutter out before her fist slammed into the side of face. Reminisced of Amara striking me earlier. Except where Amara¡¯s has been pitiful, Matilda¡¯s was like being hit by a spaceship. My head fuzzed for an instant as a booming crack twisted me off my feet to barrel into the ground. -225Hp CND: Head: 38/100% Critical condition: Concussion.

    Star¡¯s and vague shadows bloomed all around me. I coughed and swayed unsteadily as my hands and feet tried desperately to find purchase on the floor. My and neck, hurt. Fiercely. I wanted to throw up and curl in on myself. I face was cold and numb, and my left kept closing no matter how many times I force it open.

    What had hit me? Was my first coherent thought. My second was to wonder if my brains had spilled out at some point. Fumbling my way back onto my feet, I spotted several blurry shapes converging around us. One shape more prominent than the rest, it was silvery and shiny. The reflected glint of light playing across it made me wince at how bright it was. Then a hand closed around the back of my head, its embrace comforting and drawing me towards the silvery figure. The figure knee then smashed into my face and all was lost for a fraction of a second. Fog clouded everything, except for the warning messages I was receiving. -78Hp CND: Head:14/100% Critical condition: Concussion. Brain Haemorrhage. Bleed detected: -10Hp per every 2 seconds.

    I latched onto those like they were a lifeline. No longer did I see stars and shadows, now all that stretched before me was a vast endless void. Yet those messages still floated before me. Health: 337/650. 327/650. 317. 307. 297¡­ My mind screamed at me, telling me I knew what needed to be done. 287. ¡°If You want to live. Use an¡­ Instant recovery now!¡± I heard a voice yelled distantly across the abyss of my conscience. I recognised that voice, it was Matilda. But hadn¡¯t she¡­

    247.

    ¡°He¡¯s bad. You almost killed him. Come on Rhys¡­¡± Another voice I recognised floated passed. Melody.

    ¡°The screen fucking told me to. That I couldn¡¯t hold back against him. That he needed- ¡±

    ¡°Which is why I¡¯ve bound you. Honestly, if you wanted to rape him, couldn¡¯t you at least left his face alone. He has a handsome face.¡± I begrudgingly admitted that I recognise this voice as well. 207.

    ¡°That he needed to stop fucking around and looked at his options-¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just tell him that?¡± Melody questioned her.

    ¡°He has to figure it out for himself. I wasn¡¯t allow-¡± Matilda replied. Look at his options, I thought sagely and with a will of effort I managed to minimise my alarming messages. Switching over to the options command. Everything was as it should be, with the added the additions of Store System and Magical System. I had sparingly glanced through the store but hadn¡¯t spent too much time going through it. The Magical System however-

    ¡°The penalty was- death,¡± Matilda paused then. ¡°I¡¯ve, I¡¯ve been awarded 5Ap for completion.¡±

    ¡°Okay, that is totally messed up,¡± Amara chirped.

    ¡°Yes, it is. If anything Rhys should¡¯ve been notified about it. Ugh, I¡¯ve tried everything, and nothing is working. It¡¯s like he¡¯s an Awakened once again,¡± Melody sighed, sounding exhausted.

    Initiate Magical System:

    YES/NO.

    Health: 157/650.

    Mentally shrugging and seeing no other recourse, I thoughtfully pressed yes.

    Initiating¡­ You have got to be kidding me, I whined mentally. 147, Initiating¡­ Cycling through my screens, I skipped to my inventory and mentally slammed the prompt for my Instant recovery cursing myself for not having done so already. Nothing happened. Initiating¡­ Health: 137/650 A new message blocked me then. Magical System is initiating all activities are suspended. That wasn¡¯t good.

    ¡°How come he isn¡¯t coming around, or healing?¡± Amara asked, her voice bouncing around my head like an echo.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I suspect that something is wrong,¡± Melody replied sagely. Yes, something is most definitely motherfucking wrong¡­ I was completely locked out of all system functions other than screen navigation. 117. Pulling up my stat screen I was surprised to find it had changed.

    <u>Status Window: [Magical System]</u>

    Health: 117/650.

    Mana: 760/760.

    Fatigue: 82%

    White Strand: Inactive.

    Okay. I¡¯m trapped inside my own and everyone outside of myself is completely clueless. Just how the hell do I activate the White Strand? 107Hp. Magical System Initiation complete.

    Congratulations [Rhys] First of eight magical strands has been enabled.

    97Hp Hurry the fuck up! I mentally yelled at the slow-moving prompts. I hoped this Magical System was worth- suddenly my whole being clamped down and went rigid. A startled gasp escaping me and those around me, as I locked up.

    System suspension lifted. Have a nice day.

    Ignoring the message, I blinked my eyes open and as quick as thought I scanned through my inventory. I breathed a sigh of relief when I mentally pressed on instant recovery and a rejuvenating warm light enveloped me. Healing and restoring my body to as it was, before I got my ass handed to me by Matilda. I wasn¡¯t ever going to underestimate her again. I sat up from the granite stone floor as everyone backed away a step. ¡°That was certainly educational,¡± I mumbled as I stared around the place. My eyes locked with Matilda. Then the knight crumbled, falling to her knees and dropping her great sword that reverberated with a loud clang as it hit the stone. Tears fell from her eyes as she hugged herself, sobbing loudly. Melody rushed over to embrace to the crying Knight as Amara¡¯s arms encircled around my neck from behind.

    ¡°That gave us all quite a scare,¡± the blood witch murmured quietly into my ear. I nodded slightly; my gaze still trapped by Matilda balling like a baby. ¡°Go to her.¡±

    ¡°But-¡± I started to say but Amara voice cut me off.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t have a choice, Rhys. Your system, it made her do that. There were consequences if she didn¡¯t.¡±

    Extracting myself from Amara I crawled hesitantly over to Matilda. Melody saw me coming and moved away just as I got there. Matilda looked up at me blinked her watery purple eyes and then hugged me tightly, her body trembling with each racking sob. ¡°Why didn¡¯t fight back?¡± she asked between tears trembling against me. Her head stuffed into my chest as I held her tightly to me.

    ¡°I did. I just didn¡¯t want either of us getting hurt,¡± I told. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to go all out, is all. I would¡¯ve kicked you ass otherwise.¡±

    ¡°More l-like I caught you by surprise,¡± she replied, and sighed heavily.

    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked her.

    ¡°This system¡­ it gave me a quest. Quite simple one really. Beat the ever the loving shit out of you, or¡­¡± She trailed off and pushed her face harder into my chest, as if to hide there.

    ¡°Or?¡± I prompted her.

    She sighed then, ¡°or you would lose your life.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± I asked and pushed on her shoulders until she was at arms-length from me. My mind racing. Could the system really do that? Wasn¡¯t the Mana Cube System, largely a part of me. Why would it force someone whose contractually bound to me, to fight me to bloody pulp and kill me if they refused. It just didn¡¯t make any sense. Was Annaleigh involved with this. I cleared my throat when Matilda sniffled and rubbed at her eyes self-consciously. Her usually tight braid of purple hair had partially come loose at some point. It spilled like royal silk down onto her battered and bloodied knight armour. I breathed in deeply as I watched her for several seconds, as Melody tentative hands hovered over the knight looking for injuries.

    Even when it was my ass that got kicked. I shook my head a little ruefully. ¡°What was the awards for completion?¡± I asked her.

    Turning to me, she blinked a little owlishly and nodded her head. ¡°I got¡­ 5Ap? And was awarded another 5Ap when you did whatever the system wanted you to do.¡±

    ¡°Whatever the System wanted me to do?¡± I repeated back to her, but she shrugged.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure really. It wanted you find something, I think.¡± She frowned then and stared off into space. For the barest fraction of a second, something passed under the surface of her pupil. It looked a lot like computer coding, and it was blue. Was the Mana Cube System fucking with her mind? Or was that how I looked, when I processed System information. Question¡¯s for later I guessed.

    ~*~*~*~

    An hour or so later we all stood around, chatting and discussing our options. ¡°Honestly, at point we can¡¯t go back so we might as well continue on,¡± I told everyone.

    ¡°You don¡¯t reckon Drake and Irma¡¯s group will come back for us,¡± Steward asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s if they can,¡± Melody supplied. ¡°Even then, who knows what¡¯s going on out there. I agree with Rhys, we should move forward.¡± As Melody spoke, I watched as everyone became immediately entranced by her. The Cleric had this calm matronly directness, that made everything she said seem trustworthy. I shook my head as even I couldn¡¯t help but help stare at her plump lips. My thoughts running more towards what she had on under her gaudy robes.

    ¡°I agree as well. Rhys,¡± Matilda called to me and I blinked away images of Melody in wearing nothing else than a red bow around her chest.

    ¡°Y-yeah,¡± I answered clearing my throat.

    ¡°You should probably spend this prep time figuring out how what exactly this Magical System does for you,¡± she told me. I nodded my agreement and walked off to the side of the chamber. Amara somehow finding her over to me and clinging to my arm.

    ¡°Rhys, honey,¡± Amara cooed at me and I looked down at her with a scowl.

    ¡°Hon-¡± I started to question.

    ¡°What say we go on a date when we¡¯re finished here?¡± She asked me sweetly. I simply stared at the semi-gothic Blood Witch in confusion. What the ever-loving fuck was getting myself into. Yet I wasn¡¯t compelled to decline her. As much as Amara weirded me out. She was hot and crazy, and I hadn¡¯t had any female attention in quite a while. Constantly worrying over bills, rent, my sister, my job, gateway carrying, and my then comatose mother had really put a damper on my personal life. My last girlfriend being Matilda, and well, I was still in the fallout from that exploding on me. Gifted were known for having multiple partners, something to do with the gender ratio. So maybe¡­

    ¡°Sounds good,¡± I told the petite Blood Witch. ¡°Where were you thinking?¡±

    ¡°My place or scratching that. My car. Or here, right now on the floor. Me on all fours and you fucking me from behind. The rest can watch, or even join in if you-¡±

    ¡°Wow, you just don¡¯t stop do you?¡± I cut her off with a laugh.

    Amara smiled at me, ¡°I do what I want and when I want. Oh shit!¡± She exclaimed then, stopping us in our tracks.

    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked her.

    ¡°I forgot to ask Matilda about the Mana Core,¡± Amara pouted. I looked from her, to the Knight that was probably 25 ¨C 30 feet away.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just go ask her now,¡± I said with a cocked eyebrow.

    ¡°I can?¡± She asked sweetly, fluttering her green eyes up at me.

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I trailed off.

    ¡°Thank you!¡± The blood witch exclaimed; jumping she pressed a firm kiss to my lips and bounced away towards the others.

    ¡°What the hell have I gotten myself into?¡± I sighed and shook my head. Now, I needed to figure what exactly had happened. Pulling up all of the Magical System messages and the one about the first of eight strands, I read through them. Thankfully the last message actually provided me some information.

    Magical System: White Strand. (1/8)

    White Strand: Binding Magic.

    Binding magic is the contractual force and framework that repels, attracts and binds all thing¡¯s.

    To make use of the White Strand of magic, will the Strand to appear.

    <u>Status Alert!</u>

    System functionality changed with the activation of the Magical System. All Active Skills are temporarily disabled. Passive Skills are still enabled. Active magic used outside of the Magical System cost¡¯s double. To disable the Magical System, simply will the option to exit the system. Attributes are still active, though no longer displayed when using the Magical System.

    ¡°Okay¡­ This is certainly odd,¡± I said and paused as I tried to activate Haste. Nothing happened. Then I tried Telekinetic Reach and my was surprised when Mana plummeted -60Mp. Leaving me at 700/760, which wasn¡¯t that bad now that I considered how I could regenerate Mana now thanks to my Wisdom Attribute. Seeing no further way of putting this off, I willed the White magical Strand to appear. Which manifested before me wasn¡¯t at all what I expected. A dull white orb buzzed into existence two feet away from me, at chest level. It hummed and buzzed statically, and as I stepped towards to take a closer look to moved away. Keeping two feet of distance between me and it.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    Frowning I reached out, ¡°this is so strange.¡± The nearer my hand came towards to the orbs the more erratic the buzzing got, to the point that it was painful. I tried willing it to quiet or to come closer, but nothing happened. ¡°If this electrocutes me, I¡¯m gonna so pissed at Annaleigh I swear that-¡± My hand passed through and all I felt was a brief sensation of cold weightlessness, then the orb shrunk around my wrist forming a dull white band that glowed softly.

    Calibrating¡­ A message popped in front and I jumped feet, ¡°holy- fuck!¡± Then electrifying pain shot down my arm till it reach my shoulder and webbed off throughout my body. Calibrating¡­ Error found. Two Bonds necessary. Then another white magical orb, magically manifested and as the pain shrieked through me, it somehow took control of my arm and plugged it through the second orb. Where it too shrunk into another band, to shrink around my wrist.

    I may¡¯ve blacked out as two webbing tendrils of pain branch through me to meet at the centre of my being. My Mana heart, there, they sparked and electrified sending currents of pulsating energy. Each one feeling like miniature heart attacks. Then I gasped as all of sudden it ended, and I was left panting and swaying unsteadily on my feet. Steam rose off the bands on my wrists, and even out through my mouth and nostrils.

    Calibration complete.

    Congratulations, you are now the proud owner of the White Strand of Magic. One of Eight accessible strands. Through further growth other Strands will become accessible. Hope you have a positively ecstatic day.

    My eyes twitch as I read through the prompt and breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Does this mean I¡¯ll have to go through calibration every time I used the Strand. Or when accessing a Strand for the first time?¡± I asked aloud.

    ¡°Accessing what for the first time?¡± A voice said from behind me, making me jump a little.

    ¡°Damn it, Melody!¡± I said and felt at my chest.

    ¡°Oops, sorry. Didn¡¯t mean to scare you,¡± she replied apologetically. I waved it off.

    ¡°My magic. Or more properly put: my actual magic,¡± I told and frowned down at my wrists. The band were still softly glowing white. ¡°Hey, do you see these?¡±

    ¡°You mean the eerie grey-white bands on your wrist¡¯s? Yeah, I see those; why?¡± Melody replied and cocked a fine eyebrow at me.

    ¡°No reason, really. Just wondering is all. I really don¡¯t know what to do with these. This,¡± I said and waved at the bands on my right and left wrist. ¡°Is supposedly White Strand magic.¡±

    ¡°Well, what does White Strand magic do?¡± She asked. I recalled up the message and read it to her. ¡°So it¡¯s Binding Magic?¡±

    I nodded, ¡°yeah. At least that¡¯s what it says.¡±

    ¡°Can you share the screen with me?¡± Melody suggested, I was to shake my head but then froze. Could I do that? Pulling my message about with my fingers I pinched the screen till it formed into a small two by four envelope and flicked it at the Cleric.

    Do you wish to share this message with: [Melody Quinn]

    YES/NO.

    Selecting yes, I watched as Melody¡¯s eyes twitch briefly and firmed as she began mumbling through the message. Okay, that is certainly interesting. If I could figure out some way to use this to our advantage, or better yet write actual messages and sent them over greater distances. It would surely benefit us, I thought as I waited for the Cleric to finish.

    ¡°Okay- Several of the words within the description of binding magic were highlighted,¡± she told me. I nodded; I had actually noticed that but had thought nothing of it. ¡°The highlighted words are: Contractual force, framework, repel, attract and bind¡¯s all thing¡¯s. So maybe try attracting something to you. Pull something to you like a magnet.¡±

    ¡°Like a magnet- got it,¡± I mumbled and searched about for something to fuck with. Several seconds later I found some rock debris that had fallen from the wall of the chamber, when Matilda had rammed the shield Golems into it. Holding my hands out and splaying my fingers wide, I tried to push outwards, to move my Mana through me with a conscious will. Nothing happened. Several more attempts and still nothing. ¡°Maybe you should try make a fist,¡± Melody suggested and tilted her head in thought. By now Matilda, Amara and the others minus Josh, who was messing around with his breastplate after sharpening his war-axe.

    ¡°Fine, a fist it is. If this doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯m quitting,¡± I grumbled back at her. Forming fists with both hands I was surprised when a display appear hovering over my wrist. It was like a holographic gunsight reticle. ¡°Holy shit,¡± I said in a gasp.

    ¡°Did something happen?¡± Matilda asked me.

    ¡°Uh- not exactly. I now have a holographic reticle above my wrist,¡± I told her.

    ¡°Like you get on guns, or in games?¡± Jason asked excitedly and then blushed as everyone looked to him.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± I nodded, ¡°I wonder if I can-¡± I started and aiming my closed fist I felt a whump as Mana rushed through my arm to collect at the band on my wrist. Then a small white bolt of mana shot out of my fist to smack harmlessly into a rock the size of my head. It pulsed a film of white and half a second it levitated a foot off the ground and shot towards me. ¡°What the heck!¡± I yelled and dodged out of the way as it passed by. Thinking quickly I aim my left fist at the opposite wall of the chamber, a whump of mana followed by another white bolt. This time when the bolt smacked into the wall, the rock that had sailing passed paused in mid-air. Suspended there, like it was caught between two opposing forces.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Steward murmured, and I had to agree. I had never seen magic like this before. The rock hummed as it jittered in place. I activated my Magical Sight and saw two cords of Mana, trailing taut at either end of the rock. One cord¡ªor Strand¡ªwas connected to me, the other was connected to the wall at the other side of the chamber. ¡°Huh,¡± I huffed and sighed. This would definitely take some getting used to.

    ¡°I wonder,¡± Melody started, her face taking on a thoughtful look. ¡°If the Holographic sight¡ªas you described it¡ªis more like training wheel¡¯s. It¡¯ll be interesting to find out.¡± My eyebrows shut up at her words and I nodded my partial agreement.

    Looking back to the rock, I frowned. Why had the strand for attract attached itself to me? I wondered thoughtfully. Raising my right arm I shot the rock again, this time though I willed the rock to attract towards the bronze doors. The rock fell briefly, and I watched as it suddenly caught itself and swung widely left towards the doors. Now balancing between them and the walls. I opened my hands and the bindings vanished.

    ¡°Is it alright with everyone, if I keep messing with this as we move forward? If we get into serious trouble, I¡¯ll switch back to damage dealer.¡±

    ¡°It would be best if you could try and figure this all out early,¡± Matilda nodded and smiled slightly at me. ¡°Never know. Your White Strand magic could be just the thing we need.¡± Then she gestured at the doors and I caught her meaning. Raising my right hand, I closed my fist sending a shot of attraction to the left door. It swung on creaking hinges as it ground slightly against the granite floor, then I did the same with the right side. I could attract two things at once, which was good to know.

    Half a minute later the doors were fully open, and everyone was ready. I looked to my Mana and winced, 690/760. It wasn¡¯t too bad, but I didn¡¯t know the full capabilities of binding magic yet. Such as: Did heavier objects cost more Mana? I understood the basics of repel and attract, but what about this contractual force or framework? Could I say¡­ Bind someone legs together with an attract spell? Or even repel my own body off the ground and use attract as a way to levitate myself. Then could I bind elements. Use an attract spell on the air element and form a shield, then attach repel?

    There were so many possibilities. Right now though, I was hampered by the fact that I had aim my fist and target something. I just hoped Melody was right, and that right now I was just wearing the kiddie gloves. Once those were off, I was definitely going to experiment.

    ~*~*~*~

    ¡°So how does your gift work exactly?¡± Maggie asked me. She, Melody, Amara and I were bringing up the rear as the other¡¯s ranged ahead with Matilda leading the front. With the Magical System enabled, it meant I was better suited to support functions within the group. I had spent the last few minute since we¡¯d entered through the bronze doorway, practicing my binding magic. I used attract and repel to float small stones that we passed off the ground.

    I found that as much as I liked the prospects of the White Strand¡¯s magic, the need to aim and target everything was becoming a pain in my ass. It stopped me from being truly versatile with the magic.

    Something I had figured out though was the cost of Mana for each shot. Thirty-five points of Mana. Luckily only the initial shot¡¯s counted and not the length of which the bindings held. Also it seemed- at least as far as I could tell but the weight of the object my spells hit wasn¡¯t factored into the cost. Something small cost the same points of mana to move as those massive bronze doors has.

    ¡°What¡¯d you mean?¡± I asked the mage. Up ahead I could Matilda gesturing further in front of her as she spoke to Josh. Giving the newly minted leader some advice, I guessed.

    ¡°Like the system,¡± Maggie replied and shrugged.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not really sure myself. Don¡¯t you have any System windows?¡± I asked her in return, remembering how Matilda had mentioned being awarded Five-Attribute-points.

    Maggie shook her head slightly, ¡°We, the others and I have a Lesser Contract. So we can only see our Health, Mana, Fatigue and a few base stats.¡±

    My eyebrows drew together as I thought over her words. Then I caught Melody glancing at me from my left and I leaned her way when she gave me a subtle nod. ¡°Only Amara, Matilda and I have Greater Contract. I summarised after speaking to the others, but it seems that only us few have greater System functionalities. Like quests and inventory, though they¡¯re locked until we reach level: 30,¡± the Cleric informed me.

    ¡°Wait,¡± I whispered back. ¡°What level are you now then?¡±

    ¡°Level: 23, so are Amara and Matilda as well.¡±

    ¡°Interesting,¡± I trailed off. The others in front of us stopped as we reached the end of the corridor we¡¯d been travelling. Beyond, the path widen out and stretched in height. The stone and granite brick all around us now, no longer we were travelling through dank earthy caverns. This made all of us cautious, it seemed we had entered into a dungeon, yet I received no prompt warning me of such. Maybe a crypt them?

    Activating Magical Sight I gasped at what I saw. ¡°This isn¡¯t going to be easy,¡± I informed the others as I scanned everything before us.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Matilda asked from beside me. We were crouched low to the ground as we looked into the chamber, beyond this was another dark corridor. We had decided it was best to scan the rooms for traps or enemy¡¯s before entering, in case doing so triggered we found.

    ¡°Four Golem Knights and a good thirty - forty Pawns,¡± I answered with a wince

    ¡°Fuck! That isn¡¯t good,¡± Matilda agreed, and I could hear the other cursing¡¯s as well.

    ¡°I would say that we could use the same tactics as last time, but I¡¯m worried about us being swarmed by those Pawns.¡± The Pawns were more fashioned like earth and mud foot soldiers and were of an average human height. Sconces embedded into the pillars that lined the walls of the chamber held no torches but a collection of softly glowing oranges crystals. The light cast unease shadows, made worse by the towering sentinels¡¯ at the back whose own shadows swallowed the army of Pawns, leaving only the vaguest of outlines of what we truly faced.

    I rubbed at my chin as I looked at the unmoving force. ¡°No one move,¡± I hissed to the group and everyone froze.

    ¡°Rhys, what¡¯re you thinking?¡± Matilda asked and I could hear the quiver of concern in her voice. This situation was awfully shitty, more importantly. The E-ranks would most likely become overwhelmed quickly. ¡°We got to draw the Pawns to us first, without drawing the Golems as well,¡± I replied.

    ¡°But that¡¯s fucking crazy,¡± I heard Steward all but hiss in obvious terror.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fucking logical. Look just hope and pray those giants aren¡¯t drawn in as well, if you like,¡± I replied and rubbed the palms of my hands into my eyes and let out an explosive sigh. No arguments there. ¡°If shit goes wrong Just remember your teamwork. Always back each other up and keep each other in your peripherals.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯re you going to draw them to us?¡± Amara asked me. The Blood Witch had stepped really close at some point and was practically hanging off of me now. I drew forth my old Halberd from my time in Fellbait dungeon, thankful that even though I was using the Magical System everything else seem to be in working order.

    The bronze weapon was useless to me now that I had Heava¡¯liku But I¡¯d kept the weapon as a memento of my first jaunt as a gifted and my first solo Blue Gateway. Now that all seemed pointless and million miles away from what we were facing now. Outnumbered and outmatched, our hope was to stagger the fights, draw and the Pawns first. Then the Golem Knights, one by one. If my gambit didn¡¯t pay off, we would be facing something that not all of us could walk away from. Not without loses.

    Heck it¡¯ll be better if I can only pull a few Pawns to us and let the E-Ranks figure out a plan on how to combat them. The difference between a Golem Knight and a Pawn, was that the Knights were giant and made of clay and stone. The Pawns were an amalgamation of mushed up mud and harden dirt. The only problem was that they could morph the limbs of their bodies, changing their arms to scythes and the like.

    Weak in small numbers but, say if thirty odd Pawns rushed you, you were going to get hurt. No doubt about it.

    I hefted to bronze halberd, ¡°where¡¯d you get that?¡± Jason asked me. ¡°Fellbait. The dungeon with all the ratlings or ratkin - whatever you want to call them. Took it off a lieutenant.¡± Then I waved a hand, gesturing everyone to move away from me. I shot the rear of the halberd with a repel spell and will myself as the anchoring point. I felt the intense pressure and force of the spell in my hand as I grunted, juts trying to angle the weapon correctly in front of me. I even felt my feet skid across the stone as the repulsing force tried to tear the halberd from my hand.

    Then with another grunt as I let my hand go and watched as the halberd streaked in a straight line across the distance to smack into the chest of a Pawn. It buried and blasted through to hit several others to devastating effects. Muddy limbs and torso parted with enough force that they slammed into other Pawns knocking fifteen or so of them onto the ground like domino¡¯s.

    I¡¯d been trailing the halberd with my right fist raised, ready to blast an attract spell before the weapon could end up anywhere near Golems in the back. Shooting the spell off, I felt the whump of magic as the white bolt just caught the halberds pommel as it reached the backline of Pawns. The old and worn weapon hovered there, buzzing and jittering with supressed energy. I released my repel spell and the bronze halberd sailed back toward me, striking and impaling several Pawns through the chest as one of them got caught on the down curve of the axe blade. Then with an almost eerie alertness, all of the Pawns turned and twisted to watch as their lone brother was dragged away by a Halberd.

    Then, in mass they all rushed forward in an odd loping run. ¡°Get ready!¡± I yelled to the others, and then cringed as an enormous shape at the back of the Pawn force shifted in the shadows. Matilda and Joshua¡¯s team pushed forward as I joined the support in the back. From my right I caught a flash of red glyph-like tattoos blooming across Amaras¡¯ skin to bubble into a ruby blood ball in her left hand. She swung her arm back and tossed the object to fly above the group of advancing Pawns.

    Once it fell within their ranks the Blood Witch closed her hand viciously and a sound like breaking glass shattering echoed in a boom that exploded among the Pawns. Two-foot-long blood spike exploded in all directions with a shrieking scream as they whistled amongst their numbers, impaling tens of them through their cores and hampering more.

    ¡°What the heck was that?¡± I asked Amara in disbelief. She wore a smug smile as she turned and winked at me, but I noticed the slight drooping in her shoulders. She¡¯d used quite a bit of Health and Mana doing that.

    ¡°A blood grenade!¡± She chirped and thrust out her right hand with another bloom of bloody red glyphs crossing her skin to form into a long wicked looking knife. Its crimson obsidian glass reflected, but only shallowly, the knife seemed empty somehow. ¡°And this!¡± She chirruped triumphantly, ¡°is a Drinkers Blade.¡± Amara caressed the weapon with a strange amount of dreamy gentleness, I wouldn¡¯t feel for such an ominous looking knife. Heava¡¯liku fit me just fine.

    Maggie, Joshua¡¯s groups mage. Launched one her massive Mana bolts, scoring the right flank of the approaching Pawn force. She¡¯d aimed low, so as to fell them. Pawns, unlike Golems, could regenerate their limbs but it took time. Her Mana bolt hit and decimated a score of them, leaving a fair number writhing with the lower halves of their bodies missing. Unfortunately though, the Mana Bolt boomed loudly, more so than Amara¡¯s Blood Grenade. More movement from the Golem¡¯s in the back. Then Matilda and the rest were there, fighting and hacking away at their numbers.

    One of the Pawns, a dark muddy brown coloured one, morphed its arm into a spike and drove it towards Jason¡¯s side as he parried and kicked another. I shot out a repel spell and blasted the spike. The force of it diving towards Jason pushed the man to his left as I shot another repel at the ground beneath the Pawn. It flew and crashed with a solid smack into the chambers ceiling. I dismissed the spell and it crashed down atop a few other Pawns, piling them into a heap.

    A scythe arm swung into the side of steward, gracing the ranger but only slightly. I shot an attract spell at its face and the force was of the spell was strong enough to completely tear the head off and sail it towards the ceiling. The Pawns now seemed blinded and stumbled about, until Matildas¡¯ massive great sword swept through it and several others.

    ¡°Argh! This isn¡¯t going to work,¡± I fumed summoning Heava¡¯liku. ¡°Stay here and support,¡± I told the others and charged to join the fight proper. I leaped through a gap, between Jason and Joshua. Steward scuttled backwards loaded another bolt and then leaned out to the right of Joshua¡¯s shield to fire. I shot an attract spell at it and watched it screw through two of the Pawns necks to lodge in the core of another, killing it. I swept out my knife parting the probing the spear arm of a Pawn as I shot a repel spell beneath its feet. It jumped ten feet into the air and using Telekinetic Reach -60Mp I pulled the Pawn toward and skewered its core with my blade. I shot a glance at Matilda and saw that the Knight was facing several Pawns at once. I shot an attract spell at its arm and neck, the fork point of its arm lodged itself there and Matilda bisected the thing in two.

    More came, rushing in to fill the ranks. I scanned the force arrayed before and saw that there were more than forty now. We were cutting it close to being over-run. Bit by bit, we were forced to loose ground. Matilda or I, could easily stay amongst them and fight but that would leave the others undefended. ¡°Any ideas,¡± Matilda growled over to me as we fought. I kicked the knee of a Pawn and darted in to stab it cores but was quickly pushed back as more came at me. I hadn¡¯t taken wounds yet, in fact, as far as I knew none of us had. Odd that.

    ¡°None, you?¡± I called back to her. We were sweating, a quick glance at my stats made me wince slightly. Health: 650/650. Mana: 490/760. Fatigue: 68% White Strand: Active. If we ended up in a protracted fight against the golems after this, we¡¯d be fucked. I glanced over at Josh¡¯s team as I sliced the barbed leg off a Pawn and shot an attract spell at the falling limb, throwing it to smack into the face of another trying to slam its hammer morphed hand into Matilda¡¯s shoulder. Josh blocked, chopping fruitlessly the array of Pawns trying to get past him as Maggie and steward shot projectiles out from behind. Jason weaved in and out protecting the shield warriors flanks as Amara darted in to stab her knife viciously into a Pawns core, knowing almost as if by instinct where to attack.

    I blocked and parried, thrust my knife through the neck of a Pawn and twisted my arm about. Jumping into the pawn I shot a repel into the centre of its chest as I twisted about it and threw the body with an explosive amount of repulsion. The body blasted into the ranks knocking more and more over as I pushed deeper, throwing more Mana into the force. Releasing the spell, I stabbed a Pawn lying prone at my feet through the back of its shoulder where its core was embedded.

    ¡°Charge!¡± Matilda called.

    ¡°What?¡± I answered back, confused.

    ¡°You asked me if I had any ideas, well¡­ charge them.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ honestly I¡¯d forgotten,¡± I told her, stumbling into her back as we rotated, switching. The side I now faced had larger weapons. Punching a Pawn in the head send it flying, to battered into the Pawn next to it where I entangled them both with an attract spell and then sent them flying together with a quick repel spell after.

    ¡°I agree then. On three, we charge,¡± I told the Knight and parried a halberd thrust to the side and split the weapon in half summoning my knife. Yet, as I looked out beyond the force more seemed to emerge from the shadows running this time and without the weird limping run. ¡°Hadn¡¯t the last few waves moved like that?¡± I murmured to myself. At the back more movement from one of the Golem¡¯s shadow. For a fraction of a second, I thought I saw a miniscule flash of orange magic. The framework so small I barely paid it any attention. On a hunch I switched to Magical Sight and groaned. Only two or three Pawns had actual Mana cores within them, the rest were illusions.

    ¡°Fall back and take cover!¡± A voice called out from behind.

    ¡°What?¡± Matilda and I shouted in unison. Then, a bloody red ball flew overhead to fall into the illusionary ranks of the Pawns.

    ¡°Wait!¡± I shouted but was too late. Spears of blood run out everywhere sipping straight towards us, I raised both of my arms to try something when a colourless curving barrier manifested before us. The spears of blood hit the barrier, pelting it and recoiling liquidly in on themselves to bounce off and hit the Pawns. Again, I saw a flash of magic at the back and caught sight of the magical framework. The system, as if recognising what I¡¯d noticed gave me an identifier. Golem. Illusionist. An orange warning hue filling its name.

    ¡°They¡¯re not real,¡± I called out, and scanning the rows of mud and clay men bodies I noted that all actual Pawns were now dead.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Matilda asked from beside me.

    ¡°They¡¯re illusions. We¡¯ve been fighting illusions,¡± I told her and heard her groan as she then informed the others. Turning I caught Melodys eye and gave her a grateful nod. She¡¯d used the Runic Stone finally, the Spell Ward. ¡°Thank you,¡± I mouthed to her and was rewarded with a blushing smile, her cheeks going almost as red as her hair. Amara was staring at her knife and frowning in disappointment. I guessed her Drinkers Blade, drank the red stuff coursing through our veins. How she¡¯d thought she could get blood from a Pawn is beyond me. Might as well try and squeeze water from a rock, I thought and tried to hide my amusement.

    As if knowing it had been outed the Golem Illusionist stepped out from the shadows. Like the first two Golem Knights we¡¯d faced, the Illusionist was also made of stone and clay. It stood as a fifteen-foot-tall faceless man with a hood over its head. A stone staff in one hand bled through with Mana infused cracks. The Mana winked in and out, pulsating continuously. The rest of the group finally took notice, with Melody being the last after healing a bruise on Stewards hip.

    The first of four Golems, we¡¯d have to face. ¡°Be careful of everything,¡± Melody said speaking up. ¡°Illusionists, if pressed hard enough can and have infused life into their illusions.¡±

    Wiping at the sweat on my brow, I dismissed Heava¡¯liku. ¡°Maybe magic, would be the better option for this fight,¡± I mumbled to the others. Amara, Maggie and Melody nodded along. Wizards for wizards, warriors for warriors. Shooting out a binding of attraction I flung a Pawn¡¯s rotting body across the chambers expanse at the Illusionist.

    The Golems image wavered as the body past through to smack into the wall behind. I scanned about and cursed, ¡°there!¡± Amara shouted, pointing off to the right side of the room. The wall rippled and vanished, Maggie shot her huge Mana bolt out and hit the wall, the image distorted further and then collapsed.

    A menacing growled snarled through the chamber, practically stealing the air from my lungs with the potency of it¡¯s malevolence. Large orange orbs the size of my head opened in the darkness, green scales and a long serpentine body with fours legs crashed out through the darkness to swing about and slammed its tail into the women on my right.

    They cried out as the dragon-like monster, whipped about, its long sinuous body smashing into Melody¡¯s Spell Ward once, and then twice. The shield shattered. Blasted both spells at once, I hit the dragon eel-like head with an attract spell and is flailing tail with a repel. Instantly the dragon was seized and strung up into air above the women. ¡°Get back!¡± I barked at them and they scurried away.

    Re-summoning Heava¡¯liku from my inventory I ran at the beast, about to leap on and stab it when It vanished as my bindings were dismissed. In a haze of imagery the dragon distorted and was replaced with a giant black carapace sphere, that split apart as eight long legs divided out and touched the ground with a dull chink. An enormous spider reared up in what seemed like a silent stretch and I felt my blood go cold as its three rows of eyes settled on me.

    ¡°O-oh damn,¡± I murmured and took a step back. Affliction Debuff detected: Fear. Passive Skill: Incite has activated: Fear. Affliction Rebuffed. Like an unveiling, my thoughts became clearer and I scanned the insect, Golem. Illusionist. This was the Golem, using Magical Sight I saw, yep, it had a Mana Core. Maybe this was a skill or a spell it was using, polymorph or something along those lines. Illusionists from what little I knew, could not only conjure illusions but also manipulate inanimate objects giving them life. The push more Mana into a spell and have their creations solidify. Only the rare few could actually polymorph, change themselves into other beings or objects but are usually stomped by the set limit of things they can turn into.

    So far, I¡¯d seen a dragon and now a spider. Their larger size meant more Mana was being consumed for growth. I darted forward, no longer under the subtle effects of its fear Debuff and dove between its legs to crash into a roll beneath it. I stabbed out with my knife but was surprised when my blade only scored along the surface of its carapace. A leg swept inwards clawing and knocking me backwards, I hit the ground but received no damage. I guessed my chest piece of armour working, which reminded me of my gauntlet and it¡¯s phase ability.

    There was shout as the others charged into the fray, to fight the spider. Maggie shot customary Mana bolt, but the blast simply slid oily across the surface of the spiders carapace. The blast boomed as it hit the wall behind. I jumped up from underneath the spider and punched its sternum with a repulsion spell. The spiders carapace crumpled inwards with a splattering crack and hiss, and suddenly the spider was launched twenty-five feet up into the air. It reacted quickly though and flipped around to brace its momentum against the dark ceiling above.

    Dismissing the spell jarred the spider but it clung like a spider would. This time I shot a binding of attraction and affixed the spider in place there. Trapped it couldn¡¯t move. ¡°I really hope this works,¡± I muttered to myself. Keeping the spell active, I tossed my knife back into my inventory and shot a repulsion spell at my own feet, pushing and willing the spell to unbind me from the ground. I too launched off the chambers ground soaring straight for the immobilised spider.

    With a stupid grin plastering my face I crashed into the ceiling hard, completely missing the spider, as it polymorphed into a giant eagle, far too large for the chamber to stretch its wings. It fell and hit the ground loudly and just as hard as I¡¯d hit the ceiling. -78Hp. CND. Head: 83/100% Groaning I stood up and swayed, everything was upside down, no not everything, only me. My perspective had change is all, the ceiling was now the floor. I could jump and the repulsion spell would push me subtly back down to the ceiling. It was as if gravity had reversed, it was now pushing upwards instead of down. Was this what the highlighted words meant in the descriptions for Binding Magic, the contractual force and framework? I didn¡¯t for one second imagine I was smart enough to actually figure it out proper.

    I looked up and watched disconcertingly as my friends fought against a giant spotted tabby cat, its fourth and hopefully last form. Steading myself I lowered into a crouch. It was odd after all to switch view points and see your friends fighting on the ceiling, yet I felt no nausea.

    With a second blast of repel I dismissed my first and rocketed upwards for the ground, shooting so fast that everything blurred and then I there my knife stabbing through and penetrating the spine of the giant spotted tabby. It yowled and thrashed, collapsing to the ground. Its giant paws splaying outwards futilely as it cried. My arm phased through its body to scare the Mana core enough to leak light that instantly tried to burn my entire arm to crisp.

    I hissed and drew back jumping off the beast to land in a roll and dismissed my spell. This time everything lurched as the sensation of being pulled back and forth caught up to me. Wobbling, I stumbled and was caught by Matilda and Melody, the latter immediately going to work on casting her healing over me. Tiny translucent yellow-gold wisps danced in the air before, so carefree and child-like. Their hidden song ended, and the wisps drew into my body healing, and then going further. I felt an odd pull in my chest, a lightening of some unfelt pressure I hadn¡¯t known.

    The giant spotted tabby cat morphed back into a Golem with a strange twisting of imagery. The Golem instantly crumpled to dust as it formed, the pile falling into a neat pyramid. ¡°That was definitely exciting,¡± Amara nodded her head jerkily, grin plastering her face. She turned to me then, ¡°Were you flying?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that looked a lot like flying to me,¡± Joshua agreed.

    ¡°No, its more like changing the force which binds us to the ground. Reversing gravity, maybe.¡± I shrugged. Mana: 220/760. Grimacing I scanned the shadows for the other three Golems and found their vague identifiers still inactive. ¡°I don¡¯t know about the rest of you, but I need to rest for a few minutes. I¡¯m almost out of Mana.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Matilda agreed following my glance towards the darker tall shapes within the shadowy darkness of the other side of the chamber. ¡°A few of us should stand guard just in case-¡±

    I ignored them and found a place a to lie down on the ground. I pulled up my Status window and saw that my level still remained the same, where as the percentage had risen up fourteen percent. Was the Magical System in some way halting my growth or was it simply the fact that I¡¯d caught up. It could even be that now I¡¯d formed contracts with everyone, the experience was now split amongst us. ¡°Uhhh¡­ I don¡¯t even want to consider EXP levels. What the¡­?¡±

    [Amara. Blood Witch. Has accessed: Golem Illusionist Item drops. Stake Claim: YES/NO.]

    Pushing yes, I leaned up onto my elbows frown at the Blood Witch. I watched as her brows furrowed and then she glance my way sheepish. Cocking an eyebrow at Amara, I read through the prompts.

    Gold: 350. Mana Crystals: 15.

    [Item: Runic Stone. Type: Polymorph. Cost: 500Mp. Cool-down: 10 minutes.] Through the will of Polymorph the caster can change into and up-to four different forms. Form can be enlarged by the distribution of more Mana. Minimum cost of Mana to enlarge form: 300Mp. [Forms available: Spider. Cat. Eagle. Wyrm.] This, I realised with the biggest shit eating grin I¡¯d ever had in my life was going to make my day even more interesting.

    This novel is the work of Rhys Thomas. If you are reading this and it has not been published by Rhys Thomas, then this work has been stolen. Please report this to Amazon and me at email: [email protected]</a>

 Rhys Chapter Nine

    <u>(Tuesday. Date: 23-04-2463)</u>

    Golem. Archer. Just as I was about to scream out a warning to my party, I caught a flash as something sped off from the Archer, dark and silvery. Then Maggie was screaming, and I spun to my feet to see if she was hurt, but she was alright. It wasn¡¯t her who the arrow had hit; steward was impaled through his neck into the wall by a three-foot long stone and metallic arrow. I stared in shock, Matilda, Josh and the rest ran towards Steward who was gurgling as he kicked his legs frantically. Relief burned like a small pyre in my gut, that it hadn¡¯t been any of my girls.

    ¡°Form up!¡± I shouted and another arrow sipped past me with a blast of air and force. It hit Joshua in the back, luckily the warrior had his shield there. It dented with enough force that he was thrown face first into the ground and sent sprawling. I whipped about to face the shadowed Archer, searching for his name. I raised my hands and formed them into fists in preparations for the next shot. It came as expected, flying out of the darkness it arched for me and I shot it with repel. A palpable wave of force struck out in a wave as the arrow immediately halted its momentum.

    With a grimace I searched again, watching, waiting. There! A flash of silver from the dark, I hit the arrow I¡¯d stilled with an attract spell. It flew off in the same instant I dodged the arrow aimed at me and hit it too with attraction. The arrow hummed and buzzed as I brought it towards me. Now in hand I inspected it. [Item: x1 Golem Forged Arrow. Type: Projectile. Mod: +70 Attack. +30 Critical.] So it was none magical which meant I couldn¡¯t use Melody¡¯s Spell Ward. Which meant she could work on Steward instead.

    I dared not turn around and watch as they tried to save him.

    ¡°Form up!¡± I growled and was immediately met by the clamber of boots and the hiss of steel as weapons were drawn. Joshua tear streaked face formed up on my left, as Matilda positioned on my right great sword in hand. ¡°Melody¡¯s working on him,¡± the knight whispered quietly to me. ¡°But it¡¯s not looking good.¡± I nodded at her words and took a deep breath as Jason walked up to stand prepared alongside Joshua. He gave me jerky nod as he sniffled.

    ¡°Amara?¡± I asked Matilda.

    ¡°She¡¯s trying to stop the bleeding,¡± Matilda replied. That made sense, she was a Blood Witch after all.

    ¡°Here,¡± I said and tossed the arrow to Jason. He caught it and stumbled backwards staring at the long heavy arrow. The act saved his life as another arrow embedded itself in the ground he¡¯d been standing on with a splitting crack. ¡°That¡­ Was¡­ Lucky,¡± he breathed and fell on his ass in disbelief.

    ¡°Josh, protect the others,¡± I ordered as I eyed Jason struggling to remove the arrow off his lap. ¡°Matilda, you¡¯re with me.¡± The Knight nodded grimly. We charged and I jumped blasting us both with an attract spell, aiming and willing us to connect with the Archer. We sailed through the air flying towards the darkness. A glint silvery stone and steel as I whipped us to the right as an arrow past us. Reaching back I hit the arrow with Telekinetic Reach and brought it baring down with us in punch as we crashed into the Archer. Matilda hit first, her large great sword held before her like a lance as she struck and pushed all of her weight into the thrust. Then I hit, less gracefully than her, bouncing off and rolling along the Archers body like an annoying insect, scurrying about. My telekinetic arrow then blasted a hole through the Archer¡¯s head.

    Rising to my feet and stand upright on the Archer¡¯s lower back, I hit it with an attract spell and rolled. Everything lurched violently as Matilda, the golem and I rushed up to crash into the ceiling. Now this was different than the last time I landed on the ceiling of this chamber, because now we were attached to the archer, where as it was pinned to the ceiling. -28Hp.

    I stood and then collapsed as my chest violently constricted in a spasm of pain. ¡°Argh¡­¡± I groaned out through clenched teeth. My arm pulsed in pain as well. Pulling up my Status window, I wondered at what was wrong. Mana: 12/760. The numbers were in red, ¡°that is - n¡¯t good,¡± I wheezed out through another spasm.

    ¡°Rhys, you okay?¡± Matilda shouted, her voice coming from the other side of the Archer.

    ¡°Ye ¨C ah¡­¡± I replied through a spasm. My vision was starting to bleed red at the corners now. I¡¯d never experienced low Mana before, so I hadn¡¯t expected this to occur. Licking my painfully dry lips, I tried to get my thoughts in order. I couldn¡¯t release the spell. If Matilda killed the Archer right this instance, the spell would be dismissed, and we would fall. Why was everything so dry? Something floated through my mind, two words. They were hazy, and each time I tried to reach for them my hands methodical hands breezed through them, turning them to smoke. I blinked dry eyes and pulled up my window once again. Mana: 14/760. Mana¡­ Mana, that was it! Fucking Mana Potions. skimming through my inventory, I began guzzling lesser potions of Mana until my status hit eighty-nine points.

    My chest eased and lightened considerably, as the potions did their work. I was so thankful that using the Magical System hadn¡¯t blocked my inventory access. Standing a little firmer now, I looked up. Melody and others were crowded around a body on the ground. Lights and wisps sprung all about the cleric as she tried¡ªIn vain¡ªto heal Steward.

    The sight of their slumped and miserable forms made me look away. Climbing around to stand more fully on the pinned Archer, I helped Matilda to her feet. The Knight seemed to having some difficulty with the reversal of things. I didn¡¯t feel any though, for which I was grateful. ¡°Let¡¯s kill this fucker and get back down,¡± I told her. She nodded and we moved up the Archer¡¯s body to stand before its head.

    The arrow I¡¯d flung with Telekinetic Reach had left fist sized hole drilled through the centre of the Golems forehead. The damaging was more staggering in effect, than actual damage. Matilda past me her sword by silent agreement. I phased the great swords tip through and stabbed down into the Mana Core. Light leaked through various chinks and cracks in the make-up of the Archers body. Grabbing hold of Matildas¡¯ waist, we fell as the golem disintegrated into dust, that funnily enough stuck to ceiling even as my spell vanished and we began to fall.

    I think I¡¯ll miss on collecting those drops, I thought and shooting my right fist down, I shot an attract spell. We touched down seconds later to the sobbing of Maggie and Jason. Joshua hand rested Melody¡¯s shoulder, gently prying the women away Steward. Nothing had worked. Dead was dead after all. Grief struck my heart like an old friend. Steward no longer had a place in this world. I just hoped that wherever he ended up next, he¡¯d have companions like these.

    Joshua stood stoic, above the dead body of his friend. Tears fell freely down his cheeks, and he made no attempt to wipe them away. Matilda clomped past to crowd beside Melody and hug her friend. Maggie wept from Jason¡¯s arms as the sniffling man gave me a silent nod. What surprised me most was Amara. The semi-gothic Blood Witch was curled around herself, hugging her knees tightly as she rocked back and forth. Finally there was Steward. His eyes stared lifelessly up at the ceiling. Eyes that hours ago, had been both afraid yet determined as he fought his first fight to protect his friends.

    It was hard to tell his age, as most Gifted didn¡¯t really age at all, but I could tell he was young. Late teens or early twenties. His neck wound was covered by a blood-soaked cloth. His eyes seemed sunken and his skin paled and perspired in sweat. All I could about was Kayla, and if Steward someone at home depending on him. Congratulations [Player] Level up: x 1.

    ~*~*~*~

    Slay the Guardians of Bresacs Tomb: 4/16. Dismissing the prompt update away, I frowned looking out at the last two golem identifiers. Neither had moved yet but I was certain they would. I guessed that once we¡¯d taken the Illusionist down, the Archer had come awake. Sensing what I was doing, everyone except Maggie, got into readiness.

    Something jerked in the shadows, one of the golems starting to animate. Activating Magical Sight I scanned their activity and watched as Mana surged to life within the one on the right. Golem. Berserker. I breathed a small sigh of relief; I knew this one golem could still kill any number of us. But it was an opponent we were familiar with. Before I even gave the order, Amara was at my side and as the Berserker stepped more fully into view the Blood Witch unleashed her spells.

    A flash of red glyph enveloped her skin to flow easily down her arms as they formed separate shapes. In her left was a triangular pyramid, it bobbed and floated above her palm. Her right held a blood ball, which she crushed in her fist. A spell sprung into formation beneath the Berserker¡¯s next step wrapping around its forward leg. With her left hand, she chunk the pyramid like you would a frisbee. It spun through the air and as it sailed it both flattened and widened, stretching ten feet in diameter.

    The spells momentum halted and hung in the air above the Berserker. Amara grunted and fell to knees as the flat pyramid began to ooze and flow down to the cover and envelop the Berserker. I crouched down by the Blood Witch¡¯s side and place a hand on her arm. Her skin was scorching hot and I winced as down a step back. A palpable wave of heat rushed her of the Blood Witch like a gluttonous aura, swallowing everything.

    I turned back in time to watch as the Berserker began to thrash not just against the bloody tendril climbing up its leg, but also against the ooze. Yet everywhere the ooze touched it stuck and flowed over and along. Seconds later the Berserker we all gasped as the trail left behind by the ooze on the Berserker simply wasn¡¯t there. Amara blood ooze was digesting the golem, corroding it down and leaving nothing behind. Not even ten seconds later the Berserker was finished, and the ooze pooled on the ground. Amara grunted and rising to her feet, the petite Blood Witch stretched out her hand and twisted as a glyph sprung before her. She was coated in sweat, streams of make-up trailed down her face and neck, like black varicose veins they ran.

    The ooze boiled and jumped into the air, where it reformed into a pyramid and turned in on itself, shrinking down. I watched Amara, fascinated as her glyphs blazed across her skin so brightly that I had to squint to see her properly. Red mist coalesced at her palm and went about devouring the bloody pyramid. I saw her grimace and wince as if in pain, but I didn¡¯t disrupt her. Spells when disrupted could sometimes have devasting effects on the caster. So, we waited.

    Amara stood a little straighter afterwards, her skin looking far-more-healthier. Somehow her make-up had righted itself, no trace could be seen of the black run lines there previously. But as she turned to us, I took a step reflexively. ¡°What?¡± she asked me, her lips pouting.

    ¡°Y-your uh¡­ your third eye is showing,¡± I replied to her and swallowed thickly. Her third eye still unnerved me.

    ¡°Oh! It is?¡± She asked and reaching up she covered it shyly with her small hand, a faint blush creeping up neck.

    Clearing my throat I decided to change subject. ¡°What exactly was that?¡±

    ¡°What was what?¡± She questioned, sounding confused and her tilted curiously.

    Boy is she strange, I thought. ¡°What you did to the golem,¡± I told her.

    ¡°Ahhh, that,¡± she replied stressing the word. What in the hells was wrong with this woman? I thought frustratedly. ¡°It was a spell from my grandmothers¡¯ tome, its call Blood Culmination.¡±

    She sniffed and turned away from me to sneeze but didn¡¯t provide anything further. I wrestled with my annoyance, ¡°and what does Blood Culmination do?¡±

    She grinned at me, ¡°you¡¯ll just have to wait and see I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Wait and see? Amara you already did the spe-¡±

    ¡°We got incoming,¡± Matilda¡¯s voice cut me off and I spun in place to watch as a shield Knight stepped out from the shadows. It was the last of the golems in this chamber. Hopefully the last we¡¯d see for a while.

    ¡°Everyone spread out,¡± I called as the Knight readied its sword against its shield.

    ¡°No need,¡± Amara sang from my right and like clockwork we all turned to stare at her as she formed another pyramid in her left hand. Just how tricks has she got hidden on her, I thought and frowned as she began to manipulate the shape instead of throwing it. Glyph flaring to life, she waved her hand over the pyramid several times as her third eye bloomed in another glyph. The pyramid slowing began to reform into that of a miniature golem, specifically a Berserker golem. ¡°What the¡­¡± I trailed as she then placed her blood golem on the ground.

    ¡°Amara, I don¡¯t mean to be rude but isn¡¯t it a little¡­ small.¡±

    The half-foot tall blood golem turned around to shake its diminutive fist at me. I cocked and eyebrow at it and looked to the Blood Witch. She was aweing and cooing over the bloody thing. Its small body was looked solid even as the substance underneath its shiny glass-like skin moved fluidly in swirling patterns.

    ¡°Oh hush,¡± she told me, ¡°you¡¯ll see.¡± She gave the small blood golem a nod and it nodded back. Then it raced off at Shield Knight, small hands flowing into axe heads. I had a sort of surreal moment watching this. A soda can sized figure running, yelling a soundless battle cry as it charged the fifteen-foot tall golem. This is what my life has become, I thought, I¡¯ve officially seen some of the strangest shit ever. The Shield Knight didn¡¯t even spare the little guy a glance as it crushed him and walked towards us.

    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± I said articulately. ¡°Amara-¡±

    ¡°Just wait,¡± she said in a maniacal giggle that sent shivers down my spine. Then all of a sudden Shield Knight¡¯s momentum halted as it tried to step. A blood figure coalesced there, oozing down from the base of the golem¡¯s boot. It manifested into the blood golem, now at seven feet in height. The blood golem held the foot in the air, stopping it from touching down. The shield knight thrown off balance used its sword to stabilize itself by impaling the ground. The blood golem grew bigger, doubling and then tripling in size until it towered at twenty feet. Its head barely brushing the ceiling.

    ¡°O-oh Mother,¡± I heard Jason breathe as we watched the huge blood golem place its axe head hands on its hips, buffing out its chest proudly. I cocked an eyebrow at the blood golem and then at Amara who blushed slightly.

    ¡°He¡¯s a little eccentric,¡± the Blood Witch commented, a note of affection lacing her voice. ¡°I haven¡¯t brought him out in a very long time.¡±

    ¡°You make it sound like you¡¯ve used him before?¡± I noted. She smiled at the blood golem whose axes reformed into hands, as It began to reach down to grab the Shield Knight leg, then tore it off. In a flash of blinding Mana and a grind of tearing stone the leg broke free. The Mana flash vaporised the blood golems arms up its elbow where afterwards they instantly reformed.

    ¡°Oh I have, but that back when Blood Gifted weren¡¯t being culled,¡± Amara replied absently. Her minion turned back to us and waved the stone and clay leg about in a wave. She waved back.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a hundred years, since the culling started,¡± Melody injected. Amara nodded, but said no more. We looked on as her minion butchered the Shield Knight. Breaking limbs off and throwing them to the side. Sometimes even reforming so that its lower body was a nest of writhing tentacles. They latched around the prone Knight as the blood golem systematically tore its arms off. Thirteen seconds later the Shield Knight was swallowed whole¡ªexcept for its limbs¡ªby the blood golem.

    I shook my head at the ease of which that had happened. ¡°I can see why Blood Gifted were hunted now,¡± I said softly enough that no one heard me. Having a living Blood Gifted in any situation was going to be a terrible thing. ¡°But I suppose, I amended thoughtfully. ¡°That all depends on whose side you¡¯re on.¡± To have all that power and live in a city teeming with the bloody batteries you use for your craft, was as bad as dumping a wolf in a sheep pen and expecting the wolf not to eat its fill.

    I glanced down at Amara who still stood beside me watching her blood golem miniaturise down into its half-foot form. ¡°How did you not eat your fill, Amara.¡±

    The Blood Witch looked up at me distracted, ¡°Hmm? Did you say something?¡± Her third eye was gone, I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯ll need to rest a few minutes before we carry on,¡± she informed me and stooped down as her blood golem ran back and jumped into her arms. She squealed in delight and spun around like a child hugging a new teddy bear.

    ¡°What have you seriously gotten yourself into, Rhys,¡± I said to myself and moved back towards Stewards body. Now to burn a dead companion.

    ~*~*~*~

    ¡°Melody?¡± I prompted the Cleric, she jolted as if she¡¯d been struck and looked at me. No, I thought, not at me but through me.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to say the words, you are our Cleric after all.¡±

    She swallowed thickly and nodded. In a Gateway death was treated differently. We burned bodies in a Gateway because sometimes the corpse had a way of coming back. Some form of Mana infusion, researchers believe a Gateway uses. Like a bleed off from the environment that seeps into the hallow body filling it. Re-animating it like how a Necromancer would.

    We had no ceremonies in a Gateway. Items were collected off of Stewards dead body and I stored them away in my Inventory. Then we gathered around the corpse and stood like silent guardians as one amongst us spoke the phrase. ¡°From the Earth we Awakened. To the Earth we Vanish.¡± Words with no origin, yet everybody knew them. They were always spoken for the dead. what did they imply? That once we died here on Terra, we would return to Earth. None of it mattered.

    Annaleigh had said in no small words that she removed Terra from the Sol System to Janus for a reason. I doubted anyone would be going back. I shook away my morose thoughts and concentrated on those around me. Matilda stood stoically and impassive, and I knew that later on tonight she would cry and blame herself for his death.

    Amara held her blood golem tightly in an embrace. Her haunted green eyes never wavering from Stewards body. How many Gateways had she been through? I wondered idly.

    Melody was trying to mask her guilt and pain, yet I saw how she hugged herself a little too tightly and clung to the material of her gaudy robe. She breathed shallowly as well, hunching in on herself with every other breath.

    Then there was Joshua¡¯s team. They were Stewards friends, family and companions. How long had they known each other. How far could they¡¯ve gone in this business before they would¡¯ve lost one of their number. It was a harsh reality to face, but one that was better faced early.

    I moved over to Melody, the sounds of Maggie weeping at she clung to Jason echoed through the chamber like the haunted moans of a wraith. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked the Cleric softly, resting my hand on her shoulder. Sniffling she nodded and then shook her head jerkily. ¡°Shit Melody. It¡¯s not your fault.¡±

    ¡°I did all I could... It was just too late,¡± she mumbled as I held her. Some it seemed, no matter how many people they lost took their deaths like a conscious weight. A burden they must tow across the fields of their grieving memories. ¡°I couldn¡¯t save Howard. I couldn¡¯t save you. I couldn¡¯t save...¡± I stroked the back of her red hair and said nothing, it curled and weaved around my fingers.

    I thought on what I could say and finally I decided. ¡°If it should be anyone¡¯s fault, Melody. It should be mine. I got sloppy for just a moment, and that moment cost us someone.¡± My words were sincere, yet they were also hollow. I¡¯d never done anything like this before. Technically this was first official Gateway as a Gifted. Even if I was illegally interfering with a Hunter Guild sanctioned Gateway. I¡¯d only signed on as a carrier after all. A problem for later.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    I would take responsibility for Stewards death because I was leading this merry band. I just couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly bitter at the whole situation. Granted, I did take charge even if no wanted or asked me to. My bitterness was also aimed at Steward, Maggie managed to sum the will for a simple flare spell that set Stewards body ablaze.

    We all stepped back as the faint atoms of Mana in his dead body ignited. Two minutes later, ash was all that remained. As I steered Melody away, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder who was next.

    ~*~*~*~

    We made out through the corridor at the opposite end of the chamber. Luckily Melody had a light spell that emanated off her staff brightly. It pitched the long columns of pillars on either side of corridor in odd haunting shadows. The dim light emitting from the gems in the scones seemed to drink in Melody magical light and they glowed brighter afterwards.

    strange glyph-like writing along the entire surface of the walls as we passed along. Then our corridor came to a dead end, ¡°did we miss a turn?¡± Amara asked and tilted her head quizzically around, as her blood golem¡ªriding on her shoulder¡ªdid the same.

    I activated Magical Sight and peered about; the minor amount of night vision it allow me showed that we were in fact at a dead end. I shook my, ¡°I didn¡¯t see other branching paths.¡±

    ¡°Me neither,¡± Matilda agreed, and Melody nodded. Joshua¡¯s, Jason and Maggie had been solemn since we left chamber, and I couldn¡¯t blame them. But their joyless expressions and the grief that hung in the air around them, made talking aloud difficult. I turned back to the wall before us and noted that flowing glyph-like script ran in wavy lines that, all flowing towards the centre of the wall.

    I stepped and reached out, pressing the title there, I felt if give slightly but nothing happened. I pushed several more times until I realised with a cough that it might in fact be a pull. I hit the title with an attract spell and heard the rusted groan as the three feet long title brick slid from the wall and I dismissed my spell. Within the space was an ornate golden wolf¡¯s head, and in its jaws was a crystalline jade key about ten centimetres long.

    It glowed softly to my magical sight and I heard the others gasp as they looked on at what I found. I took the key hesitantly and the wolfs jaws closed silently afterwards. Then with a soft grin the ornate wolf¡¯s head slid backwards, further into the space.

    I held the key to identify it, when a shockingly loud groan grated across the floor beneath us, ¡°everybody move!¡± I shouted and sprinted back, away from the moving ground. Several minutes later, the ground where we had stood had partially eclipsed open like a half-open eye. We all approached warily and peered down to see a steps going down.

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s our way forward?¡± Matilda asked with a small scowl. I knew how she felt, I wasn¡¯t exactly a fan of enclosed spaces either. Especially ones that involved winding staircases. A prompt shot into view: Collect the Keys to Bresac Armaments: 1/3. ¡°Huh,¡± I muttered and informed the others of what the key was.

    ¡°I wonder if the keys leads to some vault of treasure or weapons,¡± Melody mused and wiped the dust that had collected on her hands from examining the wall script on her robes.

    ¡°That¡¯s what worries me,¡± I murmured from beside Matilda. The Knight looked at me questioningly. I made a gesture and she leaned towards me. ¡°I think these key¡¯s may mean more than we realise.¡±

    Matilda looked at me intensely and then down at the key in my hand, her brows furrowing. ¡°You think this vault or armament is important, because whatever we find in there will likely be essential for when we face the dungeon boss. Don¡¯t you?¡±

    I nodded and closed my fingers around the key tightly. It hummed magically in my hand as we started down the stairs. I lead this time, and we stepped lower down into the dungeon¡ªor whatever this Gateway was classified as now¡ªthe key¡¯s magical pulse quickened.

    I frowned down at the Crystal jade and watched as the Mana within bubbled up on one side, almost like an indication that we were closer to the next key. Or even the door the key was meant for.

    There was a change in the air, and I noticed that the length of each step was getting wider and wider, and flatter. ¡°Everyone, ready yourselves,¡± I whispered back. The air became was cool in my lungs as I breathed it in, yet there was a faint acrid tinge that nauseated me. I trooped up and seconds later, we left the stairs and found ourselves in an oval shaped room. Wooden desks and chairs lined one side of the room on the left. The right occupied by two rotting wooden chests and a few shelfs covered in dust and forgotten cobwebs.

    Opposite us, was an iron door with a spin wheel at its centre. A small rectangular slider was half open above the wheel and I swore I saw movement on the other side.

    ¡°Fan out but be careful. Matilda, Josh, I want you both on either side of that door.¡± I nodded opposite us and both of them immediately acted, approaching the door cautiously. ¡°Amara, I want you and your blood golem to keep an eye on our exit, I don¡¯t want to get trapped in this room.¡± The Blood Witch followed my instructions. ¡°The rest of us, Let¡¯s check the desks. Jason, want to check out the chest for me?¡±

    ¡°Uh- sure, Rhys. I can do that,¡± the man said, and he took a deep breath. I was glad to see that instead of simply opening the chests, he eyed them suspiciously.

    I turned back and helped Melody and Maggie go through the desks. We found several written parchments, logs and a journal in a language I didn¡¯t recognise. That was until I started to skim the leathery pages of the journal and found some illustrations.

    ¡°Look at this,¡± I said to Melody. The Cleric bounced over to me, always fascinated by more knowledge. The depiction showed what seemed to be a red triangular Gateway. Beneath the Gateway, grey-lizard-like-men with odd weaponry marched along in files. Beneath them was drawn a wide landscape of trees and mountains dotted by columns of smoke. The next depiction down, showed a different landscape, this one a desert teeming with pyramid-like buildings and long boats that floated in the air. The strange grey-lizard-men stood over a mass of bowing people from their pyramids. I looked closer and saw in between each of the bowing people, a cord was drawn connecting them.

    ¡°Chains,¡± I said hoarsely and tried to swallow but my throat was incredibly dry.

    ¡°Rhys? Are you alright?¡± Melody asked me. I realised then her hands were on my face and she was looking intently into my eyes.

    ¡°H-huh?¡± I said and licked my lips trying to regain some moisture. ¡°What happened?¡± I managed at last.

    ¡°You called me over to look at something, but all you did was stare intently at a blank page for the last ten minutes. It wasn¡¯t until I took the book from you that actually responded.¡±

    I blinked and looked at her confused. ¡°T-there were images on the page, you saw them,¡± I said. Yet even as the words left my mouth, I knew that wasn¡¯t true.

    ¡°There isn¡¯t anything there Rhys,¡± Melody said softly and handed me the journal back. I glanced from the leathery cover to Melody, then to the others. They looked at me with a note of concern. I skimmed through the pages, flicking and trying to find that exact page, but found nothing. ¡°I did see something,¡± I said firmly. Melody crouched down. When had I been sitting? I thought.

    ¡°Tell me what you saw,¡± Melody smiled at me reassuringly.

    ¡°I¡¯m not insane,¡± I scowled at her. She rolled her eyes and gestured for me to spill. So I told her what I saw. Something at the back of my mind tingled inquisitively. A connection I hadn¡¯t spotted, but what? I looked up and caught Matilda eyes, she nodded and as I turned to look back at Melody, but a pair of red eyes peered through the half open slider of the iron door and I froze. Then Jason lifted the second chest and revealed a gaping maw of flesh and teeth and thrashing vine-like limbs whipped out from the sides of the chest and grabbed him.

    Jason cried out as the mimic tried to swallow him whole, but he managed to wiggle an arm free and push against the rim of the chest. The mimic growled angrily as Joshua barged into the side of one its long sinuous vine-legs. It toppled as he brought his axe around and cleaved through the limb, hacking it off.

    It tossed Jason aside, but his thumb got caught as the chest closed and chomped through it. He howled in pain and rolled away from the mimic. The mimic¡¯s limbs were suckered back inside the chest with a zip-like sound. Like a hermit-crab it hid within its shell. ¡°Matilda,¡± I called to the Knight as I checked on Jason. ¡°Pry that fuckers lid off.¡±

    ¡°Glady,¡± she replied with a growl and grinned evilly. With a tearing wrench, Matilda literally dug her gauntleted fingers underneath the lid and tore it completely off with a splintering crack. An inhuman howl rose from the mimic and before it could react the Knight drove her great sword through its mouth to puncture out the other side. A deflated hiss escaped the dying chest monster, and Matilda grunted as she withdrew her sword.

    Melody was over by Jason in a flash once the fight was over. Her healing warmth spread out in a glow as wisps coalesced in the air. It was always fascinating to watch the Cleric work her magic. My mind snapped back to the eyes I¡¯d seen before the attack. I spun and stared at the door, there was nothing. No red eyes at least, but like a lone wail drifting on the winds flowed through the slider. The sound caught everyone¡¯s attentions, ¡°did anyone else see the eyes peering through the door?¡±

    Heads shook all around, ¡°I did,¡± Amara exclaimed. ¡°I saw them just as you finished talking to Mel,¡± she informed me.

    ¡°Same time as me then,¡± I said and sighed. Something worried me about those eyes, and I couldn¡¯t place why. Maybe it was the fact that they were separated evenly like a humans were. We needed more information. I found the journal I had seen the images in and took it in my inventory. [Item: The Days of Mirasha¡¯s Doom. Type: Journal. Mod: Magical Script.] ¡°So maybe that¡¯s why,¡± I muttered and planned on delving more into the journal when I got home.

    ¡°Let¡¯s move on,¡± I suggested and looked back at Melody as she and Maggie helped Jason to his feet. The warrior looked a little green form his near-death experience. I imagined the thought of being chewed up and digested by mimic was anyone¡¯s preferred way to go. ¡°Everything all good?¡± I asked Melody. The Cleric eyed Jason critically as he and Maggie moved towards the others.

    ¡°They¡¯re really not suited to face some of things we¡¯ve been facing,¡± Melody said sternly. I went to reply but she cut me off before I could. ¡°Besides that though, they¡¯re holding up remarkably well considering what¡¯s happened so far. I think it¡¯s likely that Maggie and maybe Jason will quit and work as carriers or miners even for Gateway¡¯s.¡± I nodded agreeing with Melody held onto my arm as I escorted her to the door. Matilda nodded to Joshua and the man braced himself as he began to slowly spin the iron wheel to unlock the door.

    I retrieved my knife form my inventory and waited. The door locks spun and groaned loudly as the metal scraped along. Joshua exhaled a deep breath and heaved the door open. A murky mist of dust and dirt bloomed in the air with each of the Knights booted steps, I followed with Josh covering behind me. A docile quiet filled the area we were in. Three passages spread out ahead of us. The floor was made up of old stone bricks, earth and mud packed the walls tightly interspersed by several alcoves filled with mummified bodies.

    The air had the tang of foulness to it and I kept swallowing as my mouth dried up far too quickly. ¡°Anyone have a preferred path?¡± I asked, glancing to the others.

    ¡°Left!¡± Amara said cheerily. For some reason she seemed to be the most fascinated with the idea of exploring a catacombs.

    ¡°Anyone else? No¡­ fine. Left is it then,¡± I sighed and looked ahead. Melody whispered a few hushed words and the gem on her staff began to emit a green glow. ¡°Why to soften the mood, Mel,¡± I said dryly. The Cleric just smiled and shrugged.

    We moved down through the left passage and turned left as it lead off. More and more alcoves appeared along the walls and were filled to bursting with bodies. Some mummified, but most were not. They hung half in and out, like they had been stuffed away carelessly. A retching creaking moan echoed along the passage from behind us.

    The entire party froze and slowly turned back to face the noise. A clicking scrape ratchetted up like dead laugh from a figure that stumbled near the edges of Melody¡¯s light. Desecrated corpse. An orange haze blazed along its identifiers and I slowly backed away, as did the rest of my group. Then another stumbled out and another, and another. There were so many orange names and I had trouble trying to discern if any were different. Sound of a shuffled came from behind us and Matilda spun as I eyed the Desecrated corpse¡¯s. ¡°We¡¯ve a few steering from further along the passage as well.¡±

    ¡°Run?¡± I asked.

    ¡°And fight,¡± Matilda agreed. We nodded as did the others who overheard. ¡°Rhys, you bring the rear. I¡¯ll lead the charge ahead.¡± I nodded and a second later we all turned and ran. I¡¯d half expected the undead to shuffle after us, but no they sprinted at full tilt instead.

    I shot out an attraction spell and felt the whump of magic as the bolt left my fist. It slammed into the lead corpse and I swung my arm out to the right. The Desecrated corpse ragdoll(ed) off the ground to bash into the right flank of the horde. Then I shot more two more attract spells, hitting the mummified bodies in the stuffed into an alcove and had them eject to slammed into the horde.

    I was simply delaying their advance instead of actually dropping their numbers. I was perfectly sure I could fight the horde of Desecrated corpses and survive; I wasn¡¯t as sure on what sort of diseases any wounds they gave me could inflict. Granted I had resistances, but I¡¯d only had the chance so far to test it out against rat men.

    ¡°Rhys!¡± A shout came from behind me and I looked over my shoulder briefly to see that the others had gained quite the distance between us and were leaning out from the corner of a right turn. With a blast of repel I shot into the air and slammed into the ceiling roughly, then with a twist I shot an attract spell down the passage towards my companions. With a wrenching lurked I lobbed down the passage, my concentration wasn¡¯t perfect though and the attract spell was anchored at my waist.

    ¡°Shit!¡± I cursed as I flopped into the stone floor and then bounced sides ways into the wall and rolled along the ceiling. I quickly dismissed my spells and hit the ground in a roll and sprung to my feet. ¡°Keep going!¡± I called ahead as I saw Amara fidgeting by the corner. She nodded her head and I saw her gaze drift over my shoulder to the army of Desecrated corpses, her eyes immediately went wide and without a reply she darted for the others. I hit the corner seconds later and smacked my feet into the opposite at a run. Shooting a quick look behind, I thought about using the Polymorph spell and caution to the wind. Then I remembered that spells outside of the Magical System had a double cost.

    I wondered briefly if the System would allow me to spend one thousand points of Mana, even knowing I was two hundred of forty short. What kind of pain that sort of negative rating would do to me. Would I just simply drop dead? I shook away my musings and concentrated on not getting dogpile by the undead.

    A groan echoed down the passage and I caught a glimpse of light other than Melody¡¯s bobbing staff. It the light of fire, and I could make out through the murky dust and dirt being kicked up, Matilda and Joshua pushing against a door.

    I my hand and shot an attract spell and just managed to keep my aim steady enough that I clipped the door. I willed it to Jar further open and watched as the others rushed through. A hand smacked into my ankle and I stumbled as I hit the stone rolling. I moved to jump to my feet but before I could the undead were upon me.

    I lashed out frantic, burying my knife up the hilt through a pair of chomping jaws and then phased my arm through to impale others. Then I shot several quick blasts of both repel and attract but there was simply too many and I was still cautious about low Mana. -67Hp, jagged nails dug through the cotton of my bottoms and clawed through my skin. -23Hp. -72Hp, gnarl teeth clamped around my wrist and twisted my arm till I felt as the bones of my arm strained and cracked. I punched several time with my knife and realised that even those I¡¯d stabbed through their heads were still alive.

    Right, Desecrated corpses need holy weapons or magic to defeat, I though and kicked another in the chest and slammed my knee into an already caved in nose. Then my wrist broke, and my scream was cut off as festering hands clamped over my head and I thrashed. ¡°Get the fuck off-¡± My shouted was interrupted though as fingers pried my jaws open and I heard people calling my name and suddenly everything was drown as I tried not to gag on the stick foul substance that was being spewed into my mouth.

    I gurgled and choked, warning prompts blurring more messages of the damages I was enduring. Resist Disease in affect: 100% and the numbers started to plummet rapidly. Resist Cruses in affect: 100% The message was new and even more startling as it too began to drop so fast, that it was as if I was looking the rolling slides on a slot machine.

    I was fucked, but I wasn¡¯t out of the fight. I withdrew my Knife and sent it back into my inventory and with a flick of my wrist I crushed several corpses with Telekinetic Reach and flung them down into the undead pile atop of me. The stack stumbled but overwise remained the same. Closing both hands and shouting internally I shot wave after wave or spells flinging bodies left and right. I managed to wrestle enough space so that I could shoot an attract spell at the ceiling and anchor myself. Smacking face first into the earth and mud had me sputtering as I began to vomit violently over myself and onto the horde of Desecrated corpses.

    Then with a wave of my hand I somehow bound the air beneath me slumped into the shield and retched up more foul substance. Something Jarred the shield and I looked through the translucent barrier to see the horde jumping up and trying to knock me out of it.

    I gave them the finger and waved my shield in the direction of the still open door, Matilda and Josh were holding. I shot across the distance quickly and slammed into the two. As soon as I hit the other side, I rolled over and shot out both hands feeling my Mana expand and bow to my will. I closed the door shut with a slam and clench my fists and twisted angrily with a growl. Both the doors and walls on either side, crunched inwards, crushed and warped as they twisted in a spiral as I finally released my spells and past out.

    I was out for only a few minutes before someone was lightly tapping my face trying to wake me. I groaned as I sat up and felt hands assisting me as I did so. My head was pounding and the light from the brazier in the room stung my eyes and I squinted as I looking around. Melodys sweat streaked face was ashen as she slumped next to me, I could her wisp-like essence of her magic running through me and cleansing me.

    She must¡¯ve been exhausted though, and I didn¡¯t need Magical Sight to see that she was running low on her reserves. I pulled several potions out of my inventory and handed them to her. She gulped them greedily and smiled sheepishly at me. ¡°Good, you¡¯re okay,¡± she said and looked at me for a long couple of seconds. ¡°Good,¡± she muttered then and climbed more steadily to her feet.

    I got up also and gave her shoulder a grateful squeeze. ¡°Everyone alright?¡± I asked looking them all over.

    ¡°Yep!¡± Came Amara¡¯s reply and everyone nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Just run a little faster next time, dork,¡± Matilda chided. I glanced at the Knight and cocked an eyebrow, ¡°dork? What¡¯re you seven?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m just not entirely fond of being thrown up on,¡± Matilda said as she and Josh made disgusted noises.

    ¡°Sorry. That- uh wasn¡¯t exactly pleasant for me either,¡± I dry swallowed and was thankful I couldn¡¯t taste anything at all, in fact my mouth felt numb. ¡°Shall we continue on?¡± I looked at Melody and she nodded; she was better. ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡±

    We carried on through the catacombs till we came to a rusted iron floor hatch in the ground at a dead end, strange glyph-like patterns spread across its surface. I glanced around frowning, something felt off to me. The images I had seen in the journal, the iron door with the spin wheel, the desks and chairs. Something was decidedly odd about this Gateway. I wondered at how many hours had past outside. My foot banged against something near the wall and I froze, as did the others. The sound crescendo down the passage, bouncing back and forth eerily.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± I mouthed to the others as they assessed the strange glyph figuration on the hatch, trying to work out if it was booby-trapped. I looked down at what I¡¯d accidentally kicked. It was rectangular in shape, with its innards hollowed out. Small flaps protruded along the rim of the rectangle. I felt around the back of the object and found its surface to be cool and metallic to the touch. A mechanical joint for pivoting with a screw wedge to bolt the position in place. My frowned deepen as I found the cord at the back of the object as well the neck that should¡¯ve lead down to a stand.

    It was one of those lights that were often used on dig sights, or during road works at night. I wondered at the possibility of a race of people in such a place like where we were in now, having lights and technology. It was obviously plausible yet also strange. The knowledge that Gateways mostly connected to other worlds or planes was common knowledge. But never to a place that had a sufficient amount of technology. The barest glimpse of technology seen has come from Red Gateways, the grey lizard-like men with plasma or energy-like weapons.

    Purple Gateways were usually code-named Adventurer Gates, because once they¡¯re travelled through the likely hood of the purple Gateway closing is 99% Those 1% chances though where the gate remains open long enough usually provides guilds and researchers a great deal of information.

    Going through runs the likelihood that you¡¯ll be trapped indefinitely on the other side. What if a Gateway though, had two entrances? One in New Eden City and another somewhere else. Our technology has never worked once it¡¯s through a Gateway, so what if someone had found a way.

    Why had the small room with the desk and chairs and iron door been so far down and hidden. We hadn¡¯t seen any other sign of someone having spent any time down here. Unless those people were now either the mummified bodies or the Desecrated corpses. ¡°Which begs the questions,¡± I murmured standing and wiping my hands off. ¡°Are we being deliberately showed this then? And by who? Annaleigh had something along the lines of us not being within her domain hadn¡¯t she. So the Mother is possibly off the list.¡± I rubbed my chin and made my way back over to the others. Amara was peering intently at the glyphs and her third eyes pupil slid upwards to looked at me as I approached.

    Supressing a shiver I cleared my throat, ¡°so how is it coming?¡±

    ¡°Badly,¡± Melody offered.

    Amara scoffed at that and then grinned, ¡°I¡¯ve figured it out.¡±

    ¡°You have?¡± Both Maggie, Melody and I said in unison.

    ¡°Of course,¡± the Blood Witch chirped and as fast as possible she started touching glyphs the floor hatch. After she touched them they fizzled and became translucent, floating up into the air to fade into mist. Once done the hatch groaned and swung inwards with a nosy whine of creaking hinges.

    ¡°Down we go I guess,¡± I muttered as Matilda grabbed the ledge first and apparently found a ladder there. She climbed down and the rest of us followed into her into the pit.

    ~*~*~*~

    One thing was for certain, the climb almost seemed endless as we took rung after rung on the ladder. Melody had cast her light spell, but the Cleric was a few people above me, and I didn¡¯t necessarily want to use Magical Sight and peer around only to see thousands of sleeping bat¡¯s or something.

    We hit the bottom after half an hour had past and touched down on the same stone brick flooring as above. To either side were earthy mound-like structures. We waited as the rest made stable ground and I glanced more intently at our surrounding. What I¡¯d originally first thought as mounds of earth were in fact old crusted bodies. Rotten and decayed to the point that they barely resembled anything human.

    ¡°Shit,¡± I gasped in a hushed whisper and Matilda was immediately at my side. I described to her what I was seeing, as she had no night vision at all. ¡°What¡¯re the bets that there are Desecrated corpses in those mounds.¡±

    ¡°Highly likely,¡± Matilda sighed, and I bumped her hip lightly with mine, but didn¡¯t say anything. Just as we began to collect and ready ourselves the mound on our right shuffled lightly. I prepared myself for more corpses and was surprised when two very large wolves walked atop the mound and peered down at us. Then a dried-up husk rolled onto the ground from our left and two more wolves stood upon that side as well.

    As I looked closer I realised at their faces weren¡¯t anything like a wolf¡¯s at all. The were more owl like with round faces, large eyes and a small beak. They also wore decorated headdresses that wound its way around their heads where it reared up like a striking cobra on top. Golem. Gold Masked Wolf.

    This novel is the work of Rhys Thomas. If you are reading this and it has not been published by Rhys Thomas, then this work has been stolen. Please report this to Amazon and me at email: [email protected]</a>

 Interlude: Drake Sembrane

    ¡°That fucking bitch!¡± I growled and stomped down through the cavern. ¡°Just she fucking wait. And that insolent Awakened.¡± I ground my teeth and marched on. We hadn¡¯t seen nor fought much as we passed through the cavern, only more weak wolves and obvious wire traps. I glanced behind me at the three members of Raymond¡¯s team. They were a pathetic lot, even Raymond who walked along beside me was pathetic.

    My father had tasked me with infiltrating and subverting the command of various guilds and groups, who were rising in the ranks. I didn¡¯t know why, and I didn¡¯t ask. As long as father let me have my toys, I would do as the Sembrane house bid. Raymond was one such toy and among my toys, he owned me a sizable debt. We had already agreed to kill his friends and take whatever loot they dropped for ourselves, when the time was right. Then we would¡¯ve turned on the others, and with Matilda within my thrall I would¡¯ve accomplished that already.

    I didn¡¯t give a shit about the Gateway or its time limit. That bitch and her friends had undermined me and now they would pay. A deep growl rumbled through the cavern and Raymond had his spear out in a flash. I twisted the ring on my pinkie finger and was awarded with the soft distant glow of Mana within the wolf up ahead. I sniffed and waved a hand at Raymond, ¡°kill it.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Raymond asked with surprise, ¡°I- uh, Drake? I don¡¯t-¡±

    He cut off at my glare and cautiously stepped along the cavern. His friends arrived shortly with the luggage and I ignored them, though the dark green-haired girl with them had a nice body. Unfortunately she had ruined her looks with piercings. ¡°Skank,¡± I muttered yet licked my lips at the thought of pulling those piercings out of her as I-

    ¡°Drake¡­?¡± I scowled as I turned back to Raymond. He had a pathetic fresh slice across his forehead and was panting heavily.

    ¡°Well?¡± I asked and held out my hand. He looked at it and winced, ¡°where is the Mana crystal?¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°I uhhh¡­¡±

    ¡°You uh?¡± I asked him and raised an eyebrow.

    He swallowed thickly and backed away, ¡°I¡¯m ¨C um just getting it now.¡±

    ¡°Dog,¡± I muttered with a laugh and caught a glimpse of Raymond¡¯s friends glaring at me. That just made me laugh even harder. None of these idiots understood what it truly meant to be Gifted. We were gods, though to a lesser degree, but still godly compared to the scum of Humanity and the weak willed Awakened. Even my own mother was nothing more than a human mare, father used to breed. I was his legacy now. Everything we did now to further ourselves, meant less work for me when it was my chance to take over.

    The Sembrane house and our allies had been privately working with the corrupt priests of the Mothers church, buying up properties and neighbourhoods throughout the city where Gateway openings had been numerous. We recruited and bought out various faction and had them set up in those areas, with the intent that a Gateway would open.

    Sighing I leaned against the cavern wall, I would have to have my maids scrub me most verily later when I returned triumphantly with the spoils of an easy day¡¯s work.

    It was a shame I wouldn¡¯t get the chance to fuck Matilda, maybe I could offer the slut a chance to spend the week strapped in my bed, begging for forgiveness. Of course I would have to get another infatuation charm cast on her, I couldn¡¯t have her disobeying me after all. None of my pets would dream of doing so. I could even take that poor human school girl, the sister of that Awakened trash. The very thought of that slime irritated me.

    ¡°Oh, how I¡¯ll enjoy skinning you alive,¡± I breathed and felt a stir from my crotch. I eyed the green-haired skank, tempted to walk over and claimed her in front of her friends. But that wasn¡¯t my way, I nudged those that would be my pets along, breaking them too quickly wasn¡¯t fun at all.

    Raymond returned shortly after, bloodied and carrying a crystal with an inner soft green glow. I grimaced in distaste, everything here was so weak it was ridiculous. That included the people as well. ¡°Come,¡± I commanded the group and set off again. My foot pressed down on the ground and I heard a compressed hiss. A second later the floor underneath us all fell out, and we were swallowed down by the darkness.

    This novel is the work of Rhys Thomas. If you are reading this and it has not been published by Rhys Thomas, then this work has been stolen. Please report this to Amazon and me at email: [email protected]</a>

 Rhys Chapter Ten

    <u>(Tuesday. Date: 23-04-2463)</u>

    Their names were a solid bland red. We formed up into a tight knit semicircle, with the healer and mage at the center. Two more Golden Masked Wolves slowly approached, cutting us off from the lead path. We were cornered between the ladder, the mounds of husks and the owl-like wolves. ¡°They¡¯re Golem,¡± I hissed loudly enough so that everyone heard me.

    ¡°They¡¯re the strangest Golems I ever seen, that¡¯s for sure,¡± Matilda muttered. I nodded slowly, something about these Golem¡¯s was different. They weren¡¯t attacking us for one, just watching, waiting, and examining us intently.

    ¡°I think¡­¡± I began. ¡°They¡¯re waiting for us to make the first move.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Melody commented. ¡°Have you noticed how these Golems seem more life-like. They blink and have facial features, they look curious and intelligent.¡±

    ¡°I want one as a pet,¡± Amara smiled, practically cooing as she eyed the Golems. I caught the barest flicker of a glyph summoning on her forehead, as she brough forth her third eye. That seemed to be enough, as the Golden Masked Wolf on our right, began to make a series of odd heaving coughs. They sounds seeming strangled to me and I glanced directly at owl-wolf with Magical Sight activated. The only light of Mana blazing within the owl-wolfs came from their eyes like twin suns.

    The owl-wolf head rose into the air, its neck extending as it continued to make those cough sounds. Then enough let out a sound like that of squawking bark. It throat bulging like that of a frogs.

    ¡°I think it might be calling for help,¡± Joshua noted sagely.

    Ya think, I thought and frowning I scanned the mounds on either size. There! after several seconds of looking furiously I spotted what seemed to be a tunnel directly through the mound. If it had been there moments ago I couldn¡¯t tell.

    ¡°Everyone. There¡¯s a tunnel through the mound of dried up corpses on our right,¡± I informed them. ¡°Looks wide enough to fit a body at a time.¡± As if my words were a signal the owl-wolves on either side stepped forward and down the mounds on either side, immediately cutting off the tunnel. ¡°Well time to improvise ,¡± I muttered and storing my knife back in my inventory, I raised my right hand and clenched my fist.

    <u>Congratulations [Players] You¡¯ve completed hidden quest: White Strand Tutorial. Part 1.</u>

    Binding of Attraction: 41/40. Aim assist is now optional and currently [Disabled] With this the binding of attraction is fully within the casters grasp. Attraction is now useable via line of sight, gestures and will of mind. Fulfilling part 2 of the tutorial by completing the requirements, will unlock further advancement within the White Strand.

    I stared at the message as I scanned its contents and then dismissed it with a mental wave. I remembered how I had bound the air with attraction, escaping the Desecrated corpses. Contorting the door and wall shut after crashing into Matilda and Josh. Relaxing my fists I formed the will of my intent clearly in my mind, and with an almost dismissive wave of my hands I felt the mental whump as my Mana fled me unseen. Not even a second later blue pinpricks of light manifested on the foreheads of both Golden Masked Wolves on our right. I nodded and they returned the gestured, just with a lot more force.

    Their round owl faces slammed into the ground not even ten feet away from us, and I held them spinning as the others advanced. I felt powerful and enthralled by what I could do. An owl-wolf hit the ground swiftly darting for Jason, who had been distracted by my display. I launched that fucker with a toss of my hand, and it shot up into the unseen ceiling, and dismissed that link after some distance. Another rushed for Amara, who lunged at the same time with her blood drinking knife in hand. The Blood Witch had a maniacal grin plastering her face and I left her to it.

    I shot out my left hand and formed a fist, repel hit an owl-wolf and threw it across the scrape to our unseen left over the mound on that side. One Golden Masked Wolf attacked Matilda and Josh, driving the Knight and warrior back as it move back and forth constantly just dodging their attempts. I returned to the still stuck owl-wolves on the right side. Their legs working furiously to escape, and they clawed and scratched at the ground. I eased up on their bindings a little and smiled. That smile however froze on my lips as their eyes flashed an intense white and then began to flicker.

    Debuff Detected: Paralysis. Incite activation failed. My mental hold on the Golden Masked Wolves fell as the link of attraction dismissed itself. Agh, you fucking idiot? I berated myself trying to strain against their hold. They both released a deep squawking bark from their beaks and prowled towards me, their eyes still flashing. I twitched as it seemed like the cobra headdress on their heads began to move fluidly as it liquefied. I was in deep shit.

    Focusing I stared intently at the air before me as they stepped closer, willing the air to bind for me. Nothing happened. Yep, deep shit.

    They lunged forward; their beaks open wide, tiny tongue¡¯s wiggling like a worm as they went for my eyes. A colourless barrier slid into view between just as owl-wolves beaks crashed into it with a snapping crunch. The instant they were dazed the paralysis broke, and I backed away further behind Melody¡¯ spell ward as it began to falter.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look them directly in the eyes,¡± I called out and affirmative grunts came as a reply. I shot a look over my shoulder and saw that Josh was just shaking off his own paralysis, as Matilda swept the legs out from under a Golden Masked Wolf as it sprinted for the warrior. Then he was there, joining her as bombarded the downed owl-wolf with swings and attacks. Ending when Josh buried his axe in the owl-wolfs skull and Matilda separating the head with an overhead slice.

    Melody called another spell ward but time around Jason and Maggie, as the they assaulted two new owl-wolves running over. From the direction they came, I guessed these to be the ones I blasted off to our far left.

    I refocused on my own fight as the Golden Masked Wolves recentred themselves more steadily. I saw that their beaks were bent at odd angles. The owl-wolf on the right side¡¯s beak, was crushed so far down that it had to be digging in to the fur and skin below its beak. On the Left side, this owl-wolf¡¯s beak was disjointed the upper beak bent to the right as the lower portion of beak remained where it was.

    They squawk angrily at me and prowled to either side, looking to flank me from my left and right. I grinned, and swept my hands wide. Multiple pinpricks of light appear in my magically enhance vision and the whump of Mana spread from me as the mound behind the two Golden Masked Wolves writhed, as if coming alive. The husks jittered and buzzed as I grabbed numerous amounts of bodies and with a binding of attraction I formed them into roughly shaped balls made of from the husks of corpses.

    They floated up lazily, brittle limbs and bones snapping at they contorted into the form I willed. It was, I noted absently pretty revolting. But the power I was playing with utterly fascinated me. The owl-wolfs had just enough sense to look behind them before the husk formed boulder smashed into them as I pulled my arms fiercely. They yelped a squawking cry, as the tangle of bodies and limps crashed down. A second later, I floated the improvised boulder into the air and slammed it down again, and again.

    Seeing that they were rightly and properly dazed now, I rushed in and rolled the husk boulder back enough to expose their heads. The right owl-wolf came to its sense rather quickly and its eyes started to flash with Mana. I stomped down on its neck with my foot, pinning it there as I retrieved Heava¡¯liku from my inventory and drove the knife through its eyes, one after the other. It burst into a pile of dust as I slid my knife free.

    After doing the same to the other Golden Masked Wolf, I frowned as only one of the dust pile had any loot. 350G, 7Mc. x 4 Mana Core Fragments. Maybe not everything I slay will be lootable now? I thought questioningly. Some to ask Annaleigh then.

    I turned back to my friends. Amara was viciously stabbing her opponent over and over yelling angry insults, as she rode it like a bucking bull. I shook my head at the angry Blood Witch. I guess she realised that she wouldn¡¯t be getting any blood from them after all, I thought. Considering that they were golems.

    I dismissed all my bindings of attraction and took a deep shuttering breath. I pulled up my mana to see how it look, not having paid it any mind during the fight. I was surprised to see that nothing had changed from previously, in fact it looked as if I¡¯d only used one spell at all. The slow regain of my Mana every six seconds, made me believe that. I shook my head and instant pulled up my message window to see if I had missed any notifications. Before focusing on that though I scanned my group critically. Maggie, Jason and Amara seemed to have the worse injuries, though they were minor in comparison to what could¡¯ve happened. Amara looked a little haggard and had several deep slashes and gouges throughout her body.

    ¡°She did wrestle one of them alone,¡± I muttered quietly and focused on my message window.

    Slay the Guardians of Bresacs Tomb: 12/16.

    <u>Alert</u>!

    Conditions have been met. The attraction binding magic of the White Strand will no longer pull from the Mana Cube System, but the White Strand itself.

    White Strand: 89%

    ¡°So my White Strand magic will now act similarly to my fatigue. Hmh, that¡¯s pretty awesome,¡± I mused to myself. I looked down at my wrists and saw that I still had the glowing white bands of magic. I formed both hands into fists and aimed them. The familiar holographic sight flowed up from the bands, as I took aim. I instinctively knew that both now only shot the repulsion spell. I¡¯ll need to meet the requirements for repel now, I thought and nodded. Walking over to the rest of the party, I thought about adding my five attribute points but decided to wait until I could actually make decent advances in my attributes.

    Cocking an eyebrow, I looked at the scowling Blood Witch. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t have any blood,¡± she said with a pout, still scowling.

    ¡°I could¡¯ve told you that,¡± Melody interjected, as she finished healing a few minor scrapes on Maggie¡¯ knees and wrist.

    ¡°They just¡­ seemed so life-like, ya know?¡± Amara replied sighing.

    Matilda walked over with Joshua in toe, I caught sight of the warrior admiring Matilda¡¯s backside as he followed after her. I bit my cheek though and refrained from doing or saying anything. Matilda didn¡¯t belong to me. Our -semi-serious fight, had cleared up the air on our relationship. Except I didn¡¯t know what to class us as now. We weren¡¯t exactly best friends, but I trusted her down here. Maybe that¡¯s all it was. She was someone I could trust to have my back and that was it.

    I looked back to Amara, quickly but then looked away, feeling like I was using her proximity as an excuse to ignore my thoughts.

    ¡°I know what you mean,¡± Matilda replied as she came to a stop by us all. Then she looked at me and I blinked as everyone paused and did so as well.

    ¡°What, something on my face?¡± I asked and swiped at my forehead with my wrist, wondering if I was sweating that badly. Granted it was stupidly humid down- wherever we were. I could see in the others, especially Matilda, Josh and Melody, who wore full gear appropriate to their Gifts. Maggie wore a thin belted robe that trailed down to her knees. Jason wore light leather armour with a single iron pauldron. Amara and I wore casual clothing, though my armour was actually concealed. Amara on the other hand, I had no explanation for.

    ¡°No,¡± Melody said with a slight smile. ¡°We¡¯re wondering about your fantastical display of power,¡± the Cleric wiggle her eyebrows at me.

    I grinned at her and then turned to the others and explained what had happened. I watched throughout my quick explanation as all of their eyebrows shot up and they shook their heads.

    ¡°That is so ridiculous,¡± Maggie mumbled as she climbed to her feet. Melody shuffled on her knees over to Amara and started a quick chant as she began to heal the Blood Witch.

    ¡°Not ridiculous,¡± I countered, ¡°broken, is what you mean.¡±

    ¡°So how does it work exactly?¡± Matilda asked me and crossed her arms over her armoured chest. I tapped a finger against my chin as I thought on how I could show.

    Looking down at my feet, I squinted slightly. Picturing what I had in mind, I bound the air before my feet. The others gasped as a translucent barrier similar to Melody¡¯ coalesced. I stepped onto it and spread the barrier out widening the surface. I shot a look at my White Strand notification and saw that it had dropped only two percent. I shook my head and held a hand to Matilda. ¡°Care to join me?¡± I asked with a grin.

    The Knight tried very hard to keep a stern and cool expression, but I saw the corners of her lips quirk up slightly. Unfolding her arms Matilda ignored my hands and stepped hesitantly onto the bound air. I had wanted to test kind of flying, but thought it would be better done in a more open space and preferably not in a Gateway.

    Matilda stepped beside and nodded for me to continue, I looked at the others and took a deep breath and gestured slowly with my left hand in a rising motion. We jarred and stumbled a bit as the bound air left the ground only a few centimetres.

    I could feel the minute hum and buzz of the surface beneath us as we slowly floated inch by inch into the air. We raised higher, until we stood floating fifteen feet above the others. What they didn¡¯t see though was the death grip Matilda hand had on my arm.

    ¡°You could let go you know,¡± I told her and looked at my health, waiting for the second it would start to drop.

    ¡°O-oh, sorry,¡± the Knight replied and loosen her death hold, but kept her grip. Feeling slowly return to my hand in pins and needles. ¡°Its amazing that you can do this,¡± Matilda whispered, and I nodded. We were still rising, giving us a good view of what was ahead.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I told her quietly, when there was a deep pause between us. ¡°For what I said, and my actions.¡±

    She nodded absently as she looked out over the seemingly endless area of husk mounds. Off in the distance two thin lights shone down from above. Within one, stretching all the way up looked to be another ladder. The other light shone down on what could¡¯ve been a pedestal.

    ¡°What¡¯s the bet. that our second key is on that pedestal,¡± the Knight said pointing to distant pedestal.

    ¡°Likely,¡± I murmured. ¡°I expect something will descent on us though. Either more owl-wolves or probably Desecrated corpses,¡± my lips thinned remembering how they¡¯d held me down and vom- I shook away the thoughts and shivered through a spike of revulsion.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry as well,¡± Matilda said softly, and I blinked trying to turn my mind away from my thoughts.

    ¡°For what? You didn¡¯t do anything. Except kick my ass,¡± I chuckled lightly, and was gladden when I saw a small smile creep across Matilda¡¯ lips.

    ¡°You know¡­ when you held me,¡± she began hesitantly and looked away. I stopped the levitating barrier and turned to her. ¡°It reminded me of old times.¡± She didn¡¯t say anything else and I nodded, looking out over the area.

    ¡°I guess¡­ I always hoped that somehow, I¡¯d become Gifted you know. Then in that perfect world we would be together still. But¡­¡± I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, a line of sweat trickling down the side of my face.

    ¡°But instead, you became jealous of me,¡± Matilda continued, her voice still soft.

    ¡°Yeah- jealous and secretly spiteful of everyone who was close to you.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± she asked after a long moment, and turned back to me. Her features were cool, calm, and beautiful. Yet I saw the turmoil in her purple gaze, and decided to be truthful.

    ¡°Because I hate myself,¡± I whispered and swallowed down the crushing depth of my self-pity. All the times I had been treated like trash for who I was, with utter scorn for the job I did. Being unable to save my father or protect my mother. The constant worry, that I¡¯d somehow failed at some point in my life and this was my karmic reward. The thought of losing Kayla and being left alone. The guilt of only truly feeling alive when on the other side of a Gateway.

    All this over the years had slowly chipped away at me and I had to pushed so deep, that it only showed in those moments when I was alone and in the dark.

    Scolding hot water dripping down to burn me. My mom¡¯s hand held in my own like a lifeline, even as I cried from the pain.

    Grief, in its many forms.

    I had told myself, that Kayla and I had really lost our mom the instant she went into her coma, never to return. Now though¡­

    Tears fell down my face to drop and catch on the barrier of bound air beneath my feet. I hadn¡¯t realised I had even started crying. Matilda¡¯ arms enveloped me in an embrace.

    ~*~*~*~

    ¡°Everything alright?¡± Melody asked as soon as we touched down. I nodded and waited as everyone gathered around.

    ¡°Alright, I think pretty positive we saw the exit from up there. But, there¡¯s a problem,¡± I said and looked around at them all.

    ¡°Of course there is,¡± Melody sighed and dusted at her robe as leaned on her staff tiredly. Seeing her like that, reminded me to have a look through the Store System and see if it sold any potions. Might be a good idea to stock everyone up going forward, I thought and nodded mentally, making a note.

    ¡°The exit is another ladder. Its quite the ways off still, but we¡¯re also certain that there¡¯s a pedestal with the second key on it.¡± I informed and waited as they processed the information.

    ¡°Should we- uh, I don¡¯t know- split up?¡± Jason asked glancing around nervously.

    With a sigh I shrugged, ¡°maybe. We may have to. One half of the group goes and secures the ladder. The other the key,¡± I said in partial agreement. ¡°If it¡¯s there,¡± I added.

    ¡°If that¡¯s our plan, I¡¯ll take the group going for the ladder,¡± Matilda asserted.

    I nodded gratefully, ¡°I¡¯ll take Jason and Amara for the pedestal and hopefully the key.¡±

    ¡°Why them?¡± Maggie asked, eyebrows drawing down.

    ¡°Because they¡¯re the fastest, other than myself. Plus I¡¯m pretty sure Amara¡¯ blood pet can be our heavy hitter and distract anything we might encounter. For heals, I¡¯ve still got quite a few potions left.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right. Sorry,¡± Maggie said and shuffle her feet, looking a little guilty for some reason.

    ¡°Alright, anymore questions?¡± they all shook they¡¯re heads, ¡°then let¡¯s move.¡±

    We ran together until we hit a branching path between three husk mounds. Amara, Jason and I pulled right as the others went left.

    ¡°How far do we have to go?¡± Jason called to me, and I looked to see him glancing back.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. We¡¯ll see the light when we¡¯re closer,¡± I replied. I cast a glance at Amara, and saw that the Blood Witch was easily keeping pace with us. Her miniature blood golem held to her head as it stood on her shoulder like the captain of a ship bracing for a storm. She caught me looking at her and grinned my way.

    I refocused as we lead on, passing by and along hundreds of husk mounds. All of them in similar states, at least that was until one of the mounds starting shuffling. We sprinted not wanting to stop and see what it was. Then a body crashed into the mound ahead of us, and several husks were thrown into our path. We leapt over them as a Desecrated corpse stood jerkily to its feet, we us running and let out a primal, feral scream.

    Several seconds of silence passed and then I heard three loud thumps, and felt the impact beneath my feet. My message window flashed up and I quickly squinted at the what it said, processing it. ¡°The other group must¡¯ve run into more Golems,¡± I called out.

    ¡°I¡¯d¡­ rather face¡­ the Golems¡­ that¡­ them,¡± Jason panted and shot a thumb over his shoulder. I followed his gesture and looked back to see four Desecrated corpses sprinting after us. Their undead visages horrifying, made all the worse by the crusted cloth wraps they wore that seemed almost melded with their decaying, rotten flesh.

    ¡°I see that the light,¡± Amara shouted cheerily, and pointed ahead, completely unfazed by the doom hunting us. Then I too saw it, a beacon in the distance. I was unsure of the remaining distance between us and the light. If there weren¡¯t any husks mounts I imagined we¡¯d make in a few minutes.

    ¡°Keep running,¡± I called to them and slowly my pace slightly.

    ¡°What¡¯re you-¡± Jason shouted turning to face me.

    ¡°Keep. Running.¡± I cut him off. Turning around quickly, I gestured at the air in front of me and felt the menta; whump of my Mana releasing. A colourless barrier formed a foot away and I concentrated, stretching it to encompass the path. The four Desecrated corpses were now fifteen feet away and closing the distance so fast that I barely had a chance to shoot my barrier towards them. What I didn¡¯t expect though, was that my barrier of bound air would hit them and only pushed them back a step or two as they braced against it.

    ¡°What the hell,¡± I muttered and winced as what felt like claws raking across my mind, as I pushed mentally on my barrier. Then it broke, splintering into thousands of shard-like pieces that twinkled prettily as they floated there for a brief moment. The Desecrated corpses broke them, and the shards dropped onto the ground. My head snapped back as the backlash of my binding spell hit me.

    I grabbed at my nose, as it started to gush blood and stumbled into a run after the others. Another new message prompt popped up and I quickly read it as I moved.

    White Strand weakness detected! Unholy, undead and cursed beings taint binding magic. Great, I thought, just what I need. Some I can¡¯t really fight against. I briefly thought on exiting the Magical System, but didn¡¯t know if there would be any repercussions doing so. Like a need to stand still for two minutes as the systems swap themselves.

    I caught up to Amara and Jason in record time. Unfortunately so did the Desecrated corpses. One leaped at me and caught a hold of my clothing, as the other three went for Amara. I saw that they completely ignored Jason though, focusing on Amara and I.

    I reached back with my hands and caught a hold of corpses arm on my left side and a leg with my right. Its jagged claw-like fingernails dug through my armor and clothing to pierce my skin. -43Hp. Affliction detected: Curse. ¡°Fucking get off me,¡± I growled and whipped us about to roll and impact the ground. -29Hp. Resist Curse: 88% Their curse worked to spread through my body fast. I needed to get this fucker off me and help Amara. Grabbing a tight hold of the corpse, I pumped eight shots of repel in quick succession. We rocked so forcibly that I felt my back crack as the Desecrated corpse, and I were crunch together and shot up into the air.

    I felt the drain on my mana as two hundred forty points left me so quickly that I actually the sudden loss from my Mana pool. Like a brief hollowness in my heart. I dismissed the spell and for a few moments we floated in the darkness and I had to wondering at the diameter of this pit we were in. Reaching back I caught the Desecrated corpse around its neck as we began to plummet down through the air. I twisted and rolled, managing to cut its grapple of me. We fell and I pulled my knife from inventory and went to work stabbing at its face and chest over and over.

    It lashed out clawing a furrow across the side of my head and on my cheek, just missing my eye. -112Hp. Resist Curse: 61% I guessed head wounds and attacks, not just did more damage but also increased the chance of receiving the curse. I cried and jarred away as it really fucking hurt getting your face sliced like that.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    Seeing that nothing I did seemed to have an effect, and the ground quickly coming up, I got my feet under me and pressed them against the corpses chest. Twenty-five feet from the ground I launched the corpse away from with a hard heave of my legs. It hit the path and bounced leaving small dented crated where it landed. The corpse then barrelled through a mound, crashing out onto the other side. Husks flew everywhere from the impact. I hit the ground hard and rolled as my ankles strained.

    I climbed steadily to my feet and saw that in fact Amara was doing well. She had managed to pinned one the corpses as her blood golem, in berserker form was battling the two others.

    I glanced to where the Desecrated corpse I¡¯d faced fell. It was climbing over husks, seemingly unhurt by its fall and impact. ¡°Amara, we need to move.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± she replied sounding unperturbed by the cursed beings. I looked around and noticed that Jason was gone.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Jason?¡± I called to her. She was now crouched over the pinned corpse and was driving her Drinkers blade through its neck. A frustrated growl escaped her as she drew no blood.

    ¡°I fucking hate this,¡± she muttered.

    ¡°Amara,¡± I cut in on what sounded like the start of a tirade. ¡°Where¡¯s Jason?¡±

    The Blood Witch blinked and looked at me, then at our surroundings. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She tilted her head prettily, and I wondered if she hoped the answer might fall out of her ear.

    ¡°I guess he carried on. Let¡¯s go before we¡¯re overwhelmed again.¡± I started to run, and Amara came up beside me and caught my hand in hers. The angry cry from behind us spelled that either one or more of the Desecrated corpses had broke off to chase us.

    I cut a left around a mound and climbed over another, seeing that the light shining down on the stone pedestal was only ten metres. We hopped down from the mound and climbed up another. Cutting the amount of time it would¡¯ve taken by half on foot. I heard the hard crunch of hollowed bodies being crushed as the Desecrated corpse chased after us, climbing the husk mounds.

    ¡°Guys!¡± I heard a familiar voice call. Jason had reached the pedestal before us and was waiting inside the cone of light. From this close the light seemed natural and pure, a protective sanctum from the encroaching darkness and the cursed beings. Amara hit the stone platform before me as I turned to aim my fist at the corpse. It jarred to a halt and stumbled as the weight of it stomping over the husks gave way, tripping it over.

    I smiled and leaped down to the ground to climb up another mound. It wasn¡¯t so hard climbing over dried up and hollowed bodies, it was simply a matter of spreading your weigh. Either that or the husks were far more durable than I expected. A few seconds later I leapt off the top of the mound and skidded onto the stone platform.

    ¡°Get in quickly,¡± Jason said, waving at me frantically. Stepping through the threshold of light, swept warmth over me and my tiredness fled. My fatigue immediately fell back down to its base line.

    I breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°are you guys okay?¡± I asked Amara and Jason.

    Amara nodded and bent over her knees, a seconds later the Blood Witch was sitting cross-legged on the ground. Jason slumped down beside the pedestal, ¡°yeah I¡¯m okay. I honestly thought you guys weren¡¯t going to- Holy shit!¡± Jason cried and cringed away. I turned just in time to see the Desecrated corpse land on the platform and charged into us. A spray of ash pelt both Jason and I, hitting me in the chest and Jason across his lap.

    I blinked and looked down to see a charred scuff mark going from outside the cone of the light to where the ash hit us. ¡°Huh,¡± I said sagely eyeing the light. No loot drop then I guess, I thought and turned back to the pedestal.

    It was a plain white stone, with curving emerald lines weaving along the entire pedestal, ending at a triangle in the centre. I touched it, nothing happened. I traced my finger along the lines, hoping to find a button or anything.

    ¡°Should we really be messing with that,¡± Jason interrupted me nervously.

    I looked at him and blinked, ¡°why not?¡±

    ¡°Well, what if you mess with it and the light goes off. Then we¡¯ll be really screwed,¡± he answered. I nodded slowly; he had a point after all. Amara suddenly gasped and spun to look at her, her third eyes blazed a dark red. ¡°What is it?¡± I hissed at her.

    ¡°They killed my golem,¡± she growled back at me and climbed to her feet, her eyes blazing for revenge. I gulped and grabbed her shoulder stopping her. She frowned back at me her intense expression cooling a little, ¡°what?¡±

    ¡°We need to focus on getting out of here,¡± I told her. ¡°The key is in this pedestal somewhere.¡±

    ¡°Its- not,¡± a voice choked out. All of us tensed as we scanned our surroundings, my Magical Sight activating and searching for Mana. The husk mound behind the pedestal platform shuffled as arms pushed rigid limbs out of the way. A few seconds later, a bleeding and pale man climbed out. ¡°He took it,¡± the man spat venomously.

    ¡°Raymond?¡± Jason asked sounding confused. I glanced at the warrior and we shared a look. ¡°Raymond¡¯ a part of Irma¡¯s group.¡±

    ¡°That fucker got me,¡± Raymond croaked and held out a black shafted arrow its quills fletching white and blue feathers. I saw that the blood coating him was coming from a wound in his chest. ¡°We¡­¡± he winced and slumped down on the platform outside the cone of light. ¡°Planned to double cross him. But we got surrounded¡­ Irma and the others fought the golems, but we were¡­ overwhelmed.¡±

    ¡°Double cross him? at what?¡± I shook my head in confusion.

    ¡°He¡­ he wanted to kill you, all of you. Take¡­ your gear. It was our deal¡­¡± Raymond coughed and wheezed. I stuck out my arm, stopping Jason as he tried to go and help the man. ¡°Fucker cut us loose before we could even try.¡± Three figures pulled themselves up onto the platform. The Desecrated corpses snarled a cry and rushed Raymond. For the next minutes we watched in horror as the cursed beings tore Raymond apart with their claws. What I hadn¡¯t expected though was the murky black lines spreading like a network of webbing across Raymond¡¯s body, even after he was killed. He began to spasm and twitch and suddenly his torn-up body jarred upright as the curse took effect.

    Undead Warrior. His identifier was grey and weak. The three Desecrated corpse twisted around to stare at us, lips cracking as peeled back in a snarling rictus.

    All three at once rushed for us and three handfuls of ash sprayed inside the cone as they instantly disintegrated. I released the breath I hadn¡¯t even realised I¡¯d been holding. I relaxed my shoulders. ¡°What do you reckoned he meant when he said the keys not here,¡± I asked.

    ¡°I bet that bitch has,¡± Amara said and huffed out a breath.

    ¡°It¡¯s likely,¡± I agreed, ¡°let¡¯s check once more and then go.¡±

    ~*~*~*~

    Ten minutes later we managed to navigate our way through the winding maze of husk mounds. We came to a stop as the path lead into a small basin-like ditch in the ground. Standing there protectively were the rest of the party. I frowned as I saw them, spotting that something was missing.

    They stood within a cone of light similarly to the cone around the pedestal. ¡°Where¡¯s the ladder?¡± I asked, confusion and concern laden my voice.

    ¡°Broken,¡± Matilda replied curtly. I saw that she removed from her right hand, and that the fingers of the hand were either pointed at odd angles or floppy. Her wrist was also crushed, like a squashed can. ¡°Just as we arrived, it broke and fell. We threw the remains outside the light.¡±

    ¡°Shit,¡± I hissed and sighed, skidding down into the ditch to join them. Melody was in the process of healing Joshua¡¯s knee. I could the minute restructuring of his bones as the leg slowly untwisted itself, under Melody¡¯ care. The Cleric looked haggard beyond believe and I immediately went to her, as Amara and Jason filled Matilda in on what happened on our end.

    Pulling the last of my Mana potions I handed them over to the Cleric and brushed some stray curly hair away from her face. She smiled grateful and I looked to Joshua. The warrior-tank was grimacing as he tried to avoid looking towards his leg. ¡°How¡¯d this happen then?¡±

    It was Matilda who replied, ¡°we got ambushed. Frist it was those Desecrated corpses, we¡¯d seen before. They chased us for a good long while. Maggie got knocked unconscious by one, and we just managed to save her,¡± Matilda glanced over her shoulder and I followed her gaze. The newbie mage, lay unconscious on the ground. Jason was crouched down beside her taking her hand in his.

    ¡°Then when we arrived here, and saw that they gotten get through we thought we were safe. Then the Golden Masked Wolves ambushed us, and the light doesn¡¯t affect them like it did the Desecrated corpses. The Golems simply walked through.¡±

    ¡°Damn, must¡¯ve been a hell of fight,¡± I commented looking at them for a long second. No loot again, I thought absently. Wondering what was up with that.

    ¡°So where do we go from here?¡±

    ¡°Well I saw people on the ladder before it fell. Amara and Jason filled me in on what happened,¡± Matilda started and nodded for her continue. ¡°I say we carry on. We go up.¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh,¡± I mumbled staring at the Knight and scratching the back of my head in thought. Could I form a barrier that wide? I once again had to take a second to appreciate how broken my Gift was. Between the two Systems I could unstoppable. Combined with the knowledge that I can enhance my own attributes; I could be a serious combat mage, support or no over both Systems.

    ¡°We¡¯ll wait until everyone ready to go,¡± I told her firmly and she nodded.

    ~*~*~*~

    Everyone stood around fidgeting nervously, as I concentrated on binding the very air. No big deal. ¡°Relax,¡± someone said from beside and I open one eye to peek at Melody.

    ¡°You¡¯re looking better,¡± I noted and closed my eye again.

    ¡°I am, thank you.¡± She was quiet for a good long second and I extended the barrier and began to form curl the edges forming a rim. ¡°You¡¯ve changed quite a bit, you know that,¡± she commented idly, and I peek again to see the Cleric with some of her red hair twirling around her finger.

    ¡°Well, yeah, I guess,¡± I shrugged, disliking talking about myself immediately. It just reminded me of my vulnerable moment earlier with Matilda.

    ¡°You¡¯re a lot taller for one. Your eye colour is different. The scar Matilda said you had isn¡¯t there anymore. You¡¯re more confident and outspoken now. You¡¯re uhm¡­ Ahem,¡± she cleared her throat and blushed heavily.

    ¡°Okay- okay,¡± I laughed lightly. ¡°Compliments will get you everywhere, so what do you want?¡± I asked her.

    ¡°Do you want to get some coffee¡­? with- uh, m-me after this I mean,¡± the blush crept up into her hair line and I tried my best not to smirk at how flustered she looked.

    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± I said remembering I was doing something with Amara after we closed this Gateway. Melody¡¯ face fell, and a look of embarrassment crossed her face. ¡°Tomorrow instead?¡± I added after a second.

    The blush crept back in, she smiled and immediately tried her best to hide it. ¡°Sure, coffee tomorrow sounds perfect. We can talk privately then.¡± I could hear the hope in her voice and gazed past her to see Matilda staring intently over at us, her, Amara and Jason talking softly.

    ¡°Alright,¡± I called, ¡°I think we¡¯re ready.¡± I clapped my hands and waved for everyone to join us.

    The second every stepped on I braced and curled my fingers. The barrier rose unsteadily as the strain of holding everyone fought against my mind. It was a mixture of mental endurance as well as the capability of physical enduring the task. I grunted and heaved quietly as we rose even further and left the ground. Luckily the cone of light was combatting against my fatigue as the it kept rocketing up.

    ¡°Rhys, are you okay?¡± Melody asked me and I grunted a maybe. A second later I heard her chanting softly as the wisps of light flowed into me. They weren¡¯t healing me this time, but sustaining me maybe? I was unsure. They fed into me, giving me something as I gave them in return. I felt the small almost electrical current they usually gave me run through my chest and heart.

    Was Melody somehow boosting my attributes? If so, why hadn¡¯t the System detected it.

    Before I even knew it, we¡¯d reached the top and everyone quickly scampered off. ¡°You can let it go now, Rhys,¡± Melody cooed, and I could hear the pride in her voice. It sung through those wisps and I gasped as a mixture of sensations I didn¡¯t understand wash through me. I slumped down onto my hands knees, my mind mentally exhausted, my fatigue physically stable.

    ¡°I think I hear fighting,¡± Jason murmured, and we all paused to listen. Yelling, the clashing of steel and distant curses drifted to us.

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Matilda agreed swing her great sword over her shoulder and propping it there. ¡°Shall we invite ourselves?¡± The Knight looked to me as I climbed to my feet with the aid of Melody.

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go introduce ourselves,¡± I affirmed. We all harden our expression and jogged silently down the hallway we¡¯d came out on. Several more hallways and through an empty grand cathedral-like chamber we burst out onto what looked like a horde of Pawns fighting against three warriors. A boom from our right rocked everything. I glanced that way to see, a lone archer with blonde hair firing Mana imbued arrow after imbued arrow at a defensive wizard golem.

    ¡°Drake,¡± I snarled and saw Matilda face contort at seeing that he was there. ¡°Everyone help them,¡± I pointed to the three warriors lead by a dark green haired woman. They were fighting defensively trying to hold their own but quickly losing ground. ¡°Matilda, you and I are going for him,¡± I gestured at Drake and the Knight¡¯s lips curled in an almost snarl. Without even contemplating what I was doing I pulled up my options menu, tabbing down to Magical System and turning it off.

    The world came to a jarring halt and everything stopped for the briefest of moments. Stabilisation complete. The message popped up and I grinned sheepishly as Matilda frowned at me. ¡°Switching Systems,¡± I explained and waved her on. We ran for the stupid archer, using magically imbued arrows to fight against a defensive wizard.

    ¡°Hey, princess!¡± I called out and grinned when Drake immediately swept his aim from the golem and shot at me with a cry of outrage.

    ¡°You fucking dare!¡± he screamed and unleash. Activating Haste I smiled as the familiar sensation of the world crawling swept over me. I then shot out my hand and with Telekinetic Reach -30Mp, I caught a hold of the Princely fuckers light amour and yanked him off the broken stone pillar, he¡¯d been pinging arrows from.

    With a squawk, he flew right towards us and I jumped twisting in the air to swing about and slam my foot his gut, sending him spiralling into the ground. ¡°He¡¯s your Tilda,¡± I said to the Knight and carried on for the last Golem of the Gateway.

    With another heave of Telekinetic Reach I flung myself up into the air and summoned Heava¡¯liku. The knife appeared in my hand and I hauled backwards. With an ear booming blast I flung my arm straight while simultaneously activating Disabling Strike. A palpable wave of force rippled as the knife left my hand and seemingly transported in the same instances that a hole burst into being on Golem, just below its left collar bone.

    I crashed into the ground and rolled keeping my momentum. I re-summoned my knife and turned back to the fighting. My party swarmed through the pawns easily and backed-up the three warriors there. Within minutes of fighting, the pawns were dead.

    Matilda had Drake by the sword point. The noble-looking fucker looked dishevelled with his stained and torn clothing and blood shot eyes.

    He sneered as I came over. ¡°I should¡¯ve known you¡¯d stay with the dogs Matilda,¡± he spat. ¡°You should¡¯ve stayed a good complacent pet instead of believing yourself to be better. I would¡¯ve let you live, even now I could you give the chance you don¡¯t deserve.¡± Then he looked at me, ¡°you filthy-fucking-animal. So you have a gift after all. Good for you, you mongrel. Doesn¡¯t change what you are. You¡¯ll stay scum for the rest of life.¡±

    He looked back to Matilda, then at me again a maniacal laughter bubbling up from his cracked lips, ¡°I was going to have my way with your sister after I was finished this one.¡± He jerked his head at Matilda, ¡°did she tell you how she was with me. Writhing on my cock, as I strangled her,¡± his laughter was cut off when Matilda swung her sword and cut off his arm at the shoulder. She came scream in anger at him, even as he screamed back in pain. Blood squirted from the wound and the Knight kicked the severed arm away. ¡°We never had sex you delusion fucking perv,¡± the Knight screamed down at him, spittle flying from her mouth.

    She kicked him several times in the gut, halting his crying as he jerked. She stomped over to me and stopped by my side. ¡°Take care of this trash for me?¡± she asked me softly and I nodded. She lowered he head down onto my shoulder then and stayed there for a few seconds then walked away.

    I waited until she was out of reach, then approached Drake. ¡°Dearest Drake¡ªstupid fucking name by the way¡ªlook how far you¡¯ve fallen,¡± I bent down and picked up his severed arm. ¡°I bet you didn¡¯t see your day going like this at all, did you?¡± I asked his prone form. ¡°I asked you a fucking question!¡± I shouted at him and smack him across the face with his blood arm, when he didn¡¯t reply.

    ¡°F-f-f-fuck you, sc-sc-scum,¡± he stammered at me.

    ¡°Such passion!¡± I cooed and threw his arm away. Passive ability: Incite has activated: Fear. Bloodlust. Paralysis. My incite unfurled out from under me, as it sinuously weaved its way slowly over to Drake. I almost feel an eagerness and thrill at the thought of gaining another soul. I suppressed an excited shiver as tendrils of fear latched on Drake minds, pooled and enveloping his head. My tendrils of paralysis latched on his spine, freezing the nerves there while my tendrils of bloodlust pool beneath him.

    ¡°No, no, no, no. What¡¯re you doing to me?¡± Drakes voice became panicked. His pain forgotten as his mind was encased by fear.

    ¡°Look at me,¡± I commanded in a whisper, yet my voice travelled through the chamber with authority. I saw everything and everyone in that single moment. All of them watching me. Red lines of shadows rippled out from the corners of my eyes as the rest of me, became a scratchy black shadow, as if someone really wanting to erase something with a black pen.

    ¡°You can¡¯t to this to me. My father will know and he¡¯ll, he¡¯ll come for you,¡± Drake whimpered.

    ¡°Do you think care, Drake? If he does come for me, he¡¯ll see me as you do. The monster that I really am,¡± okay I could pause here a second and breath. Doing the whole whispery, scratchy voice was starting to hurt my throat and I imagined clearing it in front of him, wouldn¡¯t set the image I was going for.

    ¡°No!¡± Drake cried out pathetically and I shook my head and got back into character. ¡°Let¡¯s finished this, shall we.¡±

    I sent a thought along the coils of my incite and formed the image of the scythe in my mind. Instantly all of the tendrils snapped back toward to me and then spun into the air as they converged to form a black strand. My mind tickled at the form it took hold of, but I ignored it for now.

    Reaching out I caught hold of the strand and it instantly elongated and morphed into a scythe make of black tendrils. ¡°Drake Sembrane,¡± I called out and spun the scythe in my hand. It moved with such fluidity with each of my motions, seeming to drink in the light from our surroundings. ¡°To you everything is toy, a plaything you could use at own leisure, be they willing or not. I can¡¯t imagine the hundreds of lives you have ruined for your own amusement, but I can imagine this. Your death will never appease the pain you¡¯ve inflicted on others. But with you gone, it¡¯s never be inflicted again.¡±

    ¡°Stop, get that fucking thing away from you fucking dog,¡± he spat at me and crawled pathetically backwards. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you for this, just you wait-¡± His words died on his lips as I spun the scythe around and drove it up under his chin, through his head and out the other side. There, trailing my scythe was a mist of red-glassy motes, that briefly formed the image of a screaming tortured soul. Then it was devoured by the scythe and absorbed into it as the scythe shrunk down to form the strand. I recalled my Incite and winced as a far-off distant scream drill through my mind.

    I¡¯ll kill you for this¡­

    Shaking my head, I blinked as the voice receded. +1 Astral-soul claimed. I frowned at the wording, but dismissed the prompt and turned back to see everyone staring at me. A mixture of emotions seen plain across everyone¡¯s faces.

    ¡°Fuck! that was frightening,¡± the green haired woman exclaimed, he tongue flicking out to lick nervously at one the snake-bite piercings on her lower lip. ¡°We all good now? Cause I really want to fucking sit down.¡± The woman explained and looked at everyone else there. ¡°That guy was a prick.¡±

    ~*~*~*~

    ¡°Hi everyone. I¡¯m Irma Tallow,¡± said Irma pointing at herself. I had to admit that the oddball of a woman really was quite beautiful. Other than the piercings in her lower lip, she had one on her tongue, one on nose. Three in each ear, with two at top and one on her ear lobe. The top and bottom were connected by a small chain, with silvery triangles dangling along its length. Her wavy dark green was actually shaven on both sides of her head, it the top just swept down on one side. Her eyes were a light violet shade and I had trouble telling which colour she was.

    Her build was in line with Amara¡¯s, both being petite and slim, except were Amara was more gothic, Irma was more punkish.

    ¡°Theses are my two friends,¡± Irma waved at her companions, currently being healed by Melody. ¡°Davis Hallow,¡± she pointed and broad shoulder man, with a thick beard and curly black hair. His eyes were green, and he gave all of us a quiet nod. ¡°He doesn¡¯t talk much, ya see. On account of his being punch one to many times in the head as a fighter in the pits. Then there¡¯s that slimy cunt over there grinning at your healer.¡± She gestured dismissively at a dusty blonde-haired man with light blues and a cocky smile.

    ¡°Irma!¡± the man gasped and held at his heart like he had been wounded. ¡°I am in no way slimy.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re still a cunt though, Hagen,¡± Irma replied.

    ¡°I am that,¡± Hagen replied chuckling, he looked to the rest of us and introduced himself. ¡°Hagen Mills, trapper and rogue extraordinaire,¡± he bent and bowed as Melody moved on to Davis¡¯ wounds. ¡°Though honestly, I am officially neither of those so please don¡¯t tattle on me, at least not without giving me a ten second head start first.¡±

    ¡°Rhys?¡± Matilda prompted me, and I blinked and looked up at her looming over me.

    ¡°What¡¯s up Tilly?¡± I asked her.

    ¡°Did you get the second key?¡± she asked, peering around at all of us.

    ¡°N-no I didn¡¯t,¡± I replied a little panicked and shot to my feet.

    ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t worry about that,¡± Irma called over to us. ¡°That dumb fucker tried the key in the door. It¡¯s what summoned all those Pawns and the Golem. Dumb idiot.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s still in the door. But what about the third key?¡±

    ¡°No clue,¡± Irma shrugged her shoulders and then followed Matilda and I as walked over to a small round vault-like door. There, wedge flat and horizontally in the door were two keys. The slots face north, east and west. East held a red crystal key, whereas North held a blue crystal key.

    Slipping the emerald key out from my inventory I stepped forward and placed it in the west slot. It clicked and jarred slightly like it was magnetised. Then an unseen mechanism spun, and a crease formed as small bits of dust fell away as a circle formed around the keys. The keys flashed an intense light of their different colours and when I blinked next they had liquified. The fluid oozed out of the slots and trickled down into the crease. Instead of hitting the crease and then running over and down the door, the fluid began to fill it. A blend of red, emerald and blue filled the circular crease and suddenly the circle began to slid out. Two multi-coloured handles formed and jutted out from either side of the circle.

    I reached out and with a firm grasp and twisted using the handles and felt something give way inside the vault door. Looking over my shoulder I saw that everyone was on their feet, eyeing the door with a mixture of excitement and trepidation.

    A crack resounded and a second later the door began to swing open slowly. We all took a step back and brought out our weapons. There was a soft depressurising hiss as the doors seal broke and completely opened to the air of the chamber we were in.

    A cool frigid air blasted into our faces from the opposite side of the vault door. Darkness prevailed on the other side, and I glanced at the others. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll first then,¡± I grumbled, and stepping up the threshold of the vault I stepped inside.

    There was a sharp spike of cold against my skin from all sides and then I was through, and inside a dimly lit cave. A crystalline blue stream of water ran around the circumference of a rocky platform, at its centre where several pedestals that sat at waist height in a circle beneath a light that shone down through a crack in the caves ceiling.

    I looked back the way I¡¯d came and saw only darkness, darkness that was breached an instant later by the majority of our party. Everyone except Josh, Jason and Maggie came through. I asked Matilda where they were, but the Knight simply ignored and stepped down into the stream and onto the other side. She walked determinably towards the pedestals.

    Then came Melody, Amara, Irma, Davis and Hagen. Each and everyone of them stepped past me and walked to the pedestals. They seemed to be in some sort of trance-like state. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡±

    I moved back the way we¡¯d came, and found that the passage stretched on further than it should. There was no vault doorway or dark threshold. There wasn¡¯t a chamber with our remaining friends there.

    I returned to the cave room hoping that the other three were okay. I looked at those staring down entranced and noticed that a spot was vacant. ¡°I guess that spots meant for me then,¡± I mused, and shrugging and I decided what the heck and moved over to joined them.

    Once I was in place a force gripped me and held me there, I tried to speak and call out to the other, but I couldn¡¯t move, I couldn¡¯t speak. I blinked as light formed solidly over the surface of the pedestals, it morphed and formed, changing its matter. Each pedestal lit up suddenly with a golden glow so intense that had to shut my eyes from the fear of being blinded.

    All at once the grip holding me there and the light vanished, and I fell to ass, wavy tendrils of smoke streamed up from above each pedestal. I looked around and noticed at everyone else had fallen over to.

    Climbing to my feet, I rested a hand on the pedestal and felt it cool stone as I pushed myself to my feet. The rest were in various states of disarray. Besides me were Davis and Matilda on my right, on the opposite side was Melody and Amara, with Irma and Hagen across.

    ¡°Wah-ha- holy shit,¡± Hagen cried out as he looked upon what the pedestal in front of him. Looking down I saw what I could describe as a smooth black fist-sized egg.

    Infront of Matilda was a silvery steel helm with leafy wings on either side and a round shield, the same material of about two feet in diameter.

    Amara stared down at a sort-as-shit evil looking tome. It looked to be made of a coarse black leather, with a bloody imprint of a long-fingered hand with three eyes stacked like a pyramid in the centre of the imprints palm.

    Melody gaze at her item in fascination, it was a sparkling silver circlet with red oval garnet that would sit facing forward on a person head. Attach to the circlet were slim silvery chains like a mesh, that I guessed would be woven into her hair.

    Irma ran her fingers along the curve of one of two slim scimitars. They both had pearl bone hilts, the pommels shaped into what I thought resembled a fox head.

    Hagen felt the material of a glittering dark green cloak, its interior lining held an iridescent gleam as it caught the light.

    Davis had the by far largest item. The silent man gazed down at a massive dark red cuirass with thick golden inlays that ran in sinuous swirling patterns. Near the neck of the chest armour was a hide of tanned fur, that reminded me of the long dead species of old Earth lions. Which was made all the more apparent when he lifted the armour to reveal a single red pauldron shaped like that of a roaring lion underneath.

    I¡­ got an egg.

    It was a nice-looking egg. But it was still just an egg. I squatted down besides the pedestal and peered at the egg in distrust. I noticed that there was pattern running the entirety of the egg, only seen from certain angles, or when the light caught it just right. It reminded me of the coppery pathway patterns usually seen on a circuit board.

    Placing my hand over the egg, I jumped as a rippling wave of what seemed like scales ran from the egg¡¯s peak all the way down to the bottom. Then something odd happened, a mindless thought trilled in my mind. It was a mixture of anticipation and fear. And the one thought that it would soon be time to hatch.

    Hesitantly I withdrew my hand away from the egg, a sense of longing for my touch the last thing I felt as I took my hand away.

    [Item: x1 Egg of the Primordial Ananta. Type: Tameable creature. Class: Black rank. Unknown Affects.] The creature that dwells inside this egg is the last of its kind. Days until hatched: 23.

    I scowled at the prompt, feeling like somehow it wasn¡¯t doing this egg justice with its vague description. Picking it up carefully, I felt how my embrace send a pulsing drum of giddiness through the egg. A strange part of myself not wanting to be separated from it. For now though it needs to be safe, I thought and reluctantly stored it within my inventory.

    It looked like I would be getting a pet, some time soon. I looked at the others and saw they each were armed and equipped in their new gear. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can find the exit, shall we?¡± They all nodded there acquiescence and we moved back to the passage, except now it was a dark threshold similar to one we¡¯d entered through.

    I stepped through followed by the others, and came out onto the grounds of what I could describe as the grounds of a colosseum. There was a screech of metal as a portcullis gate slide open to reveal three confused looking Joshua, Maggie and Jason. The instant they saw us, they smiled, waved and jogged over.

    <u>Quest Objectives:</u>

    Slay the Guardians of Bresacs Tomb: 16/16.

    Collect the Keys to Bresacs Armaments: 3/3.

    Kill the Wraith¡¯s of Bresacs The Hound Keeper: 0/3.

    (Warning!) Quest is mandatory and cannot be denied. Penalty for failure is <u>DEATH</u>.

    The fact that this message was popping now meant only one thing. We were in the final stage of the Gateway, the boss room to be precise.

    Before any of us could announce a greeting, a thunderous howling filled the air with enough force that some of us skidded backs as a few were actually throw off their feet. It was haunting cry, and I immediately retrieved my knife. A felt it approach us, as small distant vibration through the ground.

    Then a purple(ish) blue three headed ethereal hound passed through the portcullis, like a spirit. Or¡­ like a wraith, I added thoughtfully. It was fucking huge, at least sixteen feet in height, with a broad muscly frame. Its build actually reminded me of a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, I¡¯d seen in a book of Old Earth. Smaller legs and body in proportion to its broad frame.

    Its three ghostly visages growled, showing off rows of arm sized teeth as it hunched low and prowled slowly towards us. Thick stringy globes of ectoplasmic drool fell from the curl of its lips to pool with a hiss on the arena grounds.

    With a slow steadying breath, I lead the charge against the wraith.

    Hound Keeper Wraith¡¯s.

    This novel is the work of Rhys Thomas. If you are reading this and it has not been published by Rhys Thomas, then this work has been stolen. Please report this to Amazon and me at email: [email protected]</a>

 Rhys Chapter Eleven

    <u>(Tuesday. Date: 23-04-2463)</u>

    Pumping my arms and legs I quickly closed the gap between the Wraith and the rest of my party. ¡°Shit!¡± I cursed as I saw the same name identifier pop up for each head. Meaning they didn¡¯t share a collective brain, only a body. The three Wraiths that needed to be killed were right here. ¡°Matilda, take Josh and Jason, and swing right. Keep that head busy,¡± I called. The central head snarled and snapped its enormous jaws down on me, ¡°Oh shit!¡± I dove out of the way, a second before the Wraith¡¯s jaws chomped at the ground.

    I rolled and came back up, spinning with my knife at the ready, and gulped. Its muzzle hadn¡¯t crashed into the ground, it had phased through the dusty sand surface.

    ¡°Change of plans,¡± I yelled quickly and dashed for its left foreleg. ¡°Climb this son of a bitch. It can phase so be careful.¡± Jumping, I pounced and landed feet first against the wide trunk of the Wraiths leg, and slammed my knife home. Phasing my own arm though proved difficult, when my hand phased back out a split second later in front of my face and I almost stabbed myself.

    This was especially more difficult when I had to twist, to avoid a gaping maw snapping at me. Sliding off the Wraiths leg, I squatted down and ran beneath it. Stabbing upwards as I move, and tearing deep furrows in its underbelly. Those cuts I soon realised healed slowly afterwards.

    I hadn¡¯t been paying too much attention to where I stood, because one of its back legs raked across my chest piercing through my armour, and sending me hurtling with enough force to crash with a boom against the Colosseum wall.

    I blinked as pain flared across my torso, -283Hp. CND: Torso: 43% Fuck! It hurt like hell. I bit back a cry and sort of slouched-crawled on my hands and knees, with no idea of where I was going. I was practically down half my health from one attack, I wheezed out a cough and slumped back onto my ankles in the sand.

    Matilda and Josh, banged their weapons against their shields, the formers by far louder. As Jason hid between them, the Wraiths left head lunging towards the three with a bark. Its face a snarling rictus of impending devastation, ectoplasmic spittle flinging from its open maw.

    On the other side, Hagen, Irma and Amara were working in tandem to keep the right head busy. Hagen¡¯s right arm lifted out from beneath his new cloak, a strange device attached to his forearm with a small bolt head peeking out under his wrist.

    Amara worked a binding with a red flash of bloody glyphs. My mind drawing back to her face when she looked at the black tome in the vault. I wondered why she hadn¡¯t summoned the blood golem.

    Irma swept in, her scimitars flowing around her like silvery ribbons as she spun and sliced at the Wraiths side and head.

    Melody and Maggie stayed back near where we entered. The cleric managed to form a waist high spell ward, and she and Maggie ducked behind it. The latter formed bolts of Mana, each in quick succession, blasting at the central head.

    Then everything rushed back into super-real focus and the sounds of my party fighting, gave me strength to push on. Climbing to my feet I mentally swam through my inventory and hit the Instant Recovery. The familiar warmth of light spread over me, followed by the blue film. Rejuvenated, I took a second to realised how perfect was position was.

    I was at the rear of the Wraith. Re-summoning my knife, I reversed the grip and with a huff of air, sprinted at the Wraith once again. When I was within ten feet of the Wraiths tail I planted a foot and jumped onto the back of the Wraith. My steps became unsteady as I tried to run along its rather bony spine. Then ducking as a Mana Bolt whizzed by followed by an: ¡°Oops! Sorry,¡± from Maggie and Melody.

    The central head then spun and twisted eerily around on its neck; the purplish blue of its ethereal neck corded like a wrung dishrag.

    Then the Wraiths entire body phased, and I fell through to hit the ground, and rolled as the Wraith stomped one of its massive paws down on me. Springing to my feet I jumped and flipped backwards activating Haste as I did so. The right sides jaw snapped bare inches away underneath and I lashed out with my knife as it past under.

    My blade slicing along the surface of its snout to curved around its eye as the head barked and shook away the pain. The wound healed instantly after.

    ¡°Fuck! Anyone having any luck actually wounding this thing?¡±

    ¡°N- no,¡± I heard Amara grunt from the other side of the Wraith. ¡°But- I can¡¯t¡­ keep it bound¡­ any¡­ longer,¡± she grunted again, and I could hear the obvious stress in her voice. It was helpful, if only to just buy us a few seconds and halt the Wraiths movements

    Amara¡¯ binding broke a second later and the Wraith hound whipped about, striking both Matilda and Josh with its back legs, kicking into their shields and sending them sprawling. I ducked out of the way, dove for my left as the Wraith skidded on the ground and all three heads snapped down at me.

    I spotted Irma pulling a tired Amara away, towards Melody and Maggie. Hagen¡¯s wrist contraption turned out to be a wrist bow. The Wraiths sudden momentum halted, and a glass bolt shattered harmlessly against the left head. There was a muted pop followed by the hiss of smoke pooling out the shattered glass.

    The Wraith sneezed and all three heads barked at each other and backed away. A figure leapt from out of nowhere through the smoke and swung what looked to be a plain two-handed maul. It crashed down against the right head and I heard an audible crunch of bones breaking and teeth shattering, as the head twisted downwards with the blow.

    The Wraith yelped and its other two head barked angrily as the third went limp. Then with a wrenching twist it snapped back, and the impact sign from the maul reformed.

    Davis hit the ground and flopped to his ass, seemingly unaccustomed to the new weight of the red cuirass he was wearing. The Wraith heads darting in and he was just saved as I used Telekinetic Reach to pull him out of their path. Irma came sliding under the outstretched heads, her scimitars flashing as she sliced open their necks.

    The Wraith barked and stumbled back from us, but otherwise seemed fine. There was a flash as a giant sizzling bolt of Mana sent by Maggie impacted the Wraiths rear and sent it stumbling towards us.

    It growled and then vanished completely. ¡°Where did it go?¡± We all asked in worriedly in unison, stumbling into each other and looking about.

    I drew up my Magical Sight and decided to keep it active for the remainder of the fight. The Wraith had taken quite the beating and yet seemed perfectly fine, I wondered how many times it could heal like it had.

    The ground beneath us lit up an instance later and the Wraith phased through from beneath us and snapped its jaws catching a few of us in a burst of motion. Joshua threw me aside and the central head bit through him, swallowing half of the warriors body in a single bite. The tearing snap of the armour and shield being crunched and Joshua¡¯s bloody frothing mouth as he yelled briefly in pain and I paled.

    The left head caught Davis¡¯s arm wielding the maul, tearing the arm up to the elbow and weapon from his grasp. The usually silent man shouted a shrieking cry of pain and collapsed, clutching at the stump of his elbow. The right head tore Jason¡¯s right leg clean off as it phased through and bit up to the thigh. Then he was whipped about and flung like a ragdoll to crashed uselessly in the dusty sand.

    I blinked, caught completely off-guard by the sudden brutality, and the loss of life. Joshua was gone, swallowed by the Wraith. Jason wasn¡¯t exactly dead yet, but the man would be soon if not treated. Maggie and Melody were rushing around the Colosseum to aid those wounded. Which left Matilda, Irma, Hagen and I to face the Wraith.

    ¡°Alright. This asshole really needs to die,¡± I growled out. The Wraith backed away and phased into the wall, going through and disappearing. I scanned the whole Colosseum, ¡°there!¡± I called out and pointed towards the north side stands as it burst through in a haze of purples, and blues, and lunged at us.

    I flung out both my hands and dual casted Telekinetic Reach -60Mp and caught hold of seemingly ethereal Wraith hound. A prompt chimed in my head afterwards. The Wraith barked, growled and snapped in surprise, as it struggled in the air momentarily, it thick legs kicking four feet off from the ground.

    My fingers and mind started to ache and cramp as I continued my hold onto it, ¡°what the heck are you guys waiting for? go attack it¡­ now.¡±

    They charged at the Wraith and I managed to hold it for several more seconds, but the spell failed, and I lost my hold. Then I saw something as it hit the ground on its side, and stumbled to its feet. As it phased, I caught the flicker of a red light within its purplish-blue ethereal body. My mind recollecting back to the charm strand I¡¯d seen inside Matilda.

    Its head crashed into Matilda and sent the Knight stumbling backwards. She just managed to get her shield up in front of her when it stomped its paw down onto her, in an attempt to crush the Knight. She grunted painfully as she strained against the intense pressure, using her sword to fend off the right snapping head.

    Irma tried to lunged for the foot and help the Knight, but just as her scimitars struck and nicked, her feet were wrenched out from under her as the other two heads each grabbed a foot in their jaws.

    The dark green-haired beauty, screamed as she was tossed up into the air, her scimitars falling uselessly to the ground as she cried out in pain and shock. The two heads squeezed against one another and opened their jaws wide to catch her she fell down. A bolt send by Hagen, streamed over the falling woman and burst into a net that caught and tugged her off course.

    She still smack hard into the ground and instantly went unconscious. Melody¡¯s going to be pissed at all the healing she¡¯ll have to do, I thought, and drained.

    Then the other two heads swung over to Matilda, and just as they phased to strike her, I saw the red strand in their make-up and reaching out mentally, I quashed it and squeezed tightly. The Wraith didn¡¯t- couldn¡¯t phase as long as I kept my hold on its strand.

    Rearing back and summoning my knife, I threw it while simultaneously activating both Disabling Strike and Haste. The Knife boomed as it leapt from my grip and vaporised the Wraiths leg crushing Matilda. Apparently I also stopped its healing as well, which suited Matilda just fine.

    With a roar, the Knight wasted no time and kicked out rolling backwards onto her feet, where she bashed her shield into the seemingly stunned collection of Wraith heads. Then she tore them apart with a fierce war cry.

    Right head separated from its neck as the Knights great sword swept through and dug into the thicker neck of the central head. Matilda bashed her shield out, snapping the left head off course as it lunged for her. The head hit the dirt, and Matilda kicked her armour-clad foot out and stomped on the neck, breaking and snapping it in two.

    The central head let out a whimper and Matilda dropped her shield and with both hands pushed the stuck great swords blade slowly through the neck of the last head. The head hit the dusty Colosseum sand, and all went still.

    The Knight coughed and sniffed as she stumbled away. She was liberally coated in a viscous layer of ectoplasm. She then past out falling flat on her back.

    I felt exhausted myself, and I had barely done anything. Realising I still kept my grip on the Wraiths Strand, I eased up and felt pressure build along the bridge of my nose and forehead.

    My vision spun briefly, as my throat went dry and a sickness swelled in the back of my throat. I collapsed to my knees and gagged to the sound of two-level up chimes resounding in my skull. Congratulations [Player] Level up: x2 and completion the Gateway quests.

    ~*~*~*~

    We left the Gateway a sombre crowd, those of us too injured to go home left in ambulances, as policemen and Eden New Government officials interviewed and recorded the story, us few who were still conscious could tell.

    Luckily for me, we had all agreed to hide that I was Gifted, and that I¡¯d also killed Drake Sembrane. We claimed that his Princeliness had died against the Wraith, as had Joshua Gilbert. Steward Osul had passed earlier on, with Raymond Delwater after that. The two remaining members of Josh¡¯s team, Jason and Maggie were immediately rushed to the hospital. Jason for his missing leg, Maggie to stop the doctors from taking other limbs from the poor man. Melody had managed to restore Davis¡¯s arm, and heal Irma¡¯s feet.

    All in all, it was surprisingly anticlimactic and all of us were in sombre mood as we left feeling unfulfilled. I was struck by this moment deeply. I¡¯d always pictured leaving a completed Gateway with tons of loot, new weapons and armour, a team all save and sound and a smile on my face. Reality was so much bleaker. None of us were laughing, all dazed by our introspective thoughts on what had happened.

    Matilda and Melody left together, the former driving the latter back to her place. Irma, Davis and Hagen agreed that we should all meet up in the coming days to discuss what¡¯d happened in the Gateway. I planned to give them a contract and then if they signed, we would discuss going forward. My thoughts drawing to founding my own guild, I had the money, power I could literally share with others. Maybe even a purple Gateway we could go through.

    Before Melody left with Matilda, the Cleric gave me a stern look, ¡°tomorrow, coffee?¡± she asked me barely standing on her feet.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I replied with a tired chuckle. ¡°Go home. Rest. I¡¯ll see you all tomorrow evening.¡± I waved goodbye and followed Amara towards her own car.

    Amara¡¯ hovercar was a sleek red Orion branded vehicle. The doors collapsed inwards, folding in two and shifting to make space as I climbed in, and practically fell flat on my ass. The seats might as we had been beds. They were a soft foam cream white, and fit well with the dark grey interior of the car. The Blood Witch got in the driver seat and kicked her feet up on the dark grey dashboard.

    ¡°So where do you live?¡± my¡­ kind-of-stalker asked me. I thought about lying, but decided what the hell.

    ¡°I live at Complex R. A-1; apartments. Outer Ring.¡±

    Amara nodded, ¡°Cutesy?¡± The deadly Blood Witch asked in sweet voice aloud.

    ¡°What¡¯re you-¡±

    ¡°Yes. I am here Madam,¡± came a semi-female-robotic reply.

    ¡°Take us where Rhys said,¡± Amara said and leaned back in her car till it lead almost flat with mine. ¡°Just, take a slow tour of outer rim¡¯s, city park first.¡±

    I gave the smirking Blood Witch a look and cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Right away, Madam. A Good morning to you, Rhys, sir.¡±

    ¡°Uh- yeah. Good morning? Cutesy?¡± I replied hesitantly, as Amara nodded in appreciation. What the fuck was I getting myself into? Apparently I was about to find out exactly that, when the Blood Witch tackled me.

    Before I knew it was happening she tore off my grey zip-up hoodie, completely ignoring the actual zip. ¡°Come on- get it off!¡± she whined tugging the bottom of my already torn up black t-shirt. As I threw off my hoodie and lifted my Tee, Amara started to run her hands up my lean and wiry frame. Then I felt her straddling my right thigh between her legs and slowly grinding her covered pussy against me.

    She was still clothed and spend the next few seconds in a frantic rush as she moaned and ground herself harder on my leg, the friction making her noticeably wetter.

    ¡°Argh this stupid¡­ ya know what?¡± I asked her. The Blood Witch was in a daze of rhythmically running her lips and clit against my thigh. I watched in a trance for a second as she rocked backwards, till her pert ass popped out from beneath her short black dress. ¡°Do you have another of these dresses?¡±

    My questioned seemed to confused her for a second and her green eyes stared with fascination into mine, her movements becoming slow and smaller gyrations now. She didn¡¯t replied.

    I tore the fucking dress off her, and she gasped, and shivered as her small perky breasts stood out on her chest as she arched beneath my hands. Her small pink nipples erect and tender, god damn my leg was really fucking wet now. My cock straining against the material of my skinny sweats.

    I ran my hand down from beneath her jaw, down her neck, between her breasts, and down the flat of her stomach. Her pelvis arched up to meet my fingers as I slipped my hand inside her torn dress/skirt and into her wet panties. She was sopping wet and the contact of my fingers against her sent a wave of pleasure shivering through her.

    She moaned as I captured her pleasure-filled response to my touch in my mouth. Our kisses were hungry, purposeful and slow. Our tongues roamed and entwined as I breathed in her gasps of exhilaration when I slid my middle finger between her slick folds and into her wet warm tunnel.

    ¡°Rhys,¡± was all she managed before she was sent shivering again. I moved my finger in and out of her, and captured one of her small pink nipples in my mouth. I rolled and lapped at it with my tongue and eased another finger inside her.

    My other hand cupped the back of her head and I drew her down to my shoulder and I kept her there. Then the fingering increased, and I sped up, moving hard and fast inside her. The wet schlicking sounds of my movements and her gasps were the only noise that could be heard inside the car.

    Her own hands were now working quickly fumbling to free my erect penis from its confinement. Both of her small hands encircling and stroking, even as she moaned and tried to free me. ¡°I want you to fuck me, now. Please¡­ Rhysy baby. For me?¡± Amara asked breathlessly.

    I slid my fingers out of her slowly and licked the tips, before grabbing her thigh and flipping her around Until her ass was now pressed against my exposed cock. I flipped the skirt of her dress and admired her round pertness, and the lower back dimples barely concealed by the skirt.

    Her thigh-high fishnet stockings and knee-high boots were doing it for me as well. Shifting her soaking panties aside, I stared at the smooth wet folds of her vagina and groaned as my dick twitched painfully. Amara groped behind her, one hand spreading her sex invitingly as the other held my hard cock.

    Grabbing her firm ass in a rough grip, she pressed backwards angling my cock for me, and I slid inside her. With how wet she was, and my prior fingering she was still tight around me. I groaned again and I heard her light hiccupping moans as her walls clenched me briefly. Her back arched and I reached around her to cup her breasts and press her back against me.

    ¡°Oh- you feel soo goood,¡± she breathed. ¡°So fucking wonderful.¡± Then I rammed into her, catching her by surprise as I slid out keeping only the head inside, then thrusting my hips forwards with a crack.

    ¡°OH! F-FUCK!¡± Her walls clamped around my shaft and squeezed with each spasm of pleasure. She took one of my hands cupping her breast and sucked my fingers to the back of her throat. We clashed against one another, in an ever-eager thrusting and joining.

    She pulled my saliva covered fingers and pressed them behind to her ass, ¡°put- your¡­ finger inside my-¡± she started to say, but I already knew what she wanted. Prying her ass cheeks apart, I probed against her with my fingers as she started to buck against me.

    I leaned backwards on the seat, enjoying her bouncing ass clapping against my pelvis, my cock disappearing beneath the ruffled skirt and into her tight pussy. Her bouncing pushed my probing finger inside her ass, and she shrieked a devastating cry of ecstasy. After a few more minutes, I felt my own impending climax coming.

    A red hue suffused her skin as I thrust hard in her and slid another finger in her ass. We were both a sweaty mess, so I was surprised when a formation of glyphs rolled across her skin like a wheel. Going from her stomach around her back, to the other side and onto her chest.

    I leaned up and saw over her slender shoulder, that she¡¯d cast a spell. Then she tossed something over her head and I instinctively caught it, ¡°put it in,¡± the Blood Witch commanded in a growl. I held up the blood red butt-plug and started to laugh.

    Spitting on my fingers and I coated between her cheeks, I slowly slid the plug inside her. Amara cried a high pitch shriek and her ass and pussy clamp tight. I could feel the plug through the walls of her spasming pussy. A few seconds later Amara¡¯s hands rubbed at my balls, cupping, rolling, and caressing them.

    ¡°Mhmmm- Fuck! I¡¯m gonna-¡± I groaned and tried to pull out, but Amara clapped her ass down on me and spasmed as an orgasm washed through her and coated me. Her walls clenched and throbbed tightly as I came deep inside her.

    ¡°W-wow¡­¡± I breathed out, feeling like a sweaty puddle of mess and juices. Amara climbed off me and turned around to press a scorching kiss against my lips. Then the car door nearest to me folded open. I looked left and saw the ground floor of my apartment building. It was quiet outside, luckily with no one around.

    ¡°Thanks for the ride,¡± Amara retorted with a teasing grin, still a half-naked beautiful gothic mess. She still had her plug in as well, I saw. I grinned back, ¡°Hey- oh shit!¡± I cried out as she pushed me out of her car and threw my t-shirt at me.

    ¡°See ya tomorrow,¡± She cooed as the door folded shut, and the car took off into the air. Looking up at my apartment, I frowned when I saw that roughly around my floor and nearest to my door, was a large van.

    Something in the back of my mind sent warning signals to my brain. My sexually pleased and easy mood, evaporated instantly.

    ¡°I¡¯m so going to get arrested for this.¡± Mumbling I jumped up and using Telekinetic Reach -30Mp I grabbed a hold of a balcony and pulled, slinging myself and shooting upwards then again once more as reached my floor in no time.

    Stumbling around the corner I saw that the apartment door was smashed open and two men were standing outside It. Opposite them was the van that looked familiar, it also seemed to be armoured and privatised, with no labelling at all marking it.

    The equipment the men wore, were light exoskeletal frame-suits. They each held nifty looking bullpup rifles that shot either standard or armour piercing, with a thick under barrel attachment designed for the intense heat output of plasma.

    Then I heard a scream, and more men stepped out from my home carrying the wriggling legs of a young girl. ¡°Hey,¡± I called out to them, ¡°get your fucking hands off my sister.¡±

    ¡°Rhys!¡± Kayla managed to scream, and I saw two more men carrying her arms, come out as they tried to toss her inside the van. The two men manning the door immediately snapped their weapons up to me and started firing.

    The concrete beside my head crumbled as bullet pelted the structure. I ducked and retreated, weaving back around the wall as their guns belched fire and lead all around me.

    Instinctively I went prone, lying flat on the floor, and was rewarded an instant later as the entire part of the wall where my head had been disappeared in a blast of plasma that disintegrated a two-foot-wide diameter hole in the concrete. Worse yet is that the plasma ball passed through and was now careening into the next apartment building.

    ¡°Grr, Fuck this,¡± I growled and sprinting out from around the corner, I jumped onto the wall and leapt off the building. The second my feet left the ground, the bullets stopped whizzing past.

    I twisted in mid-air and reaching out activated Telekinetic Reach -30Mp. I latched back onto the walk way, and swung myself horizontally around to crash feet first into one the gunmen who¡¯d been shooting at me.

    His head buckled against my weight, and smashed into the wall with a solid crack. His friend didn¡¯t act fast enough and scrambling I got to my feet and rushed him. When I was two feet away, his gun spat and sprayed me with a hail of bullets directly into my chest.

    -12Hp Through his visor, I could see his eyes widen as I grin. Grabbing a hold of his rifle I wrenched from his hands, then crashed my head into his visor. He crumpled in a heap on the floor. The doors on the side of the van closed and I saw that the men were gone.

    ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t,¡± I growled, and aiming the gun, I rapidly tapped the trigger. The rifle roared fire, smoke, and lead, as casings ejected and hit the ground all around me. Several splintering chinks sounded as the bullets hit the armour plating forming a web of cracks across its glassy surface.

    Then the van jarred and took off. ¡°No-no, no, no¡­¡± throwing the gun haphazardly aside, I ran for the end of my floor.

    Pulling up my option¡¯s window, I cursed. ¡°THIS BETTER FUCKING WORK!,¡± I yelled breathlessly and jumped off the building. Calibrating¡­ ¡°COME ON!¡± I yelled out again as the wind whipped around me and the ground quickly approached.

    Calibration¡­ Complete. Twin white bands formed around my wrist and sunk in with a deep white glow. I punched both fists down and shot dual spells of repulsion and felt my gut wrench as I lurked back upwards.

    Hovering there, I looked about for van and spotted it flying and weaving towards the inner outer district¡¯s market. With an enclosing wave of my hands I formed oval barrier completely around me and shot off, flying after the van. I wasn¡¯t exactly fast as the only real tethers I had was repelling the ground and binding the air. I would really have to spend some time experimenting.

    I weaved past buildings being sure to keep myself low and out of sight. I followed the vehicle as they came to stop in traffic, I floated above a clothing store, and peek out to see that I was now in the outer marketplace.

    I looked across and down at the van as it indicated right, and smiled. It would pass right in front of the building I was at. They¡¯ll pay for kidnapping her, I thought and cracked my neck.

    The traffic light lit amber and the hovercars flew busily by. The van bucked as I hit and dented the roof, rolling, but I quickly managed a binding of attraction and climbed to my feet standing upright on the side of the car.

    The side door slid open, and a helmeted head peek out. Reaching over I curled my fingers under the chin strap of his helm and pulled the fucker out of the van. He screamed as he flailed about falling towards the busy traffic and streets below.

    A staccato stream of bullets blasted out at me and I twisted away, the rounds seeming endless as they flew past like dragon fire. I slipped slightly as the van picked up speed and ignoring driving regulations, shot up into the sky and over the building.

    ¡°Stop!¡± a voice called from within, and I heard the chink of casings rolling around the van inside. ¡°There¡¯s no fucking way he¡¯s still on us.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t even see a fucking car¡­ did you?¡± another voice replied.

    ¡°My brother¡¯s going to fucking kill you,¡± Kayla spat at them, stepping close I crouched down.

    ¡°Language Kayla,¡± I admonished with a grim laugh.

    ¡°What the fuck, he¡¯s still out there,¡± a magazine hit the deck, and I knew it was my chance.

    ¡°Then fucking shoot him, you dumb-¡± Gripping the lip I kicked out and swung inside of the van.

    The second my feet touched the side wall, I snapped my fist out in a punch, clipping the chin of the man reloading. He went down and I dismissed my attraction spell.

    ¡°You know, I¡¯m not even going to give you a chance. I¡¯m just gonna kill ya and be done with it. Kay close your eyes and hum¡­ or something,¡± I told them and then her. She was in the grasp of a droid, who had a sleek black snub-nosed revolver pressed against her temple.

    ¡°Hum? seriously, Rhys?¡± Kayla whined, yet I saw her shake her head and close her eyes.

    Then mayhem erupted in the small confines of the van. Two men rushed me from behind as they unstrapped themselves and lunged bodily at me. A fist reinforced by exo-strength smashed me in the gut and I curled over the blow, -32Hp.

    Grabbing a hold of the wrist I spun and launch the fucker across the tight space to bounce into the van¡¯s interior wall. The metal dented on impact and the guy slumped in a daze.

    The next kidnapper rushed me, and I flipped into a barrel roll over his diving body, as he tried to tackle me. I landed just as a gunshot hit me in the chest. The bullet pinged off my armour and ricocheted about the van.

    A cry went out and the vehicle lurched violently as the entire van nosedived. The driver slumped over, with a bullet wound in the back of his head.

    Binding my feet to the floor was easy, and I looked to see that the droid was unmoving and still had Kayla in its grip, though my sister was staring wide eyed at what was happened.

    Somebody collided into me and we when down rolling in a tangle of limbs. A fist smashed into my face and rocked my head, but I took zero damage. Grabbing the mans arm, I squeezed and pushed against him easily as he fought back. I could hear the whining of his exosuit straining against my own strength.

    With a binding of attraction I bound the mans arm against his chest; then blocked the follow up strike aimed for my neck by diverting it to my left where it hit the van floor, and I placed another binding.

    Then I knee the man in the groin and sent a third binding through him up the ceiling. The man cried out as his feet suddenly lurched and stuck to the ceiling of the vehicle.

    I slipped out from under him and stood. Looking out through the side door, I saw the world spinning dizzily and I had to shake my head. Blue sky and Mana-dome, then sprawling towers and a city of neon and flying cars.

    There was a creak of metal and I glanced to my right to see the droid now standing. It was an inhuman thing, made of armour-plated rectangles, exposed wiring and a barrelled shaped head with a single red eye on the right.

    It dropped Kayla and my sister gasped as she suddenly started to spin and fall towards the side door. I bound Kayla in a bubble of air and attached her to the floor.

    The droid stomped at me and I was surprised to see it move just fine. Considering the sort heavy weightlessness of gravity pulling the vehicle down towards the city below. How far up had we gone?

    It raised the revolver and barked lead at me. Summoning Heava¡¯liku I parried the shot aside with a surprising burst of speed and slammed my knife through its chest. The crackle of electronics and the screech of whatever mechanism drove this thing, wrenched and halted.

    The droids right hand dropped the gun and clamped around my neck as the left raised and small portion of the arm slid back as a tiny barrel blinked a bright violent shade of orange. Dropping my knife I slammed my fist up through the droids head and pushed it aside, the second its beam weapon let loose.

    In a fierce spin the droid twisted, and the beam blasted erratically all through the interior of the van, slicing the entire back half of the van off. -482Hp I gasped as the beam blasted right through my legs and caught my right arm.

    In a flash I was left with the icy burning charred stumps of my legs, just above my knees, and my right arm nothing but smoke trailing thinly from my now elbow stump.

    My vision blurred as the sounds of my critical condition warning me and wind whooshed all around me, and I was flung out into the open air.

    I blinked against the cold harshness of the frigid winds and then past out from a spike of pain lancing through me. The last thing I saw was the front half of the van falling beneath me, and my sister pounding against the barrier encasing her.

    With a will of effort and my final thoughts, I reinforced the barrier around her. Then all was black.

    End of Part One.

    This novel is the work of Rhys Thomas. If you are reading this and it has not been published by Rhys Thomas, then this work has been stolen. Please report this to Amazon and me at email: [email protected]</a>

 An actual update.

    All chapters are available once again.

    Been slightly caught up in the other trappings of life recently. Figured I would update a few of you on some things.

    For one TGG (The Gifted Gamer) is being edited. Problem is, it could be a while. The editor is great at her job. Just really slow. Might try to find someone else for Of the Fifty-Two. (If anyones knows of someone [who is legitimate] let me know.)

    Part 2 of TGG is gonna be while. For one I''ve a few projects--possibly three--that I''d like to get started and finished before even considering Part 2. That said, I am half way through Of the Fifty-Two as of now. Its got the resources to be a far larger series that I had previously thought. Which is both amazing and daunting. I can''t help but feel like I''m carrying Frodo''s shit everywhere writing it.

    There is also the one story I did. The Rokkaia Chronciles, which was to be my magnum opus. Sadly I signed a bad deal with an editor--who was a friend of mine. Through my own short sightedness and being too trusting. The book was never edited. Oh well. I pushed it out there anyway. It was pretty bad to start with.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    I believe I did too much too quickly and stuffed the book full to the brim. I had actually wrote about 75% of it two years ago just after graduating Uni. It was a depressing time for me. Anyway back to why I brought it back up. Simply put I want to redo it. To make it a shorter book, but one that is better paced.

    I literally threw a hundreds pages of world building at the reader right off the bat. I''ve learned since then.

    So I''ve a few things on my list as of now.

    I''m going to leave a few title names here of the stories I''m doing next. (might do next)

    Draugur.

    Eli.

    Not Doom (working title)

    Then possible rewrite of Rokkaia Chronicles.

    The Gifted Gamer Part 2. Rhys get a pet. And loses his sister. (working on the blurb)

    Of the Fifty-Two, Part 2.

    Let me know if any single title stands out to you in the comments below. If enough people are interested I''ll possibly consider them next. Just know that Gifted Gamer part 2 is static until the others are done. You might even find Rhys in Of the Fifty-Two.