《The Hammer Mage of Spinworld (A LitRPG Portal Fantasy Deckbuilder)》 Chapter 1: Go, go, go! Maxs last day on Earth started and ended with people in suits after him. Early in the morning, he looked out his window to see someone that didnt belong. Max lived in a rundown apartment complex east of Columbus, Ohio. The mans threadbare suit would have marked him as poor in most places, but here he was overdressed. Max opened the door as he walked up, envelope in hand. The man twitched, but recovered quickly. Max Kraft? Yes, thats me, he replied. The man handed him a manila envelope and said, Youve been served. Max sighed and turned back to his apartment. He threw it onto the pile. The jackass in charge of Grau Construction was relentless. Maybe Max shouldnt have broken into that safe. He knew he had been doing the right thing to give his coworkers back their passports. With their passports no longer held hostage, his former coworkers left for construction jobs that werent exploitative. But maybe he should have had the police do it. Then the company couldnt claim he stole from them and sabotaged their business. He sighed as he looked around. His apartment really was a dump. Construction paid well, but lawyers were expensive, and he didnt feel like spending his limited money on rent. No one but him ever saw this place. No family on Earth and his friends never visited. Not that it mattered anymore. He wouldnt be returning. He strapped on an extra large backpack and picked up a heavy metal case. The contents of that case had cost more than he was willing to admit, but he was sure it would be worth it. He left the apartment door unlocked on his way out. He wouldnt miss this place. On the way out, Max saw someone he knew. Theo, I havent seen you in forever! Hows it going? Been better, man. Been better. The last job interview didnt go well. I think the sweat stains from biking over torpedoed my chances, Theo said with a wan smile. Max hid a wince. He hadnt even known Theo had lost his job. An idea popped into his head. Maybe this will improve your mood, Max said and tossed his keys over. Theo fumbled and almost dropped them and said, Whats this? Keys to your new used truck. Its a shitbox, but its yours now. Titles in the glove compartment. Wha what? Why? Max ignored the question and waved without looking back. It was a risk to give up his car. Making the portal wasnt guaranteed, as he knew from last time he tried. He told himself it didnt matter. This time was do or die, missing the portal wasnt an option anymore. He headed across the parking lot as Theo continued yelling in confusion. Max was meeting his friend at the entrance to the apartment complex and couldnt stop to explain everything. Halfway there, he had to stop and take a short rest. He was in top shape, but this backpack was heavy. It was about two hundred and fifty pounds and the case was another forty. The combined weight was well over what he could comfortably carry. He expected to have to walk a lot after he went through the portal, but thats what the case was for. He made it just as James drove up. Maxs eyes went wide as James rolled down the window to the sleek black SUV. Whats this, James? What happened to your Tacoma? Did you rent a car just for this trip? Max said. From the passenger seat, a young woman leaned forward. Max flinched back like he had seen a ghost. He quickly schooled his expression, he knew Lily. His mind was just playing tricks on him. She had straight black hair and pale skin, but she looked more like an Asian heiress than the girl from the ring. Max was letting the stress of the day get to him. He took a deep breath and told himself to calm down. He had been planning this day for years, everything would be fine. Lily said, The BMWs mine actually. Jamess driving because hes better at it. James scoffed, You dont even have a driver''s license. Of course I am a better driver. Ive only been in America for six months, give me a break, she said and folded her arms. Yeah, yeah," James said and turned. "Max, I dont know if you remember, but this is Lily. Shes coming with us to the portal, and she provided transportation. Max gave her a nod. Hi, Lily. I remember you. James introduced us at the last portal convention. Youre cool. By the way, James is colorblind. Are you sure you want to trust your life into his hands? Hey! Im a great driver. I havent run a red light in years, James huffed back. Are you sure about that? How would you know? teased Max. Whatever, man. Just get loaded up, James grumbled good naturedly. As they talked, James popped the trunk and Max brought his stuff to the back. There were already two large bags in the back but neither as big as his own. He stuffed his luggage in and hopped into the back seat. Max said, So, are you really coming with us all the way, Lily? She turned back to him and narrowed her eyes. Why? Dont think Ill go through with it? No, no. I just wanted to verify the plan. James didnt mention you were jumping through the portal this year. Things changed, Lily said and turned back to the front. She folded her arms and Max could tell she was frowning. James piped up. She told her dad that she wasnt coming home and he didnt take it well. Mr. Keong sent men after her. They have orders to kidnap her and bring her back to the Philippines. Seriously? Yeah. Hes supervillain rich and thinks he can do anything he wants. James. I told you not to tell anyone, Lily said as she folded her arms. What? Hes our friend. Hes on our side. Hes probably going to be in our adventuring party, said James. Dont worry, Lily. I wont tell anyone. If James trusts you, I trust you, Max said. Lily grunted and they were quiet for a bit. She said, Its not like I dont want to go. Ive always wanted to go through the portal and get magic. I just didnt want to be forced to go through. I always planned on going through in a few years after saying goodbye to Nenek. There is usually a portal in China that I could have used. My father took that away from me, and Ill never forgive him for it. But I have always planned on going through the portal and never looking back. Ill be a good party member. I have no doubt about it, Max said. You can be the partys rogue, James will be our wizard, and I think Ill be the ranger or the healer. Depends on the magic system, really. Im only picking a class that comes with awesome magic powers. You and me both, buddy, James said. Max reached forward and patted him on the shoulder. James and him had been friends since high school. They were physically very different, James was short and pudgy with spiky black hair and Max was tall and fit with wavy blond hair. But their interests aligned almost perfectly. They both loved video games, anime, and especially portal stories. Over the years they had spent hundreds of afternoons talking about books they both liked and optimal builds for various magic systems. Lily was an enigma. As they drove down the highway, Max remembered a few things about her. Her dad was ungodly rich. She was 17 or 18, somewhere in there. Lily. James has mentioned you a few times, but I dont remember if he told me how you two met, Max said. Lily turned around in her seat and said, Thats funny. He talks about you all the time. You and James are old friends, right? When Max nodded she continued. Ive only known James for half a year. We met at Portal Con back in September. We talk all the time now, we know everything about each other. We are almost a couple. Couple of besties! James said. All my best friends in the same car, heading out for an adventure. Lilys face fell and she turned back to the front. She straightened her green blouse and smoothed her designer pants. Her high end style was drastically different from the boys with their almost homeless chic. Hopefully her fathers goons didnt find them. It really looked like they were kidnapping an heiress. They stopped in the south of the city and got out their phones. James raised his hand in the air and yelled, Social media to the rescue! Max chuckled and started scrolling. The three of them were looking for any mentions of a portal nearby. There were a few in America every year but they changed position by hundreds of miles each time. The government would triangulate the energy readings and announce the position of the portal, but they were slow. Social media was the fastest way to get updates before the portal closed. An hour later Max yelled out, Kentucky! Its just outside of Lexington, Kentucky!This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Are you sure? They fake it sometimes for likes, James said. It looks legit, there is a video and everything, Max said. James slowly pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards the highway. I got confirmation! Lily said with her fist raised. Go, go, go! James put the pedal down and they raced forward within moments they were going eighty on highway 71. Were going to make it, Max said. Were going to make it, for real. Well get there a half hour before the portal finishes forming. This is it. We wont miss it this time. Woh. This is really it, James said, slowing down to seventy. Then he hit the gas and shot back up to eighty. Woo! Lily and Max laughed as he wove through traffic. They happily chatted as they drove. At one point, Lily placed a hand on James arm as she laughed. He shifted out of the way. Max had to bite his lip to keep himself from laughing. As time wore on, the adrenaline slowly wore off. The anxiety remained. Max had to remind himself that this was really happening. They were really going to make it. As they drew close to their exit, the highway slowed down to an almost stop. Dammit. I should have realized there would be traffic and gone around, James said as he clenched the steering wheel tight. Max leaned forward and patted his friend on the shoulder. Actually, this is perfect. Look over there. James saw where he was pointing and grinned. He turned off the highway and into a farmers soybean field. Wait! Where are you going? Lily said. We need to follow the map. This is a shortcut. Just look ahead, James said. On the far end of the alfalfa field there was an impromptu parking lot. Dozens of cars were haphazardly parked in a circle with a large crowd of people in the middle. In the center a purple light shone, bright enough to be seen in the middle of the day. Max perked up. He knew that purple. That was the portal. They were here. They made it. He was giddy with excitement. The SUV threaded through some of the other cars and parked as close as they could get. They all hopped out of the car as James popped open the trunk. It was time. Max pulled out his heavy pack and dropped it on the ground next to him. That thing looks like it weighs a ton, Lily said as she walked up. You know they probably dont have cars on the other side of the portal? We are going to have to walk a lot, its a fantasy world, right? People always walk everywhere in a fantasy world. I know, thats what this thing is for, Max said and patted his case. The case was heavy and silver and had the words Onyx Exoskeleton stenciled across it. Max flipped the latches and opened the case. Inside were a series of rods and pistons with straps and buckles. What is it? Lily said. Its an exoskeleton. It goes on my legs and back. It will help me walk easier and I can carry a lot of weight. It looks complicated, but its easy to put on, Max said, matching words to action. Lily slid on her own pack and said, So, what. Its like Iron Man or Gundam? He wishes, James said as he came back around. But this is the real world and its just a few rods and actuators. Its more than that. Its got an onboard computer with a learning AI. It learns my gait and makes everything easier. It cant walk for me, but it does take the weight off, Max said and attached his backpack to the exoskeleton at his waist. The top of his backpack reached above his head. It doesnt even attach to your arms. Its just fancy legs, said James. Youre just jealous because you couldnt afford your own, Max said with a smile in his voice. James threw up his hands, Yes! Its insanely cool and I want one. Its just so damn expensive. I dont know how you bought it yourself. Ive been saving, Max said with a shrug. I would have bought you one too if I could have afforded it, you know? Lily sighed. Its too bad you didnt mention it to me earlier. I could have bought one for all of us. Oh, I wasnt sure you were going to come this year so I didnt include you in my plans. Im sorry, James said. Its fine. I didnt know I was coming this year until my dad sent his goons after me, Lily said. What do you have in your enormous backpack anyway, Max? Ive been preparing for years. I have food, clothing, shelter, weapons, and entertainment. I even have a small bag in case I have to ditch the big bag. I am ready for anything! Max said with a manic grin and an upraised fist. Thats a red flag if I have ever heard one, James said. Oh, shit. You are right. Pretend I didnt say that. Im just a humble camper over here. No need for crazy events to prove me wrong right away, Max said. Lily laughed and led them towards the crowd in front of the portal. It was kind of funny seeing the five foot girl pushing through the crowds. There were three distinct sections of people attending the event. First were the people that wanted to go through the portal, milling about directly in front of the slowly forming purple disc. Off to their left were the looky-loos. They were just here to see some magic and had no intention of going through the portal. The final group was the loudest. They were shouting and waving signs, barely held back by the police. The majority of the signs said something about the devils whisper. It was the name for the voice behind the portal. That voice told people about the next world and magic, so naturally, these people thought the voice was tempting people into sin. Max shook his head. It was just some woman inviting people to come to her world and these people thought she was the literal devil. He did his best to ignore the wackadoos and followed Lily to the group of portal jumpers. As he walked, he paid special attention to his exoskeleton legs. They were working well, gliding along without noise. Walking was effortless and he couldnt feel the weight of his pack. Excellent. Their trio walked up to the group and awkwardly stood nearby. No one talked to them, everyone was in small groups or standing alone, studiously ignoring everyone else. Max wasnt surprised. If you were well adjusted and social, you wouldnt be leaving the world through the nearest portal. The group here would be mostly social outcasts. How much time? Max said. Six minutes, forty seconds till the portal opens up, James said, looking down at his phone. He was texting someone, probably saying goodbye to his parents. Max pulled out his own phone and made a few posts online. There werent a lot of people who would care, but he didnt want anyone to worry. When he was done, he stood there awkwardly as the other portal jumpers stayed glued to their phones. He took a moment to look around. The jumpers closest to him must have been gun nuts, each of them had at least four visible guns strapped to their person. The rest of the jumpers werent visibly armed, but Max bet that most of them had brought a gun. Max was probably in the minority since he hadn''t packed a firearm. The sightseer group across the way was mostly just standing around and taking pictures. The religious nuts were another story altogether. Ostensibly, they were here to convince people not to go through the portal. In reality, Max could tell they were here just to yell and spew vitriol. Screaming and waving signs wasnt a good way to convince people to change their mind. As he was looking through the crowd, Max saw something that made him wince. There was a huge man yelling and waving his sign. Standing next to him was a waif of a woman and an eight year old girl. The woman and her daughter clearly didnt want to be there. They flinched back with every yell and the mom tried her best to protect her kid from the worst of uproar. Max fiddled with the straps on his backpack. He assumed they had been dragged here by the nutjob father of the family and neither of them really loved them. Max wanted to help them, but there wasnt much he could do. A stray thought had him reaching for his wallet. He walked over to the religious group and it grew quiet around him. They couldnt believe that one of the portal jumpers was actually walking up to them. Max pulled out the cash from his wallet and hid it in his hand. He knelt down in front of the little girl and said, Hey there. I bet they dont use dollars on the other side of this portal, so you can have my money. Theres probably only enough for ice cream, but its all yours now. You can give your mom some too, but not your dad. Hes too loud. She laughed and looked up at her dad, then tucked the money away in her overalls. Max smiled and walked away. The yelling picked up again, no one louder than the dad he had just snubbed. Max hoped that the little girl would give her mom the money and really keep it from her dad. He had just given her seven hundred dollars in large bills. It was money had been saving for emergencies on this trip, but he wouldnt need it now. Max winced as he saw James standing there with his arms folded. James often got on him for acting like a white knight, always riding in to save people. Then Max looked past his friend and smirked. James turned around to see what he was looking at. Lily had gone to the other crowd and was doing the same thing, handing car keys and money to the bewildered single mother there. James refolded his arms and rolled his eyes dramatically. Lily came back to their group with a wide smile, met by Maxs own. She was about to say something when a voice cut her off. It was a soft voice, one that everyone nearby could easily hear despite the crowds. It pierced into their awareness, like someone whispering directly into their ear. Hello, I am Architect Ruby. The portal before you leads to our world. It is a world of danger and opportunity. We need your help. Please step through and join us in our endeavor. You will be given magic cards and the chance to grow continually better as you destroy monsters. Join us and level up to be the best version of yourself. The instant the voice finished, a purple flash spread through the clearing and the portal finished forming. There was now an oval disc hovering a few inches in the air. It had a purple glowing rim, but the center was pitch black, like a chunk of reality was missing. Max knew what to expect, but the experience of hearing the voice in his head shook him. That was his first brush with real magic. Everyone always heard the voice in their own language, no matter what that was. Woh. That was something else, Max said. Its happening! Architect Ruby is so wonderful. I cant believe shes talking to me now, Lily said, bouncing up and down. Eh, its just a short recording now. They used to be new every year, but for the last three years its been identical. This message didnt even mention dungeons or adventure, James said. Max pushed his friend and said, Dont try to act all cool, that was amazing. Yeah, whatever, James replied and pushed him back. Max stayed rock steady, the exoskeleton legs had automatically adjusted to keep him upright. He stuck his tongue out at his friend. As they talked, a line formed and the portal jumpers started walking through. Their bodies disappeared into the horizon like stepping behind a curtain. It would be a few minutes before it was their turn since their trio got there last. James, we need to go now, Lily hissed. What? James said and turned around. Lily was hunched over and hiding her face. She whispered, Dont look now, but there are a couple of my fathers goons here. We need to go now before they find me. Max couldnt help himself. He looked. On the edge of the crowd were two Asian people in suits and sunglasses. A young man and a woman. They looked like movie versions of secret agents, focused on looking cool instead of blending in. They were searching the crowds, walking towards the portal. Ok, yeah. Lets go, James said with a shaky voice. Max got out of line and walked alongside the row of portal jumpers. Lily and James followed him close behind. As he drew close to the front of the line, he could hear a frustrated conversation. It seemed like a few of the people in the front of the line were having problems working up the courage to step through the portal. Excuse me. So sorry, its an emergency, Max said in an overly polite voice. Sorry sorry, just stepping through, he continued and gently pushed people aside so he could walk through. It was a trick his older brother Micheal taught him once. If you were gentle and polite and didnt give people time to think, you could get away with a lot. Max shepherded Lily and James through the portal before anyone could complain about them cutting in line. He glanced back to check on the suits. The Asian woman was sprinting towards the portal. Maxs heart fell as he watched the suit bolt towards him. He frantically turned and tried to jump through the portal. The sudden movement was blocked by his exolegs, they thought he was falling. He panicked and pushed through, forcing himself to move forward against the motors on his leg. As he touched the portal, he felt something hit his pack. Then everything went black. Chapter 2: Do You Feel That? There was no sense of movement, but his surroundings instantly changed. One moment Max was running from that goon in the clearing, the next moment he was in a large room. There were a dozen people standing around, with more appearing every few seconds. They appeared one by one, a pop in reality and they were suddenly there, standing as if they had always been there. Max looked around the room. This was it. This was the new world. An exciting feeling washed over him, like pin pricks all across his skin. The walls were stone, large rocks mortared into place. The floor and ceiling were wood, wide slabs that looked like they came from redwoods. There were thin arrow slits all around, providing plenty of white light. There were marks on the floor where furniture once stood, but it was gone now. The room was empty except for the people milling about. It wasnt long before people stopped popping in. Max did a quick count and saw about twenty four people here. It seemed like several portal jumpers had chickened out. Either that or they had been teleported to a different location. The majority of the room were saying variations of the word status. It looked like no one was having luck yet. Max turned to talk to James, only to realize he wasnt there. They hadnt been brought in next to each other. James was on the other side of the room, walking towards Lily. Max took a moment to survey the portal jumpers that hadnt chickened out. Off to his right were five people standing together, excitedly talking. One of them held a bow and another a tower shield. There were a few pairs standing on their own, whispering to each other. Near the center of the room were four Chinese men, loudly talking to each other in mandarin. The weapons enthusiasts had made it through the portal, each of them checking over their guns. The rest of the jumpers were solos, awkwardly standing alone. Some of them were better prepared than others. One particularly obese man didnt even have a backpack with him. By the time Max got there, James was standing between Lily and the Filipino woman in the suit. His hands were up like they had been fighting. The women were shorter than James'' 56, but he looked scared of them both. Max walked over to them. He didnt understand a word. They were arguing in Tagalog. Lily took pity on James and switched to English. Look around. Do you see an exit portal? The suit looked around, seeing the empty room for the first time. Doubt crept into her features. She had long black hair in a tight ponytail and a line of tattoos across the side of her face. She was older than most people in the room. Max guessed she was in her thirties. Her hands clenched and unclenched over and over again. Why did you jump through? Didnt they tell you there was no way back? All of us here knew this was a one way trip, Lily said, compassion leaking into her voice. No, she said through clenched teeth. They say it safe. Why send me if no one return? Lily shook her head, No one has ever come back to Earth in the twenty-five years since the portals started appearing. The suit looked like she was stuck between being angry and scared. Max put a gentle hand on her shoulder. She jerked back, flinging his hand off and put a hand behind her back like she was going for a gun. Max put his hands up, Hey, hey. I was just going to say, shes right that no one has come back yet, but that doesnt mean its impossible. Most people left Earth on purpose and dont want to go home. Maybe theres a way home and no one found it because no one was looking. She frowned at him, but nodded. Her posture relaxed a bit. She pointed at Lily and said something else in Tagalog. Lily looked like she was going to argue again, but then sighed and said, Sure. If theres a way back, Ill come with you. I can always sneak off next year. I dont want you to get in trouble for returning without me. James put his hands down and said, Oh good. Glad that is handled now. Um... What was your name? She squinted at him and said, Im Yang Bao Bei. What is your name? Are you boyfriend? Ah, no, no. Im just a friend, he said, then added, Im James Delaporte. And Im Max Kraft. Yang straightened her suit sleeves and said, Ok. We go now. Look for way home. She pointed to a group of five people to their left. The floor hid a trap door and they had prized it open. There were stairs leading down. The five people walked down and their group of four followed them. The room below this one was almost identical to the first, only the stairs differentiated it from the one above. There were the same scratches on the floor and the same hooks on the ceiling that indicated it had once been furnished. Despite looking very similar, it felt very different. It took Max a few moments to realize why. There was something in the air, pressing in on him. It was a prickly feeling, like thousands of needles pressing into his every pore. It didnt hurt, but the sensation was unsettling. Do you guys feel that too? Max said as he ran his hands over his forearms. James and Lily nodded. It feel bad, Yang said. Can you fix it? I dont know what it is, let alone how to stop it, Max said. Most of the portal jumpers followed them down to this new room. The five that had found the hatch leading down had found another. They opened it up, and then collapsed to the ground, convulsing. Max jumped back.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. It was too late. Moments later Max felt a shock wash across his brain. It was like a migraine came to visit and brought all of his family. He collapsed to the ground, twitching like the rest. He had his eyes screwed shut, but flashes of light and ovals of pain spread across his vision. Agony spread through his existence, but oblivion never found him. Thirty seconds or an eternity later, it passed. He groaned and hesitantly opened his eyes, wary of it happening again. He felt fine. The pins and needles feeling was gone. He slowly stood up, his exo-legs helping him for once. The others warily rose with him. Writing slowly spread across his vision, moving with his eyes. It was a strange script, curved and jagged, unlike any he had seen before. Once the writing finished, he understood what it meant. [System Initializing] Max threw a fist in the air and shouted for joy. He had a system now, just like in the novels he read. Hopefully this system would be more helpful than snarky. And god forbid it was anything like Dungeon Crawler Carl. He didnt think he could handle a system with a foot fetish. James came over and they gave each other fist bumps. Lily laughed and rolled her eyes. Yang was staring into space, clearly not expecting the writing. Max turned to her. Dont worry. This is what we were expecting. The system is the AI that will grant us magic powers and help us get incrementally more powerful, he said. Yang focused on him and spat, I dont want a spirit in my head. Max chuckled. I dont think we have much choice. But trust me. You will be glad you have it soon. There were twenty people on the lower floor, four were still standing on the floor above, horror writ on their faces. It must have been scary to see everyone collapse like that. Max walked over to the stairs. He waved them down. Come on. Its safe. It hurts, but its the process for gaining the system. That didnt seem to help. One of them took a step back. One of the braver ones yelled back down. It was some language Max didnt understand. It sounded very familiar, but he couldnt place it. Sorry, I dont speak that language, do you know English? Max calmly called back. He gently motioned them down. That only made them more agitated. One of the Chinese guys joined him at the bottom of the stairs. He turned to Max and said, Your Mandarin is impressive, but why arent you speaking English? They are clearly American. Max narrowed his eyes. I am speaking English. Are you hearing Mandarin? The guy took a step back. Yes. His eyes lit up and he smiled wide. It must be translation magic. This is just like Journey of the Magic Archer. Everyone can understand each other, no matter if they are elves or orcs. Excellent. That will make things so much easier. I would hate to have to learn a new language. Even with an enhanced mind like in Delve, it sounds like a real hassle, Max said. English is a real hassle. Every rule of language is broken, all of them. There is no logic, only memorization. I am sure the language of the natives here is much better than English. It cant be worse. Max chuckled. Yeah, English is a bit ridiculous. He was about to say more, but the trap door above slammed shut. They must have been scared since they didnt have the translation magic. The Chinese guy ran to his friends to get them to help him. Max shrugged. He didnt know those four, he was just trying to be nice. If they wanted to hide in the teleportation room, it wouldnt harm anyone. He turned back to his friends. Lily was talking to Yang, explaining the basics of the system. The previous whispers from the portal had been varied and sometimes detailed. They had been able to put together a framework of educated guesses on how things worked. While they talked, James was muttering random words, trying to get the system to work. Hey guys, guess what? Max said with a grin. Yang and Lily looked up at him. Translation magic. Everyone hears in their native language, he answered their unspoken question. Yang tilted her head. Im speaking Tagalog, but you can understand me? Yep. She scowled. Thats why we got the blinding migraine. This pig magic is rooting around in my brain, stealing my mothers words. I never agreed to let those dogs touch my mind. Yang looked around like she was trying to find someone to punch. Max took a step back and looked around the room for a distraction. The group of five had found another trap door and opened it up. More stairs. He wondered how many stories this tower had. Looking out the windows just showed an expanse of white with tinges of occasional green. Should we head down another flight? Max asked. James nodded. Yes. Im thinking that more of the system is unlocked the lower we go. Well lets hope its not too many more floors. I want to get to the good stuff, Lily said. Yang didnt say anything, but she nodded her assent. They headed down another set of stairs. The new room seemed to be on the ground level. The floor was made of stone and there was an exit off to their left. It looked like a door had stood there once, but it had been knocked out. There was a large hole in the wall now, jagged edges of stone around the edges. They had their first glimpse of the new world. Just outside were thousands of strange plants crowded together. It was a riot of green and blues with pops of red. It looked like someone had taken a jungle scene and added strange plants to make it more interesting. Ferns and bushes stood next to tree trunks that stretched up out of sight. Interspaced with them were plants that Max couldnt categorize. Bulbous blue things looked like a pile of bath bubbles. Orange tendrils stretched up from the ground like seaweed and moved with a current only they could feel. Red flowers sprouted out of fractal plants that were hard to look at because the edges blurred. James sat down and stared out the hole in the wall. He motioned for the others to join him. Max nodded and sat down too. If there was going to be another migraine storm, he might as well be sitting down for it. Instead of pain, there was only wonder. Max wasnt a botanist, but he found the new plants endlessly fascinating. They were proof that he was really here. There was nothing on Earth like it. They might even be magic plants. [System Initialized] [Beginning Card Assignment] Max perked up. The general consensus was that cards were shorthand for the magic powers they were going to be given. He hoped he would get lightning powers. He would still be ecstatic with the basic magic missile, but it would be cool to get an overpowered magic talent right away. The group of five that were always rushing ahead chose that moment to head outside. Max was glad for it. Let them get eaten by monsters while he stayed here safe. He was going to go the slow and steady route. He had no plans on getting himself in over his head in a strange new world. Before they got far, something appeared out of the bushes. Chapter 3: Why Am I Stuck With This? The rustling in the bushes revealed a person, but not a human. It had two legs, four arms, and a head. It had purple skin and silvery clothes. Max scrambled to his feet as it walked towards them. It had a strange sort of ethereal grace, flowing around the plants instead of touching them. It stopped a little ways away from the building. The strange person held up all four hands and calmly said, Dont worry, Im not here to hurt you, Im here to help. Please do not run away. The five overeager people raced back into the building. Max wasnt sure if they were following its instructions or just wanting to get away from the four-armed person. It continued in a soothing voice. Its alright, its alright. Im on your side. In a few moments, youll get your heart card assigned. You will be much safer after you have magic. Max started to relax. It sounded like this alien knew what was going on and was here to help. He would keep an eye on it, but it seemed to be benevolent. If it was here to harm them, it wouldnt wait until they had all gained magic powers. Who, or what are you? the leader of the five shakily asked. Your kind enjoys the exchange of names, correct? I am called Ebba Bibi. My people are Lunuk. I can see you are human, what is your name? Im Kathrin Simmons. Glad to meet you, Kathrin Simmons, Ebba said. My people are kind and have sent me here to you. We know it is difficult to survive as newborn hatchlings, I am here to guide you. Al-alright, she hesitantly said. Excellent. You are welcome to exit the tower, but do not stray too far. The jungle is dangerous, Ebba said and stepped to the side. The twenty humans slowly started filing out, keeping an eye on the alien standing there. Max decided to think of Ebba as a her. She looked feminine and the translation magic gave him the impression Ebba was a female name. His mind went on a brief tangent about how important genders were to humans. The four cautious people who had tried to stay on the top floor joined them a few minutes in. There were whispered conversations, bringing them up to speed. Ebba was over seven feet tall and had a presence that evoked thoughts of roman goddesses. She had mottled purple skin, dark like the shadows. Her eyes were small pools of darkness without an iris. Her nose was almost flat against her face and her mouth disappeared when she wasnt talking. Max couldnt decide if she fell into the uncanny valley or not. He glanced past her to the dense jungle. The riot of flora was almost overwhelming. The plants crowded up against each other, desperately vying for a bit of sun. Thick trees stretched high over their heads, an almost impenetrable canopy. The heady smell of loam and plants filled the air. It was like someone cast a fifth tier growth spell on the world. Max wondered if this was a whole jungle planet, or if there were a variety of biomes. Either way, he was endlessly grateful that it wasnt too hot and muggy. A bright blue light appeared around Kathrin and her group. Everyone flinched back at the sudden visual assault. Once the light faded enough to look at them, Max saw a blue hexagon hovering in the air in front of each person. A moment later, the hexagons broke apart and the blue light absorbed into their chests. A few seconds later, the blue light appeared around Max. A hexagon appeared in front of him as well. There was alien writing covering the floating object. He felt his heart beating faster and faster. He reached out to touch it, his hand passed partially through it before the card snapped into place. It was interesting interacting with the magic card. It seemed insubstantial, but he could pick them up and move them around. He pulled it into his chest. Writing appeared in his vision, the system writing only he could see. Each of the six sides had a title and there was writing in the center.
Common Hammer Citadel
Transmutes mana neutral matter within aura into a claw hammer based on the cardholder''s size and species.
Mana Cost: 24 Refresh: 1.3 Hours Card Level: 0
Max tilted his head as he tried to parse the information in front of him. His magic power was creating a hammer? Transmutation was changing one thing into another, so he couldnt even create a hammer from nothing, he had to turn something else into a hammer. It was literal magic, but he still felt a bit disappointed. He already had a hammer, he brought his brothers hammer along. He sighed and shook his head. This was just the first step among many. The voice talked about opportunities to grow stronger and he would take advantage. And who knows, maybe this world didnt have metal and being able to create hammers would be very valuable. Stories from home led him to believe that if he focused on the tabs around the edge, he would get more information. To his delight, he was right. [Common: the second of six quality ranks. They are in order: Fragment, Common, Advanced, Exceptional, Worthy, Treasure] Nice to know the ranks, too bad he only had a common card. He wondered how hard it was to find better cards. He focused on the next tab. [Hammer: A blunt tool used in construction, crafting, and fighting.] A blindingly obvious description. He knew what a hammer was. Still, it did remind him that hammers were useful in a variety of situations, not just construction. [Citadel: The card suit focused on transmutation and permanent creation] Interesting. Magic cards came in suits. He would have to ask the others what suit they got. He tried to focus on the other three tabs, but he got no new information. He knew how much mana it cost and how often he could transmute a hammer now. Hopefully both of those numbers would improve when he advanced the card level. Max looked around for the first time since he got the card. He had to stop himself from laughing. More than half of the portal jumpers around him were still zoned out. The rest were trying in vain to use their new magic card. Some concentrating hard, others throwing out their hands, and the rest were shouting the names of their new cards.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Pierce! ...Firebolt! ...Sonic Step! ...Pangolin! ...Empower! ...Flower! Max lost it at the last one. The firearms fanatic that had shouted out flower turned to him with a scowl, but Max couldnt stop himself. The idea that he had flower magic was just hilarious. Ebba thought it was funny too, if her smirk was anything to go by. Max did a double take. The four armed Lunuk wasnt smiling, she didnt even move her mouth. So why was he still sure that Ebba was amused by the silly humans? She didnt even tilt her head. It wasnt until he looked at her hands that he figured it out. She was curling and uncurling the fingers on her lower limbs. His mind was just interpreting it as a smile. He guessed it was the translation magic that was telling him that that specific curl of her fingers indicated amusement. Max decided to find out if he was interpreting things correctly. He walked around the zoned out humans and over to where she was standing in front of the tower. He got a better look at the purple skinned Lunuk. Ebba was wearing a sleeveless tunic. It was silver-gray and thick, long enough to almost reach her knees. She was wearing shorts with pockets, the alien version of cargo shorts. Do you find that as funny as I do? Max said and pointed to the people shouting their card names. She turned to him and laughed without moving her mouth. She said, Yes, very. They will need more time before they have gathered enough mana to activate their cards. Interesting. He was right, she was laughing at them. This translation magic is amazing. Being able to interpret different languages of humans is hard enough, let alone passing meaning between different species. She tilted her bald head back and forth. It helps commerce, but its inconvenient at times. There is no language that doesn''t translate, so there are no secrets around strangers. Before he could continue the conversation, Yang walked up and said, I want to go home. How do I return to Earth? Ebba said, I dont believe thats possible. Not by any method I know of, at least. The builders might have a portal, but I wont tell a hatchling like you more about them. Why not? Ebba waved dismissively, I will not discuss them with you. Walk away. Yang frowned in frustration, but someone else jumped into the conversation. One of the Chinese guys with long hair in a bun gave Ebba a shallow bow and said, This ones name is Xing Kezhi. May we get your assistance with accessing the stat screen? Ebba sliced her hands to the side in the negative. You wont have access to your System until after you have vanquished some beasts. The ponytail guy looked like he wanted to say more, but instead he just bowed and said, Thank you for your wisdom. Ebba dismissed him and turned to Yang. What are you still doing here? She said, I apologize. I have a different question. I think my card is broken. Did I do something wrong? Ebbas good mood returned. She twitched her fingers in a smile and said, Your card isnt broken, no one can use their card until they have gathered enough mana. No, I mean, I didnt try to use it yet, it just looks incomplete. Like it cuts off halfway through a sentence, Yang insisted. She held her arms straight down and clenched her fists. Even though she was shorter than him, Max found Yang menacing. Her suit, attitude, and the fact that he was sure she was armed combined to make him take a step back. Ebba was unphased and said, Pull out your heart card and let me take a look at it. Use all four- uh... two hands and focus on pulling it out. Yang gave her a pointed look, but did as she was asked. A few moments later she pulled something out of her chest. It was her card, hovering in front of her like a hologram. Instead of the full hexagon most people had, this one looked like a third of it had broken off. Oh, that. Thats not broken. It just means your card is a fragment. Most people born here get an incomplete card, there is no cause for shame. You will have to combine it with another fragment card to create a heart card. It looks like your suit hasnt been chosen, so you can combine it with anything, Ebba said. She waved Yang away and said, Go ask around. Maybe someone else has a fragment as well. She turned and started working her way through the crowd. Max found himself following her as he thought about the builders. From context he guessed that the builders was a name for the people that built the magic system and set up the portals. It would make sense that they could create return portals. It was just strange that Ebba wouldnt talk about them. Was it a local taboo? Not that it mattered to Max. He was planning on staying here after he found his brother. He returned his attention to Yang on her quest for fragment cards. Most people had a complete common card. The short Filipino woman didnt give up and kept asking around. Max started to feel bad for her as she explained over and over again what she was looking for. The obese guy without a backpack was sitting on the ground, staring into the forest. Yang snapped her fingers in front of his face and went through her whole spiel again. The man sighed and said, I was so sure. I was positive there would be a character creator on this end. The Ripple System, Ultimate Jumpers, The Mayor of Noobtown, they all have character creators. Why not here? Hell, Id be happy with A Snakes Life. Why am I stuck with this? I just... He trailed off and stared at his gut. Im sorry to hear about your misconceptions. May I please see your magic card? Yang said. Max rolled his eyes at her heartless statement. She had no compassion, she was only focused on herself. To his shock, it worked. Sure, whatever, you can have it, the guy said. She walked him through the process and soon a completed magic card was hovering in the air in front of him. Yang snatched the card away and left him with her fragment card. She walked away as she was absorbing it into her chest. Max stood there in shock for a moment and then jogged after her. Hey, are you really going to take advantage of that guy like that? Hes in shock and you stole his card, Max said when he caught up. I didnt steal his card, we traded, Yang said as she continued to walk. Its not like hes going to need it. You and I know hes going to die out here. We dont know that, Max insisted. Have you taken a look around? We arent in a city, were in the middle of the jungle. He wouldnt survive a day in Earths wilderness, let alone out here. Lily tells me there are monsters in this world. He wont survive. You are acting like no one would help him. Of course we would, Max said and turned back to look at the poor guy, but he wasnt there. He hoped that the man hadnt heard them talking about him. Max! James said as he grabbed his arm. What card did you get? I got a creepy curse magic card called Decay. Curse magic? That does sound creepy Well, the card doesnt call it curse magic, it says its in the clover suit. But the description says it directly attacks life force to break down metabolic processes. Im a budget Jason Asano, James said with a crooked grin. Max smiled. All you need is a blood sucking familiar and you will be set. My magic card isnt that great. Mine is Hammer. Thats it. Hammer. I can transmute random stuff into a hammer. So if you need a war hammer or whatever, Im your man. Otherwise, I guess I can supply the town blacksmith? Kinda useless out here though. You arent useless. What if we run across some skeletons? Everyone knows they are susceptible to blunt damage, James said. Besides, I am sure your card will be cooler after you level it up. Yeah, I bet you are right, Max said, half playing along, half hopeful. Speaking of leveling up, you figure out how to access your stat screen yet? No. This other guy asked the purple lady about it and she said it isnt possible. Certain conditions have not been met, Max said, imitating her voice. Huh. How am I supposed to min-max if I cant plan things out? James said, staring off into space. We talked about this, James. No min-maxing. This is real life, you cant take a risk like that. Eh, well see. No promises. Max huffed in frustration. He turned and said, How about you, Lily? What magic card did you end up with? Decoy. It allows me to create an illusion of myself to use as a decoy. Not really great on offense, but I bet it will be very useful, Lily said. Max turned to Yang. He opened his mouth to say something to her, but he was cut off. They heard a blood curdling scream that cut off with a gurgle. Chapter 4: It鈥檚 a Land of the Lost Situation The scream echoed through his mind as Max jerked his head around. Were they under attack? He swung his arm back to his backpack and fumbled one handed with a side pouch. He pulled out a long knife and dropped into the martial arts stance he had trained in for years. Everyone was looking around but no enemies appeared. The dense jungle hemmed them in from every side, the vibrant flora looming over the newcomers. It was quiet, no sounds besides the wind blowing, not even insects chirping. Max took a step back, but the entryway to the tower was already blocked by people who had thought to run before he did. He looked back to see if anything had jumped out of the jungle. He saw Ebba standing alone. Two hands were resting on her thighs, touching the pockets there. The other two hands held weapons. One was a bone knife covered in scrimshaw and the other looked like a large stick. It might be a magic wand, but Max thought it looked like she had picked up a stick off the ground. Just then, a hairy monster burst out of the foliage. It was a huge green cat, its head was taller than Ebbas seven foot frame. It had six legs and a mouthful of jagged spikes for teeth. Each claw was long and thin, like knives on every paw. The claws cut the surrounding plants with ease and bits of greenery exploded out as the monster jumped forward. The monster saw Ebba first and leapt at her. It covered fifteen feet in a single bound and had its two forepaws swinging as it landed. Ebba took a short step back and stood there motionless. The great cat put its forelegs down and looked around in confusion. It was standing directly in front of Ebba, but it was acting like it had lost sight of her. Now that it was standing still, Max was able to tell the cat didnt have fur, it was covered in long spikes. He was sure that if it brushed by him, he would be torn to shreds. He took another step back, and ran into Yang. She was holding on to Lily and trying to push her into the tower. The dozens of people crowding the doorway created a bottleneck. There was plenty of room inside, but those safely inside wanted to see what was going on so they didnt get out of the way. Max turned back to the spiky cat and cursed himself. He should have gotten his real weapons out when he had the chance. He knew there were monsters in this new world, but all he had to defend himself right now was a knife. The monster had grown frustrated and let out a screeching howl. Ebba was unperturbed. She ducked out of the way of a wild swipe of its claws and counterattacked. Her lower arms came together and a ball of blue formed between them. She thrust her hands forward and a thin shard of blue shot out. It was like a shard of glass, one sharp enough to slice off a dozen quills from the monsters neck. The six legged cat spun and sliced the air in random directions. It still hadnt found Ebba even though she was only standing a few feet away. She waited until it stopped flailing about and tossed her scrimshaw knife in the air. The knife paused in the air and then she swung her stick around. The bone knife followed the path of the stick, flying through the air as if held by an invisible hand. She took a few steps towards the cat and swung the stick down. The knife whistled through the air and embedded itself into the nape of the cats neck. An instant after the knife was in, a sudden wave of electricity passed through the cat. It grunted and fell to the ground, twitching. Ebba curled her hands in a smile. She reached to her pockets and pulled out a long spear, one that couldnt possibly have fit inside. The monster was still alive, trying to get up, but whenever it seemed like it was about to get up, Ebba twitched her stick. That jostled the knife and sent the cat twitching to the ground once more. She stepped forward and viciously stabbed her spear into the monsters skull. It died instantly. Ebba pulled on the spear, but it caught on the bone. The lifeless head bounced up and down while she jiggled her weapon. Eventually, she got it off. She twirled the weapon to get rid of some of the blood and then wiped the rest on a nearby bush. An orb slowly rose from the monsters body, about fist sized and glowing yellow and purple. Ebba quickly grabbed it and stuffed it in a pocket. Max gathered his courage and walked over to her. Thanks for saving us from that monster. Are there more of them out there? More Quill Cats? Without a doubt. They are endemic on this layer, Ebba said and slid her spear into a pocket way too small for it. Likely none nearby though. They all have their territories. Once the spear was put away she said, Butchering them is hardly worth the effort so I try to avoid them. In fact, its strange that this one found us. I have protections against that kind of thing. Something must have drawn it in. She walked off, following the path of destroyed vegetation. Max followed her, James close behind. They walked through the forest a short while and came across a grizzly scene. It was a dead body of one of the portal jumpers. It was covered in green quills and had a crushed skull. Max turned away, but not before he recognized who it was. It was that obese man that had traded magic cards with Yang. Max shivered and felt bile rising up. The copper tang of blood crept into his nostrils. He clamped down on his stomach and emotions. He wasnt going to fall apart. This wasnt the first dead body he had seen, he could handle this. After a long moment, the feeling passed. He followed the purple skinned Lunuk back to the group. You seem like you can direct your fellows. Gather everyone here so they can listen, Ebba said to Max. I see we need to have the Spinworld talk sooner than expected.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Max wasnt sure why she had picked him. He didnt seem like a leader at all. Maybe just because he was the closest human. He walked over to the tower and loudly said, The danger is over. The monster is dead and more wont be coming. Ebba wants to talk to us all, everyone come on over. It took a little more prodding to get everyone to leave the tower, but eventually, they all gathered around Ebba. James and Lily stood by Max, with Yang behind them. Everyone was standing huddled together, close to their friends. The adventurous five, the Chinese four, the gun enthusiasts, even the loners had grouped up. There wasnt enough room for them to stand comfortably, the jungle and the quill cat hemmed them in from both sides. Ebba pointed at the monster corpse and said, This world is a dangerous place. Everything will kill you if you let it. You humans may think you know everything, but when it comes to Spinworld, you are hatchlings. Follow me to the next clearing and I will tell you what it takes to survive. She turned with a swish of her silver tunic and strode away. Max was quick to follow. She followed the path the quill cat had cut through the forest. Along the way, she passed by the body of the obese man. The fragment card hovered over his caved-in chest and she snatched it as she walked by. Max assumed that she was leading them by the body to hammer home the danger they were all in. He kept his lunch, but there were several that didnt. He was glad to be in the front of the line and didnt have to smell that. He felt vaguely guilty about the mans death, but he knew it wasnt his fault. There was no need to borrow guilt, he had plenty on his own. Ten minutes later they arrived at a clearing in the dense jungle. Several tall trees had been cut down, mashing down the undergrowth as they fell. The cuts on the trunks were precise, but at an angle. Like someone had an impossibly sharp sword and they had cut the trees down in a single stroke as they walked by. At least Max hoped it was a person. He shuddered to think about a monster with the ability to cut through a six foot wide trunk in a single blow. Ebba hopped on top of one of the tree trunks and pointed up. Look up there, thats Spinworld. Its huge, its magnificent, and its going to try and kill you every day. You need to listen to me if you want to live. Max looked up and swayed on his feet. He heard gasps and thuds as people fell over after looking up. The world curved up around them. There was no horizon, no sky, only land curving up and around them. There were bands of flat land separated by tall mountain ranges. He saw two bands before it curved up and out of his view. He could see the sun sitting in the middle of the world, brilliant but not so bright that he couldnt stare right at it. The light was white, a purer white that he was used to back on Earth. Its a Dyson Sphere. The whole world is a Dyson Sphere, Max said in awe. I know Ive heard of a Dyson Sphere, but Im not sure I remember correctly, Lily said as she looked up in wonder. Its where aliens build a huge dome completely around their sun and harvest all of the solar energy, right? Max replied, Yeah, thats what it means. The ability to build something like this is so far beyond us. I cant even wrap my head around it. James shuffled to the side and tilted his head, I dont know. I don''t think this is big enough. We can see most of the sphere from here, but with a true Dyson Sphere, we wouldnt be able to see that far. This is a Land of the Lost situation. Max nodded, You mean the new one with Will Ferrell? Ok, yeah, I can see that. You might be right. A little help for us that didnt waste our lives watching movies? Yang said irritably. Its an inside out world. The sun up there is just a tiny one, and we are in the center of the earth or something. This whole area is probably only as big as Ohio, Max replied without looking back. Thats still pretty big, Lily said. Besides, Ohio sucks. Im saying this world is the size of Kentucky. Thats a way better state. Max shrugged and didnt reply. It was unimportant compared to the majestic beauty in front of him. The mountains were gray and snow topped, but the bands of land between them were vibrant green with splotches of different colors. A bit of violet, orange, and blue broke up the carpet of green. He wasnt sure, but it looked like the jungle didnt continue on to the other side of the mountain. It looked like a temperate forest, and the next band was grasslands. There were rivers snaking through the land with occasional cities throughout. Return your gaze to me, hatchlings, Ebba said in an exasperated voice. You need to know about how mana will change your life. You saw earlier that the quill cat attacked a person that walked only a few steps away from me. All animals need mana to survive. Predators see you as a concentrated source of mana now that you have a magic card. Are the monsters hunting us now? Kathrin called out. Yes. If they smell your mana on the wind or see your glow through the trees, they will come after you. Your low level will make you attractive prey, Ebba answered. Are you going to protect us? Is that why you are here? Max spoke up. Yes, Ebba replied. Although the task of protecting you here is negligible. Beasts do not wander far. Unfortunately, you cannot stay here. Why not? Max said. Ebba raised her hands to the sky, The mana, it changes more than just your scent. It destroys the delicate balance your technology needs to work, and if you stay here, it will do the same to your bodies. In a moment, the builders system will talk to you and then I can explain what I can do for you. We will wait so you understand the stakes. There was a collective intake of breath and the group stared off into space. Nothing happened. They waited longer, starting to grow bored. Ebba mumbled to herself. Whale shit. I thought they said ten minutes. What did I do wrong... She continued to talk to herself, but Max wasnt listening anymore. He was completely distracted by a blue message that had appeared in his vision. Mandatory Quest Your body cannot handle the high quantities of mana in the local area. Although mana is normally beneficial, healing wounds and strengthening bodies, your biology hasn''t adjusted to it yet. Return to a low mana area within [28] cycles or you will develop incurable cancer. Chapter 5: That鈥檚 Kind of Creepy Twenty-eight days until he got turbo cancer. Max swore, long and low. Ebba was standing on the log in front of them, her hands smiling as she watched everyone read their messages. She knew this was coming and she was here to extort them. None of them even knew where a low mana area was. So thats how it is, huh? You wanna lead us to safety, but theres a cost, right? Yang yelled, her hands on her hips. Well, get on with it. Whats your price? You are correct, I am here to lead you to safety, but dont act like I am some kind of umbrella squid. I am here out of the goodness of my heart. It took me weeks to get here and a lot of resources. I am only asking for payment so that I dont end up worse than I started, Ebba said. Fine, we need your help. What do you want? Yang repeated. The short woman had a positively menacing look on her face. The only thing of value you have, of course. Your heart cards. In exchange for escorting all of you to the safe zone in the first layer, I only require four heart cards. It is much less than what others would ask, Ebba said, folding all four of her arms. You aint gettin my card! one of the gun aficionados yelled out. Max could see the same sentiment building up among a lot of the other portal jumpers. They hadnt even gotten the chance to try out their cards yet, and she was already wanting to take them away. He held up his hands and said, Give us a minute to discuss it, ok? Im sure we can come to an agreement. That is acceptable. I will give you a moment to discuss. But I want to talk to one being, choose a leader while you talk, Ebba said and strolled away to the edge of the clearing. Max didnt know how good her hearing was, so he motioned for everyone to move to the other side of the clearing. Once they were gathered he said, Hey, everyone. Im Max. The purple alien lady seems sketchy, but I think we can all agree that we need her help, right? We need someones help, but why trust this vulture? Oh, and Im Kristina, she said. She was the leader of the adventurous five that had been the first outside. Its not like we have another choice. Its the purple-people-eater or no one. Gus by the way, the bearded man said. Gus tapped the rifle hanging by his side. But after seeing her magic, I think we can take her. Guns are a lot more effective than floating knives. Max gave everyone a second to digest that then said, Alright. We agree that we want her help. Lets agree to her terms and decide who gives up their card later. We can test out our magic cards first, maybe some of us will be willing to part with our cards then. I know my hammer card doesnt sound that impressive. That sounds like an acceptable solution, one of the Chinese guys said. The only thing we have to agree on now is payment for those that give up their cards. If all of us agree to chip into a central pot, it will be easier to give up your card when the time comes, Max said. We can agree to that. But we must withhold payment until after we have arrived, the Chinese guy said. Max made a mental note to learn everyones name. He couldnt keep thinking of people as categories. He said, Good idea. Well pay her the cards when we are safe and everyone contributes to the people that give up their cards. Thats settled. We also need to pick a leader that talks with Ebba. I dont want the job. Does anyone else want it? Kristina started to raise her hand, but then put it down and shook her head. Max turned around, looking at the group of social misfits. If they were well adjusted and popular, they wouldnt have left Earth. None of them wanted to be the leader. He sighed and said, Fine. Ill do it. But if you guys make me be a leader, you have to agree to do work if I delegate it, alright? Everyone quickly agreed, glad to be out of the responsibility. Max continued, Alright, Ill tell her we accept her terms and in the meantime everyone can test out their magic cards. That got people excited and they quickly spread out to try and use their cards again. Max guessed that they would all have enough mana by now and couldnt wait to test it out himself. But first, dealing with the purple alien. Hello Ebba. I will be your contact with the group. My name is Max. We have decided to accept your terms. Four magic cards in exchange for leading us all the way to civilization within a low mana zone. As soon as the quest shows complete, well hand them over, Max said. That wasnt the deal. I want payment up front, Ebba countered. No. Payment when we arrive. If you are telling the truth, we cant possibly survive without you, so there is no danger of us running away. We will pay on delivery. I swear it, Max said, hoping his fellow humans wouldnt make him a liar. Ebba glared at him and her fingers twitched. Fine. We have an accord. Are your hatchmates done playing yet? Max glanced back and said, Everyone is excited to try out their magic cards. It shouldnt take too long and then we will be ready to go. I will be scouting out our route, come get me when you are ready, Ebba said. She sat down on the log and closed her eyes. A small blue bug appeared in the air above her head. It had six extra long legs and two sets of wings. It buzzed for a moment and then shot off into the distance. The way she continued to sit there made Max guess that she was able to see through the eyes of her summoned insect. That was a handy card. Max turned around to see James walking up. James pointed behind himself and said, I totally killed that fern back there. Started slow, but I think the effects are cascading. How about you? You try it out yet? Not yet, I was just about to.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Alright! Lets see the magic happen! Max chuckled. The expression was literal this time. He had to prepare first though. His hammer card used transmutation so he needed material to use. Like having feed stock for a 3D printer. He used his knife to harvest several nearby plants. He made sure to stick to plants he could identify, ones that didnt seem too magical. Ferns, vines and tree bark. He got more than he thought he needed because he didnt know what the conversion rate was. When he had it all ready, he held it in his hand and concentrated on activating his magic card. To his shock, it was easy. His awareness was swiftly drawn to his metaphorical center where the hexagon card hovered. He mentally clicked on it and magic rushed out. He felt the tingles in his arms as magic slowly flowed through them and into the bundle of plant matter in his hands. The plants dissolved into tiny motes of light. The light assembled itself in seconds into a familiar shape. Soon he was holding a framing hammer with a rip claw back. The magic had used less than a third of the materials he had gathered and he dropped everything but the hammer. He swung it around, impressed with how perfectly balanced and comfortable it felt. There was writing on the side and he got a shock when he read it. Theres no problem a good hammer cant solve. This was an exact copy of the hammer his brother had left him eight years ago. It was familiar because he had used it every work day for the last three years. Max hurriedly unclipped his backpack and dug into it. Thats cool. Can I see? James said. Just a second, Max said and found what he was looking for. It was his brothers hammer. He held the two hammers up to each other to compare. They were very similar, but not identical. The magic hammer was heavier, the writing on its side wasnt as crisp, and there was no wood grain. Other than that, they were identical. He handed the new hammer over while he thought about it. This hammer, particularly with the writing on it, hadnt existed on Spinworld before today. Max guessed that the magic card pulled the information from his head. And if his mind determined the shape of the hammer, it meant that he could change its shape just by thinking about it. James handed his hammer back and said, Its pretty cool. You did that from memory? No, I just activated the card, I didnt put any special thought into it. James decided one of the other portal jumpers was too close. He moved into Maxs shadow and said, Interesting. So it pulled the information from your brain. I wonder if you can change it. Are there types of plant diseases I can study that will increase the effectiveness of my Decay card? Good point. We should test it out. You got some survival books downloaded on your phone, right? Maybe one of them will have it in there. Maybe. Ill have to check. James said and pulled out his phone. He stared at it quietly until they were interrupted. Hey boys, arent you going to ask about my power? Lily said. James turned sheepishly, an apology on his lips. They were greeted by the sight of twins. Lily was standing next to another Lily. Both of them had a hand on their slim waist and their hips cocked to the side. Max couldnt tell them apart. James walked up to one of them and ran his hand through it. The illusion scattered and reformed after he pulled his hand out. Wow, this is your decoy card, right? Its so bright. Its amazing, James said, awe in his voice. Bright? You can tell the difference right away? I thought it was a pretty good copy, Lily said and ran a hand through her long black hair. I dont think its bright, Max said. I couldnt tell the difference at first. Other than the fact that your decoy doesnt move, its a great copy. What? No. This thing is bright! I mean, maybe not bright, but, like, vibrant. Its clearly magical, colors I have never seen before, James said as he continued to waft his hand though the decoy. Lily tilted her head. What are you talking about? The decoy is wearing the same thing I am, same colors. Do you have mana vision or something? Noo... When I watched Max do his thing and when I killed the fern, they looked like regular colors. Not like this thing, James replied. They stood there, stumped for a bit before Max snapped his fingers. He pointed at his friend and excitedly said, James! Youre colorblind. Good job! I knew you would figure it out, it only took you ten years, James said and rolled his eyes. No, you dont get it. You can see the real colors on Lily''s decoy because its magic, Max said. He could tell that his friend wasnt convinced. Here, let me show you what I mean. Max reached down and sorted through the plant cuttings until he found what he was looking for. He held it up to the decoy Lily''s green tank top. The color match wasnt perfect, but it was close. Lily caught on and excitedly said, James, those colors are both green. What do you see? Green? Youre wearing green? I was so sure it was red, James said as he squinted at the real Lily''s tank top. James, dont you get it? The decoy is made up of the colors the rest of us see all the time. That green on the decoys shirt is the same green that makes up most of the jungle around you, Lily said. She put a hand on his shoulder and used the other gesture in a wide arc. James squinted at the decoy and then took in the jungle around them. Lily didnt notice. She tapped her chin and said, Why though? The magic is called decoy, it shouldnt be easy to tell the difference between the real and the illusion. She brought up a good point. Any intelligently designed card would make it as hard as possible to see through the illusion. Why was it so easy for James? It took him a minute, but Max came up with a theory. Max snapped his fingers and said, Your decoy isnt an illusion. At least not in the way we think of them. If it was a magical construct made of light waves, James would think its washed out like everything else. But since he can see the real colors, it means that the effect is bypassing his defective eyes and going straight into his brain. The decoy is broadcasting brainwaves or something like that. Hey, dont talk about my eyes like that. They cant help it, James said, throwing a dramatic hand over his face. Max just laughed and shook his head. Lily wanted to track down Yang and find out what her power was, so they walked around. They found her at the edge of the clearing, crouched down and looking at a four foot tall blob. It looked like a glowing blue mushroom with four tiny legs. Its face was on the stalk and the mushroom cap acted as its hat. Yang held up her hand and said, Stay back. Im still trying to teach it friend from foe. Is this your summons? Its so cute! Lily said, stars in her eyes. Yeah. My card says I can keep it active for an hour a day and I can teach it stuff. The teaching isnt going so well. Its dumber than a pile of rocks, Yang said. She stood up and brushed off her suit. What is it? Some kind of mushroom man? Max said. Close. Its a mushroomantis. It has lots of little blades under its cap, Yang said. She turned to the summons and said, Follow me. They walked away and the mushroomantis burbled and followed, its tiny legs churning to keep up. Lily put her hands up to her face and let out a little squee. Yang stared her down. Lily''s smile didnt waiver, but she mimed zipping her mouth closed. The four of them rejoined the main group. Some of the portal jumpers were still happily testing out their magic cards. The gun nut with the beard was shaking the ground with every step. One of the solo portal jumpers was sending glass shards spinning through the air, slicing up a nearby bush. A Chinese guy had grown bark all over his skin and was awkwardly walking around. The majority of the humans were done with their testing though. Max decided it was time to leave and walked over to Ebba. She opened her eyes and stood with a stretch. Are your people ready to go? Ebba said. Yes. I just wanted to make sure you were ready before I gathered them up. Excellent. Lets go. I found an excellent teaching opportunity. Its time to learn why phase whale shit is a common curse, Ebba said. Chapter 6: Oooh shit Phase whales? Whats a phase whale? Max asked. Youll see. Gather your people and we will depart. It isnt too far from here, Ebba said and walked over to the edge of the clearing. It took Max longer than he expected to gather everyone up. No one here was under eighteen, but they certainly acted like kids. Everyone wanted to stay and play with their magic, despite knowing they were on the clock. They would get mana cancer if they stayed here, but ... magic. Max understood the feeling, he would probably be playing with his magic card if it didnt have a refresh period of over an hour. Eventually, everyone was assembled and lined up ready to go. Max made sure his friends were with him up front and assigned the firearm aficionados to be the rearguard and make sure no one fell behind. They headed into the jungle without fanfare, the clearing quickly disappearing behind them. Ebba led the way by cutting a small person shaped path in the forest. She held machetes in each of her four hands and made precise cuts to clear the way of obstructing plants. There was an effortless grace to her movements, the kind formed by hours and hours of relentless practice. Max relaxed and enjoyed the view. His exoskeleton legs kept him effortlessly walking and he had time to learn more about the rainforest around them. Most of the plants were similar to the ones he knew from back home. Ferns grew next to a covering of monstera, rubber trees stood next to enormous roots of the kapok tree, and orchids hid beneath cacao trees. Scattered between these mundane plants were some that stuck out like a sore thumb. Bright red plants with flowers that looked like spiders. Blue spikes thrust out of a plant that seemed to be breathing. Purple berries draped off of trees in rows, like they were engineered to be food. Is there a way to easily tell which plants are magic and which ones arent? Max asked. Ebba looked over her shoulder as she kept walking. No, and most plants arent magic, despite how strange they look. I think the builders just grabbed a lot of strange plants from our various worlds and threw them together. Various? Do you mean you dont come from this planet? Yes and no. I was born here twenty cycles ago, but my people are not from this world. My parents arrived just like you did, through a portal leading from their homeworld. Really? Thats fascinating. So, the builders are the natives then? What are they like? No idea. They tell me that the builders live on the sixth layer and the deepest Ive ever been is the third layer, the one we are in now. Youve mentioned layers a few times. Is that the bands of land between the mountains? Yes, each layer has different plants and animals. They are separated by those mountain ranges. We will have to cross them twice to get to where we are going, the first layer. Oh, does each layer have a different mana density? The first layer has the lowest amount of mana, right? Ebbas hands twitched all at once. No, not quite. We are heading north, but the mana density isnt that simple. Be quiet for a moment. We are coming up on the phase whales corpse. She slowed down and stopped cutting through the underbrush. She pushed through the plants instead and crouched at the edge of a clearing. Max couldnt tell what she was looking from where he was standing, but eventually she waved him forward. We will take a break here. Warn everyone not to get too close to the corpse, Ebba said. She sat down at the edge of the clearing and closed her eyes. Her summoned insect appeared over her head once more and flew off into the distance. Max walked in and had everyone warn the person behind them not to get too close to the corpse. They would understand what he meant. The clearing was long and thin and on the other side was a dead whale. It wasnt an Earth whale, it had four side fins and no dorsal fin, but it was clearly a whale. It even had white barnacles on its skin. Max couldnt decide if it was green or brown, it seemed to change as he looked at it. The sky drew his attention again. It was jarring seeing the world wrapped around him. It reminded him of that one scene in Inception. It seemed so unreal, but the soft wind and earthy smells helped ground him. There were flying animals cavorting in the sky, too distant to tell exactly what they were. Max was relieved to realize they didnt look like dragons. He realized it had been more than an hour since he used his card last, so he decided to make another hammer. He grabbed a fallen branch and focused on the image of a hammer in his mind. He wanted to make a war hammer in case they ran across monsters. Once he felt he had enough focus, he mentally clicked on the card. This time, the magic felt different. Instead of rushing forward without his input, Max felt like he was fighting against a current. He focused hard, trying to bend the magic to his mental vision. It took something out of him to change the default form. White sparkles flew out, buzzing around the branch, transforming it into a hammer within a moment. Excess material fell to the ground and he was left with a hammer that was almost identical to the first. There were a few key differences. There was no writing on this hammer, and it was a few inches longer. Unfortunately, that messed up the hammers balance and now it was front heavy. Max shrugged. This was only the second time he was using the card and he was already making progress. He dropped the useless hammer on the ground.Stolen story; please report. Do you have extra water in that enormous pack of yours? Yang said. Max turned to see Yang. She had taken off her suit jacket and was sweating lightly. A few stray hairs had escaped her ponytail and were plastered to her face. Behind her Lily was awkwardly standing next to James. He was already sitting down and gasping, rivulets of sweat pouring down his body. He had taken off his backpack and was guzzling water. Yeah, sure, Max said. He unclipped his pack and set it down. He pulled out and handed over one of his two water bottles. She tried to hand it back after a few sips but he motioned for her to drink more. He wasnt that thirsty. Working in construction had him used to the heat, and this place was cooler than a regular jungle. Have you thought about what to do about your other supplies? Max asked when Yang had her fill. Yeah. Ill have to beg and borrow from everyone. But dont worry. I honor my debts. Ill pay everyone back when I can, even if its just a sip of water, she said seriously. Actually, I was going to say you dont have to do that. I packed at least two of everything, usually three. I can share, no problem. I feel bad that thug sent you in here unprepared. That ''thug was my partner, Yang said with a scowl. Then she brightened up. But he was a jerk dog. He sent me in here unprepared. You can call him a thug or worse. Max laughed, Lily and James joining in. Lily spoke up, Ill help you too. I hate that my father sent you after me, but its not your fault you came here unprepared. Me too. Ill help, James said. He had recovered enough to stand up again. After a bit of rummaging around, he handed out snacks to everyone, small packets of trail mix. Max didnt need it, he had plenty of his own. He still took the gift and thanked James. Max knew that it wouldnt be long before he would be giving food back to James and he wanted to make sure his friend wouldnt reject his charity. Lily pointed her water bottle at Max and said, You should ask Ebba about stopping by a river or something. Im sure you still have plenty of water, but the rest of us will be running low soon. Good point. Ill also have to do a survey of everyones supplies. I bet some people dont have food either, Max said. He walked over to where Ebba was sitting. She had her eyes open again and was watching the humans rest. She turned to Max as he walked up, Ah, I almost didnt recognize you without your enormous pack on your back. Those metal legs are a giveaway though. Max was taken aback for a moment. Did all humans really look that alike to her? He was the only guy with long blond hair, shouldnt that be a clue? He decided to give her the benefit of the doubt until after he learned how to tell Lunuk apart. He shook his head and said, I wanted to ask about water. Are we going to pass by a river soon? Some of us are running low on water. We will be passing by a river soon, but dont let anyone drink from it. Why? Is it poison or something? No, its mana dense. Its great for healing, but bad for you right now. It will speed up your chances of mana cancer. Tell everyone to drink and eat only what they brought with them, Ebba said. Alright, but that wont last long. What do we do when we run out? Ebba huffed and said, Ill show you how to find water berries. They are usually low in mana. We can stop in the City of Wild Plums for food supplies. We should get there in about two days. Alright, thanks, Max said, making another mental note. He wasnt sure if their group even had enough food for two days. Some people had large packs, but half of them only wore day packs. But before then, we shall exterminate some leeches and examine some whale shit, Ebba said and stood up. She clapped both sets of hands in a rapid staccato. Everyone, gather up. Lesson time. The scattered humans wandered over, some bringing their packs, others leaving them. Max went back to his pack to arm himself. He already had his long knife belted at his side. He pulled out two more weapons, a spear in three parts that he screwed together, and his pride and joy. It was a repeating Adder crossbow with an extended seven-bolt auto-loading magazine. It was almost as deadly as a gun and much quieter. Ebba was already talking when he got back, ... but before we can get to the fun, we need to chase off the floating leeches. The little white things on the fins and tail. They can be dangerous if you arent careful. But dont worry. They are the weakest animal on this layer, they only drop a level one core. I have full confidence your group should be able to kill at least seven or eight of them before the rest flee. Feel free to go all out when we get close. Max looked back to the phase whale. The white things he had assumed were barnacles were actually a different kind of leech. Apparently an ambulatory one that could flee when threatened. Ebba led the group up to the corpse, motioning for everyone to walk quietly. A strange smell hit them as they drew close. It was a mix of rotting meat and strawberries. Max found himself rubbing his nose in irritation. When they got close, some of the leeches lifted up from the body. They looked like white squids, only with an umbrella body. They floated through the air, slowly opening and closing their umbrellas. It was like they were swimming through the air. Max stabbed his spear into the loam at his feet and unlimbered his crossbow. The Chinese guy with the blue glass card was the first to attack. A shard spun through the air, slicing off the head of the umbrella squid. The monster immediately fell to the ground in a clump, whatever had been keeping it up having been lost with its death. That shot opened up the floodgates. Everyone attacked at once, magic and weapons flying. Fire, electricity, knives, and lots of bullets. Yangs mushroomantis appeared and hustled over to the umbrella squids, its little legs kicking. It was soon outpaced by a cricket summons. Max noticed that everyone was focusing on the nearest monsters, and they were getting obliterated. He shifted his aim to the farther umbrella squids that were just lifting off. His first shot was a bullseye. Not that impressive since they were fairly close, but Max was still proud of himself for his first combat kill. A blue box appeared across the bottom of his vision.
Minor amount of essence gathered
Nice. Essence must be this worlds version of exp. If he killed enough monsters, he would be able to level up. As soon as he read it, the message disappeared and a small black dot appeared on the upper right edge of his vision. He smiled and got back to work. Reloading was difficult on most crossbows. Pulling the cord back with 130 pounds of force wasnt easy even on modern weapons. Thankfully, the Adder had a workaround with a lower limb that he could easily pull forward and back to reload. He was able to send all seven bolts downrange within twenty seconds. He hit five of the seven shots. It would have been seven of seven, but he kept flinching at the nearby guns. It was so loud, way louder than he expected from movies. Forty seconds after they started, all of the leeches were dead. A tiny orb appeared over every monster corpse. It was pure white and small enough that you could fit three in the palm of your hand. Max turned to Ebba to ask her about them. Oooh shit. Shit, shit, shit. I forgot about the guns, Ebba whispered to herself. She whipped her head around in a panic, staring into the forest. Chapter 7: I Chose This Ebba! What is it? Max said. The guns. They are loud, way too loud. You have brought every predator for miles on our heads. We cant even run because they will be coming from every side. You have doomed us, Ebba said and clutched her head with her upper arms. I doomed us? Why did you say we could go all out if we couldnt use our guns? I forgot! They told me not to let you use them, but I forgot, ok? You forgot that humans would bring loud weapons? Im pretty sure people have brought guns through the portal for every single year it was active, Max said. Yes, yes. But they never last. The projectiles dont react well with mana. They will all explode within the week. No human has a working gun outside of this clearing, Ebba said and started backing away. Oh. Well, what about your Disregard card? Wont that protect us? No! I can protect us against maybe one or two, but never a horde. Why do you think I always scout ahead? We have to avoid herds and concentrations of predators, Ebba said. She dropped all of her arms. Ah whale shit. I shoulda listened to Briggita. This whole trip was wasted. Sorry, humans. Ill have to leave you now, good luck. Panic gripped Max. Ebba was the only one that knew what was going on. She might be a terrible guide, but she was the best they had. No, wait! Stay. Help us set up our defenses, tell us whats coming. We might survive. If it looks like things are going south, you can always leave then. Until then, please stay with us. You cant get your four cards if you abandon us now, Max pleaded. Ebba looked around and shuffled on the spot. Fine. Ill stay for a bit. Ill do some scouting with my botfly summons. But I wont stay with you during the fight. Im heading up that tree until the monsters stop coming. If thats all the help you will give us, Ill take it. I guess well set up some fortifications in the treeline," Max said. Ebba had sat down and closed her eyes. She opened them back up again and said, No, dont do that. Half the monsters out there are ambush predators. Set up in the middle of the clearing so they cant jump down on you. She closed her eyes and her summoned monster appeared and buzzed off. James had been standing close enough to overhear the whole thing and he was standing there with his mouth wide open. He pushed his hand at Max and said, Here. These are your share of the cores. There were fragment cards too, but Kristina took those and wont give them back. Max accepted the cores, four of them, and put them in his pocket. Ok, yeah, well deal with that later. He walked to the center of the clearing and yelled out, Everyone, gather up, we have a big problem. Kristina was one of the first to arrive. She popped a core in her mouth and smiled. Whats the problem, Max? Once everyone was close enough to hear, Max addressed everyone. The purple lady forgot one crucial detail. Our guns are super loud. She says that monsters for miles and miles are going to come try and kill us now. Max was treated to cursing in four different languages. He thought the Chinese curse of stupid vagina selling tofu was particularly inventive. He held up his hands to get them to quiet down. Kristina waited for a break in the swearing to say, What kind of monsters? Can we take them or should we just run? Running is a bad idea. They are mostly ambush predators and coming from all directions. Nasty monsters. Shes doing some scouting now and we need to set up a defense away from the trees, Max said and pointed at the bearded firearms enthusiast. Gus, right? Yeah, thats me, Gus said with a slight frown. Do you have military experience? Do you want to take over the defense? Yeah, served a tour in Afghanistan and Syria. But I''m not exactly leadership material, Gus said and scratched his neck. "Last time I tried, someone got shot." Alright, fine. Can you give us military advice on how to set up defenses? We''ve only got a few minutes." "We need something to get behind. It doesn''t have to be big, waist height would be enough," Gus said. "And if we are going to be in the middle of the clearing, it''ll need to be a circle." Max nodded and clapped his hands. Alright, lets get to it. Everyone grab their bags and the largest log you can carry. Be back here in sixty seconds. Now! Half of the group burst into action, the other half belatedly following. Max clipped his pack back on with shaking hands. He tucked the hammer he had created earlier into his belt. He looked around and found a large tree branch, one a bit bigger than he would normally be able to carry. His exolegs made up the difference and he was able to drag it back to the center. His log was the biggest of the bunch, by far. He hustled back to the treeline and grabbed another. Gus had them set up the logs in a circle, with backpacks to shore things up. It looked a bit pitiful. Even the shortest among them could look over the top of their wall. Max told Gus to give everyone competent a gun and to spread them out on all sides. While they worked that out, Max ran out to collect his bolts and spear. Before he found the last one, he heard something coming. It wasnt loud, just a few twigs snapping, but it was enough to terrify him. He tried to sprint back, but his exolegs werent ready for it. The programming interfered with his run and he face planted. He hurriedly turned them off and got back up. He started running, but then another distraction popped up. Kristina and her group were walking into the forest. They had just reached the treeline when she looked back and their eyes met. She shrugged and slipped away. Max was shocked speechless. They were abandoning the group. When they could use every fighter to protect them, these assholes were using them as a distraction so they could escape. Max knew that he wouldnt be able to convince the cowards to stay. He just turned and got back to running again. As he ran he shouted, Monsters on the way! He neednt have bothered. While he was yelling, gun shots went off, downing a monster that had just stepped into the clearing. It looked like a flattened wolf, wide and thin instead of tall. It went down in a spray of blood. A green and red orb appeared in the air above it.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Gus had everyone arranged in a tight circle inside their log defenses. The guns were spread out, ten people resting their guns on the logs spread out in front of them. Yang had gotten a rifle and passed off her handgun to an older guy. Lily asked for a gun, but no one was going to give an untrained kid a gun. James was wielding the hand axes he had packed. Max was relieved to see that no one had given James a gun either. His friend had been a menace with guns the one time they had gone to the range together. Max was an alright shot with a handgun, but he had trained with his crossbow far more and was a great shot with it. Ebba appeared in their midst. Max was shocked until he realized that she had been there the whole time, she just made them ignore her until now. She turned to Max and said, You have many monsters inbound, mostly from the north. You might survive them if you are accurate with your guns. However, a titan is coming from the south, so I will leave you. I will watch what happens from a distance though. If you happen to survive, I will return and continue to lead you. She disappeared again. This time Max knew that she was still there, his brain was just being forced to ignore her. It was a frustrating power. He turned to Gus and said, They''ll be here soon. We ready? As much as we can be. I got earplugs if you want them. I have a feeling we are gonna get loud again," Gus said and held out earplugs. Max took them and loudly said, "Everyone, conserve your ammo, we don''t know how many monsters are on their way. Cover your quadrant, trust the others to cover theirs. Ebba says there is a big scary one on the way too. If you see it, shout and we can concentrate fire on it." Max put the earplugs in and walked over to Yang. She gave him a nod and went back to scanning the forest line. He knelt down between Yang and James. Max placed his spear and extra bolts next to him. He had a total of twenty-four bolts, hopefully he wouldnt need all of them. Once he was set up, he turned to his friend. James knuckles were white and he was shaking a bit. James, you ok, buddy? It took James a second to turn and say, Yeah, Max. Just fine. Just fine. Its going to be alright, dont worry, Max said and patted him on the shoulder. James just turned back to the forest and said, Yep. Itll be fine. I chose this. I wanted to be here. Max gave his friend a one armed hug. Shots rang out behind them and Max twisted to see what had arrived. It was an armadillo type monster, plates of armor all along its body. As he watched, bullets ricocheted off of the armor and the monster kept coming. It had four legs and a long tail, and it galloped towards them, roaring in anger. That was the last mistake it ever made. Its mouth was unprotected, and four shots were enough to put it down for good. An orb and a fragment magic card appeared over the body. More monsters appeared out of the shadows of the forest. Some of them charged right in, others slunk to the side. Despite their fellows dying, the monsters werent giving up. They just kept coming. Max turned his attention back to the southern forest. He needed to focus on his job and trust that they would do their job. A yeti-dog was coming up from the east, but Yang had that one, shooting it in the face over and over again. Max turned to the other monster approaching. It was a black bug of some sort, clothed in shadow so he couldnt make out details. Its eyes glowed, piercing out from its misty veil. It jumped forward then crawled and then jumped again. Max timed his shot just as it was about to land. He hit it in the head, but the bolt deflected off. He pumped the handle and sighted in again. This time his shot missed entirely, the monster having leapt out of the way. He hurriedly reloaded the crossbow and held his fire until he was sure he had a shot. James card started working then, affecting the monsters paw. It turned ashy gray and started flaking off. The monster stumbled at the sudden pain and weakness. Max took the opportunity and shot. This time his bolt hit home, piercing deep into one of the glowing eyes.
Minor amount of essence gathered
Minor? That was a huge monster. Max wondered if they would have to kill a kaiju to get a major amount of essence. A trio of bugs buzzed into the clearing. They were ten feet wide with beetle wings and a long proboscis. They swooped in from the left, spreading their bladed legs to attack. Gus fired off a spray of bullets, hitting all of them in one go. Only one died from the attack, but the other two had their wings clipped and fell to the ground where they were easy pickings. Max turned back to his side. There was a large distortion in the air about a hundred yards out. He thought it might be a monster with invisibility. He sighted in and let loose with a bolt. To his shock, it stopped midair only fifty feet from the log wall. It was a glass beast, only visible now because of the cracks running along its shoulder. Max swore and fell backward in shock. Yang noticed and turned. By the time she fired, the monster was only thirty feet away. Ten rounds from an automatic rifle were just enough. The monster shattered into hundreds of pieces, momentum creating a line of glass shards ten feet long. A moment later a silvery magic card appeared in the air above its remains.
Medium amount of essence gathered
Max ignored the message and the ones after that. The fight was getting intense. The cadence of gunfire behind him picked up. Four monsters slinked closer and closer. They were avoiding the gunfire by using the bodies of other monsters as cover. Three of them were the oddly flat cats, scrabbling around the field, only held back by the lack of cover directly in front of the log wall. The fourth monster looked like a caterpillar stegosaurus. It was five feet high with dozens of insect-like legs. Its body was covered with bloodied fur and had large plates along its back. The plates were glowing brighter and brighter. Instinctively, Max turned back around and covered his eyes with his forearm. His guess about the monster was quickly proven right when the clearing lit up with a searing bright light. He could see the outline of his arm bones through his closed eyes. He turned back north, blinking the light out of his eyes. The stegosaurus caterpillar had blinded most of the defenders and some of the attackers. Two of the monsters rolled on the ground, screeching and clawing at their eyes. One of the flat cats took advantage of the guns falling silent. It scuttled forward, all six legs throwing up dirt. Max stood and fired his crossbow over the heads of the blinded gunmen. He missed. The monster leapt over the short log wall and landed in their midst. It started slashing and biting all around itself, flailing indiscriminately. Blood flew and four people fell. Screams resounded. Max finished reloading and fired his bolt into the monster''s eye from almost point blank. The bolt sunk deep, almost to its fletchings. It wasnt enough to kill it. The monster reared back in pain, swiping the air in front of it. Maxs crossbow was yanked out of his hands. He jumped back, fumbling for the spear he knew was behind him. Yang took the opportunity he presented. Now that the monster had exposed its soft underbelly, she fired a quick volley into its belly and head. It fell to the ground, covering the people it had just killed. She put a bullet through its other eye, just to be sure. More monsters charged into the clearing. These were the smart ones. They had waited until most of the guns had gone silent before they made their move. There were armadillos, Quill Cats, shadowy bugs, and a rainbow colored crustacean. Max jumped forward and grabbed a gun that had fallen to the ground. The shooters were still blind so they wouldnt need it. He shoved Gus out of the way and knelt. There was no way he could kill this many monsters, even if Yang joined him. He shouldered the rifle anyway. He didnt have a choice. The closest monster was the stego-caterpillar and Max fired three quick bursts into its face. He winced as half of the shots went wide. The monster still went down though, a magic card appearing above its body a moment later. Max turned to the other monsters, expecting them to already be climbing the wall. They werent. They were standing still, staring at him. No, they werent staring at him, it was something behind him. He glanced back. The trees were moving. He watched as the tightly packed trees fell, one after another. He looked forward to see the monsters scatter, bounding away as fast as they could. Max looked to his left and addressed a blinded Gus. Hey, Gus. You happen to pack a nuke? Or maybe some anti-tank missiles? As soon as he finished talking, more trees fell and revealed a titan. Chapter 8: Brave, but Stupid Ebba talked about titans like they were inevitable machines of death. Seeing this one in person made Max believe she was right. It shouldered past the towering kapok tree and knocked down a rubber tree to enter the clearing. The abomination was big, at least three stories high. It was ashy gray with four legs. Thick corded muscles stretched across every limb. Each leg was oddly jointed, with its rear legs bigger than its forelegs. Its head had two long horns, black with red cracks throughout. Six tentacles surrounded its beak. It was like a hairless cthulhu rabbit. Max didnt bother shooting it with the rifle. The thing was too big. Even if he hit it in its enormous black eyes, that would just piss it off. Yang didnt feel the same way and immediately sent a trace of bullets across its face. A few bullets deflected off its cheeks and others opened tiny wounds in its face-tentacles. Drops of green blood welled up. The titan opened its mouth and let out a piercing roar. It was like a train whistle mixed with an angle grinder. Max clapped his hands on his ears and fell to the ground in pain. What is it? Gus said, panic in his voice as he rubbed his eyes. Its a titan, Max replied, not looking at him. Dammit, I cant see. Get my rifle, its got a grenade launcher underslung, Gus said. Max looked around and quickly found Guss gun. He grabbed it while Yang continued to piss the titan off. How do I use it? Max frantically said. Give it here, Gus said with his arms out. Max handed it over and Gus flipped a switch on the side of the gun. Then he pointed to a trigger and said, Safety''s off now. Pull this trigger. You only got one shot, make it count. Max carefully took the gun back, keeping his fingers off the triggers. He wanted to ask more questions, but it was too late. The titan leapt forward. It moved just like a rabbit, its hind legs propelling it forward. It crossed the clearing in a single bound, the ground shaking as it landed. It was only twenty feet away from the people now. With a swift swipe of its forepaw, it knocked away the logs and bags on that side of their wall. It was like a car crash, dirt and debris flying far. Yang and Lily had backed up before it landed and were safe. James jumped out of the way just in time. He tripped as he landed, splaying out flat and landing just below the swipe. Two other people werent so lucky. They got pulped by the titans swipe, spreading out across the clearing in a spray of blood. Max swore and started running. He had to lead the titan away from the group. Most of them were still blinded. As he ran, he pulled the trigger to the rifle portion. A trio of bullet holes popped up along the monsters ashy gray skin. It didnt notice. The cthulhu rabbit leaned forward, bringing its face tentacles into play. It sent all six swiping through the air. Lily and Yang ducked, each of them pulling someone out of the way. Max skidded to a stop and took careful aim. He fired the rifle, shot after shot, until he got it right. The titan finally took notice when he hit its eye. He stood stock still and continued firing into the huge black orb. It clicked its beak a few times and turned to Max. He continued firing until it ran dry. He swapped grips down to the separate trigger for the grenade launcher. He had thoroughly angered the monster by now and it roared its displeasure. Shattering violins and grinding gears assaulted his ears. It was all he could do to keep his hands on the gun and not close his eyes. He sighted down the barrel and fired the grenade. The deep thwomp of the grenade was accompanied by a kick against his shoulder. The grenade exploded and Max flinched back. When he opened his eyes again he surveyed the damage. He had hit the monsters left shoulder and three tentacles. Green blood poured from the wounds. Instead of dying, the cthulhu rabbit got angry. It jumped at him, both front paws slamming down. Max was already moving. He ran straight towards the titan, dropping the rifle as he ran. He was cursing himself as he sprinted underneath the monster, but he felt like he didnt have any other choice. This huge monster could get anywhere faster than him. The only way he could stay alive was to get out of its field of vision. Max looked back as he ran, seeing the titan peek under its paws. When its ashy gray skin was unmarred by Maxs blood, it clacked its beak in frustration. More of its own green blood dripped from the wound on its tentacles and shoulder. That gave Max a faint hope that it would bleed out. He just needed to distract it from the others for long enough. First he needed to figure out how. The rifle was empty, the grenade spent. His other weapons were strewn across the countryside. The only things he had on him were his long knife and a transmuted hammer tucked into his belt. Neither of which sounded like they could take out one of the smaller monsters, let alone this three story high behemoth. Still, his panicked mind couldnt come up with a better solution. Without further thought, he pulled out his knife and stabbed it into the ankle of the rear leg he was standing by. He had a good grip and put his whole weight into it. The knife went in four inches. The monster above him didnt notice the little pinprick. It was still looking around and trying to decide if its prey had run back to the other little morsels. Max silently swore as he yanked out the knife. What was he even trying to do here? He didnt really want to get the titans attention, that was suicide. His best bet was to somehow cripple it. He could consider leading it away from the others if he slowed it down.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. The monsters hind legs looked strange and unnatural, like a hairless cat. That lack of fur made it easier for Max to get at its tendon. He stabbed the knife into the connecting tissue. Only three inches in this time. It was time to put his construction experience to use. He slipped the hammer out of his belt and brought it down precisely on the knifes handle. What happened next was entirely unexpected. A flash of blue exploded out of the hammer. A ringing sounded, like he had hit a huge tuning fork. An instant later, the knife shot forward. It accelerated until it disintegrated into shards of metal. The monsters heel exploded and it buckled without that tendon. Maxs ill thought out plan of disabling the titan had actually worked. Hammer magic made it possible. He decided to congratulate himself later. Right now, the titan was screaming in pain and leaning to the right. If he didnt get out of there, he would get squished before the titan even found him. He sprang into action and started sprinting away. The phase whale corpse wasnt far so he headed that way. He had vague plans of leading the crippled cthulhu rabbit in a chase around the body while it bled out. He ran straight for the tail. There was something odd under the tail, a glinting black and yellow. Max made sure to leap all the way over the strange ground. The whales skin was soft like jelly, making it hard to stay upright. He turned around to see if the titan was following. It was right behind him, and it looked angry. The bleeding from its face had already slowed down. It was visibly healing from his grenade. It clacked its beak at him and carefully hobbled forward. The wound must be incredibly painful to make it move that slowly. Max realized that wouldnt last. The monsters healing was well beyond anything he expected. He had been planning on the cthulhu bunny bleeding out, but that wasnt going to happen. It wasnt going to die from its wounds, it was going to heal and get faster and madder than ever. The whale corpse jiggled underfoot as he kept backing up. His only chance of surviving now was to cut and run. The titan lost sight of him, it might go after the others, but he didnt really have a lot of other options. The monster took the choice out of his hands. It lunged forward, pushing its head forward and swiping at him with its remaining tentacles. Max dropped, bouncing slightly on the whales slimy skin. As he did, the titans forepaws burst through the rotting flesh of the phase whale. They sunk down. And down. And down. The monsters forearms sunk well past ground level. It struggled, but kept sinking. Realizing its lack of leverage, the cthulhu rabbit rolled off to the side. Its forelegs were gone. The black and yellow substance Max had jumped over earlier was eating into the monster, dissolving and absorbing everything it touched. It looked like a night sky full of stars. Hungry stars. A piercing wail started up, the titan crying out in pain. It continued to roll around, flailing with its one working leg. Max winced at the sound, putting his hands to his ears and trying not to throw up. The sound suddenly cut off. He looked up to see that the black substance had eaten through the monsters chest. The head was only connected by its spine. A golden orb appeared above the cthulhu rabbit to mark its death. A glowing silver card accompanied it. Max stared at the remains of the titan. What the hell was that? Was that phase whale shit? He shivered and hurried away from the two corpses. A glance around showed there were no more monsters around. The danger was past.
Major amount of essence gathered
Level Up Available
After killing a titan, he better be able to level up. He tried to mentally trigger a level up, but nothing happened. A few more tries were unsuccessful. Nothing was ever easy in this damn world. A sudden weariness washed over him. Now each step seemed leaden and he could feel every pound of his exolegs. He turned them back on and plodded over to the rest of the group. He grabbed Gus rifle on the way. Everyone had regained their vision by now and most were salvaging intact packs, orbs and card fragments. Max collected the pieces from his broken crossbow and stuffed them in his pack. He sat down and put his head in his hands. There were only nine people left, including himself. They had started with twenty-four. So many had died. Kristina and her group might still be alive, but that meant that ten people had died on their first day. He felt the weight of their deaths heavily on his shoulders. He had been their leader and got so many of them killed. Lily and Yang walked up to him. Lily said, Glad to see you alive. Yang looked him up and down and said, That was stupid. Brave, but stupid. I know, Max said with a sigh. He was about to continue, but James interrupted with a tackle. Max! I cant believe you survived! Youre a hero! James said as he gave him a big hug. And you stink so bad! he continued with a cheery voice. Max pushed him back. Im not a hero. Im just an idiot that got lucky. I dont know what I was thinking. He sniffed himself. Ug. I reek of whale guts. Its fine. Well find a river or whatever to wash off in, James said. Thats not... whatever, Max said and sat down. James seemed to realize he needed some space. He found Maxs pack and dragged it over to him. There was a rip along the top of the pack, but it was mostly intact. Max stared at it listlessly. Some time later, Max wasnt sure how long, everyone was gathered together. The bodies of the dead had been laid together on top of the logs that failed to protect them. He guessed that they planned on lighting a fire when it was time to leave. No one was looking at the funeral pyre though. They were focused on the cards and orbs together in the center of the group. There was a tense feeling, everyone staring at each other. It took him a moment to realize they needed to have a discussion about loot distribution. Ebba suddenly appeared outside the group. Two of her hands were holding her right side and there was a line of dried blood beneath it. She calmly said, Whatever you do. Dont waste the orbs on leveling up now. They are much more valuable at higher levels. Max stood up and pointed his finger at her. Youve been keeping a lot of important things from us. Its your fault that half of us died just now. You are going to sit down and tell us everything we need to know. Right the hell now. She stood there motionless for a long moment. I suppose I cant argue with that. I will answer all of your questions as penance. Giving us answers wont be enough to wipe the stain off your soul, but its the least of what you owe us, Max spat. Chapter 9: What is This System Shit? Is there anything else you forgot to tell us? Any other important facts that might get us killed? Max said with his arms folded. Ebba bobbed her head in embarrassment. I apologize. I should have remembered that guns were loud. To answer your question, mana does strange things to technology from your world. Mana heats up the innards and destroys them. Your talking rectangles will fail in a few days. Sturdier gadgets will fail a few days later. Anything with copper in it is at risk, She said, ticking off things with her fingers. I assume your guns have copper in them because humans talk about how powerful they are, but none of them have kept them. Guns dont have copper in them, its all steel, Gus said, slightly confused. Max shook his head, Its not the guns, its the bullets. Brass is mostly copper with a little zinc. Ah. So the mana makes the brass cartridges heat up and cook off the ammo, Gus said. Well, that sucks. Max was disappointed too. He didnt particularly care that guns would be useless and his phone would soon be bricked. But his exoskeleton legs were the only way he could carry his heavy pack. He would have to ditch the heavier stuff. He had prepared for that possibility, but it hurt to consider ditching all of the hard work he had put into preparing. Ebba said, You will have to abandon your armaments dependent on metal casing if you wish to travel with me. This is good for you long term, eventually your armaments would attract titans impervious to your weapons. We were lucky that the titan you killed was young and susceptible to your explosions. The adults are much tougher to kill. That was a baby titan? Max said in surprise. It had been almost as tall as the trees. Yes, and slow as well. Most titans are much faster. Even infant titans are usually a death sentence. As you said, you got lucky. They sat there quietly for a few moments. A slow baby almost wiped them out. Even their best weapons couldnt take out an infant titan. This world was deadly. Max shook himself. Alright, fine. No more guns. Tell us about leveling up. Ebba pointed to their pile of orbs, As some of you have already guessed, you swallow orbs to level up your cards. Although some of you have already started, I would recommend not leveling up your body. The decisions made when advancing your system are permanent and you dont have the knowledge to make informed decisions yet. She held up a finger. Back to the cards. Eating those now would be a waste of orbs. They come in grades. The small white ones are good for hatchlings like yourselves. Once you have grown, they will no longer help you. The bounty in front of you is better suited for hunters two stages above you. It would be a terrible waste to consume them now. If you want, you can use your white orbs now, save the others. You can exchange the large orbs for many small ones at the City of Wild Plums. Max pulled out one of the small white orbs from earlier and popped it in his mouth. It dissolved like cotton candy. It felt invigorating and fresh. Some of the group followed suit, the others having already done this. A few moments later the orb was gone and he checked his hammer card to see what changed.
Common Hammer Citadel
Transmutes mana neutral matter within aura into a crafting hammer based on the cardholder.
Mana Cost: 24 Refresh: 1.2 Hours Card Level: 1
Not much. The refresh went from 1.3 hours to 1.2. The description was shorter too. That was a bit disappointing. He would have to eat a lot of orbs to get that number down to a reasonable amount. He almost missed the other change the level up gave him. Instead of saying claw hammer, now it said crafting hammer. That probably meant he could make different kinds of hammers now. He was excited to try it out. Matteo shook his head and refocused on the conversation. You glossed over leveling up. All of us have enough exp to level up now. Tell us about it. As you wish. There should be a tiny black hexagon on the upper right of your vision. Focus on it for several seconds and your system will expand. Select yes to the question it asks.
Essence sufficient to level up to six. Accept change now?
Yes No
Max selected yes and a wave of tingles passed through him. Once it stopped, another wave washed through him, stronger this time. Then another, and another. After six waves of pins and needles, he was feeling really good. It wasnt a high, more like he had just completed a year long project and the customer decided to pay him double. What is this system shit? Gus said angrily. It doesnt make any sense. Max refocused and read his screen. He had to agree with Gus. This version of the system was weird.
Max Kraft (Level 6)
Sight or Insight
Flow or Resistance
Presence or Paranoria
Quicken or Broaden
Weight or Levitate
Specialize or Generalize
?(12 Free Points)?
Ebba said this was their way of leveling up, but these choices made no sense. Where was the option for leveling up strength or intelligence? Why was it giving them either/or choices in the first place? "You are probably looking at the simplified version. If you focus on the little hexagon on the bottom, it will expand, Ebba explained to Gus.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Max did as she instructed and jerked back at the sudden influx of information. This was too much. He blinked and slowly read through it.
The System of Max Kraft (Level 6)
Enhance your physical senses, be aware of the world around you. Sight or Insight Fathom the world of magic, see the words of mana.
Increase the flow of mana and blood. Grants faster control of magic and greater bodily flexibility. Flow or Resistance Resist outside influences. Grants greater resistance to magic, poisons, and the elements.
Enforce your presence on the world, show your true self and force others to acknowledge you. Presence or Paranoia See them before they see you. Hide from perception and avoid traps.
Increase your regeneration. Faster recovery of mana and health. Quicken or Broaden Increase your capacity. Larger pools of mana and health.
Add density to your body and momentum to your strikes. Be not moved. Weight or Levitate Break the shackles of gravity and leap into the sky. Never stop moving.
Merge cards within the heart deck to create stronger cards with modified effects. Specialize or Generalize Gain the ability to hold more cards at once and choose their interactions.
Mana 36/36 Free Points: 12 Health 10/10
This still doesnt make any sense, Gus slowly said as he stared off into the distance. Where are all the normal choices? You should be seeing the normal six choices, starting with Sight or Insight. Do you have your system fully expanded? Ebba asked. Yes, I have it fully expanded, dammit. I dont want to make these stupid choices. I want to get faster and stronger, Gus spat. He gestured down to his small beer gut and flabby arms. I dont ... Ebba trailed off. Max saw what was happening and jumped in. What hes talking about is that we have hundreds of stories from our world about leveling up. Each one is slightly different, but they generally agree that you can upgrade your strength, dexterity, intelligence, and wisdom. These choices in the system arent the ones we were expecting." Ebba curled her hands in a frown. I dont know what to tell you. This is the only system that has ever existed. The cards have changed over the years, but the system has only ever been these six choices. You will get stronger and faster as mana absorbs into your body. Not smarter though. Maybe something got lost in translation? Why is it a choice at all? James asked. When everyone turned to him he shrunk back. He continued quieter. Why cant we choose better eyesight and seeing magic? Because choosing one precludes the other. Your eyes can be changed to see farther or see mana, not both. You can either get resistance to magic, or get better with mana. The adjustments are antithetical to each other. You must choose. Although, to reiterate, I recommend you choose nothing at the moment. Any changes you make to your body will mean mana flowing through it. That will speed up your chances of cancer. Once you have arrived at your destination, it will cause no harm to make the choices you want. What choices did you make? Whats your build like? Max asked. I have built myself with my cards in mind. Telling you all the specifics would put me at your mercy, so I wont do that. What I can tell you is something everyone has guessed about me. I have chosen Paranoia and heavily invested in it. Despite the name, it helps me avoid notice. Combined with my Disregard card, I can walk through the wilds untouched, Ebba said and looked down at the wound on her side. Usually. Anyway, its a choice that I have made because I spend most of my time in the wilds. If you choose to spend any time in a city or work as the team lead, you would want to choose Presence instead. Is it rude to ask about peoples system? Lily asked. Rude? Not necessarily. Its intimate. Its the kind you share with your mate or your clan leader. Often people will share some facts with their party, but not go into details. Humans are sometimes the exception to that rule, but that is just another reason they are hated, answered Ebba. Hated? Humans are hated in this world? Max said, surprised. Perhaps hate is too strong. Dismissed, maybe? Its well known that humans are addicts. Your kind gets a taste of leveling up and never stops chasing that high. My people know when they have found their place, but humans get themselves killed all the time, Ebba said. I just leveled up my sight, it didnt seem that addictive, Gus said. It was nice, sure. But I dont think Im jonesing for another hit. Ebba shrugged. I dont know humans well. Im just telling you what everyone thinks. Max wondered if leveling up was really addictive, or if most humans that portaled here were trying to be the hero of their own story. Almost every main character took insane risks all the time. In real life you died when you took one too many risks. Gus grumbled and was about to retort when Max jumped in. You told us we shouldnt use these cores, do you have any advice about the magic cards? Dont leave them out where they could get lost or broken. You should give them to me for safekeeping, Ebba said. When the entire group frowned at her, she continued, But of course you dont have to. If you want to absorb them, you will have to make a choice to Specialize or Generalize. Specialization involves merging cards together, and Generalizing means you can hold more cards at once. Those that specialize are usually stronger, but die young. I recommend you all follow my example and generalize. Max nodded as he thought about it. Power or utility, vulnerability or safety. It was an important decision. Every choice on his system was difficult. He would have to give it a lot of thought. He said, Thank you, Ebba. We have things to discuss. Will you please scout out the area and make sure no monsters are on their way back? I doubt any monster that hears a titans scream would return, but I will scout for us anyway, Ebba said and sat down with a grunt. After she closed her eyes, a blue botfly appeared and buzzed away. Aright, lets take a look at the cards, Max said and leaned forward. A quick count revealed there were fourteen cards. Seven of them were blue like the ones they already had. They must have belonged to the humans that died. That meant they were missing two. Max suspected that someone took them for themselves when no one was looking. It was basically stealing from the group. He should call them out on it, but he didnt want division when there were so few humans left. The remaining cards were silver, with varying brightness. The brightest one had the quality of Exceptional, two had Advanced, and the rest were Common. Someone had arranged them in a line from best to worst. All of them were whole, so they must have combined the fragment cards. I think we should go by who contributed the most, Gus said. Cowards shouldnt be rewarded. A rail-thin girl stood up and put a finger in Guss bearded face. You have the nerve? The nerve? You got my best friend killed with those guns of yours and now you say no one else should get a card? No one would have died if you didnt shoot off your loud-ass guns! Gus slapped the hand out of his face and said, I lost two of my friends to those monsters. You should apologize for hiding and not fighting for them! Enough! Max yelled over them. You all agreed to follow my lead when you didnt want the job. We are going to do this my way. Everyone is getting a card and some orbs. We will each take a turn picking a single card. Then we will move on to orbs. Well start with the ones that contributed the most and work our way down. Ill decide who goes when. Ill go last. Everyone looked unhappy with that so Max knew that was as fair as he could make it. Everyone say your names again so we all know each other. Im Max in case you forgot. He pointed to his right and moved around the circle. First was Lily, then Yang, and James. The Chinese guy with the bun was Xing Kezhi and his buddy was Wang Feng. Next was Gus and his friend (girlfriend?) Fern. The last survivor was the rail-thin Ashley. Alright. We''ll pick cards in this order. Gus, Fern, Yang, Lily, Kezhi, Feng, James, Ashley, and then me. No complaining, Max added when it looked like Ashley wanted to say something. Gus grinned maliciously at Ashley and reached for the brightest glowing card. He paused with his hand in the air. You really should go first, Max. None of us would be here without you. You did the impossible when you killed godzilla over there. Max just shook his head. Felt like a shitty leader and didn''t deserve the best rewards, but that wasn''t why he was refusing. Dividing up loot this way was the most likely to keep everyone happy and cooperative. That''s what he needed right now, a team that could fight well together. Surviving the jungle was more important than getting the shiniest card. Besides, things would even out when it was time to pick orbs. The ones that didn''t get the best card would get the biggest orbs. The way Ebba had acted made him think that the orbs were more valuable than the cards anyway. Chapter 10: What Were You Thinking? Gus hovered his hand over the best card, but then moved down to the second best card. He nudged his friend Fern and pointed to the next best card. She obliged and took it. Yang and Lily did the same, looking at Max as they did. They were clearly trying to leave the best card for Max, but he wasnt sure if their gamble would pay off. He didnt know the Chinese guys at all and he was sure Ashley wouldnt play along. Kezhi took his time to decide. It looked like he was going to choose the brightest card, but a stern look from Gus made him change his mind. Fang didnt hesitate and took one of the bottom cards. He must have wanted that particular one. Ashley seemed unsure of which card she should take. While she dithered, Ebba got up and wandered over to a distant monster body. She took out a knife and started butchering it. She had to work slowly because of her injury. Max wondered if monster meat was good eating. When Ashley was about to pick the best card, she flinched and looked at Gus. Then she changed her mind and grabbed one of the lower cards. Max was a bit surprised. Against all odds, the best card was left when it was his turn. He graciously accepted their generosity and read his new card.
Worthy Augment Citadel
Transmutes inorganic object within aura into a better version of itself. May choose to reinforce material or create a stronger magical effect. Final size may be increased by additional inorganic matter.
Mana Cost: 42 Charge: .2 Hours Card Level: 6
Max almost swore out loud. This was a force multiplier. It would improve anything he could make, even make things more magical. It was a wonderful card, but he couldnt use it. The mana cost was more than his whole pool. He had been so happy to get the best one, but it was useless to him right now. Nothing he could do about it now, besides everyone was waiting for him. He said, Alright, second round, reverse order this time. Starting with Ashley and going down to Gus. Ill be last again. Ashley, go ahead. This time around, Ashley was quick to grab the largest orb. She scowled at Max as she held the colorful orb to her chest. He still had no idea what was going through her head. James, Feng, Kezhi, and Lily quickly choose a large orb each. Each orb was a different color, swirling and flowing as they were jostled. Yang took longer to decide, and then grabbed a card. Fern and Gus each took a card as well. There were two cards left when it was Maxs turn. A citadel Gloves card, and a cup Grass card. Since his two cards were already citadel cards, he went with that.
Common Gloves Citadel
Transmutes mana neutral matter within aura into a set of gloves sized for the cardholder.
Mana Cost: 12 Refresh: 2.2 Hours Card Level: 0
It looked like a pretty shitty magic power to Max. He decided to withhold judgment until after he tried them out. Maybe they had a hidden power like the hammer did. If it wasnt for the super strike his hammer had, there is no way he could have crippled the titan. Maybe these gloves could let him climb walls like spider-man or something. He tried to absorb the card and try it out, but it wouldnt work. He needed to upgrade his system before he could use more than one card. That was the second round and everyone had two good rewards for the fight for their lives. There was one card left, but he ignored it for now. The rest of the orbs were all the same grade, mostly white with a splash of color. Max passed out one to each of the survivors. That left one card and two orbs unassigned. He motioned Ebba over to them. He stood up so he could see her eye to eye. It didnt work. She was seven feet tall and he still had to look up at her. When she was close he said, I want to renegotiate your fee for escorting us. We had a deal for you to escort twenty-four people to safety. Now there are only nine of us. Naturally your fee has gone down. Now we are only offering one card for the escort. What? No! I get that you are upset, I am upset as well. But it requires almost the same amount of work to escort a lot of people as it does a few. However, in deference to your loss, I will reduce my price slightly. But not down to one card. I wont escort you all the way to the first layer for anything less than three heart-cards. Max shook his head, When you decided to abandon us to our fate, you said the whole journey was a waste. That means you dont live around here and you are heading back home anyway. I bet you live near the first layer, dont you? Take us along and you will earn at least one card. Its this or nothing. Ebba huffed, Yes, I live on the second layer and Im heading home. Like you, Im not yet adjusted to the high mana here. But I will live a lot longer before I die of cancer. Not like you. You have a short while to get there and have no idea where you are going. The other eight humans were watching the exchange raptly, attention bouncing back and forth as they spoke. Sure I do. Its not hard to figure out. As you said, we are on the third layer. We have been heading north this whole time, so that means we are heading towards your home on the second layer. The first layer must be just north of that. We need to cross two mountain ranges and we are safe. Difficult, but possible. Your services are not as valuable as you say. It doesnt matter if you know where you are going. Youll die if you head out on your own. You wont make it out of the third layer, let alone all the way to the first, Ebba countered.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Max- started Ashley. Max just held out his hand to silence her and said, Ebba. Either you leave us having wasted your time, or bring us with and earn something. You will be traveling either way. Why not accept the deal? Ebba rubbed her wounded side and stared Max down. He didnt budge. She hooted in frustration. I will do it for two cards. One upfront, the other when we arrive. Thats the lowest I can go. Max let out a breath he didnt know he was holding. Alright, deal. He reached down and grabbed the card no one wanted. He handed it over and said, Thank you for being reasonable. In turn, we will all do our best to make your job easier. In that case, please be ready to go within 12.5 minutes. We will try, Max replied. She walked away as everyone started packing bags and putting away their loot. Some absorbed the cards they had been given, others packed them away in their bags. Max, Ashey hissed, What were you thinking, negotiating with her like that? Our lives are on the line here. They arent worth a measly two cards. Max shook his head, I did it because I think the cards are worth more than she is letting on. Did you see how fiercely she fought for every card? I think its really rare to have this many cards. Without guns it will be hard to kill a single monster, let alone the dozens we killed today. Cards are worth a lot, I am sure of it. She was this close, this close, to leaving us to die, Max, Ashley said as she held her fingers a centimeter apart. I was bluffing, Ashley. I never would have let her leave. Just consult with me before you risk all of our lives like that! She shouldered her backpack and walked over to the funeral pyre they had set up. Damn. What an ass, Lily said, her hands on her hips. Its been a tough day for everyone. I think thats her best friend she is looking at, he replied. Lily looked away and said, Oh. Sorry. Max patted her on the shoulder and walked over to his pack. After he had the pack clipped into his exoskeleton legs, Yang walked up to him. I have a pack now, so I will not need to borrow from you, Yang said. Max noticed for the first time that her crisp white shirt was dirtied and her left arm torn off. It was used as a bandage on her forearm. Before he could say anything, she held up a small bag. She said, This is a bag of food. Ebba says we will need to eat our own food as much as possible. Are you able to carry it along with your own pack? Yeah, I can add a few pounds, no problem. The only problem will be that these legs wont last. I think Ebba said they are going to break in a couple of days. We can find a new solution then. True, true. Thanks, Yang. I know this isnt what you wanted, but I appreciate you. It helps to have more level heads around. Yang just grunted and walked away. Max turned to see Gus holding a gun''s magazine and talking to Ebba. Max walked over to the two tallest people in the group. Gus said, And all Im saying is lets do a little test. You said you didnt know for sure why they stopped using guns, maybe it was because they ran out of ammo. Fine. We can do a test. As you said, I do have something that should speed up the mana absorption process, Ebba said. She pulled out a small vial of brightly blue liquid. This is mana infused water. Place one of your ammo inside and we will see an explosion. Gus thumbed a bullet out of the magazine and plopped it into the vial. She placed it on the ground and backed up. Then she backed up some more. Max knew that a bullet going off without a gun shouldnt be that dangerous. He backed up anyway. Maybe the mana would change things. Nothing happened. They stared at it for a minute and the bullet just sat there in the water. Ebba insisted it would work, but Max and Gus went back to packing while they waited. Five minutes later, the vial exploded. Gus swore like a sailor and started tossing weapons and ammo. He had a surprisingly large amount. Once everyone was packed and ready to go, they lit the funeral pyre. They stayed long enough to be respectful, but Ebba urged them to leave before any of the monsters came back. Ashley broke down crying and fell to the ground when it was time to go. Her best friend was on that pyre. Max and Lily tried to gently encourage her to get moving again, but she wouldnt respond to them. Eventually, Ebba picked her up and started walking. Gus stood at the edge of the clearing for a moment. When he turned back to join them there were tears on his face. Max was pretty sure he was mourning the two friends he had lost. He wouldnt be too surprised if some of the tears were for the guns they were leaving behind. A few minutes after they started walking, Ashley asked to be put down. She slid to the back of the line, swearing under her breath. They quickly put the meadow of death behind them. Ebba easily cut them a path and kept them all walking swiftly. Max kept an eye on James and made sure to call for a break whenever he was flagging. The temperature had been fine before, but now that they were exercising it felt hot and muggy. Sweat slowly dripped down the humans faces. During one of their breaks, he set up his solar chargers along the back of his pack. It would trickle in energy to his exolegs so he could keep walking all day. When he finished, he noticed something interesting on the side of the path. The ordinary looking fern in front of him was regrowing from the cut Ebba gave it. The growth was fast enough to see new leaves forming and uncurling. He guessed that in a few hours there would be no trace of their passage. It was amazing. Even more amazing to him was how fast Ebba was healing. The large cut on her side had stopped bleeding before they started walking and now the sides were closing. She would be fine by the morning. The humans in the group were healing faster than normal, but nowhere near that fast. Have you ever been to the surface? James asked as Max was lost in wonder. What do you mean? We are on the surface now, Ebba replied and patted the dirt beside her. No, I mean the surface of this planet. Like we are inside the planet now, but what about under our feet? You humans have some crazy ideas. We are not inside a planet. Spinworld is a thin metal sphere floating in the void. Its only three 1.2 miles thick. Then there is a layer of stone and dirt and then everything you see here. What? No way. This place has almost as much gravity as Earth. The gravitational coefficient would require way more mass to create an internal pull this strong, James said mostly to himself. When he realized Ebba was staring at him he shrunk back. Why do you think we call this place Spinworld? Max caught on before James did. He snapped his fingers and said, Centrifugal force! This whole sphere is spinning on an axis. We arent feeling gravity, we are feeling the effects of being spun around. James tilted his head back and forth. I dont know, Max. The centrifugal force required to simulate Earth weight on this large of a structure would create huge stresses on the materials. Something they clearly figured out already. And the forces wouldnt be that large, locally we arent moving that fast. Max said. He turned to Ebba and said, Is the gravity lighter on layer one and nonexistent on the poles? No one ever visits the north and south poles, so I wouldnt know. But yes, you feel a bit lighter on layer one, Ebba said. Max turned to James with a grin. He knew his friend would understand what that meant. The smaller circumference of layer one with the same rate of spin as the rest of the sphere would result in a lower artificial gravity. James stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry. Max laughed and went back to walking, trying to catch glimpses of magic plants. Over time, Maxs wonder at the alien jungle faded. He started thinking about his build, how he would level up his system and which cards he would focus on. His hammer card was a great start, especially once he figured out the super-strike. In order to use either of the other two cards, he would have to make a choice in his system. To specialize by merging it all into one card, or generalize and hold dozens at once. Ebba recommended he not put any points into his system, but he was going to do it anyway. The potential benefits of having more magic at his fingertips outweighed the slight risks she mentioned. He pulled up his system and read over the descriptions again.
Merge cards within the heart deck to create stronger cards with modified effects. Specialize or Generalize Gain the ability to hold more cards at once and choose their interactions.
His heart said go for broke and get the powerful card from specialize. His brain said they needed to survive and a variety of cards was the only way to do that. Chapter 11: I鈥檓 Not Spooning Anyone Max considered himself a responsible kind of guy. He never missed work, supported his foster parents when they needed it, and was always there for his friends. Thats why it surprised him when he picked the reckless choice. He chose Specialize in his system. It would let him build a powerful card, but it was a risky choice. He would have great strength, but great weaknesses too. Retroactively, he justified the decision to himself. He would need a lot of power if Ebba ever decided to abandon them. He had friends that could cover his weaknesses. These were good points, but he knew the real reason he chose to specialize. His twelve-year-old self would have thought it was cool. He chuckled to himself and took out the Augment magic card from his pants pocket. This time the card easily slid into his chest, setting up residence there. He pulled out the Gloves card too, but it wouldnt go in. Max sighed in frustration. Was the Gloves card too weak or was there a limit to how many cards he could merge together? Max gazed into the center of his soul to investigate. To his surprise, there were two cards there. Hadnt he picked Specialize? Hurriedly, he pulled up his system and double checked.
Benefits: Can add one additional card to your active deck. Card effects morph to closer match each other. Specialize Level 1 Drawbacks: Cannot remove cards from deck. All cards must be the same suit.
This was unexpected. He had picked Specialize, but the cards hadnt merged. Apparently that was an effect of higher level Specialize. At this level, he could just change the effects of the cards a bit. That was a bit underwhelming. He checked out his cards again to see what changed.
Advanced Hammer Citadel
Transmutes mana neutral matter within aura into a hammer based on the cardholder.
Mana Cost: 32 Refresh: 0.6 Hours Card Level: 3
Ooh, it changed from common to advanced. That made it better in almost every way. The description was simpler, which meant that there were fewer restrictions on what he could make. The refresh was half of what it was before, the card level went from one to three. The mana cost was higher, but he could still afford to use it. All and all, a fantastic improvement. He read over the description again and realized something exciting. It didnt say crafting hammer anymore. Now it just said hammer. That meant he should be able to make a war hammer now. A war hammer with a magic strike. He barely stopped himself from giggling with glee. He decided to try it out. A problem presented itself. The card used his mental image to create the hammer, but he didnt really know what a war hammer looked like. He didnt even know how big it should be. Thankfully, he had the answer tucked away in his pack. Wikipedia. Months ago he had bought a used kindle paperwhite and an SD card. It wasnt too hard to get the entire thing downloaded. He had to cut most of the pictures to get it to fit, but he kept everything related to medieval stuff. war hammers certainly counted. He couldnt get into his pack right now though. They had just finished a break and it would be miles until they stopped again. He shelved that idea and checked the Augment card next. His shoulders slumped. It had gone down from exceptional to advanced.
Advanced Augment Citadel
Transmutes a metal object within aura into a better version of itself. May choose to slightly reinforce material or create a slightly stronger magical effect. Final size may be increased by additional metal.
Mana Cost: 42 Charge: .9 Hours Card Level: 3
The refresh went up and the card level went down. But the worst part was that the card only worked with metal objects now. That was a huge downgrade from what it was before. He went from being able to augment everything he was wearing, down to being able to augment his pots and pans. He couldnt take the card out of his deck, so that mistake was permanent. He cursed his impulsiveness. He should have asked Ebba more questions. Now he was reluctant to add the glove card to his deck in case it brought the other two down to common. He literally started cursing himself. You ok up there, buddy? James said, huffing a bit. Max clenched and unclenched his fists. Im fine. I picked Specialize, but I think it might have been a mistake. He went on to explain what he did and how it changed his cards. So the best card I might ever see is now just an advanced card. Easy come, easy go, James said. Max turned around and glared at him, Getting that card was definitely not easy. James held up his hands in surrender, I know, I know. We all almost died. I said you are a hero, didnt I? What I meant is that you didnt work years to get that card. You got it the day you appeared here. And you were willing to let any one of us have it. Would you be as upset if Gus had taken the card and you were left with two common cards? Well, no. I wouldnt have cared. Then celebrate! You started with a common card, and now you have two advanced cards. Take the win, buddy, James said. Max grumbled but didnt reply. His friend had a point. Maybe he should just be happy that his hammer card was much better now. It was tough to get his head wrapped around it right now though. Maybe he would feel better after he created a war hammer. Hold, hatchlings. There is a monster nearby, Ebba said. She seemed relaxed, but no one else was. Max felt his heart rate rising and saw a panicked look on James face. Ashley let out an eep and covered her mouth. Everyone stood stock still as Ebba stared up into the trees. She took out her bone knife and stick with her lower hands and passed them up to her upper hands. She stood there motionless for a moment. Then she flung the knife high into the air. It flew straight up until she yanked the stick sideways. The knife made a right hand turn and stabbed into a monster. Max hadnt seen it until she hit the monsters neck. It shrieked faintly as it fell forty feet. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. It was a six armed monkey lizard. It had fur and fingers, but also a thick tail and scaled face. Despite the knife in its neck and the long fall, it still wasnt dead. Ebba had to stab it with her spear to silence it. A small orb appeared above its body and she grabbed it as she took out her knife. Moments later, she was hacking her way through the jungle again. Max walked around the monkey lizard, breathing hard. The monster was bigger than him with huge muscles. He hadnt seen it at all even though its brown fur didnt really match the trees above them. That thing would have easily killed him. He shivered despite the warm weather. He kept an eye on the jungle above them more now. He didnt notice any other monsters, but he did notice a lot more vines in this area. Some of them had large blue spheres on them. They were as big as his head and came in clumps. Max moved forward in line to ask Ebba about it. Yes, those are the water berries I talked about. Its the safest water you will find on this level because the plant removes the mana from the spheres as it grows them. Careful when you pluck them, the skin is very thin, Ebba said. Max and Gus walked over to the closest cluster and grabbed one. It felt like a plastic bag of water, jiggling and wobbling. Gus pinched it and opened it with his teeth. He took a small sip and waffled his hand back and forth. Evidently the taste wasnt great. Max decided to stick with his own water and passed his water berry on to Kezhi. The short ponytailed guy had run out of water already. He gave Max a little bow. Or at least as good as one as you can do while walking through the jungle. Thank you, honored Max. For the water and for leading us to victory, Kezhi said. No need to call me honored. Im just a regular guy that got lucky. I am sure you will be the next one to save us all, Max said as he waved the compliment away. This one wishes that it was so. Unfortunately, circumstances are showing that my bravery is lacking. Max didnt quite know what to say to that. Lily saved him by jumping in. She said, Dont worry Kezhi. When the time comes, you will rise to the occasion. You just havent found the perfect moment yet. Kezhi almost unbalanced himself by turning and giving her two shallow bows. Thank you for your kind words. I will live up to your confidence in me, I swear it! Feng faded back as his friend grew louder. He looked embarrassed to know Kezhi. Lily''s smile grew strained. Kezhi continued, oblivious. The problem earlier must have been my tools. My magic card is blue cutting glass, but it was only level zero before. I have brought it up to four now, so it should be a deadly weapon, ready to defend your honor! Lily looked like she regretted saying anything. Kezhi paused, unsure of what to do with that reaction. Max decided to save him by changing the subject. So, Kezhi. Im here to find my brother. What brought you to Spinworld? My quest is also related to my family. I am here to bring honor to my family. Our name has been tarnished in China, to the extent that we didnt have enough social credit to use their portal. I will restore our honor and return triumphant. Feng caught up and said, You told me your family kicked you out for playing too much Starcraft. You said you had nowhere else to go." Yes, that too, Kezhi said with a nod. Max and Lily chuckled while Feng rolled his eyes. They went back to quietly walking through the forest. Max was impressed with how well everyone was keeping up. James was huffing and puffing, but everyone else was able to keep up the pace without falling apart. Gus was the oldest of the group, probably older than forty, but he was one of the fittest. He had a wiry build that hinted at hours of daily exercise. The rest of them had varying levels of fitness. Most of them young enough that their age gave them enough stamina to keep up. Max pulled out his phone to check the time. It wouldnt turn on. The mana must have already shorted out its circuits. In fact, the phone was starting to get hot. He decided to chuck it before the battery blew up on him. He told the others to check their phones. Half of them found out their phone was dead, and the other half had already ditched theirs. That still left him with his original question. How long are days here? Max said, looking into the sky. All he saw was leaves. The normal amount, twelve 2.1 hours. Of that, night is exactly four 2.1 hours long. Our day isnt quite over, but we could stop early if you are getting tired, Ebba said. That might be a good idea, some of us are not used to this much walking, Max said. So days are uhhh... Before Max could do the mental math Lily said, Twenty-five hours and twelve minutes. Of that, eight hours and 24 minutes is nighttime. Max smiled and said, Thanks. He remembered now that James said she had a real mind for numbers. She might be the youngest in the group, but she was probably the best at math. Ebba said, Yes, that is what I said. We will be able to stop in a short while. I want to sleep out of the range of the mana converters. Whats a mana converter? Max asked. Its an integral part of the mana environment that keeps the layers discrete. You humans call them dungeons for reasons that have never made sense to me, Ebba replied. Theres dungeons here? Gus said excitedly. Are they a series of connected caves with monsters and traps and magic loot? Close. Its in a tower. The rest is all true. The dungeon builders have truly twisted minds. Gus looked happier than ever. He said, Really? Can we go visit one? Please? No. We wont even venture near them unless we have to. There is always a risk of a mandatory quest forcing us inside. You would not survive the experience. Mandatory quest? The builders in charge of the mana converters need constant visitors. When no one has visited in a while, everyone within miles is forced inside on pain of death. I spit on the dungeon builder''s empty clutch, Ebba said and matched word to action. You mentioned the Builders before, what are they? Max said. He jumped in because he could tell Gus was starting to get frustrated. How should I explain? Hmm.There are different Builders in charge of different aspects of the world around us. Some tend to the weather and plants, others to monsters and magic cards. Few have strong feelings about those Builders. However, the Builders in charge of the dungeons are universally hated. The dungeons are dangerous and the rewards they pass out are sadistic. Almost all of them are cursed with just enough left uncursed to keep people returning. The dungeon builders are malevolent pond scum. Really? Wow. Im just surprised that you think the dungeon builder is an asshole. I thought you guys worshiped them, Gus said. Ebba looked at him in shock and then twitched all four hands in laughter. You- You call people you dislike assholes. How perfect, because they spew shit. I will have to steal that one. To answer your question, no one worships the Builders. They are mortals just like the rest of us. Some respect the Builders, others hate them, but no one worships them. They may be powerful, but they make mistakes like all mortals. Mistakes? Like what? Well, the most obvious one is with the magic cards. They have populated the world with magic cards since the beginning. However, some of those cards malfunctioned and killed the wielder. The Builders scrapped the whole pack and came out with a new deck of cards to fix the problem. It wasnt long until new problems arose. We are now on the sixth pack since the inception of the world. You mean our world is created and maintained by programmers that push out buggy code on a Friday? Max said in shock. The translation magic struggled with that one, Ebba said. Nevermind. Its just concerning that their mistakes might kill us. Indeed. This pack has been stable for years, but you shouldnt trust the Builders blindly. Its why you should be wary of any quest that isnt mandatory. Sometimes those quests are simply the whims of bored Builders. She paused and clarified, You should also be wary of mandatory quests as well, but you must fulfill them regardless. Max nodded and they fell into silence as they continued to walk. As promised, Ebba stopped not too much later. She had found an enormous kapok tree to use. The roots were like flying buttresses, creating walls taller than even Ebbas seven foot frame. Someone told me that humans like to sleep separated by gender, is that true? Ebba said. Yes, normally. Unless they are in a romantic couple, humans usually dont sleep next to someone of the opposite sex," Max said. Fascinating. Well, I suppose I can be the barrier. We can have the females huddle together over here, and the males over there. I will sleep in between the two groups. Uh, I dont think there will be enough room in this section of the roots for even half of us, Max said. Well have to spread out around the tree. Nonsense, we can easily all fit in this section. And dont worry about standing watch. My Disregard card will work even when I am sleeping. The effect is smaller then, but still big enough to cover this area here. Max shook his head, No, thats not what I meant. Well want to set up tents and give each other privacy. Humans sleep in tents like the Paj? How sad. No. We wont be doing that. Everyone will sleep huddled together as is right and good. I dont think that everyones going to agree to that, Max said as he looked at the other portal jumpers. James looked terrified, Lily too. To his surprise, Gus just shrugged. Max continued, What if it rains in the night? Ebba clapped her hands and said, That is no worry. There is no weather like you are used to on your homeworld. It rains once a day, just after night ends. So there is no reason to separate yourselves with tents. Max looked back to the humans and said, Come on guys, help me out here. James didnt say anything, but looked around with panic in his eyes. Feng shrugged and said, I will follow the advice of our guide. Kezhi and Yang nodded along with him. Gus said, Im not spooning anyone, but I dont mind sleeping under the stars. Or trees in this case. Max slumped his shoulders, I guess Im outvoted. Sleeping bag huddle it is. He sighed and unclipped his bag. Dont worry Max Kraft. We will arrive at the City of Wild Plums by tomorrow. You can sleep on your own while I sleep with the Lunuk clutch, Ebba said cheerfully. Max shook his head and started unpacking. He was going to make dinner before they turned in. Chapter 12: How Did You Know? The others took one look at Maxs food and made him the camp chef. They had spent the day eating snacks and granola. Max had dozens of delicious freeze dried meals. The decision was an easy one. He grumbled about it, telling them all they would hate anything he made that required more than boiling water. He wasnt really upset though. A large chunk of his pack was full of camping food and if it didnt get eaten now, it would be wasted when his exoskeleton legs failed and he had to ditch most of his pack. His pot wasnt big enough to boil water for nine people at once, but he should be able to get it done in two batches. His cooking gear was fairly simple for how expensive it had been. He had a single burner on a small stand. It worked with a small gas canister and was just big enough for the large pot and pans that went with it. The reason it was all so expensive was that it was light, specially made for those backpacking deep into the wilds. While he was waiting for water to boil, the others were quietly chatting. Feng was flirting with Fern. To Guss astonishment, it was working. Ashley was trying to get to know Yang and Lily, who were being as minimally polite as possible. Kezhi and James were on opposite sides of the group, each practicing their magic cards. James was experimenting with a row of ferns, probably trying to improve his Decay technique. Kezhi was trying to create a glass shard and hold it before releasing it. Max realized with a shock that he hadnt tested out his modified Hammer card yet. He excitedly pulled out his kindle paperwhite and mentally crossed his fingers that it would still work. It did! It was e-ink so Max guessed that low power gadgets would last longer than other tech. It didnt take long for Max to find what he was looking for. There was a whole article about them with links to other entries for specific types of war hammers. He decided to go with the standard one in the picture. It was three feet long with a wooden haft. It had a small head and a spike on the back. Max grabbed an appropriately sized stick and focused on the hammer. After getting the image firmly in his head, Max clicked that mental button to activate his card. He could feel the magic trying to create a smaller hammer, he focused harder and pushed his mental image into the card. Dancing lights started near his hand and rushed up the stick, transforming it as it went. Within ten seconds, he was holding an almost perfect replica of the war hammer in the article. The only difference he could see was that the materials were different. The metal and handle were made of the same materials as his carpentry hammer, instead of the ones in the article. Max didnt mind. The metal in his hammer was probably much better than the one they used in medieval times. The whole thing was lighter than he expected, even with the extra metal. He wasnt sure if that was a mistake in crafting, or if the real thing was light. The article did mention that they werent that heavy. The pot of water was boiling by then, so he portioned it out into five pouches. The water would rehydrate the food inside within a few minutes. He insisted everyone wait to eat until all the portions were ready. Ebba had rejected his offer of food, so it would be just the nine humans eating soon. He plopped a few more water berries in the pot and lit the gas again. While he waited, Max stood up and walked a little way away from the group. He wanted to practice using his war hammer. He fell into a karate stance and gave the hammer a few test swings. It was well balanced. It didnt take more than a few swipes for him to realize he had no idea what he was doing. He had done some training with a spear and knife, but none with a mace or hammer. He decided to stop before he built bad habits. The only thing left to test was his hammers super-strike. The first test was to see what it took to activate. He tapped a nearby patch of dirt. Nothing happened. He hit it harder and harder, trying to find the sweet spot. It never triggered. His expression fell. Did war hammers not come with a super-strike? Maybe there was a mental component. This time he tapped the dirt, but with the mental image of a strong blow. Dirt exploded up as his hammer flashed blue. Max coughed and spit dirt out of his mouth. He shook his hair to clean it off. Once they saw he was fine, the group laughed at him. Even Ebba was laughing with all four hands. Max shrugged in embarrassment and walked over to her. Hey, Ebba? Can I ask you about my Hammer card? She was arranging huge leaves into a small bed in the crook of the tree. Yes, but only a few questions. Your kind talks too much and the day is almost over. Sorry for all the questions today. Everything is so new. I will be quick. First off, what do you know about the mana powered hammer strike I just used? Not much. I dont have any weapon cards in my active deck. All I know is that a small few of them have an extra magical effect. Its always related to its form. Swords cut better, arrows fly faster, that kind of thing. I guess your hammer hits harder. How often can I use it? I mean, it clearly uses mana, but how much? It has to be a lot, so I need to plan out my super-strikes. I used it once in the fight with the titan and couldnt use it again for the rest of the fight. What? No. You dont use your own mana for that. Stupid hatchling. Your hammer pulls in ambient mana to recharge itself. Thats what the refresh tab is for. It tells you how often you can use the weapons magical effect. Oooh, thats what its for. I thought the refresh was for how often I could create a hammer. She scoffed, No, of course not. As long as you have enough mana, you can use your cards nonstop. Ok, thanks for the clarification, Ebba. Ill quit bothering you now, Max said and walked back to his pot of water. The revelation about refreshes changed how he thought about his hammers. It was too bad that no matter how big his mana pool got, he would never be able to constantly send out super-strikes. However, it also meant that if he had time to prepare, he could have a dozen hammers ready. That way he could use super-strike twelve times in a row without touching his mana pool. Nice. The water finished boiling then and Max poured them into four more pouches. He folded over the tops and had everyone gather together for dinner. He wanted to build a fire for that camping vibe, but Ebba had nixed that earlier. The smoke would draw in monsters for miles. Once everyone was gathered together, Max handed out the meals.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. So yummy, Max, Lily said as she did a little happy wiggle. I was expecting to have to rough it out here, but this is as good as you can get in a restaurant. Maybe a really shitty restaurant, Ashley said. When she realized everyone had heard her, she added, But I am really grateful, Max. Thanks for making dinner. Max smiled. He didnt mind her insulting the food. He had given her one of the worst packets, the mountain chili. He only brought it along because it came in a variety pack. His own meal, the Thai chicken curry, was delicious. The only one better was the bison chorizo hash, but he was saving that one for when he needed a pick-me-up. By the way, everyone, Max said between bites. I just learned something from Ebba about the cards. If you have a citadel card, the objects you create can have a magical effect. The refresh timer is how often you can use it. Lily pointed with her fork and said, Oh, oh! I learned some magic facts too. We should all tell each other stuff about the system. Our own little tutorial. They had a discussion about system and magic cards with everyone sharing. Max already knew most of it, but he learned a few new facts. Fern softly said, I was having trouble keeping up until I picked Levitate. It made me lighter right away, maybe twenty pounds. I can walk easier and jump higher now. The only drawback is that its bad for you if you keep it on too long. I can turn it on or off whenever I want. Max perked up. His exolegs were going to fail soon, if he invested heavily in Levitate, he would be able to carry his heavy pack because he wouldnt have to carry himself. A few moments of consideration had him discarding the idea. It would be dumb to make a permanent decision to solve a temporary problem. He thought that he would love to be able to fly, but he would do more research before making a choice he couldnt undo. Couple of you picked Specialize. Anybody pick Broaden? Lily asked. I did, James said. When everyone turned to look at him, he suddenly focused on his meal. Anything you can tell us about it, buddy? Max said. James looked at Max and said, Well, I had to pick Broaden because I dont want to become an afflictions specialist. I want to be a good guy, not an evil wizard. He looked around and faltered. Max gave him an encouraging look. James said, So anyway. Each point will allow you to add another card to your deck and you can take it out if you want. It has to be a different suit though. All six new cards have to be a different suit. Interesting. So do you already have three cards slotted now? Uh, no. I have two Clover suit cards so I cant slot the second one. Gus said, I have a Cup suit I dont want. Ill trade you. Is it the flower one? Max asked with a grin. Gus turned to him, How did you know? You were saying it out loud earlier. What does it do, create flowers? Gus shook his head. No, it induces growth and blossoming. It would be great for a farmer. Ah, thanks but... James started and trailed off awkwardly. Gus frowned but said nothing. Fern said, What does your Clover suit card do, James? Its called Ossification. Basically you can make a monster''s bones heavy and fuse them together, James said. Eww, nasty. I want it, Lily said. A laugh tumbled out of James mouth and they started negotiating. It turned out that half the group wanted to trade cards. Fern ended up with the Ossification card and James got a Sonic Step card. Feng was happy to trade when Ashley offered a Barkskin card for his large orb. Yang and Lily traded their main cards, with Lily playing with her Mushroomantis summons right away. No one wanted Gus cards. Ebba was vaguely upset about the whole process, but she couldnt articulate why. The general consensus in Lunuk culture was you werent supposed to ever trade cards. She said it was bad manners, but didnt know of any specific consequences of breaking the taboo. When the conversation wound down, they started cleaning up. Max was still packing up when the lights went out. One moment it was daytime, the next it was pitch black. Fern and James squawked in fear and Max fumbled for his hammer. Calm down, hatchlings. Thats just nighttime. There is no danger, Ebba said in the darkness. Max put a hand to his beating heart. That had been sudden. Either something had crossed in front of the sun, or they had simply turned off the sun. Clearly the sun was artificial, so perhaps it was possible. Max didnt put it past the mysterious Builders. Eventually, their eyes adjusted to the darkness. It wasnt pitch black and they could see vague shapes like there was a light on in the other room. Max pulled out his sleeping bag and pad and set them up next to James. The pad had foam inside it, so when he opened a valve, it inflated itself. The extra padding meant that sleeping on the dirt was perfectly comfortable. James had the same type of pad, but Gus had an even better one. He was almost sleeping on an air mattress. Lily tried to set up her pad and sleeping bag right next to James. Uh, Lily. Does Yang have a sleeping pad? Cus if not, maybe you should share. You are both small enough to share, James said awkwardly. To her credit, Lily recognised the brush off and set up her pad on the other side of Ebba. Yang thanked her and they shared the pad with separate sleeping bags. Kezhi and Feng didnt have padding, only a thin sleeping bag between the two of them. Ebba pulled them both onto her leaf bedding and was asleep in moments. Max had to stop himself from laughing. The purple-skinned Lunuk had a different arm draped over three people and was pulling them close. Max was pretty sure that the humans around her would take a lot longer to fall asleep. To his surprise, he was completely wrong. The exhaustion of the day caught up with him right after he laid down and he was out like a light. Waking up the next morning gave Max a strange sense of vertigo. The feeling of bizarre unreality washed over him in waves. Was he really on an alien world with magic or was it all a fever dream? It took him a few minutes before he was fully awake and existence solidified itself around him. The sky was still dark, but Max could tell he wasnt going to be able to fall back to sleep. He carefully extricated himself from the huddle of bodies. Ebba had pulled them all close in her sleep. Max was the second one awake, Gus having already gotten up and was sitting on a tree root nearby. Max nodded as he joined him on the root. They sat in silence, observing the jungle around them. There was a faint breeze flowing through the trees, making for a nice morning. It was still warm, just nicer than the heat of the day. While they sat there, Max reached down and grabbed a stick. With a mental click, he transmuted it into a war hammer. This time around he focused on making the spike on the back sharp and thin. It worked and he happily showed it off. Gus nodded distractedly. You check your mandatory quest yet? Gus softly whispered. Max hadnt, so he mentally prodded the core in his chest. A moment later, a message appeared. Mandatory Quest Your body cannot handle the high quantities of mana in the local area. Although mana is normally beneficial, healing wounds and strengthening bodies, your biology hasn''t adjusted to it yet. Return to a low mana area within [26] cycles or you will develop incurable cancer. Yesterday the message said 28 cycles, and now it said 26. Damn. Just did. It says 26 cycles now. You thinking its moving faster than it should? Maybe its two cycles per day? Gus shrugged. Well have to ask Ebba when she wakes up. Chapter 13: Can You Hit Me? Max swore softly. If a single day counted as two cycles, they would have 14 days, not 28. Ebba had told them they had plenty of time to make it to the first layer, but 14 days didnt seem like enough. He made breakfast while he thought about it. Powdered eggs and instant coffee. It wasnt good food, but at least it was Earth food. The food hadnt had the time to soak up ambient mana so it was safer than the tastier options around them. He was pretty sure he saw a mango tree a few hundred feet back, but he didnt dare check. Dawn came like a runaway train. He heard something strange in the distance, rapidly approaching. Light swept across the jungle and a few seconds later came the rain. It sounded like torrential rain, but the canopy softened it to gentle drips by the time it got to the ground level. Ebba was awake and held a large leaf over her head as an umbrella. Most of the humans woke up wet and confused. Max snapped a few leaves off and hurried over to help. It wasnt very effective, everything was damp before he got there. The rain passed. After a bit of grumbling about lack of warning, they hung up the sleeping bags to dry. Once everyone calmed down Max started serving up the food. He gave everyone a little less than what he considered a good breakfast. He needed to stretch the food as much as he could. He couldnt afford to feed nine people for a month with what he brought in his pack. While they ate, Max said, Hey, Ebba. My mandatory quest shows 26 cycles until we have to be on the first layer. Does a day count as two cycles? No, a cycle is a day. The words are interchangeable. Your cycles probably went down because you had an eventful day yesterday. Leveling up probably reduced your counter. Either that or you ate too much mana rich food. Max shook his head, he had been careful about not eating the food around here. What happens if we keep leveling up? There are monsters everywhere. Can we make it to the first layer in fourteen days? That would be tough, but possible. I wouldnt worry too much about it, though. Your timer will count down slower once we get to the second layer. I would guess everyone has 24 days even if you level up a few more times. If you are worried about it, try not to absorb more mana than you need to, Ebba said lackadaisically. She was eating a mango, juice dripping down her chin. Max narrowed her eyes. Was she teasing them that she could eat a mango and they couldnt? He shook his head and said, Alright, everyone. Lets pack up. The sun will rise soon and well want to be walking by then. As they started packing up, Gus stopped and stared at Ashley. He said, Where did you get all those orbs? I thought we divided things fairly. Ashley stuffed them deep into her bag. I picked up some unclaimed ones. Dont worry about it, ok? Wait. You took the orbs from the dead people? You robbed corpses? How could you? What the hell are you talking about? We all took the cards, but you are upset I took the orbs too? You rifled through their pockets and kept everything to yourself! You are a grave robber! Gus said, his arms flailing. Gus, knock it off. Arguing about it wont change what she did and we need to get going. Ashley, you know keeping the orbs for yourself was wrong, quit trying to defend yourself. And talk to the rest of us before you consider doing something like desecrating the dead, Max said. He was starting to get tired of breaking up fights between those two. Gus scowled and put his hand up like he was going to hit Ashley. When she flinched, he stepped back and scoffed at her. He went back to packing up. Max joined him, making sure to strap the two war hammers he had made to the sides of his pack. Max said, Ebba, you ready to go? She wiped her hands off on her silver tunic. The juice absorbed into the cloth and left her hands and tunic spotless. Sure, I was just waiting on my little nestlings to be ready. Lets go. Ashley grumbled something in response, but not loud enough for anyone to hear. They headed out. Just like yesterday they walked in a single file with Ebba leading the way. Max dropped back to walk with his friends. He said, How are you guys doing today? I cant believe I dont have blisters, James said. Yesterday was the most I have ever hiked in my life. I did have blisters, Yang said. Dress shoes arent exactly the best hiking shoes. But when I woke up this morning, they were gone. I had some scratches and bruises heal up as well. Max looked at her shoes for the first time. He winced as he thought about how uncomfortable they must be. She hadnt complained once. Yang was more of a badass than he had realized. When we get to Plum City we should see about finding a cobbler, Lily said. I dont know what kind of quality we can expect, but I hate seeing you in pain. Dont worry about my feet. Ill take care of myself, Yang said sternly. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Im just trying to be nice. You dont have to be snippy about it, Lily fired back. I bet they will have magic cobblers. I mean, Max has his hammer card, maybe someone out there has a shoes card, James said blithely. Max did his best not to sigh. Sometimes James really couldn''t read a room. Max had to tell people more than once that James wasnt autistic. But telling people that James'' mom had him tested twice for autism wasnt exactly a ringing endorsement. Travel slowed down a bit today. The trees were thicker in this part of the jungle. That meant there was less underbrush to cut through, but it also meant that Ebba couldnt lead them in a straight line anymore. Boredom had him thinking about his gloves card. He asked Ebba about how it would affect his deck, but she didnt have answers for him. She chose Generalize instead of the Specialize he had chosen. If he was going to get answers, he would have to risk it. He spent a few more hours thinking about the pros and cons. Eventually, he pulled up his system and leveled up Specialize two more times. That left him with 9 free points in case he needed them. As he expected, the change gave him two more slots he could use to absorb a card. He pulled the Gloves card from his pack and pushed it into his chest. He could almost feel his cards changing as they merged closer to each other. The first thing he checked was the descriptions of his Hammer and Augment cards. They were entirely unchanged. That was unexpected. Why had both cards changed the first time, but not this time? He shook it off and read the new Gloves card. Its description had changed.
Advanced Gloves Citadel
Transmutes mana neutral matter within aura into gloves of the cardholders design.
Mana Cost: 22 Refresh: 1.2 Hours Card Level: 1
Instead of a common card, it was advanced like the other two now. It had gained a card level and cost more mana now. He thought the refresh rate had gone down too. Most importantly, the card said he could make gloves of his own design. Maybe that meant he could make gauntlets now. He had to try it out right away. Nearby leaves were sacrificed for transmutation material. He didnt exactly know what a gauntlet looked like so he pulled out his kindle. To his surprise, the e-ink reader still worked. The Wikipedia article wasnt very clear about how to make one, but thankfully there was a picture. When he felt ready, he clicked that mental button and watched little white lights bend matter to his will. The resulting gloves were gauntlet-like. They were long gloves that had metal plates sewn onto the outside. He loved them. It meant that he could hold everything with the comfort of well fitted gloves, but the back of his palm and forearm were protected by metal plates. They were lighter than he expected, but still sturdy enough to protect him. He put them on right away. So cool! James said. Max turned and grinned. Yeah, they are. They probably have a magical effect too. Oh, so like a super punch or a mana shield? Something like that. You want a pair too? Nah. Im barely surviving as it is. I dont think I could handle even two more pounds to carry around. James said huffing and puffing. Max nodded. If he didnt still have the exo-legs, he might feel the same way. James suggestion about a super punch made him want to try that out. He punched a nearby tree a few times. Nothing happened. That didnt bother him though. He already had an attack with his war hammers. Hopefully, the gauntlets would provide some defense or other magical effect. He looked around to ask someone to hit his gauntlets as a test. James was too exhausted to talk, let alone swing a weapon. Feng was nearby, still flirting with Fern. He always seemed to know the right thing to say. There might be a budding romance there. He passed them to walk near Yang. Hey, Yang. I wanna test out a new card. Can you hit me? Max said. Yang nodded and punched him in the chest strong enough to make him stumble back. Max coughed and said, The gauntlets. I wanna test out the gauntlets. Yang shook her head. Why didnt you say so? She pulled out a knife. Max hurriedly put his forearms together and hid behind them. Yang scoffed and stabbed the metal plates a few times. She hid the knife away and said, Any other tests? No, thats quite enough. Thank you. I thought they might have some magic defense, but I guess not. Max was a bit disappointed. If they werent shielding gauntlets, it probably meant that the magic effect was something related to gloves. Maybe he could handle acid or something now. Not that he would want to test it by dipping his hand into something caustic. Maybe he could get the gloves appraised or something. With the gloves card a mixed bag, Max turned his thoughts towards using his points from leveling up. He didnt have another magic card, so there was no point in leveling up his Specialize again. Maybe he could choose a different option on his system and level that up instead.
Max Kraft (Level 6)
Sight or Insight
Flow or Resistance
Presence or Paranoia
Quicken or Broaden
Weight or Levitate
Specialize 3
?(9 free points)?
Max still had five choices to make. Better senses, or the ability to see magic. Using magic easier or resisting magical attacks. Become intimidating or fade into the background. Faster mana and health regeneration, or bigger pools of each. Get tough and heavy or light and agile. Each one of those choices were permanent and life altering. He had already discovered unexpected drawbacks to the choice he made with Specialize. That should convince him to take his time making up his mind for the rest of his system choices. It would be careless to pick before he had properly researched. Still. He wanted to pick one now. Chapter 14: We Have Company He was starting to realize what Ebba meant when she said humans were addicted to leveling up. It wasnt that he was jonesing for another hit, it was that he wanted to make himself more. To escape the bounds he was born with and improve himself. The the more he used magic, the more he felt it. He really wanted to get more powerful. Not necessarily more deadly, he didnt feel the need to be a killing machine. He just wanted to be more than he was before. On Earth, that meant exercising and getting a job in construction. In this world, that meant magic. That realization helped him solidify some choices. He was going to pick Insight and probably Flow too. Both of them focused on magic, seeing it and using it. In the books, being able to perceive magic was a prerequisite to getting better at using magic. Max was leaning towards picking Insight today. He had already been using his magic cards, so it wasnt like he had to have the help. His idea was that being able to see magic would help him use it better. His mind made up, Max pulled up his system and chose Insight. Since he had the points, he went ahead and raised it to six right away. He was planning on putting more in, but it stopped there. It must not be able to be higher than his level. He excitedly looked around the forest. Everything looked the same. Maybe there was a little bit of haze around everything now, but he might have been imagining it. He pulled up his system again to double check that it had worked. It showed he had three free points and the first row had changed.
Benefits: See mana in use and track its origin. Fathom basic information about magic items. Range 24.8 feet Insight Level 6 Drawbacks: Physical senses will never improve. Items that improve physical senses have a reduced effect.
It had clearly worked. He liked the look of those benefits, but was a bit bummed about the drawbacks. Never improving his physical senses, that would put him at a disadvantage to others that did. And apparently there were items to fix that, but they wouldnt work as well for him. He wondered if that was part of the reason Ebba told them not to mess with their system. He focused on Ebba as he thought about her. Insight kicked in and he saw something more. She was spewing something into the air like a fountain. Waves of something intangible were spreading out from her, moving as fast as a shockwave. It wasnt anything he could see with his eyes, but he knew it was there nonetheless. It had to be her card. She was constantly using her Disregard card. This must be what her magic in use looked like. He tried to trace the waves of magic she was sending out, but he lost track of them almost immediately. Perhaps he couldnt expect too much from six points. He looked down to his gauntlets. Those were magical, right? He stared at them for a bit, trying to tease out the lines of mana he knew had to be flowing through them. He didnt see what he was looking for, but he did see something interesting. Gloves, Charged Max smiled as he read the glowing blue words. Insight was their version of inspect. He could learn about magical items by staring at them for long enough for the system to give him their description. And those two words told him a lot. The system still considered them gloves, despite the fact they were really gauntlets. The word charged could only mean their magical ability. Insight would allow him to look at his hammers and gloves and tell if they were able to use their magic ability at the moment. Convenient. It would be nice if it told him what his gloves did. He could add it to his deck, but then he couldnt ever remove it. He needed to figure out if adding a common card to his deck would lower the grade of his other cards. Still, he was tempted to do it anyway. Maybe Ebba was more right than he thought. He really wanted to just level up again and again. He distracted himself by testing his new sense. For the next several minutes, he stared at plants and people around him. No words appeared until he came across an unearthly plant. It was one of those fractal plants with red flowers poking out of the middle. The edges of the plants leaves continued their fractal pattern longer than should be possible.. Max usually avoided looking at them since it gave him a headache. This time it made him smile. Romanesco Rose - Ingredient Fascinating. This meant that alchemy was a thing in this world. His Insight would help him find magical plants and he could sell or use them. He turned to find Ebba and ask her if it was worth harvesting. The fact that she hadnt harvested a single plant despite having storage shorts implied that it wasnt worth it. Before Max could say anything, Ebba suddenly changed their route. Their winding path had been mostly northern, until just after the most recent break. She had cut west and sped up a bit. Max made his way to the front of the line. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Ebba, why are we going west now? Are we close to the city? No, there is no such thing as west. We are walking spinward. East is anti-spinward. Ok, fine. Why are we walking spinward now? Are we close to the city? No, we wont get to the city for a while yet. We need to make a little detour to visit your friends. Friends? What friends? Max looked back, but everyone was there. Wait? Do you mean the five that abandoned us? I wouldnt call them friends. Not anymore. Regardless, we must visit them. Max wanted to say more, but Ebba sped up, indicating the conversation was over. About ten minutes later, they came across the five humans that had abandoned the rest. They were spread out across a small clearing. All of them were dead. The remains of the tall guy with the shield was the closest. The others were spread out in a line with Kristina being the furthest. They were all face down, like they had run and got cut down before they got far. Blood was splattered across the nearby plants, but the bodies were mostly intact. It didnt look like the monsters had eaten the humans after they were dead. A card was hovering over the bodies of each one. Ebba walked over to the shield guy and snatched up his card and kept walking to the next. Hey! Those arent your cards! Gus said. Ebba turned back to him, confusion in her hands expression. They are dead, the cards belong to no one now. Max stepped forward. Gus is right. You got these five killed, Ebba. You shouldnt profit because they were running away from a problem you created. Keep the one you took, but thats it. Ebba folded both sets of arms. Max. I am trying to be fair with you nestlings, but you push too far. These are mine by right of discovery. If it wasnt for my scouting, you would have walked on by and no one would get the cards. Max glanced back to the group to gauge their stances. Most of them seemed like they were on his side, but it was clear that Ashley was about to blow up. He hadnt checked with her before talking to Ebba about cards, again. Ebba. I believe you are a good person. You are leading us to safety instead of letting us all die and collecting our cards afterwards. Please be a good person here too, Max said. Ebba twitched like she was struck. She looked back at the cards and then towards Max again. You are almost as bad as a Paj. I dont think we will be friends after this. You may take two cards for your flock, but do not ask for more. Max sensed that she wouldnt budge and agreed to the deal. He walked forward to grab two cards. He didnt know which ones would be better than the others so he just grabbed the closest ones. The first was a clover suit and the other a pawn. A pang of regret washed through Max. The pawn suit card was particularly interesting, but he couldnt use it because he had picked Specialize and locked himself into the citadel suit.
Common Splice Pawn
Adjusts body of summoned monster based on mental model of users other Pawn cards. Must use existing monster templates.
Mana Cost: 34 Adjustments: 3 Card Level: 0
He could just imagine giving a bear a scorpion tail or a lion with wings. Like the sphinx! He could make his own Greek myth menagerie. Or rather, he couldnt. Everything he made had to revolve around his hammer card. Max turned back to the humans and said, Need before greed, can anyone here use these? I can use the pawn suit, Lily said, trying and failing to appear nonchalant. When no one else spoke up, Max nodded and handed it over. It was really only useful if you already had a summon that you wanted to change. Lily slumped in relief and thanked him. I want the evil twin card, Gus said. Max raised his eyebrows and read the clover suit card for the first time.
Advanced Warped Mirror Clover
Summons a clone of a target creature within its aura. Clones will attack the target until its death or 24 seconds, whichever is first.
Mana Cost: 38 Creature Tier: 1 Card Level: 2
Huh, I see what you mean. I like your card name better, Gus, Max said. He turned to the group and said, Anyone else able to use it? Why does he get it just because he can use it? How is that fair? Ashley said. Max shook his head, It isnt fair. We arent trying to be fair here, Ashley. We are trying to survive. You saw what happened to these five. We are trying to get strong enough so that we can fight if Ebba gets hurt or something. Left unsaid was the possibility that Ebba could just abandon them like she did before. Max understood where Ashley was coming from, but now wasnt the time for fairness. Survival first, equity later. Ashley shook her head, No, we need to be fair. We cant let some people have everything and others get nothing. Its a problem that will only get worse if we dont solve it now. Alright. You come up with some solutions we can discuss tonight. In the meantime, we are doing this. Max handed the cards out to Gus and Lily. They both absorbed the cards right away. Ashley looked at him in shock. She shook her head and squawked. She was about to go off on him when Ebba interrupted. Eyes up, nestlings. We have company, Ebba said and pointed up. They looked up into the canopy. There were flocks of multicolored birds crowded around each other. They were vibrantly colored and moved together in silence. As Max looked, he realized he was wrong. They werent birds, they were feathered snakes, each one over ten feet long. Feathers covered their bodies. A scaled face poked out of the feathers, giving them a dinosaur look. More than a dozen of them were slowly slithering through the branches, circling around the people below. Chapter 15: Don鈥檛 Die Why can these monsters see us? What about your Disregard card? Max said, not taking his eyes off the feathery snake monsters. His concentration triggered Insight. Quetzalcoatl - Level 5 Ebba replied, Theyre deaf. Bell cards dont work on feathered serpents. If I was alone, I would just outrun them. They arent very fast, particularly on the ground. However, I do not believe all of you would survive running. We will have to make a stand in the center of the clearing. I will assist you this time." Ebba turned to the group. Do not worry overmuch, these are low tier monsters, even nestlings like you should have no problem killing them. The rest of them hurried to keep up with her. Max scooped up the shield as they went. He almost unbalanced from the weight of his pack. Once he regained his balance, he handed the shield off to James and unclipped his pack. As he set it down, he made sure to turn his exolegs off so they wouldnt trip him up. Beware of their initial charge. They will all attack at once by leaping from the trees. Dont let them wrap around you, their feathers are like knives. Max said, Any advice for us individually? Dont die. Max would have rolled his eyes if the situation wasnt so serious. Instead he gave it some thought and pulled out his two war hammers. He handed one to Yang and the other to Gus. He made himself a third one as he said, Careful with those. The first hit is magical, normal after that. Gus, use your evil twin card when some of them bunch up close. Lily, get out your- He cut himself off as he saw that the Mushroomantis was already ready. What should I do, honored Max? Kezhi asked. Kezhi, you can hit them from here with your glass shards, right? Get one ready. Fern, if Ossification is ranged, I want you to use it at the same time. James, you kick us off with a Decay on the closest feathered serpent. Wait, Feng said. He handed Max a bottle of brown liquid. Drink this. I have a nature armor card. Max took the bottle, but hesitated. He had the gauntlets and the others needed protection too. He convinced Gus and Yang to take a swig. There was only enough for the two of them. Their skin grew darker, and their forearms formed bracers of wood. The transformation ended there, the low level card unable to do anything else. The feathered serpents slithered closer and closer. They had know that their prey was aware of them, but they kept creeping closer and closer, tightening the noose around them. Now, James, Max said and gripped his war hammer tight. James held up his hand with a flourish and pointed at a monster. The quetzalcoatl seemed unaffected. James dropped his hand and slumped his shoulders. The other ranged fighters let loose their attacks with varying degrees of success. Fern pointed and a wispy white bolt flew through the air and hit a different snake in the midsection. Within seconds, bone white spikes sprouted out of its body. It was like a sea urchin had suddenly appeared within its stomach. The monster opened its mouth in a silent scream and fell from the tree. A small white orb appeared as soon as it hit the ground. While her magic was working, Kezhi flung his glass shard into the sky. It missed by five feet. He fired again, and again. Since the monsters were thirty feet up in the tree branches, they were able to slither out of the way, even when his aim improved. All of a sudden, all of the feathered serpents moved. They flashed their feathers and leapt from the tree. Their feathers on the sides of their belly spread out wide. It was enough to allow them to glide down and control their descent. With Ferns monster dead, that left eleven monsters coming at them from all sides. One of them didnt get its feathers wide enough and crashed into the ground head first. It crumpled to the ground in a lifeless heap, a small white orb appearing over the body. Its feathers started turning brown, making Max guess that was the one that James hit. His Decay card must have needed more time to work. Gus used his Warped Mirror card on the gliding snakes. A blue snake appeared midair, flying alongside the original. It was the same semi transparent blue of Lily''s summon. The new snake twisted midair and chomped down on its neighbor. The two of them tumbled from the air as the others continued gliding down. The real feathered serpent landed atop the blue one and popped it. The real monster seemed mostly unharmed. Ebba did her knife and stick routine and sent the scrimshaw knife buzzing through the air in a circle above everyones head. Most of the monsters were smart enough to turn away and land on the ground. Two of them let their instincts blind them to the danger and kept gliding in. Ebbas knife punched into and through both snakes, spraying blood in a wide arc across the clearing. One snake landed on top of James. He got his shield up in time, but collapsed under the sudden weight. Max rushed over to help him, but it wasnt necessary. Ebbas knife had severed its spine. James scrambled out from underneath the feathers, not knowing it was already dead. A flash of blue came from Maxs left. He turned to see Gus had used his war hammer on the other feathered serpent Ebba had cut down. That one must have needed an extra hit to go down. A crack echoed across the clearing and the closest monster fell. Max glanced back to see Ebba holding a thin wooden weapon. It looked vaguely like a wooden rifle, except the barrel was cut in half. She slid it back into her cargo shorts of holding. It must have been a single shot weapon.
Minor amount of essence gathered Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
Max grinned at the message. He hadnt personally killed any of the monsters, so experience must be shared. He was starting to feel optimistic. It was only a few seconds in and they had already killed five. That only left eight snakes slithering closer, less than one per person. The universe took offense to his optimism. Ashley cried out from behind him. He turned to see a snake with her arm in its jaws. When Ebba turned to deal with it, four quetzalcoatl struck the other humans. Two attacked Yang at the same time. She slid out of the way of one, only to fall into the path of the other. Gus tried to step in to help her, but only tangled the both of them up. The snakes grabbed an arm each, making Yang scream in pain. The third snake went after Lily''s mushroomantis. The little scythes under its cap sprung out to attack, but didnt even cut through its feathers. The monster dispelled the summons with a single strike. The final snake struck at Feng and Kezhi, but they danced out of the way. They retreated too far, leaving the circle and opening themselves up to two other feathered serpents that hadnt attacked yet. Lily ignored her summons death and jumped in to help Yang. She stabbed one of the monsters, trying to get its eye with her pocket knife. Gus had untangled himself and was starting to get up. Max jumped in and went after the snake holding Yangs other arm. He swung his war hammer like a golf club, hitting the monster in the back of its jaw. A blue light flashed out when he struck. The top half of the monsters head exploded like a Gallagher watermelon. Brain and bone flew through the air. The rest of the monster fell away from her arm.
Minor amount of essence gathered
Gus was up and moving by then. He shoved Lily out of the way and used both hands to smash down with the war hammer. The spike of the hammer hit the top of the monsters head and punched through the bone there. The monster opened its mouth in a silent scream, somehow not dead yet. Yang took the opportunity to yank her arm out of the screaming monsters mouth. Gus pulled on his hammer, the monsters head coming with it. He wrenched it around, but it was stuck fast. The ten foot long monster pulled him along too, he had to brace himself to not be yanked off his feet. He screamed, Kill it! Lily seemed willing, but her pocket knife was useless. Max stepped in to help, slamming into the monster again and again. He made sure to use the hammer end so his spike didnt get stuck. Unfortunately, the monsters skull was too strong for his hammer to do much damage. The feathered serpent eventually twisted Gus war hammer out of his hands and reared up, like a cobra getting ready to strike. Gus saw Yangs discarded hammer on the ground, the one with a magic strike charge still loaded up. He flipped his foot under the handle and kicked it up. His aim was off and the hammer flew off to the left. He leaned to try and grab it, but his fingertips missed it. The hammer spun through the air, out of reach. Max reached for the war hammer with his free hand, but it was about two feet too far. When the hammer was about to fly by, a spectral blue hand flew out of his glove and snatched it out of the air. The magic hand returned with a thunk and held the war hammer fast. Max stared at his hand in shock. That must be the magic power of his gloves. The injured monster struck then, heading towards Gus with its maw open wide. Max took a step and swung down as hard as he could. The monsters strike and his own collided in midair and exploded. The hammers super strike went off inches from Gus face and drenched him in blood.
Minor amount of essence gathered
Gus stumbled back, spitting and wiping at his face. Once Max was sure he would be fine, he turned to the other monsters. His side had only killed four, that meant the others had four more to deal with. By the time he turned, there were two monster corpses in front of a still screaming Ashley. There were two snakes left alive, a small one and a huge one. Their battle had moved about fifteen feet away. Maxs Insight triggered on the bigger one. Quetzalcoatl - Level 12 As Max watched, Ebba brought her knife down onto the head of the higher leveled snake. It twisted to the side at the last moment, only earning a shallow graze. They had been at this dance for a little while, more than six shallow cuts bled from the monsters body. Ebba was entirely unharmed, she flowed around the monster with almost effortless grace. It was clear she outmatched the large monster. The only reason it wasnt dead yet was that the monster was crafty. Whenever it had the chance, it would lunge for Fern and Ebba had to step in to defend her. Behind her, Feng and Kezhi were fighting against the last one alone. Feng had his backpack in his hands and was using it like a shield. It was ripped and stuff was falling out everywhere. Feng was using his shards to attack, but they werent effective. They kept shattering off the monster''s feathers. Max grabbed a second war hammer and dashed over to help Kezhi and Feng. As he ran, he worried that he might be too late. Feng stumbled after a particularly strong strike and the monster slithered around the opening to get at Kezhi. It tilted its velociraptor face to the side and chomped down on Kezhis stomach. It bit down hard and pulled, blood and viscera flying. Kezhi fell to his knees and put his hands to his gut. There was nothing there. He had time to look shocked before he fell to the side. Max arrived then, war hammers swinging. The monster slid out of the way of both swings and spit at him. Kezhis guts hit Maxs left leg as he danced back. The feathered serpent took the opportunity to dart forward. Not at Max, but at Kezhi. A small white orb and a magic card hovered in the air above Kezhi. The monster snatched up the orb and slithered back. Ebba finished with her fight and jogged over. The snake took one look at her spinning knife and fled. It slithered through the undergrowth and up the closest tree. She didnt follow. She turned to Kezhis body and tsked. Max stood there in shock, not knowing what to do. He looked around the clearing again, but no new monsters appeared. Gus and Lily were kneeling over Yang, bandaging her arms. Fern had just got out her first aid kit and Ashley was yelling at her to hurry. Feng fell to his knees in front of Kezhis body and cried. Ebba started collecting the orbs from the snakes bodies. The hammers fell from Maxs hands. Kezhi was dead. They were out of their depth and their guide couldnt protect them all. They couldnt stand against a dozen low level monsters without losing someone. Max turned away from the body. It hurt to look at him. He had only known Kezhi for a day longer than the others that had died. This one hurt much worse. Maybe because Kezhi always called him honorable and was a nice guy all around. Max felt responsible. He was their leader and he had let them down. He couldnt think of any mistakes he made, but that made him feel like he was so bad he couldn''t even see his mistakes. He knew that he shouldnt blame himself, but feelings rarely followed logic. It was hard to get moving again. He had to force himself to stand. He wiped his tears and went to check on Yang. He knew Ashley was going to be fine, her complaining was clear evidence that she would be fine. Yang hadnt made a sound since the fight ended and that was starting to worry him. Chapter 16: The Isekai You Deserve Yang was doing better than Max expected. At one point she had two monsters gnawing on her arms. Now she was sitting up and talking with Ebba about something. Her arms were bandaged from shoulders to hands, with blood already seeping through the area around her elbows. Lily and James were standing nearby, nervously watching the conversation. Ebba held out a thin glass bottle and said, ... of course its a risk. But leaving those wounds untreated is a risk too. The only reason you still have your arms is that barkskin potion Feng gave you. You need to take something extra to heal your wounds. Yang asked, How much do you even know about humans? How do you know Im in that much danger? Ebba sat back on her haunches. Admittedly, not much. But I know you need blood to survive. Your bandages arent holding, you are already bleeding through. Yang looked down and grimaced. Max said, Whats the problem, Yang? Why dont you want to take her healing potion or whatever? Cus thats not a healing potion. Its just a bottle of mana rich water. She wants me to drink it to supercharge my healing. But if I do, Ill get cancer much quicker, she said. He could hear a quaver in her voice and see tear streaks down her face. Ebba said, I used up my one healing potion already. The best I can offer is to enhance your natural healing with mana water from the fourth layer. That might hasten your timeline, but at least you will be alive. I am going to give Ashley the same offer. Think about it while I administer her dose. Max heard Ashley yell Finally! and then shut her out of his mind. He turned to Yang and said, Shes right. You gotta take something. You are thinking you might be able to tough it out, but I know you are hurt bad. And dont forget that a snake just bit you. It might have been venomous. Your body needs all the help it can get. Lily nodded curtly. She must have been saying the same thing before he got there. James looked at Max with a sense of relief, glad he didnt have to be the one to say it. Yang sighed. Fine. But lets just sprinkle it on the bandages or whatever. Maybe if I keep it out of my bloodstream it will be better. Less chance of super cancer that way. When Ebba returned, she agreed with Yangs idea and poured water over her bandages. The bright blue water soaked in, staining her bandages purple from the mix of blood and water. To Maxs surprise, Yang started softly sobbing. What is it? Does it hurt? Lily said as she hovered her hands over Yangs bandages. No, no. It feels better already. The relief was overwhelming is all. Can you help me up? Lily shook her head and gave her a stern look, No way. You are staying right there until we have to leave. Dont move. Yang looked hurt at the response. She glanced at her arms and more tears started flowing. Max shook his head. She seemed more upset that she had to take it easy than she did about the injury itself. Gus walked up and held up six small orbs. This is everything from the monsters. No cards, not even fragments. Ebba took the other orbs, said something about being exactly fair. I think shes testy about loot now. Max nodded. He might have shot himself in the foot with his aggressive negotiating earlier. Alright, give one each to everyone except Ashley and me. You know, you cant always put yourself last with loot distribution, Gus said. I know you are trying to be fair, but you gotta be strong enough to protect us all too. Max shook his head, Ive already failed at protecting. He sighed and continued, But sure, if we get any new cards, Ill take one myself if it helps us fight better. Gus nodded. What are we going to do about the bodies? I was going to say we ignore them since these five abandoned us when we needed them. But we cant do that to Kezhi. He deserves better. He does. Lets build a pyre like last time. I dont particularly care about the other five, but as long as we are building a fire we might as well give the others a proper send off as well. Ebba turned her head and hustled over from the other side of the clearing. Her long purple legs let her put the speed on without running. As she drew close she said, We cant light a fire here. Why not? We did it yesterday, Max said. This situation is different. The titan had already scared off the local predators before you lit the fire yesterday. If we light a fire today, we will have higher tier monsters on us faster than we can get out of the way. You already saw what happens when there are too many high tier monsters for my Disregard card. Gus stood tall and said, We cant just leave him here, not like that. He died protecting us all. Isnt there a different funeral rite you can perform? Does it have to be fire? Well, no. We usually bury our dead, but that would take too long, Gus replied. Ebba tapped her fingers together. I might have something that would work. An artifact that quickly digs a deep hole. Its single use though. You would have to pay me an orb if you want me to waste it. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Gus scratched his beard. I get the feeling you''re fleecing us. Still, he deserves a good burial. Here." Ebba tucked the orb away in her cargo shorts of holding and pulled out a leaf. It was covered in gold filigree. It looked like a fancy decoration that someone with too much money would buy. She walked over to a bare stretch of ground and dropped the leaf. As soon as the leaf touched the ground it dissolved into motes of light. The light seeped into the ground. A few seconds later, there was a deep thump and an eight foot wide hole appeared. A perfectly round cylinder of dirt had disappeared. Max stepped forward to look down. It was about fifteen feet deep and had sharp spikes on the bottom. He turned to Ebba and rose an eyebrow. That wasnt what he was expecting when she said she could quickly dig a grave. She shrugged. Its a dungeon artifact, what can I say? What does that mean? Max asked. Its tough to explain. There are plenty of dungeon towers on the first layer, you will understand what I mean after a few runs. Gus walked over and looked in. Well, it made a good hole, but we arent tossing him in on top of the spikes. Yes, I have a plan for that, Ebba said. She pulled out a spear and stabbed it into the dirt. A small push and dirt from the side of the pit fell in. She moved to the side and did the same thing again, covering the spikes. It wasnt long before they had a ten feet deep grave. Max wrapped up Kezhi in his sleeping bag and Ebba carefully lowered him in. As she filled in the hole, Lily prodded Max to say something. Max cleared his throat and said, Goodbye Kezhi. You were a fantastic guy, whose life was cut short too soon. You deserved better. If there is any justice in the universe, the fact that a feathered serpent, a quetzalcoatl, killed you must mean something. That monster could be your Truck-kun, sending you to the isekai you deserve. Amen, James said solemnly. The rest of them joined in with their own amen. Ebba repeated them after a beat. All too soon, the body was covered and they were on their way. Feng was still crying, with Fern trying to comfort him. James ended up with Kezhis card, the glass shard card. Yang asked to be able to carry her own pack, but no one would let her. Max carried it on his chest since it was the easiest for him. Ashley asked him to take her bag too, but he refused. They walked through the jungle, mostly in silence. Ashley complained about her arm at first, but stopped talking when no one engaged with her. Over the next few hours the jungle thinned out, more and more clearings appearing. More than once, Ebba diverted them around a group of monsters. She was being extra careful after the second disaster in so many days. At one point, she had them hide in some bushes while four pterodactyl-snakes circled above. They were flying too high for her magic card to affect them. The monsters were distracted when a flying machine buzzed by. It looked kinda like Starbucks viper from Battlestar Galactica. The jet sped across the sky and shot out bolts of lighting at the monsters. They tried to follow the ship, but couldnt catch up. Ebba motioned for everyone to start walking again. Red trees started popping up, here and there at first and then with increasing frequency. The bark and the leaves were a particular shade of vibrant red. It reminded Max of that alien world in the new Star Trek. They were bright red in a way that almost made his eyes hurt. He saw Ebba running her hands along their trunks more than once. You a fan of the red trees? Max asked her. Not particularly. My elders tell me they are the trees of our home world though. When I am missing my family out here, I often sleep in their embrace. The boughs are tightly woven and often more comfortable than what I can arrange on the ground. Max looked up. The canopy was thick here, the red leaves blotting out most of the sun. That meant less undergrowth and a faster travel. Max kept an eye on the two injured ladies, but it was always James huffing and puffing that signaled the need for a break. After one of those breaks, Max found that he couldnt get back up. His exoskeleton legs had broken. In fact, he could smell burning plastic. He hurriedly took them off and tossed them to the side. Apparently, the internal copper had absorbed enough mana to short out the batteries. Thankfully, they didnt explode. The thought made him double check his e-reader, but that was still working and not warm to the touch. He put it in an outside pocket, just in case. Now he had to decide what to do with the rest of the stuff in his pack. Without mechanical assistance, he would be hard pressed to carry his heavy pack a mile, let alone several. At this point, he really should just abandon the nonessentials on the side of the trail and move on. He found himself unable to be practical. It was his greed that was getting to him. Ebba said there was a city an hour or two from here. If Max could get his pack all the way there, he could sell the excess weight instead of discarding it. He wasnt so sure how valuable his stuff would be to the aliens on this world. But still. He had to try. Max started by tossing the heaviest stuff, an iron cooking swing arm and a small ax. Then he tossed his extra solar charger, some tent stakes, and forty feet of rope. When he couldnt bear to toss more, he worked with the able bodied people to distribute the weight as much as possible. He still kept the lions share of the stuff in his pack, but now it was 180 pounds instead of 240. He regretted his decision shortly after they started. He was fit from hours of work every day, but evidently not fit enough. His straps dug into his skin, his shoulder started aching and his balance was way off. The trek went from a pleasant walk to a death march with a fat guy hanging off his shoulders. At first he held on because he felt ashamed to give up so quickly. Then he held on because he wanted to show James some solidarity. His friend hadnt complained once despite being the most out of shape of the bunch. If Max couldnt hang on for a few hours, what kind of friend would he be? That didnt exactly make sense, but most of his brainpower was devoted to keeping himself moving. He was going to get this pack to the city if it was the first thing he did. Not the last, it wasnt that important. A little after dinnertime, they exited the red forest and were suddenly there. One moment they were deep in the jungle, and the next they were in front of the City of Wild Plums. There was a fifteen foot wall surrounding the large town, with buildings poking up above the barrier. Most of the city was bright red with yellow accents. The jungle around them clearly provided most of the building materials. There were some gray stone towers, but not many. There were also more than one tall building seemingly made entirely of metal, shining in the bright sunlight. There was a large area cleared around the town, probably to make it easier to defend. Their ragged group crossed the barren ground in front of the city. They turned to the side as they drew closer, angling to join up onto the road leading into the front gates. There was something strange about the walls. Max couldnt figure out why they seemed off until he got closer. It was made entirely out of shovels. Someone had made hundreds of flat edged shovels with short wooden handles and somehow fused them together to construct the wall. The shimmer across the wall made Max think it was magical. As they arrived at the front gate, another group was just passing through. Four Lunuk, a human, and a new alien disappeared into the city. The two guards slammed the gates shut again immediately afterwards. A small opening at eye level slid open. A guard peered through. Chapter 17: You Smell of Earth Ebba walked up to the city gates and peered through the small opening cut into the door. She said, Nine people requesting entry. Im tier two, and the rest are new tier ones. Seedlings, huh? You just pick them up from their tower? Yep, they came through day before yesterday, but their tower isnt maintained anymore. Taking them up to layer one so they dont die. The guard grunted. Well, you know the routine. Got any Bell cards on you? We do. And we submit to having them locked up for the duration of the stay. Alright. Put them in here and submit to a scan, the guard said and pushed a small box through the window. Ebba pulled her Disregard card from her chest and placed it in the box. Then she turned to them and said, Everyone with a Bell card, put it in the box. They will keep it safe and you are guaranteed to get it back when we leave. Do we have to? Yang asked. Yes, Ebba said firmly, Its one of the few rules that is consistent throughout the cities of Spinworld. No one wants people with mind control cards wandering around civilization. Yang frowned and looked down to her chest. She still couldnt use her arms. How exactly do you expect me to accomplish this task? Yang asked through tight lips. Oh, right. Well. Have your friend do it. Its about intent, not moving your hands around, Ebba said dismissively. While they were talking, Feng took out a card and placed it in the box. Max tilted his head. He didnt know Feng had a Bell card. He tried to get a look at what card it was, but Ebba held the box too high. Lily stood in front of Yang and held out her hands right in front of her chest. James was staring intently until Max nudged him. He immediately looked away, James face turning red from realizing he had been staring at her breasts. Lily succeeded a moment later and placed the Decoy card in the box. Ebba slid the box through the opening without comment. A short while later, the area in front of the city gates flashed blue. Alright, youre clear. Make sure your seedlings stick around after we let you in, we need to give them the rules before they wander about, the guard said. Yes, sir, Ebba said. A tall door opened in the gate and they all filed through. Both guards were heavily armored in segmented metal. The guard they had been talking to was a new type of alien. It had green skin, a humanoid head, two arms and a segmented tail. The tail resembled a centipede tail with small tentacles instead of legs. The guard pointed to the side where they should wait. Max did his best not to stare, but James gawked openly. He couldn''t look away from how the guards moved. It glided across the ground in waves of movement, each tiny tentacle moving in sync with the others. It was hypnotically smooth. Max turned away to examine the other guard. The other guard was human. He was wearing metal armor with red accents. Instead of a helmet, he wore a set of complex looking earmuffs. He gestured along with his partner to the waiting area. Max felt something unclench that he didnt know was tense. There were other humans here, and they were able to survive and thrive. Well, he didnt know if being a town guard was thriving, but it was still a good sign. The centipede guard closed the door and said, Pay attention, seedlings. Like most cities, we are ruled by a high tier governor, who has dozens of quests to keep the city happy and safe. Murder, robbery, extortion, all of those things are impossible here. Do not break a law or our governor will find out and punish you harshly. The laws are as follows... Max listened with a half an ear as he looked around. Most of the laws boiled down to be nice, dont break stuff. Fairly standard rules. What wasnt standard was the city around them. It was strange in a number of ways. The first difference was that there were very few straight edges. The buildings made of the red wood were all cylinders with round windows dotting the walls, seemingly at random. The stone towers sported oval windows and iris doorways. The cityscape wasnt static either, dozens of flying machines flew between the tall buildings. Each contraption was different from the last, as if it was a rule that no two could look alike. The air traffic followed no clear pattern. Each airship headed directly for its destination, only just barely avoiding midair collisions. The traffic on the ground was much more orderly. It was mostly pedestrian traffic, probably heading home at this time of day. There were occasional metal carts or wagons, drawn by burly Lunuk and the odd human. Glowing signs were wired above the doorways and embedded in the pathways leading up to them. They must have figured out a way to get electronics working again, either that or mana was a great replacement for electricity. The pathways were tiled with wooden shields. They were tessellated, much like the wall around the city. The construction workers must have a fusing card. It would work wonderfully with the other citadel cards that created objects. Max half expected to see a building made of hammers somewhere. As much as he was trying to ignore the guard and examine the city around him, he found his attention continually being drawn back to the guard with the tail. He was endlessly fascinating for some reason. It wasnt that he was an alien, Ebba wasnt nearly as interesting. There was something captivating about this guard. A presence. Max almost laughed when it clicked. The guard had upgraded his Presence stat and that was why Maxs attention was continually drawn to him. Pretty useful for a guard that needed people to pay attention to him. ... follow those rules and our Governor''s forces wont fly down and smite you. Any questions? the green skinned guard asked. Do you know where we can buy a healing potion for our friends arms? Max said. Yes, but they are expensive. If she isnt going to die tonight, its best to let them heal naturally, the guard said. He slid back to the gate and waved them on. Seems like he wasnt going to give them a chance to decide for themselves if it was worth it. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Max turned to the human guard and said, We have some nice orbs. I think we can afford it. Could you point us in the right direction? The human guard just pointed at his ear coverings and shook his head. Ebba grabbed Maxs shoulder and pushed him forward. The human cannot hear you. The things on his ears deafen him as protection against Bell cards, so that no one may mind control him. So you have to be able to hear someone for a Bell card to work? Yes. I thought the experience with the deaf feathered serpents made that abundantly clear. I wasnt trying to understand the workings of your card at the time. I was focused on staying alive, Max groused. Ebba ignored him and turned to the group following her. The human sixth is over there. Stick to that section of the city when you are looking for a place to sleep or someone to sell you a healing potion. Lunuk and Paj do not like intruders in their neighborhoods. Igra encourage visitors, but they are odd. How do we tell Igra from Paj? Lily asked. She stopped and pointed at the gate, That guard is a Paj. The Igra do not show their bodies, but they must look like short humans, two arms, two legs. You will be able to recognize them by their strange armored suits. She kept walking and pointed to her right again. Anyway. Go over to the human sixth. I will stay in the Lunuk third. We will meet again at this gate in two mornings. That will give you a day to rest. Ashley held up a hand. Wait, no! We need to head out tomorrow, as soon as possible. We dont have time to dink around the city. The city is safer than you think. It is a lower mana area because all the people soak up the ambient mana. It isnt low enough for your countdown to stop, but it will slow down while we are here, Ebba said. But- Ashley started. Ebba cut her off and said, I have spoken. Meet me here in two mornings or arrange your own guide to safety. She walked off without looking back, leaving Ashley sputtering. Max stepped in and said, Lets go. We dont have much light left and night is very strict here. We have 26 minutes until nightfall, Lily said. Max turned to her and tilted his head. How does she know? She held up her wrist and pointed to her analog watch. Their electronic devices might have failed, but the analog ones were still ticking away. Max nodded, wishing he had thought to bring an analog watch. He had brought just about everything else. The eight of them wandered through the city, gawking like tourists. Yang was the only one seemingly uninterested in the strange new town. It might have been because her arms were in agony, or she might just be jaded. It was easy to tell when they got to the human part of the city. The buildings were smaller and the roads narrower. Most people ignored the new group, but they did find someone that gave them directions on a place to stay. Night fell as they walked down the small road. Without a leaf canopy overhead, they were able to watch it happen. Last night, Max thought the sun had just turned off. Now he realized he was wrong. A line of darkness swept across the city as night fell. There was something orbiting the small sun, blocking the rays for the night. Their little group stood stock still for a moment. The only illumination was from the occasional window or business sign. That changed a few moments later. A strip of light appeared across the tops of most of the buildings, illuminating the street below. It was like a streetlight, only not as bright. They found the inn a few minutes later. It was a small stone building, two stories tall. It was one of the few buildings in town that used natural stone and mortar. The sign above the door wasnt glowing, but it read Hammurabis Hotel. They walked inside together, a small lobby held a single desk and a man sewing shut a tear in a sheet. He put down his work and stood up with a smile. Welcome, welcome. I am Hammurabi and this is my hotel. The rates are excellent and the rooms better. You smell of Earth. Did the guilds tower open already? The group turned to Max. He set his pack down with a thump and stepped forward. We are from Earth, yes. Got here a few days ago. We came from a tower several miles south of here, but Im not sure if its the one you are thinking of. No, the crystal guilds tower is in the center of our city. You must have come from the wilderness. Im impressed you all survived. Most of us didnt. There were 24 of us. The only reason we made it this far is because we had a guide. Hammurabi nodded, Ah, that explains it. You are indeed fortunate to have a guide. The wilds are very dangerous. Now, down to business. Im assuming you all want a room, unfortunately that isnt possible. I only have four rooms available at the moment. Yeah, we all need a room. Do you know of any other hotel that might have more rooms open? No, sorry. This is the only human hotel in the city. Our city has very few human visitors. You have the bad luck of arriving at the same time as the caravan, they have taken three of my best rooms. Max ran a hand through his hair. How big are your rooms? Could we double up? They are all single bed rooms, but if half of you are willing to sleep on the floor, we can squeeze you in. Yes, that is the best option, because the guards do not like humans wandering about at night. Come, I will show you your rooms. Wait. How much is this going to cost us? We havent had time to get some local currency. Hammurabi waved away the concern without looking back. Do not worry, we will work something out. I am sure you have something in your enormous pack that we can trade for. Come, come. Max shrugged and grabbed his bag. He was too tired to pick it up so he just dragged it along the floor. Hammurabi showed them the rooms and handed out discs that acted as keys. Ashley claimed the first room and Fern joined her. Gus and Feng got the next one. James took the next one and Max dropped his bag in the room too. When it came time for Lily and Yang, Hammurabi noticed her bandaged arms for the first time. Mothers dirty shoes! Monster bites on both arms? Why didnt you tell me you were injured? Yang gave him a look and said, Are you a doctor too? If not, I guess it doesnt matter, does it? Hammurabi sputtered and said, I am not a doctor, but even I can see you have already bled through your bandages. I dont want you to die before morning. Come with me to my room. I will have my wife look at you. Yang hesitated, Would it be expensive? Our Lunuk guide said mana should heal me if I wait. Bah! Lunuk know nothing about other species. You are new to this world and an injury like that could kill you. Mana is slow to heal newcomers, you cannot rely on it. Come now. We will heal you, even if you cant pay. Yang let herself get swept up by Hammarabi with Lily following her. James started to follow, but the girls said he wasnt needed. He shrugged and went back to his room. It was a small room, barely big enough for a bed and a chest at its foot. The window was wavy and clouded, clearly handmade. Max told James to take the bed and he set up a pad and sleeping bag on the stone floor. With the cushioning in the pad, he would be perfectly comfortable. There was a single bathroom for the four rooms on the top floor. Max changed out of his dirty clothes and took his turn inside. He had been expecting a hole in the floor, but he found luxury. A sink with instantly hot water, a large shower, and a cushioned toilet. After Max used the last one, he pressed a button on the top and his waste dissolved into nothing. Back in their room, James tapped a crystal to turn off the light. A soothing smell of flowers filled the room. Max smiled in the dark. He could get used to this magic technology. The next morning, Max was woken up by the rain. Thankfully, this time he stayed dry. He had to wait for a turn in the shower, but it was worth it. Afterwards, he felt refreshed and ready for the day. A check of his mandatory quest showed he still had 25 cycles left. That meant that Ebba was right, the lower mana areas of the cities meant his countdown went slower here. More good news. He headed down to the lobby to see if Hammurabi was available. He wanted to see about selling some of his stuff to pay for the rooms. Lily was already there, talking to Hammurabi. She turned to Max and said, Oh good. You are up now. Can you come with me to buy a healing potion? Yang is doing much worse this morning, and her fever keeps going up. They bandaged her up better last night, but we think she was poisoned. Chapter 18: A Sapling After My Own Heart Yeah, of course Ill help you buy a healing potion for Yang. How much time do we have? Max said. Lily said, She seems stable, just steadily getting worse. We have a few hours at least. Maybe more, but I dont want to chance it. Alright, Ill go get my bag and we can sell stuff to get money, Max said as he started walking back up the stairs. Before he got far, Lily said, Leave the bag, just grab your biggest orb. They call them monster cores here and they are basically currency. The white ones are like hundred dollar bills. Max hurried up to his room as he thought about what she said. If the tiny white ones were hundred dollar bills, how much were the big ones worth? Ashley had taken the biggest one from the titan, but he still had two big ones in his bag. He grabbed them and stuffed them in the smaller day pack he had brought. Since he hadnt had breakfast, he grabbed a few granola bars too. James asked what he was up to as he hurried around the room. Max explained what they were doing and asked him to tell the others. James offered to come along too, but Max figured it would be easier to negotiate for the healing potion with fewer people. As Lily and Max headed out, the hotel owner called out to them. Hey, my friends, wait a moment, Hammurabi said. Whatever you do, dont sell your magic cards. Why not? Lily said, standing in the doorway impatiently. The cards you got when you arrived here are special, they are called heart cards. You have to have a heart card central in your deck or you cant use the cards you pick up from monsters. Many of us didnt know that and sold away our birthrights. Dont be like me, keep your heart cards, Hammurabi said and looked down to his chest. Well sell everything else before we sell those. But we wont let our friend die, Max said. The passion in his voice surprised him. He had only known Yang for three days. Why was he willing to do anything to save her now? He shook his head and headed out before he spent hours trying to psychoanalyze himself. Lily knew where they were going so she took the lead. She said, We cant go straight to the alchemists, we need to exchange our bigger orbs for white ones. Anything bigger than white has variable value. Its like gems, some kinds are worth way more than others, you need to have an expert look at them. So thats where we are going? The jeweler that deals in orbs? Kinda, yeah. But Hammurabi said that only the rich wear them. They are usually used to power the magical tech all over the city. For example, all those flying vehicles need a monster core to work. Interesting. Its like fuel. People head out to kill monsters and they sell the orbs, uh-monster cores, to power the city. I bet monster hunting is a lucrative job. After yesterday, I dont think I want to be a hunter, Lily said. Max nodded along. He wasnt going to tell her that he would love to be a monster hunter for a few months. Sure, its insanely dangerous, but why go through the portal if you dont want to fight monsters at least a little bit? Lily led the way to a large shop near the gates to the city. There was a group of armed and armored people exiting the gates. Two Lunuk, three Paj, and a human. It looked like the human was their porter, his pack was almost as big as the one Max left at the hotel. Their destination had a sign written in a strange script. It looked like someone had taken cursive and mashed it with wingdings. Despite that, the translation magic let him read All that is Magic and Good. The store had large glass windows that displayed monster cores and magic cards. Some of the biggest cores were the same size as the ones Max had in his pack. All of the cards on display were a shade of silver, so that meant they werent heart cards. Maybe Hammurabi was right and their cards were very rare. There was a Lunuk guard just inside the door as they walked in. He loomed over them, as if daring them to try something. Max stepped to the side and took in the shop. It was a high end store, selling mostly magic cards and monster cores. There was a third category of random bits and bobs. A sparkly necklace, a beaded bracelet, a pair of metal keys, etc. Each item had a small notecard underneath it. There was a small glass case in the back, with a Paj standing behind it. There was something compelling about him. He had a fancy tunic, and like all Paj he had centipede-like tail. His skin was green, but he looked humanoid. It was interesting how closely the alien species matched the physiology of humans. For example, he could easily tell the Pajs gender with a high degree of confidence. Fascinating. By the time Max finished his examination, Lily was already talking. ... so I hope you can forgive my negotiations as my friends life literally depends on how much we can get here. The Paj gestured towards himself. Well, lets see what you have. As much as I sympathize with your plight, keeping this store profitable is the only thing keeping me out of the wilds. Lily nodded and reached into her bag. She pulled out four large orbs, two of them swirling with a green color, one blue, and the last held shimmering flakes of black and red. She must have brought her own orbs as well as Yangs. Max walked up as they talked, but didnt pull out his own orbs just yet. Greater cores, good. That means it''s worth my time. I was briefly worried that a seedling like yourself might have brought me white cores, the Paj said. He brought each one to his face, carefully examining them. Lets start with the small. The growth cores are common, worth five whites each. That is a set price, do not attempt to negotiate it. The blue one is a wind core. Still somewhat common, but very much in demand in the City of Wild Plums. Ill give you eleven whites for it. The black and red one is a blended core. Sometimes that is good, sometimes that is bad. In this case, its bad because it doesnt register in my interface. My Insight is level 16, plenty high enough, but the builders are silent. Ill give you five whites for it. Lily set the blended core to the side decisively. Alright, so your offer is 21 whites for these three cores, right? How about 25 and we call it done? I appreciate you didnt ask for 40 whites, but 25 is still too much. I can do 22. Deal, Lily said right away. The Paj gurgled happily. A sapling after my own heart. Decisive. He swept the cores off the counter and pulled out two small bags. Then he added two white orbs to the pile on the counter. Lily checked the bags and then swept everything into her backpack. Then she gestured to Max to take her place at the counter. Max lurched forward. He had gotten distracted by the cards under the glass. There were a dozen of them, but one in particular held his interest. It was an advanced Armor card. It was a citadel suit, so he could use it. He couldnt see how much it cost, but he really wanted it. Putting the card out of his mind, Max placed his two orbs on the counter. One was the same blue as Lily''s had been, and the other was a bit smaller and had swirls of red inside. The Pajs eyes went wide and reached for the red orb first. He held the monster core up to his face and examined it closely. Then he nodded to himself and set it back down. He gave the blue orb a cursory inspection and then set it down as well. The Paj knocked on the glass counter with a single knuckle and said, Ill give you 25 for both. Max almost accepted without thinking. He narrowed his eyes. The shopkeeper had a high Presence and was trying to lowball him. The Paj went straight for an offer without separating out values. He hadnt mentioned what type of monster core the red one was. Max assumed that meant he really wanted the red orb. He separated the two orbs to different sides of the counter. The blue one is clearly another wind core. Im fine with the same price for that one, 13 whites, Max said. But I dont know if I want to sell this red one. Can you tell me more about it? As he talked, he watched the Paj. The shopkeeper kept his eyes trained on the red orb the whole time. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. As you can see, its a bit smaller than the wind core, so that means its a lower grade. The red color could mean its a standard fire core. It could be a lava core or a detonation core, but the chances of that are very slim. Max nodded along, very reasonable. Then he shook his head and chuckled. The guy almost got him again. You have Insight at level 16, dont you? You know its expensive. Give me a real offer for it or I''ll take it with me. The Paj made an annoyed click. Yes, I know its a detonation core. But you cant take it anywhere else, Im the best dealer in town. We are leaving town tomorrow. I can always sell it in the next city, Max shrugged. He started to feel bad about using the negotiation tactic. Maybe he shouldnt try to squeeze every bit of profit out of the guy. The Paj clicked again and said, Fine. 18 whites for your detonation core. Max pocketed the red core out of habit. His brother always told him to be willing to walk away. Not good enough. Internally, he was yelling at himself. He should be nicer to the Paj. Wait! Ill do 25 for it, but thats the most I can do, my mothers word. Max acted like he was considering for a moment and then said, 39 for both. The Paj grumbled and pulled out four small bags of orbs. He took a white one out and pushed them forward. A wave of relief passed over Max as he handed over the orbs. Fighting against the mans presence was hard. It wasnt mind control but he felt like he was being mean to a friend. Thank you very much. I look forward to doing business with you again. Go save your injured friend and see how generous I am feeling when you return to buy my wares, The Paj said and turned away. Maxs smile slowly fell. He had done it to himself again. He always got focused on winning when he was haggling. He should have listened to that feeling telling him to take it easy. He kept forgetting that he needed to keep a good relationship with these people. He tsked at himself. There was nothing to do about it now. He swept the bags of white orbs into his day pack and followed Lily out of the building. They hurried past the red wood towers and occasional stone building. The wooden pathway below them gave off a dull knock with every step. There was a metal building in the distance, shining like an oil slick. Max made a mental note to check it out later. His stomach growled and he added breakfast to his mental list of to-dos. Eventually, Max noticed that the silence between them was growing awkward. They hadnt said two words to each other since they left the hotel. Hey, Lily. You doing ok? Im fine, she replied curtly. Oh. Ok. I just wanted to check in with you, its been a rough few days. You seem stressed. I got a good nights rest last night, but I bet you didnt, what with Yang being sick and poisoned. Im fine, Lily repeated with a frown. She glanced over to Max and then softened her expression. Well, none of us are really fine. Weve seen more pain and death in the last two days than anyone should see their whole lives. But Im not going to fall apart. I got this. Max held up his hands. I never said you didnt. Youve always struck me as competent and in control. I just brought it up because Im barely holding it together myself. Everything sucks and I dont know what Im doing. Im stressed all the time. And when I do occasionally feel calm and relaxed, I feel guilty. Yang is still hurt, how can I sleep well? Kezhi died yesterday, why arent I still crying? I dont know how to feel. Oh. Sorry, I wasnt thinking about how you were feeling. I guess all of us are in our own heads a bit. The situation with Yang is hitting me hard, Lily said. Its honestly making me really angry. Angry? Whys that? My father put her in this position, but I feel responsible. Its the same reason I left home. He treats people like they are disposable, just means to an end. Growing up, he would punish our maids if I did something bad. One time when I was fifteen, I ran away from home. Im pretty sure he had Nurul killed for letting me escape. Max swore in shock. Lily nodded, Yeah. It really messed me up. I did whatever my father wanted after that. I couldnt bear the thought of anyone else getting hurt because of me. I felt like a pampered slave. The only way I could get some freedom was to come to the states for my gap year. Your father sounds like a sociopath. Yeah, most billionaires are. Sane people dont get that rich. Anyway, thats why this situation with Yang makes me angry. Its like my father is controlling me from another world. I want to yell at Yang for making me feel this way, but I know it''s not her fault. The whole thing makes me so mad. Damn. You know none of this is really your fault either, right? You cant blame yourself for what a sociopath does, no matter what he says. Yeah, my head knows that, but my heart hasnt gotten the message yet, Lily said with a shrug. They had stopped outside their destination, an apartment building on the edge of the human section. The ground floor was a business with a glowing sign that said Potions and Sundries. The building was the same red as the others, but it wasnt made of wood. Instead, the builder used thousands of red buckets and stacked them together. It reminded Max of bricks. Max gestured to Lily to let her lead the way. He was going to let Lily handle the negotiations for the potion, he didnt want the healer to get pissed off at him. There were rows of potions lined up on the shelves, everything behind slightly wavy glass. Black writing on the glass explained what each potion did. Max used his Insight to identify them, but the writing on the glass always had more information. Lily skipped past most of them and stopped at the healing section. There were three potions, labeled Lesser, Medium, and Greater. None of them had prices listed. A tall man hopped off his stool and walked up to them as he said, Howdy, folks. Names Jake and this here is my magical market. Max turned to the shopkeeper and squinted. Was the book reference intentional? Jake held a neutral smile for a moment before he broke out in a grin. It was intentional. Lily stepped forward. Hello. Our friend is seriously injured. The hotel manager, Hammurabi, said we need a healing potion. Jake nodded, I know Hammurabi, hes good people. I assume he told you healing potions are expensive? Yes. We just sold some monster cores so we could afford it, Lily said. Alright. So, the lesser one should handle any flesh wound as long as it didnt break bones. The medium one will handle broken bones and repairing major wounds. You dont need the greater potion, because if it was that serious, they would already be dead. We think she was poisoned by the feathered serpent we fought. Jake tsked, Bad luck, that. Lesser potions dont handle poisons. Youll have to use a medium. Sadly, thats a lot more expensive. How much? Ok, before I give you the price, just know that I dont haggle with healing potions. Making one literally takes my life force and puts me in danger of dying. The medium health potion costs 10,000 knuts, or 25 whites if you have those. Lily sighed in relief. We can afford that, no problem. Good. I hate dealing with people that cant afford them, Jake said. Breaks my heart to tell them no. Lily pulled out everything she had and set it on the counter. Max added two of his and then gave Lily a bag of ten so she didnt have to foot most of the bill. She tried to refuse the bag, but Max insisted. She rolled her eyes and tucked away the bag of orbs. Just give me a second to inspect all the cores, Jake said. Sorry about the wait, but some people try to pass off white rocks as monster cores. Really? And you can tell them apart just by looking at them? Max said and pulled out one of his white cores. It just looked like a white stone to him, even felt like one. He tried to focus on it, but his Insight didnt trigger. Yeah, my Insights high enough so I can always tell. Wait. Are you guys new to Spinworld? Max nodded. Yes, we got here just a few days ago from a tower in the wilds. It was rough. Jake winced, Ill bet. I portaled into a wild tower too, three years back. I was the only survivor from my group. Lemme give you a bit of advice. Choose Sight if you plan on hunting monsters, choose Insight if you plan on staying in the city. But always have both in your group no matter what. While he talked he pulled out the medium potion and handed it over. Maxs Insight triggered. Medium Health - 1 Use Lily thanked him for the advice and accepted the potion. Max thanked him as well and followed Lily out. She did great today, she hardly needed Max at all. He wondered why she hadnt stepped forward and been the team lead a few days ago. For that matter, Gus had been a great leader during combat. Both of them would have been better leaders than him. He would have to talk to them about it later. Back at the hotel, Yang was lying on her bed with her eyes closed. She looked terrible. Her skin was pale and her breathing shallow. James was at her bedside with a damp cloth. He put it on her forehead to cool her down. He looked up as they walked in. Shes not doing good, James said. Did you get the healing potion? We tried leveling up her Resistance because the tooltip says something about resisting poisons. It wasnt enough. He turned back to her with a concerned look on his face. Its fine, Max said. We bought a healing potion. Im sure it will be enough to kick the poison. Lily was already at her bedside, tilting her head up. Swallow this, Yang. Its a healing potion and itll fix you right up. Yang swallowed, not opening her eyes. The potion bottle wasnt large and it only took her a few moments to down it all. They all watched her, waiting to see if it worked. Something was happening. Her skin was heating up, waves of red slowly working through her body. Over the course of several minutes, she started looking better and better. Lily smiled and stood back up. James didnt move from his spot by her bed, he was still too concerned about her welfare. Max wondered if his friend was developing a crush. His train of thought was derailed when Ashley walked in. Gather everyone up. I got some big news, she said. Chapter 19: It鈥檚 Always Something With Her They have a portal tower here in town. And theirs works, Ashley said as she waved her hands around. Everyone was gathered on the second floor of the hotel in Yangs room. Yeah, so? They got to arrive in a city and we didnt. Boo hoo, Gus said with an unimpressed look. She shook her head. You dont get it. Our tower didnt work. Its supposed to keep mana out so you can slowly get used to the mana or whatever. Then the next floor unlocks and they get used to that level. They got like twenty people up in that tower, and they dont have to leave the city. They feed them, teach them about the world, train them in magic, everything. They get to live in luxury instead of being death-marched across two mountain ranges. Max said, Yeah, I assumed as much. People in town said something about the tower. Apparently the crystal guild owns it. Sucks that we didnt end up there, but whatcha gonna you do? Ill tell you what well do, well join them! Ashley said, her eyes wide. I talked to the guard and he said if we pay them enough, hell open it up just long enough for us to slip inside. Really? And thatll work? Max said. Wont letting us in let some mana in too? I think it works a little like radiation, right? I dont know about radiation. All I know is that I can pay to get in and Im going to. Itll cost my titan core and a magic card, but thats well worth it to me. Ashley said. I aint gonna die to a stupid monster out there. Max shook his head. Hammurabi specifically said we shouldnt sell our heart cards. They are crazy rare and we can never replace them. Ashley waved away the concern, Yeah, thats why Im giving away someone elses heart card. We all have more than one, remember? Max was stunned into silence at her flippant response. Sixteen people had died so that everyone could get an extra card. Not that all of them had a heart card, but still, people had died for that. What about the rest of us that dont have a titan core? How are we going to get in? Fern asked. Ashley nodded, Good question. I knew you guys wouldnt have one. He said if you pay him 150 whites, that would be enough. I dont know how much a white is worth, but I guess you can sell your monster cores to earn enough. A good monster core is worth about ten, and a common one is worth 5, Max said. We know because we traded out our colorful cores for white orbs so we could buy a healing potion. Ashley sucked in through her teeth. Ooh. Shouldnta done that. Did you think we were just going to let her die? Lily said with her hands on her hips. Ashley held up her hands, Look, Im just the messenger. The guard will only let us through if we can pay. I know some of you can afford it. Im going to swing by the hotel to pick up my bag just before nightfall. If you can pay, you can come with me. We have to go in as a group, she said and headed out. They stared in shock. She left them without even looking back. No pretending to care, no nothing. The room was quiet for a bit while they all came to grips with that. Yang lay back on her bed with a thump. She had woken up during the conversation, but hadnt joined in. Grandfathers ashes, Feng muttered, translation magic hinting he was cursing. Fern stepped closer to him and gave him a one-armed hug. Max sighed. You said it, Feng. But we dont have to give up. None of us have enough monster cores to buy our way in, but thats not our only assets. We have extra cards and we can sell stuff we wont need. Maybe someone out there really wants a nice tent. Lets work together to buy a pass for everyone. What do we have to work with? I chose Specialize in my system, so that means I cant take any cards out of my deck now, Lily said. Max tsked. Me too. I have two extra cards, James said. Well, I can share one if I have to spend one to get in the tower. I have some extra cards too, but I aint giving them up, Gus said with his arms folded. Im buying my way in even if you all cant. Im not gonna pass up this chance. What the hell, man? Lily said, getting up in his face. Wait, wait, Max said as he got in between them. Gus. I know you gotta think about yourself first. But if we collect everything else we need, will you help us get in? Gus looked away. Well, I really shouldnt. These cards are worth a lot. But I guess if my cards are the only thing keeping you from entering the tower, I can spare two of them. Thanks Gus. I appreciate it. They continued talking about what they had and what they could sell. When they were done, everyone headed back to their rooms to grab stuff they thought might be valuable. Everyone but Fern. She stood in front of her room and her head against it. That asshole. Its always something with her, Fern muttered to herself. Whats wrong? Max asked. Ashley left and took the only key. Oh, Im sorry. Maybe Hammurabi has a spare? Max said. I need to talk to him anyway. I want to pay for the rooms now that I have money. You dont have to pay for all of us, you know. We can pay for our own rooms. Especially Ashley. Sure sure. But this way I get first dibs on the next magic card we get from a monster, Max said with a lopsided grin. Fern laughed, but he could tell it was a courtesy laugh. Whatever. Max knew he was hilarious. They didnt find Hammurabi at the front desk, but his wife saw they were hanging out around the desk and came to talk. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Howdy yall. Names Zayda. Anything I can do for you dearies? she said. She was an older southern woman. Hello Zayda, Max said with a smile. Two things you can help us out with. First off, your husband let us stay last night without paying because we just arrived in the world. I have some money now so I wanted to settle our bill. That man. His heart is bad for our pocketbook, she said as she shook her head. Its ten knuts per room, per night. So for four rooms thats 40 knuts for last night, 80 if you want to stay tonight too. I dont have knuts, how much is one of these worth? he asked and held up a white core. Zayda chuckled, Thats enough to rent out the entire hotel for a week. Max handed it over and said, We only need one night, but keep it all anyway. Maybe itll ease your pocketbook the next time your husbands heart gets too generous. Also, while we are here, could we get another key for room two? Thank you so much. You are too kind, dearie. I wish I had another key, but we only have one per lock. We cant make them ourselves because they''re magical. Gotta replace the lock if someone loses the key. Do you need me to go get the crowbar? No no, we didnt lose the key. We have two people in that room, but the other one is out with the key. I wont make you break into the room, we can wait for her to get back, Max said, looking back at Fern to make sure she was ok with that. Fern nodded. Alright, dearie. But if you do want us to break into the room, we can. You paid more than enough for us to replace the locks, Zayda said earnestly. Its fine. Well just track down our friend and get the key from her, Max said. I have a different question for you. We need to make a lot of money fast. Do you think there is any market out there for camping gear or food? Gear? No. The stuff they make here is almost always better than the stuff you brought from Earth. But food, thats a horse of a different color. Everyone wants a taste of home, and some people are willing to pay through the nose for it. Get your food together and Ill take you to visit Noma. Fern headed out to find Ashley and Max headed back up to his room. After setting aside some of his favorite meals, he still had plenty of food. He had almost eighty pounds of freeze dried meals and snack bars he could sell. He might have gone overboard when he packed. At least he was going to get some money for it now. Most of the rest of the team was already out selling stuff, but James was still in their room. He was having problems deciding on what to part with. Max encouraged him to sell his snacks and come along with him. Zayda led them spinward through the city to the heart of the human sixth. It turned out, Noma wasnt a person, it was a restaurant. The best damn restaurant in spinworld according to Zayda. More importantly, it was a restaurant that catered to the richest humans on the third layer. The restaurant was full by the time they got there. The delicious food made Max realize he still hadnt eaten yet. His stomach growled, but he silenced it. There would be time to eat when this was over. A woman in a white coat came out from the back room and stretched her arms wide, Zayda! Always glad to see you. But can it wait? As you can see Im a bit busy. I wouldnt be running all over hells half acre if it wasnt, Zayda said with reproach in her voice. This here is Max. Hes a newbie with a bag full of Earth food. I can tell him to sell it at Michaels if you want instead? No, no. Come on back to the kitchen. Ill buy whatever you have, the chef said and ushered them back. Max took a look at what counted as luxury fare around here. It was interesting. He didnt recognize any of the food on the plates. Purple meat, hairy red fruit, glowing blue leaves. It must be infused with magic or something. As soon as the kitchen doors closed behind them, the chef was already yelling. Mark, plate for table four now. Susan, fire four sweetbreads. Yes, chef. Heard, Four sweetbreads all day. The chef took out an empty turkey baster and touched it to three plates. Sauce appeared from nowhere and covered the meat dishes, steam rising up from the plates. Gustov, service, she said. Yes, chef. The chef didnt stop moving, taking out various random objects and touching them to food. Sometimes spices were added, sometimes water started boiling. She reached the end of the room and cleared off a long table. Put your stuff here and Ill calculate a good price for you. Any friend of Zaydas is a friend of mine. Thanks, Max said as he thumped his pack on the table. He took fistfulls of meal packs out, one after another. The chefs eyes kept getting wider and wider. Max smiled as he made separate piles for freeze dried meals, granola bars, coffee packets, and jerky. James added his snacks as well, but his pile of chips and candy bars looked pitiful next to Maxs mountains of food. The chef stepped forward and started moving the piles around. She grabbed half of the meals and all of the chips and shoved them to the side. She slid the coffee packets off the table and handed them back to Max. She said, We already have great coffee here, maybe better than Earths. What we dont have is potatoes. Everything over here is worth at least three hundred knuts each. I still want the other stuff, but its worth about half as much. Still plenty though. People really want a taste of home and this freeze dried stuff is perfect for long storage. She stepped back and grabbed another new object. It was a hexagon with small beads on it. She used it to count the food on the table. Max thought it was a weird looking abacus at first, but then the beads moved on their own. Maybe it was an alien calculator or something. Zayda cleared her throat and said, Now, dont be tighter than a fleas ass. Max and his friend are good people. Yes, you said that, the chef said without looking up from the food. I was going to give them a good deal, I just needed to calculate it all out. She turned to Max and said, How does 19,000 knuts sound? Its the best offer you are going to get on this layer. Max said, That sounds like a lot. How much is that in whites? She flipped the beads around a bit and said, 47 whites and change. That will work great, thanks. She went back to a small office and came out with two bags of white cores. She handed Max the bigger one and gave James the smaller one. She said, Eight whites in there for you. Max smiled. James hadnt brought much, but apparently potato chips were very valuable. James thanked her and they tucked away their cores. Alright, now get out of here before the lunch rush hits. Im behind enough as it is, the chef said. When they were out on the wooden street again, Zayda said, Now, dont let anyone see your whites. Thats a small fortune you got there. Really? James asked. Sure as bears shit in the woods, Zayda said. I mean, plenty of hunters walk around with more than that, but for most people in the city? Thats a fortune. Max said, And thanks for helping us get it. We still need more though. Any other ideas on what we could sell? You said camping gear is out, but what about selling hammers or gauntlets? You got citadel cards then? Zayda asked. Yeah. So do a lot of people. You can get a hammer for five knuts. Gauntlets sized for a human are rarer, most gauntlets are made for Lunuk or Paj. Wrong number of fingers. Do you think I could get a few whites for a pair of gauntlets? They have a magic effect. That is rare. Most citadel cards just create an item. Ive never bought magic gauntlets, so I dont know for sure. But I kind of doubt it. Alright, thanks anyway, Max said, his shoulders slumping. Zayda patted him on the shoulder, Dont you worry none. Youll figure something out. I gotta go turn over some rooms, but you know where to find me if you need something else, yeah? Thanks again, maam, Max said as she walked off. James scratched his neck and said, Soo, what are we going to do? Chapter 20: Come On, James, Keep Up Lunch, Max said with a nod. We might have a literal deadline to make money, but we gotta eat. Maybe we can come up with a new plan while we eat. James shrugged and they started walking anti-spinward. This neighborhood was too nice to find cheap food, so they had to search further afield. There werent any street carts in this city, so their search had them peeking into building after building. There werent as many restaurants as Max expected, but there were a few. Didnt Ebba say we shouldnt eat food from here? James asked after they both rejected the weird nut restaurant. I dont think itll be a problem. Mana rich foods are expensive here, as long as we get something cheap, we will be fine. Besides, we are getting in that tower today, Max said with more conviction than he felt. They continued anti-spinward, slowly walking through the small streets. Eventually they found a place that sold meat empanadas and fried plantains. Max paid with knuts, only four for a hearty meal that fed both of them. The food was delicious enough that he bought some for later. While they ate, James said, You dont have to do that leaderly thing with me, you know. What leaderly thing? Max said around a bite of empanadas. It was good, but he was trying hard not to think about what kind of meat was inside. That thing where you are endlessly positive, James said. Its just me. You can be honest. Our chances of getting in arent good. Max sighed. Sorry. You are right, our chances arent good. They have better tools and equipment than us here, so I dont know what we could sell. It was honestly lucky that I brought so much food. That wasnt luck. That was planning. Are you sure there isnt anything else squirreled away in your pack? Nothing I am confident about. I have some precious metals, silver, gold, and platinum. But even if they do need that stuff here, I didnt bring enough to make us rich. James shrugged and crunched on a fried plantain. You never know. Maybe they dont have enough aluminum and your pack frame is worth a fortune. Alright. Well check in with the blacksmith or something. Still, I dont think we can count on that working, Max said as he stared out the window. Just so we are clear, I dont want to go into the forest and hunt monsters for their cores, James said seriously. Max barked out a laugh. Alright. Fine. Thats plan C. Better make it plan N for never gonna happen. Max laughed and flicked a plantain at his friends face. James retaliated by flicking water from their drink right back at him. Max sputtered and leaned back, but he couldnt hide his smile. He was glad he was here with James, no matter how this all turned out. After lunch they decided to head back to the hotel and see if Zayda had some recommendations for where they could try and sell their precious metals. Before they got there, they were distracted by a hologram. Or maybe it was an illusion. Every few blocks there was a ten foot tall platform. It was thin and didnt have a ladder to climb it. Max had ignored it until now. A fuzzy glow appeared in the air that slowly resolved itself into a person. They were bald and a little chubby, wearing a forest green cloak and holding a piece of paper. When he started talking, he was loud enough to hear a half a block away. Gooooood Afternoon Spinworld. This is Ernie Pyle with another edition of Spinworld News. Coming to you live from an undisclosed location, delivering to every major city from the first layer down to the fourth. Yes, even you, Bespin. Tearing down the platforms doesnt stop the transmission. I got a treasure rank card, baby. You cant stop me. First, financial news. The dungeon harvesting companies of Marrow, Ebbards Trunk, and Cadabra have all reported higher than average profits this quarter. They havent disclosed this but my confidential source says dungeons arent changing as often on the first layer. Their luck isnt shared by Colossus though. The Igra company is reporting a 19% reduction in mana crystal harvesting. Next in the weather, the cities of Coruscant, Mother''s Lashes, and Wild Plum are all experiencing dungeon breaks nearby. Plan your travel accordingly and dont get caught in a mandatory quest. Stay safe out there on the third layer. In celebrity news, the Paj princess Mahlet has fled to the City of Wild Plums. Apparently she is hoping the dungeon break will keep her father away. Sources inside the Abyssinia government say King Yekuno is furious they are harboring her, and might send his army in to teach them a lesson. On the fourth layer, Hunter Thib has called for a council between all city leaders. They will meet in Ushuaia to discuss the growing concerns of the harvesting community. Ill keep you updated as the conference progresses. Lastly, Ill end with the most important news. Dana, please come back. I love you, Ill always love you. When he finished speaking, the image fuzzed again and disappeared entirely. What. The hell. Was that? James said, staring at the empty platform. Max shrugged. Spinworld News. Come on, James, keep up. Hey! Max chuckled as he kept walking towards the hotel. He hadnt cared about most of the news, but one tidbit had his heart racing. The cities named Bespin and Coruscant. A love of Star Wars was on of the things that united Max and his brother. He wouldnt be surprised if Michael moved to one of those cities just because of the name. As soon as Max was adjusted to the mana on the first layer, he would have to find out where they were. It was as good a place to start as any to look for his brother. He was in a great mood until he heard Ashley yelling. She was standing at the front desk and they could hear her shouting from the street. Max was starting to think Fern was right. It was always something with Ashley. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ...can tell you didnt steal it. But you gotta help me find who did. Its my life on the line here! Ashley shouted. Max briefly considered not stepping in to calm her down. He was getting sick of breaking up fights she started. Still, he couldnt let Hammurabi deal with her on his own. Max said, Ashley! Whats going on? Someone stole my titan core and this guy wont help me find it. Its his hotel, hes gotta know who took it. When did you see it last? I locked it in my room before I went out for lunch and it was broken into when I came back. My stuff was ransacked and my core was missing, Ashley said, as if she was talking to a child. Max turned to Hammurabi, Are there magic police or something we can turn to? The guard said something about the governor magically protecting the city, right? Hammurabi shook his head, No, she gets quests to keep the city as a whole safe and happy, but no magical help on the individual level to track down thieves. Im not talking to the governor, Im talking to you! Ashley yelled. Someone stole my stuff from your hotel and you need to make it right. Was it only your stuff? James asked. She rounded on him and said, What? James shrunk back but continued on anyway, I mean, was it only your stuff or did they steal Ferns stuff too? I dont know, I guess. My pack was ripped apart, but hers was gone, Ashley said flippantly. Then a realization slowly dawned on her face, Wait. Ferns stuff was in there before and I have the only key. She must have broken into the room and stole my CORE! Hammurabi cleared his throat and said, If Fern is the other blond girl, I saw her head out with the Chinese boy. They both had packs on. Shes trying to use my core to buy her way in! Ashley yelled and sprinted out of the hotel. Max gave Hammurabi a look and said, Sorry about her. He headed out after Ashley with James right behind him. They quickly lost sight of her, but didn''t speed up. They jogged at a steady pace, knowing right where she was headed. The shiny tower in the center of the city held the low mana floors. She obviously thought that Fern had stolen her core and was going to use it to get in. Max couldnt quite believe that she would do that, but then again, he didnt know Fern well. They soon arrived at the shiny metal tower. A Lunuk guard stood in front of the tower with his arms folded. He looked down at Ashley as she gestured and pointed to the door behind him. The door was the same kind as the one in the stone building they had arrived in. In fact, there was stone all around the door before the metal started. It looked like the building was exactly the same as the other one, just with a magical metal wrapped around it. It even had the same arrow slit windows on all three floors. Are you done? the Lunuk said after Ashley ran out of steam. When she didnt respond, he said, Like I told you before, there was only room for two more people. Those other humans paid and I let them in. They paid two cards and a full titan core, twice what you were willing to pay. The governor herself instructed me to keep the door locked for the next two and a half months. It doesnt matter how much you want to pay, it isnt opening up again until everyone is ready to come out and serve the city. You cant do this to me! That core was mine! Ashley said as she grabbed at him. The guard casually threw out a stiff arm and knocked her on her ass. Max watched the whole exchange with a sort of detached wonder. Fern and Feng had actually done it. They had used the stolen goods to buy their way in. Clues fell into place in Maxs mind. Those two were always off together, whispering. There were fewer cards and orbs than there should be after every fight. Kezhi had two cards when he died, but they only recovered one. They were always thieves, but Max only figured it out today. Now no one else could get in. They were all screwed. James started laughing. Max turned to his friend with a look of disbelief. What was he thinking? This was a disaster. The journey up to the first layer would be deadly. They had just missed their only chance to avoid that terrible fate. The urge to cry was overwhelmed by the ridiculous need to laugh. James was right. This whole thing was ridiculous. It wasnt the end of the world, they would just have to go back to their original plan and walk all the way north. Max joined his friend in laughing, earning themselves a nasty look from Ashley, who hadnt gotten up yet. Max tried to stop laughing. It took him a while. Eventually, he said, Sorry, sorry. Im not laughing, were not laughing at you, just the ridiculousness of the situation. I mean, we all tried so hard but... He had to stop and laugh again. The two of them slowly got a hold of themselves. Max considered helping Ashley up but decided to leave her there. Moments later, Gus snuck close to the tower. He had come from a nearby alleyway and was keeping to the shadows. He had his pack on and was furtively looking around. When he saw Max and James standing there, he froze. He stood there with a guilty look on his face. Max lost it. He guffawed and fell to the street chuckling. James joined in laughing, stumbling around and using Maxs shoulder to stay standing. Gus look changed to one of fury. He stomped forward, Hey! You dont have any right to my cards. Just cus its hard for yall to get in, doesnt mean I have to sacrifice the cards I fought for. The aggressiveness wasnt enough to knock Max out of it, so he kept laughing. James quickly sobered up and said, None of us can get in. Not even Ashley. Look. Gus looked to where Ashley was just barely standing up. She looked like she wanted to take a run at the door, but her sense of self preservation was holding her back. What happened? Max climbed to his feet and said, The lovebirds, Fern and Feng, stole Ashleys titan core and bought their way into the tower. There were only ever two beds free, so they wont open the doors again. Doesnt matter how much we pay, the tower''s full now. Ashley knew and lied about how much it cost. She was trying to get one of us to pay her way in so she could keep all her cards. Gus stared at Max and then back at Ashley. He put his hands on his hips and yelled at her, What the hell? Does it matter? We arent getting in now, Ashley said and folded her arms. Gus yelled back at her, but Max quit paying attention. His attention was drawn to the flying machines zipping around the city. This world was an interesting contrast between deadly wilderness and technology well beyond their own. Humans were varied as well. Some stole from the heartless to get ahead, and others like Hammurabi were happy to help strangers, even when it hurt their business. The divide between the rich and poor couldn''t be wider. The rich literally didn''t walk on the same streets as the rest of them. When he stopped his musing he noticed Gus and Ashley had stopped arguing with each other and were staring each other down. He cleared his throat. Ashley, you are free to get your stuff from your room, but then I want you out. You too, Gus. I paid for all the rooms at Hammurabis hotel for a week and I dont want you to stay with us, Max said. He turned and walked away, ignoring what they were shouting after him. James kept up with him, not talking until the other two were out of eyesight. Are you really kicking them out of the group? How will they get to the first layer? James asked. Max shrugged, Eh. Ive only decided that they wont stay at the hotel. Well talk with Yang and Lily about what happened and decide all together if we want them traveling with us tomorrow. I don''t really care about them right now. I have more important things on my mind. "Such as? Shopping. Chapter 21: Something Special About You Lily took a big breath and pushed her hands down as she breathed out. Let me get this straight. Fern stole Ashleys titan core, and then Feng and her took the only two spare slots in the low mana tower?" Thats the sum of it. Lily started swearing and didn''t stop. Max half expected the paint to start peeling. Yang chuckled from where she was still laying in bed. The healing potion had taken care of the poison, but she was still weak. James snapped his fingers and pointed at Yang. You get it. Its hilarious. I knew I liked you. Lily rolled her eyes, You like any girl with a pulse. James shrunk into himself and said, No. I only like the awesome ones. Whatever. What are we going to do now? Max shrugged. Same thing we were always planning on doing. Hiking to the first layer. Lily sighed and nodded. She turned to Yang and said, Are you going to be well enough to hike all day tomorrow? The healing potion you purchased has already done the impossible. I will not let any remaining weakness stop me, Yang said. Lily shook her head, I didnt buy it, you did. Remember how I told you that I took your orbs to sell so we could buy the potion? You even had change, thats what the white orbs are. Oh. Thanks. You did say that. Still. You saved my life. I went shopping. Your share of the loot saved your life, Lily said while glancing at Max. Lily gave Max a look, making sure he didnt say anything. She and Max had both spent some of their own monster cores to buy the healing potion. Lily must be trying to spare Yangs feelings because she hated feeling indebted. Max kept his mouth shut. He liked Yang, he didnt want her to feel bad. The weird thing was how Lily seemed to feel the same way. She had told him earlier today that she felt like Yang was a burden and she hated feeling responsible for her. So why was she going out of her way to spare Yangs feelings? He honestly didnt know. He decided to focus on something more fun. Speaking of shopping, James and I are going soon. We sold our Earth food for a crazy amount of money. Ill buy some of the local stuff to replace what I sold, but I want to buy some magic cards or artifacts. Lily, do you want to come with? Nah. Ill save up more before I go shopping. I saw the prices in All that is Magic and Good, they are out of my price range, Lily said. But let me give you an orb for my share of the hotel and food. She handed him a white monster core. Max dug into his pocket and pulled out half of the knuts he had gotten as change earlier. He said, Food and lodging is cheap here, so even with those knuts, you are overpaying. I thought that was the case. I think there are two economies in town, the one for the poor that never leave the city, and the one for the rich and the hunters, Lily said and pocketed the knuts. Max nodded, Yeah, that sounds about right. He turned to James and nodded towards the door. James held up a finger and said, Yang, have you had lunch yet? Cus if not, I can go get you something. We tried these empanadas that were pretty good. You dont need to get me lunch. Ill get myself something in an hour or two when I am feeling better. Nah, Ill just get it for you now. You cant stop me. James said firmly. Lily, you want some too? Sure. Ill come with you, Lily said. Max gave his friend a lopsided grin, and waggled his eyebrows. James frowned back at him and shook his head subtly. Apparently James didnt sense the potential romance like Max did. Lily and James headed out to the restaurant while Max asked Hammurabi for some recommendations on trail rations. You are in luck, my friend. There is a ration seller just by the front gates. The red ones are the ones made for humans, but you wont get sick from the other ones. Everyone can eat each others food, some builder bullshit I think. Thats convenient that I dont have to worry about poisoning myself by buying the wrong thing. And do you think they will have low mana versions? Our bodies are still not adjusted to the high mana here. Ah yes, I forgot about that part. I came through when the towers were still working. In any case, no, dont buy the trail rations. They are one of the higher mana foods. Hunters need their energy and mana provides it. I guess if you want low mana food you could try a restaurant by the anti-spinward wall. Thats the poorest part of town and no one over there can afford the good stuff. Thanks for the advice, Hammurabi. Youre the best, Max said. One last question. Im here on Spinworld to find my brother. Whats the best way to find him, do they do a census or something? Hammurabi shook his head. No, sorry. No census, no lists of names. The government thinks of us as numbers, not names. Thats disappointing. So how do I find my brother? I dont know, but I imagine there is some kind of magic card that would find him. Maybe hire somebody? Max nodded and shouldered his pack. It was disappointing, but he had always intended on getting rich. Now he knew what he would spend some of his money on, a tracker to find his brother. As he headed out, he stuck a war hammer through his belt loops. He hoped he wouldnt need it, but apparently he would be walking into a bad neighborhood. It didnt take him long to reach the far wall. The city wasnt that wide, they had built up instead of out. The neighborhood didn''t look as bad as he was expecting. There weren''t any leaning buildings full of rotting wood. It was still clear this was the poor part of town. No one wore anything nice, and the kids playing in the street were barefoot. Another interesting change was that most of the adults had heavily scarred hands and forearms. Many of them were stained black as well. There werent a lot of likely prospects for places to buy food around here. But there was one that he just had to check out. The sign out front said McDowells and had two golden arches out front. Max smiled. Even in another world, they were concerned about copyright. He walked inside and saw simple wooden tables and chairs with a few patrons scattered about. Behind a stone counter there was a painted sign with burgers and fries on the menu. A value meal cost a single knut. Max walked up to the counter and said, Interesting name for a restaurant. The old man behind the counter said, Yeah, its from that movie, Coming to America. I dont think Ive seen that one. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Really? Its pretty popular. Its the one where Eddie Murphy plays an African prince. Its a classic. Max just shrugged. The old man shook his head, Kids these days. Whatll you have? Ill take some fries. Are they really made of potatoes? He shook his head. No, thats the joke. Fake McDonalds with monster meat and fake fries. Theyre made of cassava root. Max handed over a knut and said, Well, now youve got me curious. Ill try some. It wasnt long before Max had a fresh basket of fries. He took a bite and made a face. He couldnt help himself. They werent bad, the crunch was good and the flavor interesting. But they were chewy, which he hadnt expected. The man behind the counter laughed at him. Just give it a few weeks. The tastell grow on you. I dont have a few weeks. Im heading north because I have a mandatory quest to reach the first layer. The man grimaced, Ah, what a wonderful way to be introduced to Spinworld. Go hundreds of miles through monster infested land, or youll die. Max nodded, Yeah. Im here to see about finding some low mana trail rations. Not sure if fries are a good idea though. Better than you think, actually. Anything grown in the ground is low mana. So root veggies like cassava, taro, and yams are perfect for you. Youre right though, fries arent great travel food. Toss me a knut and Ill tell you where you can find the perfect supplies. Max complied and the man sent him a block south to a store called Whole Foods. It had the same green sign and everything. Max told him the situation and the grocer loaded him up with plenty of root veggies and preserved foods. It was heavier than the food he had sold earlier today, so he only got enough for a week. He could get more in the next city they passed. With the food squared away, Max headed back to the store near the city gates, the one with the magic cards and artifacts. He was a little nervous about negotiating with the shopkeeper Paj again. The guy had all but promised him that he wouldnt get a good price. The smart thing would be to wait until he was in the next city and buy stuff there. But ... magic. He couldnt keep himself away. He walked into the shop and nodded to the same Lunuk guard as before. To Maxs delight, there was someone new behind the counter. It was a female Paj, wearing a bright yellow wrap and a happy expression. Her green skin was a different shade and her centipede tail smaller. Welcome to All Things Magic and Good. What would you like to buy today? she said. Max smiled and said, I would love to buy a little bit of everything, but well see how much I can afford. She laughed just like a human. Ah. That is true of us all. If only our molt revealed riches, we would all be happy. The thought of the Paj molting didnt make him happy, but he smiled anyway. Max started browsing the store. The displays of monster cores were interesting, but he didnt even know what they were used for. Max wanted to buy a magic card to add to his deck, but he started by looking at the collection of artifacts on the other side of the store. There was a sign above them stating that all of these dungeon artifacts were tested and certified curse-free. That was the second time he had heard about dungeon artifacts being cursed. Dungeons sounded terrible, he was glad someone else had done the work to collect these. He perused the artifacts and read the handwritten notes below each one. The objects were eclectic in form and function. A tongue scraper that also scratched your back at the same time. A shovel that phased through metal. A cloak that made you hover four inches above the ground. A paint brush that shot out hundreds of needles with activation. A toe ring that enlarged your feet, and only your feet. Max was briefly tempted to buy a box that hardened everything placed inside, but it was only five inches long. It didnt seem useful enough. The artifacts were weird enough that he didnt finish reading all of the descriptions. He assumed they had been made for the other species. Instead, he read through their selection of magic cards. They had two dozen different cards on display. He could only use the citadel cards, but he read through all of the ones they had. Pawn cards were all related to summoning. Clover cards were slow working magical effects, like curses. The wand cards were typical wizard shit, green sparks, plasma bolts, etc. Cups seemed to be a mix of alchemy and druid magic. There were no bell cards on display. Naturally, he paid the most attention to the citadel cards. He wasnt tempted to buy most of them. He had no desire to make lights or a bolt of canvas, and the ladle maker made him laugh. He could just picture himself hitting monsters with them. The card that made ritual chalk sounded intriguing, but it didnt mesh with his existing cards at all. There were a few citadel cards he thought were interesting. The first was a Whip card. It wasnt a weapon he wanted to use, but it could be useful. He might be able to merge it with his other cards and guide the resulting card into one that made all kinds of weapons. On the other hand, he didnt want to use a whip. The Drill card was intriguing. He didnt think he needed a drill, but it did have a magical effect. He could only imagine that the magic power would be to quickly drill through tough materials. If he could attach it to a weapon, he might be able to use the drill to punch through the skin of super tough monsters. His only hesitation was that it would probably guide his merged card into one that made tools. That wasnt a bad thing, but he was hoping to put his construction career behind him. Max made his way to the back, where the Paj stood behind a glass topped counter. Beneath the glass were the best cards in the store. He read through the other cards before he got to the one he wanted. Convection, Quill Cat, Plasma Bolt, Appendage, Passkey. That last one must be the card that made the keys for the hotel. He could use it because it was a Citadel suit, but he had no desire to buy it. He only had eyes for the armor card.
Advanced Armor Citadel
Transmutes any matter within aura into chosen armor types.
Mana Cost: 42 Armor Slots: 3 Card Level: 4
It was an advanced card, which Max thought was a little more flexible than the common cards. Instead of a refresh rate, it had armor slots. That probably meant they wouldnt have any magical effects. The mana cost was sadly higher than his capacity, but he figured he could upgrade his mana pool in order to use it. How much for the Quill Cat card? Max said. He couldn''t use it of course, but he wanted to get an idea of the cost of the best cards. I assume you have monster cores, not knuts? When Max nodded she continued, The Quill Cat card is almost the perfect summon. It is fast, has a ranged attack, and its claws can cut through almost anything. Thats why its priced at 280 whites. Max nodded distractedly. He mentally counted up how many whites he had. He got 39 from when he sold his cores earlier, then gave Lily ten of them. Then he sold his food for an additional 47. He spent a white on the hotel rooms, which should leave him with 75 whites. Less than a fourth of what she just quoted. Well, thats out of my price range. How about these two? The Armor card and the Appendage card? Max said. The Armor card is 80 and the Appendage card is 120. Interesting. Max said as he pretended to consider them both. The Paj cleared her throat. Forgive me for asking, but are you newly hatched on this world? Yeah, I got here a few days ago. Then let me offer some advice. I would avoid citadel cards if you are not a full time researcher. Citadel cards dont allow you to change the default material unless you understand the materials completely. My cousin once spent ten months researching how to change his Scaler card from steel to copper. And thats one of the easier metals. This Armor card has a default of chitin, which isnt as strong as steel. Chitin is fine for the first layer, but here on the third layer you might as well be wearing nothing. You would have to do a lot of research before you trust your life to the armor this card can make. I recommend you buy the Appendage card, its immediately useful. It lets you grow temporary arms, and more is always better with arms, let me tell you. If you still need armor, the shop across the street can make you a custom set for a handful of whites, she said as she pointed across the way. Max thought about it for a second. Maybe he should just buy some armor and save up his whites for the next town. Then again, maybe changing the material wouldnt be that hard for him. His kindle was still working, and it contained the knowledge of an entire civilization. Maybe just knowing the chemical makeup of steel would be enough. Risking his entire wealth on a dice roll like that would be a bad idea though. He needed to test his idea out first. Thank you for the advice. Ill have to save up just a bit more before I can afford what I want. The Paj knocked on the counter and said, I have a feeling you will be back sooner rather than later. Something special about you. Max laughed at the sales technique. The funny thing was that it was working. He really wanted to come back today and show her that he was special. Well, he wanted to come back either way. Even if he decided against the armor card, he wanted a new citadel card either way. A bit more thought made him realize a non-magical whip was almost useless for him. The magical effect of the Drill card was intriguing though. Either way, he had some homework first. He needed to test his theory about wikipedia making him a citadel card master. Chapter 22: Nothing But Copper Facts As he walked back to the hotel, he transmuted a block of food into a set of gauntlets. He had been meaning to give James a pair for a while. This might only protect his hands and forearms, but it was better than nothing. Yang and Lily would probably like a pair as well, but he couldnt make one for them yet. The card specified that the gauntlets would fit him. Their hands were far too small to use gauntlets sized for him. Once the gauntlets were tucked away, Max checked his mana pool. 14/36. He would have to keep an eye on the regeneration rate for his next project. His plan was to research different metals on wikipedia and decide on one to use to make his hammer. That was assuming that his e-ink reader was still working, which wasnt a sure thing. All of his other electronics had already broken. If everything came together and it didnt take too many tries to change the default metal of his hammer, he would buy the Armor card. Then he could switch from chitin armor to titanium armor or something. The other great part about the Armor card was that it didnt say the armor was sized for him. That meant he could armor up the whole squad. It would open up a revenue stream for him too. Everyone needed armor on Spinworld. He checked in on the rest of the squad when he got to the hotel. They were all sitting on Yangs bed and talking. She was looking much better now. She still had a scowl on her face, but Max was pretty sure that was just Yang being Yang. Hey, buddy. You buy some cool stuff? James asked. Max thunked down his pack. Not yet. I bought us all low mana food, but I havent bought any magic stuff yet. I gotta do some research first. Cool beans, James said. I think Ill head out shopping soon too. Lily reminded me that I still havent sold the two orbs I got as loot. Ooh, awesome. Get yourself something badass. Dont forget to check out the armor shop too. I made you some gauntlets, but well all need something to protect us. Lily said, Ashley came by when you were out. She was pissed. It was honestly a little hilarious seeing her deal with the consequences of trying to screw us all over. Speaking of Ashley, are you thinking we should bar her and Gus from coming with us? Yang asked. I was going to ask you guys what you thought. Im kinda mad at them now. I dont know if blocking them is the right thing though. They were selfish jerks, but they didnt actually do anything to directly harm us, Max said. Lily and James feel like they should be given a second chance. I believe if we travel with them again, its just giving them a second chance to betray us, Yang said. Lily nodded. Shes right, but that means we can trust them. We can trust them to always do whats best for themselves. No ulterior motives, just pure self interest. Max thought about it and said, Thats a good point. Yeah, lets let them come along. We never trust them with loot or protecting us, but theyll be useful in a fight for their lives. Its not ideal, but I dont think I could live with myself if they died because we wouldnt let them come with us. Lily and James smiled and Yang shrugged and looked away. Lily slapped her knees. Well, with that out of the way, I think Ill head out and do some shopping of my own. Yang, get some rest, well be walking all day tomorrow. Yes, grandma, Yang mocked. Despite her tone, Yang slid under the covers while everyone headed out. James grabbed his orbs and joined Lily while Max headed to his room. Before he had headed out this morning, Max had emptied his pack on the bed. It was covered in camping gear from one end to another. Reluctantly, Max decided to clean it up and decide what to throw away. Even with dozens of pounds of food gone, he still had too much stuff to carry around without his exolegs. He kept his cooking gear, it would be vital for making the roots and veggies palatable. Reluctantly, he set aside the blowtorch. He never even got to use that. The tent and backup tent had to go too. His day pack was full of everyday carry survival gear and light enough to keep. Duct tape was an easy decision to keep. He kept his large water bottle, but emptied it out. There was enough water in the jungle, but that might not always be the case on other layers. The sleeping bag and pad werent strictly necessary, but a good nights rest was valuable, so he kept them. He did part with the camp chair though. The trio of broken flashlights went too. He hadnt gotten around to seeing if gold and platinum was valuable here, so he tucked those small bars away. He wasnt sure why he had brought so much bug spray, but he put most of it in the sell pile. Hammurabi had promised to buy what he couldnt carry. That only left the parts of his crossbow. If it was working, he would definitely keep it, a near silent weapon would be fantastic. But the front of the stock was busted and it was in several pieces now. He should throw it away, but he knew it was fixable. Both limbs were still intact, they just needed to be reattached to the stock. Maybe he would see if someone in town could repair it later. With the packing taken care of, Max could finally get to the kindle. With no small amount of trepidation, he opened up the cover. To his delight, it turned on. He quickly pulled up wikipedia. He excitedly started browsing through articles on different metals. This might be the first time he had ever been excited to do research. There were a variety of different metals to choose from. At first he looked at the articles on titanium and tungsten. Then he remembered that the female Paj had said copper was an easy metal to work with. It was as good as any place to start. If he could create a copper hammer instead of a steel one, then wikipedia would have proven its worth. He read the article on copper as an element, its uses in technology, all about the color copper, and even a few about copper mines. Then he went back to the basics and memorized detailed facts about the protons, neutrons, and electrons that made up copper. He wasnt sure if the electrons per shell was important, but he memorized that too. By the time he was done, it was almost dinnertime and his mana had fully regenerated. He grabbed the broken flashlights to use them as feedstock. He cleared his mind and focused on only the image of a copper hammer. He imagined what it looked like, what it tasted like. Its chemical properties and magnetic profile. Its flexibility and conductivity. Nothing but copper facts entered his mind. He clicked that mental button. Bright lights flew out and altered reality one mote at a time. Within moments, he held a hammer in his hand. A steel hammer. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. He tossed it down onto the bed in frustration. He stomped out of the room knowing it would be at least two hours before he could regain enough mana to create another one. He checked around the hotel for the others. Yang was sleeping and Lily and James werent back yet. He went out to dinner while he waited. He decided to try something new. He wandered for a bit before he found a shawarma place. The pita bread and meat were great, but the sauce was way too spicy. He also discovered he was not a fan of sweet potato fries. By the time he went back to the hotel, James and Lily were there. James had bought a small metal buckler. It was only slightly bigger than a frisbee. Is that all you bought? I thought you would have bought a full suit of armor, Max said. James shook his head. Couldnt afford it. Everything is insanely expensive. I couldnt afford magic armor, a breastplate cost more than 250 whites. I spent most of what I had on this shield. I would have saved everything, but I couldnt pass up this little guy. It will automatically protect the wearer from a single attack once a day. Well, that shield sounds cool, but its weird that everything was so expensive. Its not hard to make stuff with citadel cards. Besides, the Paj woman specifically said we could gear up with just a few whites, Max said. Lily held up a bag. She was kind of right. I bought two basic sets of armor for only five whites. But the problem is that they dont cover everything and they are made of chitin. The salesman said that was only good against tier one monsters. Its better than nothing, but the standard monster on this layer can rip right through it. But it would have protected us against the feathered serpents, right? Max asked. Lily nodded, Yeah, thats why I still bought a set for me and Yang. Its better than nothing and we are ending up in the first layer anyway. I didnt buy a set because I had a better idea, James said with an excited look on his face. Lily rolled her eyes and went back to her room. Max put his fingers to his temples and said, Let me use my psychic powers to discern your plan. You want me to go to All Things Magic and Good and buy the Armor card. Then I can make armor for the whole team. Yes! How did you know? James asked. Did you get a Telepathy card? Max laughed as he shook his head. No, of course not. I just visited the same store you did. Oh. The saleslady said the armor card only makes chitin armor. I want to see if I can figure out how to change my cards material. If I can make steel armor, I want the card, but if its only chitin armor, I dont want it. I cant take cards out of my deck, remember? Right, right. Well, we brought back dinner. Did you want some? Already ate. Im gonna get back to studying. The Paj lady says I have to understand a material to use it with my citadel cards, Max said. He plopped on the bed and started re-reading everything. When he hatched this plan, he thought that the kindle was a magic bullet. Wikipedia was a huge repository of knowledge, but there wasnt a lot about copper. It only took him half an hour to re-read everything. He checked his mana and decided to try again. This time he focused solely on the atomic side of the element. Copper had 29 protons and 34 neutrons, atomic weight of 63, with exactly 29 electrons in a 2, 8, 18, 1 formation. It reacted with oxygen and not much else. He tried to focus solely on those facts and nothing else. When he felt ready, he clicked that mental button. Motes of light swirled up and chewed through the tent he was using as feedstock. He felt some feedback, like the card was fighting against him. He focused harder, not letting anything distract him for the few seconds it took to transmute the hammer. He squinted his eyes as he stared at the soft glow. Yes! Max yelled as he held the hammer up in the air. The copper hammer. He had done it! It turned out that the magic just needed precise directions of what element to use. Once he got that right, he could make a shiny copper hammer. It was the most beautiful thing he had seen since he got here. It represented possibility and endless potential. Now that he knew the secret to using his citadel card, he felt unstoppable. The hammer was a bit unbalanced. It was solid copper instead of having a wooden handle. A minor detail he was sure he could overcome with practice. He was going to buy that armor card. Now that he knew he could make armor out of any metal he wanted, the card would be a perfect part of his arsenal. He jumped up and rushed out the door. He only had 75 orbs instead of the 80 the Paj had quoted, but he was sure he could talk her down. As he hurried across the city, he ran across an unexpected problem. Night fell. He skidded to a stop in the darkness. Apparently time had gotten away from him. He waited until his eyes adjusted and used the streetlights to sheepishly walk back to the hotel. The next morning, Max woke up later than planned. The others were finishing breakfast and he had to eat on the go. He enjoyed the breakfast burrito they gave him and did his best not to think about where the eggs came from. Thankfully, he had already packed the day before, so they werent going to be late. As they walked, Max checked in on Yang. She said she was feeling fantastic and stronger than ever. She said the armor was a bit weird, but other than that she was in top form. Both women were already wearing the armor Lily had bought. It was black chitin and tightly covered their chest and arms. Instead of leg armor, they wore a segmented skirt. The armored skirt was short in the front and long in the back. It must have been made by a Paj, designed to cover a tail instead of legs. There was a crowd at the gates with more gathering as the day went on. Most of them wore armor and carried weapons. Based on how mismatched they were, Max assumed they were hunters about to head out for the day. The crowd was about half Lunuk and half Paj, with the occasional human thrown in. Gus and Ashley walked up then, clearly looking for Ebba. When they saw that she hadnt arrived yet, they awkwardly stood off to the side. Max caught their eye and waved them over. We talked it over and decided we wont fight you two coming with, Max said. Just dont expect us to trust you anytime soon. You dont get to decide if we come with or not, Ashley said and threw up her hands. We fought just like you did to earn the cards you paid Ebba with. We paid our way, you cant force us out! Max rolled his eyes and turned away from her. She was trying to argue even after she got what she wanted. He looked Gus in the eyes and gave him a nod. Gus hesitated for a second and nodded back. There might not be trust, but there was mutual respect. He turned to James and said, When Ebba gets here, let her know Ill be right back. You got it, buddy, James said and saluted. Max saluted back with mock seriousness and hurried off. He still wanted to buy a magic card. He had pretty much decided on the Armor card, but he was going to ask about the Drill card before he pulled the trigger. Maybe the nature of its magical effect would change his mind. A trio of guards walked out as he walked into the magic store. The Paj behind the counter looked happy to see him. Max frowned. This was the Paj from yesterday that had promised to negotiate harshly when he came back. His green skin was hairless, but Max was starting to think he looked like the Grinch. Hello my customer! Welcome, welcome. Have you come to purchase equipment for the war effort as well? The best stuff has been sold, but I still have plenty of cards and artifacts suited for a sapling like you. War? What war? Max said, surprised. Oh, you havent heard yet? the Paj said casually. Abyssinia declared war on us. Their army has been marching since yesterday and should arrive within hours. Chapter 23: Some Kind of Magic Thing War? What? Why? Max sputtered, entirely off balance. The Paj laughed, As much as I enjoy the look of panic on your face, Ill relieve you of it. This isnt true war. There arent endless waves of soldiers ready to raise the city to the ground. This is Spinworld. Each city is its own sovereign nation, so armies never get too big. This will be a border skirmish at best. Still, that doesnt sound good. I gotta warn my friends and get out of here before the army arrives, Max said as he turned around. You want to leave before you buy something? Dont do that. The guild is subsidizing everything bought for the war effort today. Buy something before you go, it might save your life. Max paused. Do you still have the Armor card? No, that was one of the first cards to go. Come here, I have my remaining cards on the counter. Max walked over. The shop used to have several dozen cards displayed, now there was less than twenty. There were only three citadel cards. Passkey, Actuator, and Drill. The actuator seemed out of place, but he reminded himself this wasnt a medieval fantasy. This was real life. He read the new card, trying to figure out how close it was to a solenoid.
Common Actuator Citadel
Transmutes mana neutral matter within aura into a small mana actuator. Controlled by mental commands or mana current.
Mana Cost: 8 Concurrent Links: 2 Card Level: 1
Ooh, mental commands, fascinating. He could make a cupboard that opened and closed without touching it. No, that was a dumb idea. He could connect it to a flying platform and mentally control it while he surfed it into battle. Better. Still ridiculous, but fun to imagine. The drill card looked more useful. The refresh time was long, but the low mana cost meant that he could make more than one at a time.
Common Drill Citadel
Transmutes mana neutral matter within aura into a hand drill sized for the cardholder.
Mana Cost: 12 Refresh: 2.6 Hours Card Level: 1
He slid the Drill and Actuator to the side. What kind of deal can you give me for these two? The Paj knocked on the counter. Normally, Id say 63 whites, but since the crystal guild is helping foot the bill, Ill knock it down to 54. Max considered it. He could afford both of them and he was in a hurry. Its a deal, Max said as he counted out the whites. Instead of absorbing them right away, he tossed the cards into his bag. He planned on having James test the cards out before he committed to adding them to his permanent deck. By the time he returned to his friends, the crowd had grown to twice the size. The hunters were getting loud and there was a general unease. Ebba had arrived while he was gone and stood like a protective mother between the squad and the crowd. Listen, guys. Max said as soon as they were in earshot. I just found out an army is heading this way. Ashley scoffed. Ebba already told us. Are you finally ready to go? Max had enough of her bullshit. He slowly walked up to her and whispered in her ear, Watch your attitude if you want me to watch your back. She backed up and folded her arms. Dont threaten me. You cant stay awake forever. Max held himself back from barking back. Her idiocy wasnt as important as getting out of here. Ebba waited to make sure the interaction was done and then clapped her hands. Follow me, nestlings. I made an arrangement with the field commander and I think I can get him to let us out on the anti-spinward side. How do you know the army doesnt have the city surrounded? Gus asked. She twitched her fingers on all four hands. Basic military tactics. Their entire army is amassed on the spinward side because all catapults and projectiles fly farther when you launch from the spinward side than when you launch from the anti-spinward side. The defense has the advantage on the anti-spinward side, its basically suicide to attack from that end. Gus narrowed his eyes. Is it some kind of magic thing? East and West of the city are level, its not like there is any kind of terrain advantage. Centrifugal Force! James excitedly said. When Gus turned to him, he continued in a quiet voice. Its not magic that changes their tactics, its regular old physics. What do you mean? Were inside a spinning sphere, remember? The force that is holding us on the ground feels like gravity, but it isnt, its centrifugal force. That comes along with the coriolis effect and centripetal force pulling things to the side. If I throw a ball straight up in this world, itll always fall a few feet anti-spinward. The higher you throw, the farther anti-spinward it will fall. So if you set up a catapult on the spinward side, you can toss rocks or bombs or whatever and they will travel farther. Gus nodded sharply. Max was pretty sure that Gus understood now. James kept going anyway. He excitedly said, So it will always make sense to attack from the spinward side, even if they are expecting you to do that. They can bring substantially more energy into play, especially when you shoot higher. Physics is on your side, literally. Very good brown-haired nestling. That is the correct explanation, Ebba said. If you were a Lunuk, I would give you a sweet tuber. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. James turned to her and cocked his head. Dont you know my name? Its James. Yes, ok, James. I will try to remember, but you humans all look alike. The only reason I always remember Maxs name is that he is the only one with straw hair. James looked offended, but didnt reply. Gus did though. Very good nesting. You are so smart, the purple people eater likes you, he said in a cutesy voice. I do not eat sentients, Ebba said, offended. Gus just laughed. A dozen airships sped by above them, heading the same direction, anti-spinward and away from the fighting. Can we hitch a ride on one of those? Ashley said and pointed. Ebba scoffed and said, There are several reasons why not. Most of those are single occupant vehicles. The few that can take passengers charge more than I make in a year. And even if we had the money, what they are doing is too dangerous for nestlings. There are several flying monsters that can bat those airships out of the sky. The only reason they are risking it, is because they could survive the impact. Ashleys shoulders slumped and she looked at the retreating ships with longing. While they were talking they crossed the entire city and came to a small gate on the far wall. It was only manned by two guards, despite the fact that war had just been declared. Max frowned. The military here really trusted that no one would do the unconventional. Ebba got them quickly through the gate by mentioning the commanders name. Max noticed they had guards patrolling the wall along the battlements, so maybe they werent completely naive. Once they were outside the city, a guard slid a box through the slot in the door. Ebba absorbed her card and handed Yang hers. There was a final card in the box, the one that Feng had left. Ebba slid it into her storage shorts. Ashley sidled up to Ebba and started whispering and pointing to her shorts. Max scoffed. If Ashley thought she was going to wheedle a card out of Ebba, she was delusional. They left the road right away and headed towards the forest to the north. As they walked out of the shadow of the city, Ebba spurred them into a jog. Max looked spinward to see what they were running from. On the far side of the clearing, an army was assembling. They were still within the trees, not yet entering the cleared area around the city walls. Dozens of summons lined the edge of the forest. The blue monsters were all different shapes and sizes, some as big as the titan Max had killed. A figure clad in white slowly floated up from the city. Another in yellow rose up to meet them. They were too far away to see details, but Max imagined they were generals discussing terms to avoid a conflict. They must not have been successful, because the figures clashed in midair with the sound of thunder. The one in white spun backwards thirty feet before righting himself. He pulled a potion out and quaffed it. Eldritch tentacles burst out of his back, writhing and spinning. The man in yellow tried for another clash, but the man in white used his new tentacles as wings and outmaneuvered him. Spikes grew from his tentacles and he whipped them forward to send a barrage of spikes at the man in yellow. His armor deflected most of it, but Max thought he saw spots of red between joints. The man in yellow responded with a cascade of lightning, locking up his opponent and slapping the appendages back. The figure in white fled back the city as Max lost sight of the fight. As soon as they entered the tree line, the humans tried to slow down. Not yet, my nestlings. We are still too close to the army. One of their scouts might kill us just for being in the area. We must run for a while yet. Max gritted his teeth and continued on. This was brutal. He had dumped the extra weight from his pack, but he hadnt spread out the food supplies. He activated his Levitate stat but it wasn''t enough. Soon enough, he was huffing and puffing alongside James. Time passed slowly. Eventually, Ebba slowed to a walk and said, We are likely safe now. We are near the local dungeon tower and they wont go near it. Max blessed the chance to breathe. They continued walking but it was much easier now. When he got his breath back he said, Shouldnt we avoid the dungeon too? They have a mandatory quest going on, right? Ebba whipped her head around. What did you say? In the news yesterday the guy said something about a mandatory quest on the dungeon nearby. Did I misunderstand? He did talk about it like it was-. Max cut himself off. He was distracted by a message popping up in his vision. Mandatory Quest A nearby dungeon needs to be cleared out in order to normalize local mana levels. Head towards the quest marker and enter the dungeon within 3.46 hours. A floor count will be assigned after a team has entered together. Failure to enter within time will result in immediate death. Along with the blue message sprawling across their vision, a small blue arrow appeared at their feet, pointing to north-anti-spinward. Ebba looked at the sky and shouted, Broken shells! She turned back to Max with a glare. Why didnt you tell me about this sooner! I told you we were heading for a dungeon! Max held up his hands. I was in the middle of telling you! Besides, why didnt you know already? You knew about the war, how did you miss this? Ebba growled in frustration. Immediate death? Immediate death? They cant do that, can they? Ashley said, panicked. Ebba sliced the air. They can and they do. One of the many reasons the dungeon Builders are universally reviled. If you do not enter their dungeon within the allotted time, they overcharge your mana core. It sucks in all the nearby mana, killing you in the process. Damn, Gus said. Death, not damnation. Human mythology does not apply. Thats not... whatever. There were a few moments of silence. Max said, So there is no way around it, right? We have to go to the dungeon. Can we jump in and then jump right out? No. This is a two part quest. Once you enter the dungeon, you are given a set number of levels to clear. Weak groups only have to clear a floor or two, strong groups have to clear the whole thing. You all are weak, and will be given a small number. But these dungeons are made for the third layer. It will be difficult to survive. There was more discussion, but Ebba just repeated the same answers. When the questions stopped, they headed out again. The group fell into a funk. No one talked, everyone was in their own heads, thinking about their second deadline since they arrived here. Ashley walked up to Ebba and continued their earlier conversation. The whispering grew heated. Max was a bit surprised when Ebba caved and gave Ashley something. He couldn''t see what, but Ashley seemed satisfied with the exchange. Max drifted over to ask what that was about, but both Ebba and Ashly avoided him. He shook his head and refocused on surviving the dungeon. First things first, weapons. He grabbed a nearby plant and transmuted it into a war hammer. He already had two good ones and a pair of carpenters hammers, but they needed more. If they were going to have to fight monsters, then everyone would need a weapon. He slid the newly created hammer into a strap on his pack. It weighed him down even more, but he could take it. As they walked, the adrenaline slowly wore off. A sigh escaped his lips. A hammer wouldnt be enough. Max was starting to regret coming here. He had just wanted to find his brother. The way things were looking, Michael might already be dead and Max would be joining him. An hour after they started walking again, Max asked, What is a dungeon, exactly? We talked about them already, remember? Its a tower, there are monsters and traps, and weird loot that is only occasionally useful, Ebba said. Its weird that it conforms so closely to the stories back on Earth. I always thought that was poetic license, not grounded in reality, Max said. What I dont get is why they exist in the first place. You said the builders constructed them, right? I dont know why your fiction matches our reality, but I can tell you why they exist. Its to maintain the mana sphere. They arent really called dungeons, thats just a name humans insist on. All of the civilized species call them mana converters. The air here is filled with mana, which is slowly being replenished by the sun. The Builders have decided each layer should have a different mana density. The mana converters suck up ambient mana and turn it into traps, monsters, or dungeon loot. On this layer, there is about one dungeon per 14.5 miles. On the second layer its twice that, and the first layer is chock full of dungeons. James said, So its a method of ensuring a certain mana density. I imagine they have tools to measure the stoichiometry and when it gets too high, the dungeons trigger a mandatory quest to clear it out. That way the dungeon sucks in more mana to replenish the monsters and loot that we destroy. Ebba nodded, Precisely, my nestling. Precisely. Gus opened his mouth to tease James again, but Max cut him off with a deadly look. They didnt need James to lose his confidence, not now. They needed every edge they could get. Gus wisely shut his mouth. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the dungeon. It was a tall obsidian tower. It was as wide as it was tall, like a leviathans jewelry box. It was entirely windowless and had a white pointed roof that shimmered in the mottled sunlight. Despite being about six stories tall, the surrounding jungle trees were taller. The ground around the tower was entirely lifeless, only dirt and rock for about thirty feet out. Standing in front of the dungeon was a group of six people. Two Lunuk and four Paj. They had weapons and equipment out. They were in the process of armoring up, some in plate armor, others in segmented armor. Their arms and armor glowed softly in the dim light, a softly shifting blue sheen. One of the Paj turned as the newcomers entered the clearing. He gave them a thoroughly unimpressed look and returned to his work. Ebba motioned for the humans to stay and she walked up to the group of warriors. Chapter 24: Low Combat Ability Did you and your shrubbery get caught in the mandatory quest? the heavily armored Paj said. Ebba stepped forward. Yes, we did. We are vastly underleveled and had no intention of straying near. Someone forgot to tell me there was a mandatory quest in effect. She turned to glare at Max. Max held up his hands. They already had this discussion. It was really her fault, not his. But if she needed to look smart in front of them, Max wouldnt stop her. What are your plans? Any chance you will clear the tower in the next 2.1 hours? Ebba asked. The Paj laughed. No. We just got here. The guild sent us here to clear it just yesterday. Itll be at least a day, maybe two. The final floor is particularly difficult. Its why the quest happened in the first place. No one wants to run it unless they get paid. Ebbas four arms drooped as one. That news is a festering wound. Any chance you brought along extra weapons we could use? We all brought along spares, but thats a safety thing. Ill ask the others if any of them have a weapon they can part with, the Paj said and glided away on its thousands of cilia. Ebba walked back to the humans and said, Im assuming you heard all that. If we can use one of their weapons, that will increase our chances of survival greatly. However, even with the loan, this will be difficult. We need to talk strategy and plan out our dungeon run. Come, sit. They all sat down, most of them with serious faces. Gus couldnt hide his excited look. Ebba gestured to the tower and said, Our first problem is that the tower only admits groups of six. We need to decide on how to split our group. I have been thinking about it, and I believe there are only two good options. The Lunuk way and the human way. The Lunuk way would be to send our weakest group member in on their own. It would mean almost certain death for them, but it would provide the rest of us the best chance of survival. The human way would be to send me in alone and the six humans in their own group. Without me, you humans would have a much lower chance of survival, but then no one would be sacrificed. I believe my own chances of survival are equal in either case, so I will allow you to make the decision. They looked at Ebba in shock and then glanced around the group. No one said anything as they considered the choice. Ashley scoffed, How is this a decision, people? Shes asking if we are ok with murder. Clearly the answer is no, we are not ok with murder. The six of us are going in a group and the alien girl heads in on her own. Max nodded. Ashley may be a horrible person, but she wasnt dumb. If anyone was going to be sacrificed, it would be her. Max and Gus were strong, James had good ranged attacks, Yang and Lily had black chitin armor. From a practical and emotional standpoint, Ashley was the weakest link. Her only chance of survival was convincing everyone that the humans had to stick together. Im ok with murder, Yang said in a flat voice. I vote we send in the weakest human in alone. Ebba curled her fingers in a smile. Ashley squawked in shock and couldnt find the words to respond. Lily said, We cant straight up sacrifice someone. Thats evil. Gus shook his head. Its not evil, its practical. Ebba calls this place Spinworld, but a better name might be Monster Murder World. He held up his hand. But, I am actually fine either way. I want to live, but I also want to run a dungeon without a nanny. Max shook his head, Im not ok with murder. Well do the six humans together. Ashley slumped in relief and Lily nodded in satisfaction. Gus and Yang shrugged. James had stayed out of the conversation, but he knew James would never vote to sacrifice anyone. Thats the plan then. Ill go see about that spare weapon and ask them about the first three floors, Ebba said. As she walked away, Max said, Lets do some planning. Gus, I know you have more experience, but Im not going to let you lead. We cant trust you after you tried to abandon us. Thats not to say I dont want your advice. You are the most experienced with fighting out of all of us, so I definitely want to hear your opinion. Thats... fair. But promise me you will listen to my advice, even if its in the middle of a fight, Gus said. As long as you promise me to listen to me when I give an order, Max said. Deal. Max didnt expect Gus to risk his life for the group, but it couldnt hurt to try for some unity. Max said, First things first. Lets talk about what we have to work with. I have four hammers with super strike and two sets of gauntlets with magic reach. Both of them work once and take about an hour to recharge. I bought some new cards this morning, but they wont be useful today. Well go around the circle and everyone explain what they can bring to bear. Lily, you are up first. Lily nodded, I went all in on the pawn suit. Ive been slowly adjusting the Mushroomantis to be more effective in combat. Ive got a hatchet Ive practiced with and you can see my armor. Yang said, I have the Decoy card, which you have all seen. My Convection card heats things up slowly, but it can get pretty hot with time. My final card is called Paint. I can change the color of things if I splash my blood on them. I have the useless Flower card, but I got the evil twin card to make up for it. I also got Sonic Step. If I stomp real hard on the floor, I can kinda see around corners. Its like Daredevil, said Gus. Next up was Ashley. She looked at them nervously and said, I have a card that makes my tongue real long, and one that creates a beam of light. I think it blinds people, but I havent tested it yet. You gotta have more than that, Gus said. What arent you telling us, Ashley? Your life could depend on telling us everything, Max added. Thats everything. I took the titan core instead of an extra card, remember? Ashley replied flippantly. Bullshit, Gus said and folded his arms. When she didnt reply, James cleared his throat. I have this cool buckler that automatically stops any attack once a day. My best card is the Decay card, which is an invisible attack that slowly breaks down organic matter. I inherited the Glass Shards card as well. My last card is Acid. I have to bleed myself to use it though, so thats not happening. Oh and one more thing. I bought a shortsword, but I dont know how to use it yet. Yang, did you want to borrow it for the dungeon? She nodded. I could make good use of it. Ive trained with a bolo knife, its similar to a short sword. Max decided that James was definitely into Yang. He would have to talk to his friend about it later. Maybe he could play wingman or something. They talked about strategies while Ebba finished her discussion with the warriors. They came up with a few good formations, but nothing great. The problem was that they didnt have anyone that could be their tank. The girls had armor, but neither were willing to take the front line. Max regretted not buying the Armor card. If he had good armor, he wouldnt mind playing tank. That reminded him about the cards he did buy. He already had Specialize at three. That allowed him to slot one of his cards he had bought this morning. He had been planning on waiting and being more careful before permanently adding a card to his deck. But he needed every advantage he could get now that they were running a dungeon made for someone two layers more advanced. Between Drill and Actuator, the drill seemed more useful in combat. He slotted it in and read over the changes his Specialize made to the card. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
Advanced Drill Citadel
Transmutes mana neutral matter within aura into a small metal drill.
Mana Cost: 15 Refresh: 2.1 Hours Card Level: 2
The description had simplified, that was good. That meant he had more freedom in what kind of drill he wanted to make. It did say a small drill now where it said hand drill before. That kinda sucked. He had been envisioning a drill big enough to keep monsters at arms length as he drilled into their heart. He also noticed that the card level was only two. The rest of his cards were level three. He thought that they always matched each other. He double checked the other three cards. They were all down to level two now as well. His heart fell. Adding a common card to his advanced deck meant that he was losing levels. He swallowed four more white cores and bumped everything back up to level 3. It might have been unnecessary, but he felt better. With that out of the way, it was testing time. He thought about what kind of drill he wanted. Maybe something with a long pointed tip, something he could strap to his war hammer and make it a deadlier weapon. He grabbed a nearby stick and focused on his new card. After a mental click of an intangible button, he held a drill in his hands. It was small. It was a straight line hand drill, the handle just long enough to fit in his palm. The drill tip was affixed to the handle and four inches long. The tip was needle thin and it slowly flared out to a one inch wide base. Max nodded in satisfaction. If nothing else, it would make for a perfect stabbing tool. There was a small button on the side, but nothing happened when he pressed it. He frowned and tried again, this time focusing his intent. The drill sprang to life and spun with a high whine. A yellow outline of the drill shot forward three feet. Max had been pointing it to the side while he tested it and the tip of the magical effect touched the ground. When the drill shut off, there was a perfect hole in the dirt, one inch wide. Further tests couldnt get the drill to go again. He knew from the cards refresh rate it would be another two hours before he could use that magical effect again. He tossed the drill in his bag. Hed pull it out again if they were still in the dungeon two hours later. He used another fifteen points of mana to make another drill. He focused on making the tip much longer and sharper. It kind of worked, ending up sharper and an inch longer. It seemed like the word small in the card description put a hard limit on how long it could be. He pulled out his duct tape and attached the drills handle to his war hammers haft. That way he could use two different magical effects in one weapon. Smash for magic hit and stab for magic pierce. It looked janky, but if it saved his life, he didnt care. When Ebba came back, it was with a smile on her fingers. Good news, nestlings. The guildies felt bad they couldnt loan us a weapon. They told me something only the guild is supposed to know. This tower hasnt changed in the last three months. They told me all about their last run and if its the same this time around, you all might come out of there alive. The news came as a ray of sunshine. There was hope, however slim. She explained what the first two floors would be like and gave them advice on how to beat them. Apparently the monsters werent too hard on those levels, but the traps were nasty. When she was done, she left to enter the tower and told them she would wait a day for them to exit. If none of them did, she would return home. They discussed strategy again and went through a few mock exercises. When there was only a half hour left on their deadline, Max led them to one of the six entryways. This was how the tower handled multiple teams fighting within the tower, multiple entrances. There were at least 36 rooms on each floor, but they would only have to go through 12 of them to move on to the next floor or leave. They walked inside as one and a few seconds later, the hexagon door irised shut behind them. It was success or death now. The entryway wasnt dangerous, it was an empty room used to gather team members together. Party Analyzed Low combat ability detected. Mandatory Floors: 1 There was a general sigh of relief. They didnt have to run a second floor. That meant twelve rooms until freedom. On the opposite wall they came in from, a hexagon shape slowly formed. It was a door, the same shape as the one that had just shut. The only difference was a hand sized button in the middle of the door. Yang was about to touch it when Gus stopped her. Wait, levels. If you havent yet, spend your points from level ups. You never know if it might be the difference between life and death, Gus said. Max nodded. Good point. Lets take a second and spend points. Particularly if you are going to level up Resistance, nows the time. He pulled up his simplified system and reviewed where he could use his remaining three points. He had to focus on what he would need in the upcoming fight.
Max Kraft (Level 6)
Insight 6
Flow or Resistance
Presence or Paranoia
Quicken or Broaden
Weight or Levitate
Specialize: 3 ?
(3 Free Points)
As he just said, putting points into Resistance would protect against a magical attack or poisons or whatever. He wasnt going to do that though. Its opposite was Flow, the most important stat for increasing your control over magic. He couldnt give that up. Not even if it put his life at risk. Paranoia sounded interesting, it would help him hide better. Ebba said it helped her avoid being seen in the first place. But that name. He didnt want to think his friends were out to get him. She had mentioned it made being in town harder. Levitate was tempting too. Fern had said that it made her light on her feet with just a few points. Ebba had mentioned magical traps, so leveling up Insight would be a good idea too. After a few moments of consideration, he decided to put all three points into Insight. The other choices might help, but Insight would definitely help. It didnt work. He had forgotten that the system wouldnt let him advance Insight past six yet. He ran through his four choices again. The more he thought about it, the more he thought that both Weight and Levitate would help him in a fight. Heavier punches or easier movement. He decided to go with Levitate. It would help him with offense and defense, plus he wanted to be able to fly eventually. As soon as he spent the three points, he felt lighter. Not as light as he had hoped, but lighter. He was about 30 pounds lighter now. In addition to walking around easier, he felt faster, like inertia had less hold on him. A bit of experimenting later and he found he could turn it on and off at will. He smiled to himself. This was going to be fun. The drawbacks of the choice put a damper on his mood, but didnt kill it.
Benefits: User has 24% less effective mass Effect is toggleable Levitate Level 3 Drawbacks: Long term use results in minor bone and muscle deterioration.
He already knew about the drawbacks of zero gravity, the note wasnt surprising. He planned on only using his Levitate when he was fighting. He practiced a bit turning it on and off, but he couldnt do it in quick succession. Maybe he would have to be a higher level to do that. He glanced around the group while he waited for them to level up. Gus had Max''s gauntlets and a war hammer, with knives strapped to his side. Ashley and Lily held his other two magic hammers. Yang looked positively deadly in her armor, dual-wielding a short sword and knife. James wore his buckler and held a small knife in his off hand. If James had to use that knife, they had messed up. When everyone was ready, they got into formation and touched the button in the center of the door. It split into six segments and slowly irised open. The room was fifteen feet tall and wider than they could see. It was absolutely filled with slowly pulsing columns. They were like pillars of flesh surrounded by plants that seemed to move and breathe. The ceiling was covered in softly glowing flowers. None of the plant life (or animal life?) seemed familiar. It wasnt from Earth or the Lunuks planet. The life on the ground looked like colorful organs, slowly pulsing and slithering around each other. They stayed rooted in place, swaying to a wind only they felt. Despite their clear flesh-like characteristics, they were organized with stalks and leaf-like structures, evoking foliage. The columns were more flesh-like with muscle structures under loose skin. The room was humid and smelled of lemon and vinegar. Max belatedly realized there was a monster fifteen feet away. It was eight feet tall with a lobster bottom and an ant torso. Its head was vaguely humanoid with exoskeleton instead of skin and sharp mandibles in place of a mouth. It was standing stock still behind a flat stretch of plantlife. It looked like someone had cut the plants in half and it had scabbed over. The brownish blue of the scab was the same color as the monsters exoskeleton. The six humans fell into formation as they noticed the monster. Just as they practiced, three stepped forward and the other three stepped behind them. Gus, Lily, and Max were the frontline, James and Ashley were the back line. Yang would wait until the monster was distracted and sneak around to its back. James dramatically raised his hand and pointed his finger at the monster. Partly because that was their signal that he was going to activate his Decay card. The magic was invisible, so the gesture was needed for coordination. It was also because James felt like a real wizard when he did that. As James hand rose, Maxs Insight kicked in. Writing appeared in the air above the monster. His eyes went wide and he whisper-yelled, Wait! Stop, stop, stop. Chapter 25: Rot and Pus Blue words were floating above the monsters head, courtesy of Maxs new Insight levels. Custodian of the Genomic Library of Amun The creepy ant/lobster wasnt a monster, it was a person. Max had hissed for James to stop his attack, hopefully in time. James dropped his hand and whispered back, What? What is it? That isnt a monster. Its a NPC or something, Max replied. Max, thats a monster if Ive ever seen one, Gus said. No, its a person. I picked Insight and now I can identify stuff. That guy over there has a title, Custodian of the Genomic Library. Its gotta be an NPC, or some new alien we havent met yet. Either way, we dont attack until we know if its hostile. They stood there for a second, neither side moving. Eventually, Max gestured for the five of them to move forward. Yang had disappeared at some point. Apparently, she had heard the whispered conversation though, because she hadnt attacked. When they were ten feet away, the ant/lobster/person moved for the first time. It turned to them and said, You are trespassing. Leave now or you will be killed. Its voice was painfully screechy, but the translation magic hinted that he had a calm voice. The disjunction between the sound and the magic hints was grating on his mind. Max squinted and carried on. It was encouraging that the person could talk and was willing to give warnings. Actually, we would like to leave. Can you help us with that? Max tentatively said. No! I am not here to help you! I am here to protect the library! the person said and slammed a pair of exoskeleton fists down on the bush in front of it. It put its hands on its waist, where two exoskeleton knives rested. Max was thrown by the answer. He had been expecting a quest giver or someone to give them background on the genomic library. Now he was thinking that they had programmed it to respond just for entertainment. Some flavor text before the fight kicked off. Max gripped his war hammer tighter and looked to his sides to see if they were ready to fight. Lily took that as an invitation to talk. She said, Is there something we can help you with? The person tilted its head to the side. Are you here to help? Lily smiled and said, Yes, we are. What do you need help with? Its those rotting parasites. The bloody things are everywhere. Did the manager send you here to help me exterminate them? Indeed. Thats why we are armed. We heard the parasites were nasty, particularly for someone of our level. Lily was fully into the roll now. The bug person leaned forward a bit and looked at them closer. Rot and pus. Why did the manager send people so low leveled? These arent some tail chiggers. They spit sucralose acetate, thats not something people of your level can handle. Well, I think you know why the manager does these things better than we do. Yeah, yeah. Always focused on the profit margin. What he doesnt realize is that every day these bloodsuckers wander the library, we lose valuable genomes. Its costing him big money to cheap out on the pest control, the custodian waved his hand. Come on. Lets get you lot a coagulant sprayer. Its pretty much impossible to kill the parasites without one. He waved them over to the left and led them along the wall. As they walked, Gus whispered, Didnt Ebba say these guys were the bad guys? No, she said they are hostile, we only have to kill the blood bags to progress through the level. I think the guilds hunters never tried talking to him before. Really? No one tried talking to the lobster janitor in the years they have run the dungeon? No, months, remember? The dungeons change all the time. Ebba acted like it was unusual that the dungeon stayed the same for three months straight, Max said. Thats right. I forgot. Its probably a pain to try and figure out the right approach to the NPCs if the dungeon is going to just change by the next time you come back. Easier just to steamroll everything. Whats an NPC? Yang said. She had joined their group without anyone noticing. Sneaky. Max said, It stands for Non Player Character. This custodian was programmed by the tower to remember a history that doesnt exist. Theyre here to help the dungeon runners understand what were supposed to do. I heard that, the custodian said from the front of the line. In fact, I heard everything you said since I entered the library. And I dont appreciate you saying Ive been programmed. A chill ran down Maxs back. Was the custodian about to turn on them? Sorry about that, no offense meant, Lily said in a bright voice. Sure, sure. Alls forgiven. This time. the ant/lobster/person said and loomed over them. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Max gulped. That was a threat. He decided to pretend this was all real from here on out. The custodian turned back to what he was doing. He was standing in front of a large column of flesh, pushing his hands inside the folds of skin. He grabbed a bladder from one fold and pushed it into another. When he was done, he turned and presented it. It looked like a sheeps bladder meshed with a water sprayer. With an asshole for a nozzle. Max couldnt be happier when the custodian handed the still dripping thing to Lily. She accepted it with a forced smile. I assume you know how this works, the manager wouldnt have sent you if you didnt, the chitin covered person said firmly. Of course we know, Lily lied through her teeth. Good, good. Your first job is to clear the three parasites in this room, easy stuff. Its the next rooms that are the real hassle. I need ya to clear out all the way to the twelfth room. When ya done, come back here for payment. The manager left ya some stuff. Dont come back until the final data storage room is complete, otherwise Ill have to assume youre trying to sabotage the library. I would take appropriate actions to stop that. Thank you, custodian. What are the other rooms like? They didnt tell us much before they sent us in, Lily said. Oh, you know, standard stuff for a library. Mostly genome repositories like this one, two rooms of trait catalogs, and two data storage rooms. The parasite infection started in there, so watch yourself. They probably got big. Oh, and watch out for the security measures. They got activated when the parasites broke containment and I cant turn them off from here. Security measures? What do they look like? The custodian clacked their mandibles. Good question, good question. Dunno. I only maintain the first few rooms which don''t have security. I''ve never seen the high value rooms that need security. All I heard was that the security measures are set up near the floor. He tapped the base of a flesh column. What- Lily began before she got cut off. Enough jawing. Get to work. You got what you need, time to earn your pay, the custodian said and sharply gestured towards the other side of the room. Yes, sir. I look forward to seeing you again when we are done, Lily said politely. Yep, yep. Just dont destroy too many books, ya hear? the bug person said and pointed at the organ plants at his feet. Lily nodded and turned to Max expectantly. Apparently she only wanted to lead in conversion, not combat. Max nodded and started walking towards the other side of the room. It was a surprisingly large room. Even though the whole floor was larger than a football field, Ebba said there were 36 hexagon shaped rooms inside. Max threaded through the columns of flesh, being careful not to step on the colorful organ plants. When they were far enough away, he turned back and said, Good job, Lily. We didnt have to fight that guy and now we have a tool. You are now our negotiator. She flicked her fingers. Thats the easy part. Its the fighting thats the hard part. Max nodded. For sure. Anyway, do you think you know how to use that thing? Not a clue. I dont even know what it does, Lily said as she examined the dripping bladder. James spoke up. Its a coagulant sprayer. I bet it sprays out a poison that coagulates the monsters blood in their veins. Lily jerked the bladder away and held it at arms length. She made sure to point the pucker away from herself. Max kept an eye out as they talked, scanning for the monsters they were supposed to kill. The custodian acted like this room would be easy to clear, but Max doubted it. He was pretty sure even one of these parasites would be enough to kill all of them if they werent careful. Despite his attentiveness, it was Ashley that found the first monster. She had been silent since they entered the dungeon, but now she had something important to say. Watch out! Behind us! she yelled and pointed. Max barely turned to see the monster hiding behind a nearby flesh column. It had a round body about five feet tall. There were two small tentacles coming from its top and it was slithering forward on six large tentacles. Its body was mottled red with snot yellow tentacles and had slimy wet skin. When Ashley pointed out its hiding place, it instantly reacted. Its body split in half horizontally and opened up to reveal a huge mouth. The mouth was full of long narrow teeth, each one with a broken off tip and dripping blood. Its maw was big enough to eat any one of them in two bites. With a hiss, the monster shot forward, its mouth wide. It aimed for the last person in line, which happened to be James. He cringed back and held up his pathetically small buckler shield. The monster chomped down on his entire arm. Just as the jagged teeth were about to touch him. a flash of green spread out from his buckler. The magic pushed the parasites mouth wide open and knocked it back a few feet. A gurgling cry came from the monster as it recovered from the shock. Yang appeared from behind a nearby column and stabbed down into the top of its body. The entire short sword sunk into the monster, only stopping at the hilt. A splash of blood flew out from the impact, the same color as its skin. Max realized that the monster wasnt just red, it was covered in blood, head to tentacle. The parasites cry turned into a shriek and it twisted away from Yang. The move was strong enough to yank the sword out of her hands. The monster jumped back and hissed. If it was inconvenienced by the sword in its body, it didnt show it. It turned and leapt at Yang. She was quick enough to jump out of the way of its mouth, but not quick enough to avoid a tentacle as the monster flew by. One of its leg tentacles caught her on the hip and spun her in the air. When they both landed, the tentacle was still attached with a row of barbs. It yanked the barbs back and took half of her armored skirt with it. By now, the rest of them had realized they were in a fight and sprung into action. James shot out a glass shard that hit the monster dead on. It stuck in two inches before it disappeared. Lily summoned her mushroomantis. It was bigger this time, with a wider stalk and four beefy legs. It stomped over to the monster and leaned its cap over. Mantis blades shot out from beneath its cap, a half dozen of them sticking into the monster''s flesh and opening up long gashes. A warbling cry rang out as the parasite writhed in pain. It shot out three tentacles and wrapped up the mushroomantis, squeezing it tight. The blue summon seemed unphased by the grapple, it kept stabbing and stabbing. A few moments later the tentacles burst through the summons skin and popped it into a mist of blue. Lily gasped like she had been hit. Max took the opening to bring his war hammer down on the monsters head. The hammers magic activated and blasted down in a dome. A divot instantly formed on the monsters head and shot downwards. The parasite slammed to the floor and blood spurt out of all of the monsters wounds. It was enough to paint the surroundings in blood and partially dislodge the sword. The monster lay there, lifeless. Max didnt see any orb appear, so he hit it again. And again. It didnt move. Finally, the message he was expecting came.
Minor amount of essence gathered
Max sucked in a few big lungfuls of air. That fight had only lasted a few seconds, but it was a lot. They almost lost James to the ambush, Yang lost a quarter of her armor, Lilys summon only lasted a few seconds, and Maxs super strike charge was used up. All that against a single weak monster. He couldnt imagine how they were going to clear this whole dungeon. A gurgling cry came from their left and their right. It didnt sound close, but the whole room was less than a hundred feet wide, everywhere was too close. I think they heard us and theyre coming this way, Ashley said. Chapter 26: A New Level of Pain Max swore and said, Form up, backs to that column. They all hurried over to the wide column of flesh he pointed to. They trampled down some of the library plants, their colorful organs slowly squirming. James was hyperventilating and swinging his head around, trying to see where the monsters would be coming from. Gus looked a little more in control of himself, more angry than scared. Yang was limping, but she had retrieved her sword and looked ready to fight. Lily, can you summon your mushroom pal again? Max asked while he looked to the left. It sounded like the closest monster was gonna come from that direction. No, not for another ten minutes or so. She replied. Max swore again. Fine. Figure out that sprayer and spray the shit around us in a wide arc. The custodian gave it to us for a reason, its gotta work. Without waiting for an answer, he turned to Gus and said, Use the hammer as soon as you can. Wait till the monsters are distracted and then hit them with evil twin. Yang, I forget what you do, just do a lot of it. Dont save your mana. Yang looked him in the eye and nodded seriously. Max nodded back. He didnt bother to give Ashley instructions, she was pretty much useless. Instead, he grabbed James by the shoulders and said, James. Calm down. You got this. You got this. Hit them with Decay and then Glass Shards. Dont hit us, and dont let up. Ok? James didnt get the chance to reply. Both monsters appeared, almost on top of them. The dozens of meat columns in the room obstructed their sight lines and allowed the parasites to sneak up. The one on the left was six feet tall and the one on the right was four feet tall. They looked identical to the first one, a round body with six tentacles for walking, and a mouth that split their whole body in half. Blue words formed above the monsters as Max focused on them. Blood Parasite Level 9 Blood Parasite Level 6 The monster on the left opened its mouth wide and let out a gurgling hiss. The smaller one on the right skipped the display and scrabbled forward, its mouth wide. A gaping maw, three feet wide, aimed at the closest human, Lily. A glass shard flew right down its gullet, causing it to stop suddenly and try to hack the offending material out. Gus was ready for it and slammed his war hammer down on top of its head. The super strike activated and smacked the monster down. It was pulped inside and definitely rattled, but it wasnt dead yet. Gus aimed to fix that. He brought the hammer down on its body again and again. While he was going to town on the little one, the larger parasite stopped hissing and leapt forward. This time James wasnt there to disrupt its charge, he was still watching Gus. Ashley shrieked and held out her hand. A bright flash of light speared out, hitting it in the roof of its mouth. It burnt a small hole, causing the monster to slam its mouth shut. Unfortunately, it was airborne, so it kept flying forward with a closed mouth. It slammed into Ashley, bowling her over. It landed on top of her, squirming and thrashing with its barbed tentacles to stand back up. Max slammed his hammers backside down on the monster. The spike pierced deep and stuck fast. He pulled hard. The monster slowly levered off of Ashley and she rolled out of the way. The parasite didnt like him unbalancing it like that. It snaked a tentacle up to his arm and wrapped itself around. The barbs in the tentacle dug in as it squeezed hard. His hand and forearm were protected, his gauntlets enough to stand up to the tentacle. But his biceps were only covered by a thin t-shirt. The barbs dug in and made him cry out in pain. He let go of the hammer and fell to his knees. The monster opened its mouth wide and started pulling him in. Max yanked himself back, ignoring how much it hurt. He leaned back, just out of range of the monsters snapping jaws. It snaked two more limbs around his boots, but his thick camping boots were strong enough to keep his feet unscathed. He reached for the hammer embedded in the monster with his free hand. It was too far away. A thought ran through his head, overwhelming him. He was going to get eaten. He fought back, physically and metaphorically. He wasnt going to get eaten, he was going to survive. He activated the gloves magic power and an ethereal hand flew out and grabbed the hammer. The magic brought the hammer back to his free hand. The war hammers magic had already been used, but the drill duct-taped to it hadnt. Max stabbed it into where he thought its brain was and activated the magic pierce. An inch wide hole appeared in the monsters body and started spouting blood. The parasite screeched and wrapped its tentacles around its head. It didnt let go of Max though. It was down, but not out. Max used his left hand to stab at the monster again and again, but most of the strikes were ineffective. He just didnt have the leverage. Lily saved the day by jumping in with her hammer. It was the copper one Max had made yesterday, only the size of a construction hammer. What it lacked in size, it made up for in magic. The super strike slammed into the monsters top jaw and obliterated it. A blast of blood sprayed out, covering Ashley.
Minor amount of essence gathered This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Minor amount of essence gathered
The six of them looked around, but nothing jumped out of the bushes at them. Gus plopped on the ground, heaving big breaths with a smile on his face. James sat down where he was and hugged his knees. Ashley started wiping the blood off her face as she softly cried. Max looked down. The tentacle was still tightly wrapped around his arm. He grimaced and started pulling it out, one barb at a time. Pulling the yellow tentacle off his arm felt like he was wrestling with snot. Every successful barb removed brought a new level of pain and another open wound. That sucked, Lily said. That was awesome! Gus said and threw up his arms. Maybe for you, Ashley said, Im covered in blood over here, and a lot of its mine. Bah, cost of doing business. Youre alive, ain''t cha? Any fight you can walk away from is a good fight, Gus said casually. Max winced as he pulled another barb out of his arm. We could have done better. Gus, you never activated your evil twin card. If we had another parasite fighting this one, then maybe Ashley and I wouldnt have gotten injured. Oh, right. Next time Ill remember to use my Warped Mirror card, Gus said sheepishly. Still, good job for killing your monster. Thanks, Max said. He turned, Ashley, you did great with your light attack. We gotta use that more often. James, you did great, no notes. Lily, thanks for saving me. That copper hammer really packs a punch. I think well wait here until all of the hammers have recharged their super strike. Now that we have time, you think you can figure out that coagulant sprayer? Yeah. Its gross, but somebodys got to do it, Lily said. Max nodded. He tried not to let it show but he was kinda pissed she hadnt figured it out already. He didnt know how effective it would have been, but it was one more tool in their arsenal that they hadnt used in that last fight. He turned and said, Yang, you doing ok over there? Yes. I am bruised, but not broken. I can fight. Max smiled. You did great too. How do you sneak up like that? Is it your paint card? No, that card is worthless. I invested all of my orbs into Paranoia. It helps me know where monsters are looking so I can avoid their sight. I also have some training in stealth. Yeah, you trained in stealth? You used to be a ninja? Gus said. Yang looked down to her dirtied white shirt and suit pants. Are you an idiot? What makes you think Im a dress-up weeaboo? Gus climbed to his feet. Who you calling an idiot? Come here and say that to my face! I dont need to get up, I already said it to your face, Yang said without moving. Max held his hands out, Whoa, whoa. We are here to fight the monsters, not each other. Yang, he asked an ignorant question, but he didnt insult you. Apologize. Yang turned and fixed him with an icy gaze. Max calmly stared back. If she didnt want to listen to him, she could lead this group of circus monkeys. The room stayed quiet for several long seconds. I apologize, Gus, Yang said. In my neighborhood in the Philippines, anything Japanese is an insult. I understand now that you did not intend it. Gus widened his eyes in surprise and lowered his fists. Well, then. I guess thats alright. He sat back down and said, The Philippines, huh? Whyd you fly all the way over to America to enter the portal? It was not my intention. My employer sent me to Ohio on a mission and a colleague tricked me into entering the portal. It was probably retaliation for when I kicked him in the balls in front of our boss, Yang said. Oof. Thats harsh. Gus said. Max agreed. Harsh on both counts. He said, Yang, I was interested in the Paranoia stat, but I was worried that it might make me, you know, paranoid. How do you think it affected you? She shook her head. I dont think it changed me. Ive always been wary of others. This helps me recognize when someone is looking at me, or it helps me notice things I might have missed before. It doesnt change the way I think. Max nodded. She didnt think it changed her, but she admitted she was already paranoid. He decided to change the subject. What about you, Gus? What brought you to Spinworld? Gus shrugged, Magic? I mean who wouldnt want magic? That and adventure. I guess Ive always thought how cool it would be to discover a new world. Theres nothing unexplored back on Earth, you know? No new frontiers. Used to be that you could head out to the wild west, make your mark on the world. Now the only way to do that is to leave. I think what really changed my mind was the Dungeon Crawler Carl movie. Something just clicked in my head. I saw that on the big screen and said, This. This is what Im meant to be doing with my life. A few years later, I joined a group prepping for the portal and here I am. Ashley pointed and said, Yes! That was a great movie. I cant believe some people didnt like it. It was pretty great. Insanely violent and violently insane, Max said, quoting a part in the movie. Gus pointed to Ashley, Ok, now that I know you have good taste in movies, Im interested in you again. Whyd you jump through the portal? Ashley looked away and said, It wasnt really my idea. My friend, well she wasnt really my friend but she pretended to be, kicked me out of my house. It was a stupid disagreement and I wish I apologized. Instead I went to live with my friend, Sara. Sara was great, had this really magnetic personality. Everyone got along with her, life of the party type gal. She was obsessed with this place, talked about jumping through the portal all the time. I guess I got swept up in her excitement and the adventure of it all. I never stopped to think if I actually wanted to do it. I knew I made a mistake as soon as that fat guy died. By then it was too late. When Sara died the first day, I broke. I didnt know what to do anymore, why I should keep moving. I guess now Im trying to live the life she always talked about. To do all the things she talked about, throwing magic around, seeing new places. I guess sometimes I come off as a bit of a jerk, but thats just because Im still struggling to cope with everything. Max slowly blinked. Ashley sounded like a real person there. Did he hate her a little bit less now? Before he could examine the thought, the conversation moved on. What about you, Max? Why are you here? Gus said. Chapter 27: I Used to Sell Weapons Max shrugged. Not much to tell. I want to find my brother, and get some magic while Im at it. Boo! Thats the boring version. Tell the story, you know the one, James said. Max raised his eyebrows at his friend being outspoken. He hoped that meant that James was getting more comfortable around the group. He decided to indulge him. Ok fine. The long version is that my dad was shit and my mom was always at work. I would have had a terrible childhood if it wasnt for my brother Michael. Hes the best older brother, he played with me despite the eight year age gap and taught me everything important. I mean everything, from reading to riding a bike. He was a hot air balloon pilot. When I was 13 there was a balloon festival in this tiny town called Marysville. Dozens of hot air balloons went up at the same time. The Scottslawn company hired him to be their pilot and take their company balloon up. They had three VPs and Michael brought me aboard too. They did this mass takeoff thing, where all the balloons went up at once. Some of the pilots had never done something like that, including my brother. There were a lot of near misses. About a half hour into the flight, the Remax balloon almost hit us. My brother had to drop to duck underneath it. Afterwards, he couldnt get up fast enough. The envelope caught the edge of a cell phone tower and popped. My brother saw it coming and grabbed on to me. It was the only reason I didnt fly out of the basket. Saved my life. We got stuck on the cell phone tower, the basket was about sixty feet up. The envelope started to tear more. My brother grabbed the emergency rope and tied it onto me like a harness. He lowered me to the ground like that. Someone took a picture and I got in the local news. Best day of my life. I untied the harness and they pulled the rope back up. Before they could do that again though, the envelope completely tore. They bumped down the cell phone tower and slammed into the ground. Everyone survived, but one of the VPs broke his leg. While I was the most popular kid in school for a while, Michael had the worst months of his life. His boss fired him, that VP sued him for bodily injury, Scottslawn sued him for damage to the brand, and dad disowned him for risking my life. Michael knew he had pretty much scorched his life on Earth, so he hopped the next portal to here. I wanted to have him take me with, but he wouldnt let me come. He said if I still wanted to jump through a portal when I was 21 like him, we could live together then. I didnt make it to a portal in time when I was 21, so I had to try again a few years later. Lily tilted her head. So, wait. Your brother almost got you killed and you still want to meet up with him? Max shook his head. It wasnt really his fault. Hot air balloons are incredibly safe, safer than any other form of travel. Maybe Michael shouldnt have brought me along, but there was no way he could have known things would end badly. If he had been a little bit faster on the trigger, we would have been fine. I know Michael messed up, but I forgave him years ago. Besides, hes my only family. You dont turn your back on family. Lily scoffed. There are absolutely times you should turn your back on family. Child abuse is one of them. When she saw his expression sour she held up her hands and said, But thats not what Im saying your brother did. You said hes your only family, what happened to your parents? Maxs frown deepened. A wave of fury washed over him as he thought about them. James jumped in and said, He doesnt like talking about his parents. Its my turn for the hero origin story, right? Ok, so Im not proud of it, but I used to sell weapons. One time when I was overseas, I got kidnapped. No one was coming for me, I had to escape on my own. Luckily Im a supergenius and I was able to make an arc reactor to power a suit of-. James! Lily scolded. He laughed and said, Alright, Im not Iron Man. No tragic backstory for me. My parents are alive and well, decent people too. Ive just always loved magic. I think I knew I was jumping through the portal when I was five. Lots of kids have that fantasy, but I never grew out of it. So here I am. There were a few beats of silence and then he said, Lily, your turn. I guess Ill tell both of our origin stories, Lily said and gestured between her and Yang. My father is a billionaire oligarch in the Philippines, always used to getting his way. He''s tried to control me all my life. My mother protected me for a time, until she couldn''t anymore. My dad hurt or killed those around me to keep me in line. Ive been planning on jumping through the portal for years because nowhere on Earth is safe from him. My father sent Yang to collect me and I bolted. Yang is here because someone told her that portals went both ways. Yang nodded along but didnt say anything. You gotta tell us more than that. Yang, youve got more of a story, right? Whered you get those face tattoos? Ashley said. Yang gave her a look and Ashley flinched back. Max shook his head. What was with that girl? It was like Ashley was doing it on purpose. She always found a way to piss people off. To distract them from the awkward pause, Max checked everyones hammer to see if it could use the super strike again. Lilys was already recharged, but Guss wasnt. Gus had one of the older war hammers he had made before he leveled up the hammer card. Now that he thought about it, he realized he hadnt leveled up his cards yet. He still had 18 unspent white cores. Might as well use them. He had four cards, each of them at level three right now. He could level them all to six by swallowing 12 more orbs. That would leave him with six orbs, which should be plenty for buying food in the next city. One after another, the orbs disappeared down his gullet. He started with his hammer card, intending on moving on to the others when it hit six. However, the system interrupted him before he could get that far. Citadel Evolution Quest The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. In order to progress your Hammer card past level six, demonstrate competence in the following three areas: material, shape, and quantity. Fabricate a hammer with a different material. [?] Change the shape of the default hammer. [?] Create two hammers within 32.5 minutes. [ ] This is an optional quest and there is no time limit. You must pass this evolution quest before you can start another. Max stopped and read through the message twice. Evolution. That probably meant that his card would change after he completed the quest. He wondered how it would be different. If he had the choice, he would improve its ability to create magic effects. There would probably be some drawback to advancing as well, this system was balanced like that. He bet that he would have to start using larger orbs to advance after this. It was nice that he already had 2/3 of the quest done. That last task would be tough though. He didnt have the mana regeneration needed to create two hammers within a half hour. If he chose Quicken in his system his pool would fill faster. But then he wouldnt be able to use his Augment card because his mana pool was too small. If he doubled his mana pool, that would fix both problems, so Broaden seemed like the right choice. However, endless years of reading portal books said that Quicken would be the way to go. More regeneration meant more practice and not getting stuck without mana at the end of a fight. Admittedly, those were fiction books, but he kinda wanted to follow their example. Thankfully the quest didnt have a deadline. He could figure out how to solve that problem after he leveled up again. He added two more orbs to each of his other cards, leaving him with level five Gloves, Augment, and Drill cards. With that taken care of, he packed everything away again. His mana was full by then and he created a new war hammer, copper this time. It seemed like copper created a bigger magic strike. The soft metal would be worse as a tool, but better as a magic weapon. He handed Gus his old hammer and James got the uncharged hammer. I think we waited long enough, lets get moving. Ebba is only going to wait a day, we need to be done with this floor by then, Max said. There was a general assent and they formed up at the door to the next room. Lily was out front because she had figured out the sprayer. As soon as the door opened, she sprayed the room. The bladder was more of a mister than a sprayer, the brown mist hung in the air for a while. Is that shit poisonous? Is it ok to walk through? Gus said. Better not, just in case, Max said. They waited a minute or two for the mist to settle and crept into the room. The room looked identical to the previous one, columns of muscled flesh with organ plants all around the base. They crept inside, the closely placed columns giving the room an oppressive feeling. Ashley suddenly pointed. Incoming! A parasite barreled around one of the flesh columns, its yellow tentacles churning. It opened its bloody body in half, revealing a row of jagged teeth. Ashleys warning was enough for Lily to spray coagulant in the monsters direction. It passed through the mist without pausing. It headed right for the center of their formation. Max had talked about acting like the teams tank, stopping the monsters charge. The sight of its barbed tentacles forced him to change that plan. The memory of picking the barbs out of his flesh was too recent. He pushed Gus to the side and jumped, allowing the monster to pass through where they had just stood. The monster tumbled and slammed into the black wall. It shook itself and quickly stood back up. As it did, Max noticed that its skin was changing from red to brown. The parasite stood in between Lily and James. She reacted as it was getting up, slamming her copper hammer down on its head. A flash of blue later, it was flat on the floor. James flinched back and held his hammer in front of his body. The parasite tried to get back up, but it was greatly slowed. Max dashed over and slammed his war hammer down on the monster, right between its tentacles. The resulting super strike blasted the monster back down, splitting it open in the process. Blood and guts poured from the mangled wound. The copper war hammer produced the strongest magic attack yet. James gathered enough courage to slam his war hammer down on the monster, but it was already dead by then. Fantastic job, Lily. Used the spray and your timing with the hammer was great, Max said. He turned to James and said, Decay, shards; decay, shards. James nodded sheepishly. He hadnt used either of his magic cards in that fight. They crept into the room farther, Ashley stopping them when she heard two more parasites coming. Lily sprayed the gunk in a wide arc around them and jumped behind a nearby column. With her hammer used up, she would be useless in this fight. The two parasites appeared a second later. For the first time, the monsters didnt charge forward mindlessly. They crept up together, waiting for the right moment to strike. As they passed through the mist, their skin color changed as well, turning a mottled brown. James made up for lost time, throwing out a shard of glass from each hand. The monsters shrieked and charged. Yang appeared on the right, slicing off three tentacles from the monster there. It was enough to knock the monster on its side and leave it open for attack. The other monster scrambled forward, uncaring of its partners plight. James was able to get off several shards before it closed with them. Max used both hands and brought the spike down on the monsters head tentacles. It pierced something hard and stuck fast. Max was shoved back by the momentum of the parasite, but held on to the hammer. Gus brought down his hammer right next to Maxs. The magic strike slammed the monster into the floor and cracked something inside. The monster wasnt dead yet but it couldnt get up. Yellow tentacle tips thrashed around, searching for feet. Max danced back, but held on to his hammer to keep the parasite in place. Gus grunted and slammed his hammer onto the monster again and again. A pair of tentacles wrapped around his boots but Gus kept attacking. A lucky hammer blow from Gus hit Maxs hammer and drove it deeper. Something vital was hit and the monster flopped down lifeless. Max put his foot on the monster and pulled his hammers spike out. By the time he turned to the other monster, it was dead too. Yang had cut off all of its leg tentacles and James had riddled it with glass shards. His card didnt actually create glass shards, it created a pane of force that disappeared a moment later. That meant that every shallow wound James created immediately started gushing blood. The monster died the death of a thousand cuts.
Minor amount of essence gathered
Max turned to Ashley to see if she heard anything coming. Apparently her hearing was the best in the group. She shook her head. Max relaxed a bit. It was annoying that he was running a dungeon meant for much higher leveled people, and still only getting minor experience. The spray is very helpful, Yang said. It slowed them down a lot. Max knelt down and examined the body he had helped kill. It was covered in a crusty brown now. Yeah. I think the parasites are covered in blood and the spray stiffens it up. Its like giving them a scab suit. Yang nodded once. This is great. This means we can spray around, wait for them to stiffen up, then attack, Max said as he stood back up. They discussed their teamwork again and started creeping forward again. Max hoped that there were only three in this room, but he didnt count on it. They slowly swept through the room, making sure they could always cover each other in case of ambush. They were almost to the exit when he held up his fist. Hold on. Theres something strange ahead, Yang said. She blinked and stared at the base of a nearby flesh column. Chapter 28: Deadly, Deadly Traps Something strange? Lady, everything around here is strange, Gus said. Something is different about the plants over there, Yang said. I suspect a trap. Gus scoffed, Is that your Paranoia talking or your paranoia? I think shes right, Max said. My Insight allows me to see magic a little bit and there is magic around those plants and not around the others. If its a trap, what kind is it? James asked. Ebba said they could be blades, or poison gas, or- He didnt get to finish as the third type of trap triggered. Gus had walked too close. The plants all around the suspect column jumped up as one and rushed them. They looked like half dissected animals, driven to attack. Yang sliced her short sword in a wide arc, bisecting two of the little beasts. Her sword must be magically sharp, that was the third time Max had seen it cut through something like butter. James must have spent a lot on it. Lily sprayed the coagulant on the scrabbling things but they passed through the mist unaffected. Two leapt for her face while the remaining eight took a target each and jumped. All six of the humans had two plant animals jumping for their faces. Max stepped back and swung his hammer across his chest. It hit one in the body and diverted it to the side. The second one still hit him, but he managed to catch it on his gauntlets. The animal''s vines wrapped tighter and tighter around his hands, binding them together. Despite looking like a four legged animal before, the rooms defenses were neither plant nor animal. They had no set form, just flexible vines around a series of organ-like nodes. Max pulled on his hands to separate them, but they wouldnt budge. Instinct had him using the same trick he learned to get out of zip ties. He held his hands closer together, letting the vines rearrange around the two wrists. Then he brought his arms down sharply. The sudden widening at his wrists was enough to snap half of the vines and he pulled apart the rest. The plant animal he had hit first had recovered and jumped at him again. This time Max twisted out of the way and it flew by him with inches to spare. He followed it with his hammer, smashing it as soon as it hit the ground. Blue and green paste oozed out of the organ he hit. He smashed the other nodes to be sure it was dead. He turned to see that Gus had already killed his attackers and Yang was slicing vines off of Lily. James had caught both monsters on his buckler, but was having troubles fighting back. Ashley was even worse off. She had blasted one out of the air with her hammer, but the other one caught her face and brought her to the ground. She was trying to pull them off, without success. Max jumped forward and grabbed the organ that was blocking her mouth. He pulled back, allowing Ashley to gasp for breath. Then she yelled and renewed her furious attack on the vines. Max fumbled with his belt and pulled out his multi-tool. He didnt have time to pull out the knife, so he attacked the vines with pliers. It was rough going, but they worked together to kill the two little attackers. Max turned to help James next. He had killed one, but the other was too quick for him. Max evened the field and they killed it moments later. As Max cleaned and put away his multi-tool, he said, As traps go, that was fairly simple. Easy for you to say, Ashley said as she cleaned goop out of her hair. What I mean is that the little buggers didnt really attack us, they just wrapped us up. Even one of the parasites would be harder to kill than ten of these guys. I think they are meant as a non-lethal restraint, Yang said and prodded one with her sword. I suspect the other traps will be much more lethal. Gus slid to the floor and said, How are we going to deal with blade traps and poison clouds anyway? We dont have shields or gas masks. Well have to avoid them entirely. I think Ill be able to detect them and we can go around the long way. Anyway, get back up. We havent checked the whole room for monsters yet. Gus groaned and stood back up. The rest of the squad joined him shortly afterwards. They carefully crept through the room and Ashley found them one more parasite. This one was sleeping, somehow unaware of the two fights that had happened earlier. Blood Parasite Level 5 Max motioned for them to sneak up around its sleeping form so they could attack as one. All five of their hammers were out of juice so Max turned to James to start off the fight. James nodded and added Decay to the monster. Now that he was looking for it, Max could see a slight shimmer in the air as the magic took effect. He tapped Gus on the shoulder next. Gus was confused at first, only belatedly remembering he had the Warped Mirror card. He created a clone next to the monster and Lily sprayed it with coagulant. The parasite was quick to wake up, but it didnt last long. The clone held it in place and the monster slowly fell apart. A few sword slices and hammer strikes helped it along.
Minor amount of essence gathered
Good job, everyone. We are getting better at this, Max said. Lily and James thanked him, Gus and Yang just grunted. Ashley said nothing. Ever since they entered the dungeon, she had gotten quieter and quieter, always listening for more monsters. James walked up to one of the monsters and kicked it. His shoe came back bloody. These things are weird. Like, where are their eyes, their ears? Thats a good question, Max said. I figure their antenna on the top of their head could be ears. Or maybe eyes? They could just be made of magic. Ebba said all of the monsters in here were created by the dungeon. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Since the room was clear, they had time to investigate. Max used the end of his war hammer to scrape off the crusty blood and look underneath. They found something that could be eyes along the upper lip of the monsters enormous mouth. Everyone had their own theory about what parts of the monster were vital. As they talked, they looked around and found the exit door. It was right next to where the plant animal trap had sprung. New plants were already growing from the base of the flesh column. The placement made sense in retrospect. The traps werent supposed to be random, it was a security feature for the genomic library. They could expect to find traps around entrances and exits, and around valuable items. Not that Max knew what aliens considered valuable. Once again, Max decided to wait for the hammers to recharge before they moved onto the next room. While he waited, he made another copper war hammer. He made a few changes to the design, smoothing out the spike and making the whole hammer bigger. It wouldnt get stuck in bodies and hopefully the magic effect would be larger now. While they waited, Max encouraged everyone to practice their magic abilities. In the heat of the moment it was easy to forget to use them, the only way around that was practice. Lily brought her mushroomantis back out and practiced giving it directions. James practiced shooting his glass shards through the tight columns. Max had to prod Ashley, but she eventually practiced her light beam attack. Gus created a Warped Mirror clone of Max. A completely naked blue Max appeared by his side and immediately attacked. It was like fighting against a deranged toddler. Not very strong, but willing to sacrifice anything to get a hit in. When the real Max got a kick to the balls, he changed Gus practice. He could only make clones of himself from there on out. Yang just stood there and watched them for the most part. Max was about to encourage her to get in on the practice when she dissolved into motes of mana. She had replaced herself with a Decoy and he hadnt noticed. Alright everyone, lets get going. Hammers up, cards ready, lets do this thing, Max said. Four parasites were standing near the door, gnawing on the meat column there. They were just as surprised as the humans when they saw each other. Thankfully, Maxs insistence on practice paid off. An image of Yang appeared in front of the four monsters, her sword held up menacingly. The two closest monsters hissed and leapt at her. They passed right through the illusion and smacked into each other. While the monsters were distracted Lily made her mushroomantis appear behind them. She had it creep in and strike two of them at once. James tagged each parasite with Decay. Ashley sent her searing light bolt into the upper lip of the furthest monster, hopefully blinding it. A blue clone appeared behind the fourth monster and immediately attacked. By the time Lily sprayed the coagulant, most of them were already injured. The mushroomantis stayed alive longer this time around. Lily was concentrating and sending it mental commands so it could avoid counterattacks. Guss clone only lasted five seconds, but that was five seconds the monster stood still. It gave Ashley the perfect shot to blind it. She sent out her burning light as James flung his glass shards. His aim wasnt as good as hers, but he drew blood with every throw. By now, the monsters were all slowing down. The coagulant had turned their bulbous bodies brown and crusted over their tentacles. One of them saw the humans standing in the doorway, but couldnt move fast enough to leap. Instead, it crawled over haltingly. It arrived just in time to get skewered by Yangs short sword. She slid it in between in the antenna tentacles and the monster fell to the floor, dead. Lily grunted in frustration as her summon died. The remaining three monsters had no more distractions and came at the humans together. One of them was thoroughly blinded and ran into the wall nearby. One of its legs fell off from the effects of Decay. The other two monsters walked right into Max and Guss hammers. Yang had already shown them the sweet spot, so they both hit their monsters in between the antennae and killed them with a super strike each. Yang crept over to the blinded one and put it out of its misery. The room was quiet once more. Yes! Max and James said as one. They laughed and turned to each other for a high five. They missed the first time, but got a solid smack for the second one. Max traded out his used war hammer for a fresh one. He had the squad wait for a moment to see if there were any more that wanted to join the fight. Nothing approached so they crept into the room. This one was a bit different. Every so often, a flesh column had been chewed through. Some of them were still dripping blood. On the far side of the room, there was one more monster, but it wasnt a parasite. Toxic Centipede Level 12 It was an insect type monster, with segmented blue and purple chitin. It had twelve legs, thin wings, and a barbed stinger. It was wrapped around the column, slowly chewing into the flesh. The sick sound of bones cracking punctuated wet tears. The monsters head was on the other side of the column, so it didnt see them approach. Max gave everyone a hand signals for the attack. The first step was for James to use his Decay card while it was distracted. While he threw spell after spell at the distracted monster, Max had everyone hide behind a column. No way were they taking that things charge head on. James ran out of mana before the monster caught on to the spells. Max waited a bit to see if it would start losing limbs or something, but it only slowed down its chewing. After a silent count down, everyone attacked as one. The mushroomantis appeared directly behind it and struck out with six scythes at once. Most of them deflected off the chitin, but two shredded its wings. A clone of the monster appeared directly above the monster and wrapped its long body around its target. Ashley waited for the right moment and sent her light beam right into the monsters mouth. She had missed the eyes on the upper lip. She tried again as James flung his glass shards. They all bounced off the monsters bloody skin. Lily sprayed the coagulant, but it seemed unaffected. Max took a few big breaths. The two blue summoned monsters wouldnt last long against the real one. He needed to strike while it was distracted. Before he could second guess himself, he ran in. As he ran, the monster stabbed the mushroomantis with its stinger, popping it. The clone avoided a few tail strikes but got caught by its huge mandibles. An instant later, the clone was gone too. By then, Max was there with his bigger war hammer. He slammed it down in between its compound eyes as hard as he could. The resulting super strike shattered the chitin and pulped the brain matter beneath it. The larger hammer didnt create a larger magic effect, but the perfect placement was enough to kill it.
Medium amount of essence gathered
Max took a few deep breaths. That monster was freaky looking, somehow worse than the parasites. The stinger was over a foot long. He was glad that he got a lot of experience from it, but he didnt want to see any more of them. What was that thing? I dont think it was even affected by the spray, said Lily. James bent down to examine the remains. It looks like a cross between a centipede and a bee. His eyes lit up. Its a CentiBee! Insight says it was a level 12 Toxic Centipede, Max said. James stood up and beamed. Nope! Its a CentiBee. Ive decided. Max rolled his eyes and they continued searching the room. There were no other monsters, but they did discover something else concerning. Yang said the exit door was trapped. Two flesh columns on either side of the door had something magical near the base. How are we going to avoid the deadly, deadly traps when the door is right behind them? Gus said and scratched his head. Chapter 29: Two Birds, One Stone Gus had a point. Ebba had mentioned the traps were spikes or poison gas. They didnt have any protection against either type of trap. Max imagined making a hammer-shield would be stretching the cards purpose too much. He cursed himself for not buying the Armor card when he had the chance. Maybe they could set off the trap from a distance now that he knew where it was. Max plucked a nearby plant and threw it at the base of the flesh column. The alien plant rustled the trap and plopped to the ground, but didnt trigger it. I bet my summons can trigger the trap, Lily said. We just gotta wait for the little guy to recharge. Every time he gets popped, it takes longer and longer for him to regenerate. I bet hell be ready in a half hour or so. Max nodded. They would have to wait for the hammers to recharge anyway. He chose a spot well away from the traps and sat down to think. If this didnt work, they would need a backup plan. He could try throwing hammers or drills at the traps, but he had a feeling that inanimate objects wouldnt set it off. His other useful card was the gloves card. He had already stretched it into gauntlets, maybe he could make a glove-shield. A memory of Captain America popped into his head. During Infinity War, the superhero had Wakanda gauntlets that turned into an arrowhead shaped shield. Maybe he could make one of those. Wikipedia didnt have any pictures from the movie, but he did have a reference of a kite shield. He placed the eReader on the ground next to him and focused his mind on the idea of merging the two concepts together. After he was centered, he clicked that mental button in his soul. The plants scattered into motes of light and reformed into something new. Max could see more of the magical process now, but he wasnt any closer to understanding it. It was pretty though. The resulting gloves werent shield gauntlets. They didnt extend more than a half inch from the skin. Instead of gauntlets, they were gloves with metal filigree all around them. The pattern resembled the one on the kite shield he had been using as a reference. He dropped them in frustration. That was worse than the gauntlets he was wearing. He handed them over to Ashley. They wouldnt fit her, but it was probably better than nothing. He slumped back and knocked his head against the column. He was out of ideas and out of mana. Lilys mushroomantis was ready a short while later. She sent it for the door, right in between the two traps. It passed by without either trap triggering. She had the summon turn and walk right up to the trap. When it still didnt trigger, she had it kick the plants. No reaction. Are you sure there is really a trap there? Lily said. Absolutely. Theyre glowing the same way as the other trap, Max said. Gus grunted and said, I guess one of us will have to trigger it. He turned to look at Ashley. She just flipped him off. James sat up. Oh wait! I have an idea. The traps are actually defenses, right? They are designed to kill the parasites. How about we open the door and lure one of the parasites over? Two birds, one stone. Lily shrugged. Worth a try. She looked over to Max for confirmation and he nodded. She sent her mushroomantis over to the door and had it press the button. It took a few stabs for it to trigger, but eventually the door irised open. This time there werent any monsters hanging out by the door. Max grinned and yelled out, Hey you guys! He was quoting Goonies but he had a feeling only James caught the reference. Two parasites came running, followed by a flying centibee. Lily had her mushroomantis run back their way so the monsters would follow. She unsummoned it as the monsters caught sight of the humans. The parasites certainly didnt catch Maxs reference, but they did trigger the trap as they ran through the open door. Dozens of organs swelled up and popped. They sent out a spray of long thin spikes into the air. Both traps triggered at the same time and filled the air with projectiles. The first two monsters were pincushioned and dead before they hit the ground. The centibees wings were shredded, but the spikes didnt penetrate its chitin. It skittered forward, much slower than before. Yang appeared and stabbed down between two plates. Her sword deflected off the chitin and she had to dance out of the way of a stinger counterattack. Max sprinted forward. His hammer wasnt charged anymore, so he pulled out a drill from his pocket. He stabbed it down like a knife, activating the magic pierce as he did. A yellow light flashed out of the tip of the drill and a neat hole appeared in the monsters skull. It chittered in pain and collapsed. It died a few moments later. Max turned to James and said, Fantastic idea, James! Using the traps against them made things so much easier. You just earned yourself MVP of the dungeon! Max said. James laughed and pushed him away. Yang gave him a nod of respect and Lily held out her hand for a high five. He focused and slapped her hand on the first try. Gus patted him on the shoulder. Ashley ignored them and said, Three more on their way. Max made a snap decision and said, Lily, spray. Everyone else, hide behind a column. We wanna wait until the spray takes effect before we attack. Everyone was hidden a few seconds later. The next three monsters ran into the mist Lily had set up and stumbled across the bodies of their comrades. They jumped to their feet as one, but didnt know where to run next. Max waited and listened, hoping to hear the sound of cracking limbs. James was hiding behind the column next to him and leaned out to peek at the monsters. Max waved at him to get back behind cover, but of course he couldnt see that. He pointed his hand at each of the monsters and a tiny wave of distortion flew through the air. Decay. James slid back behind cover with a wide smile. Max shook his head at his friend. Gus was the next one to ignore Max. He leaned out and created two monster clones. The sounds of fighting soon filled the room. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Max rolled his eyes and peeked out to see how they were doing. Surprisingly well. The clones were always weaker than the target monster, but they didnt come with any of the status effects on the originals. Two spry parasites fought three weakened and slowed parasites, almost an even fight. One monster died from the assault and a second was heavily injured before the clones dissipated back into mana. Max gave up and said, Alright, attack. Yang slipped out from behind a column and snuck up on the strongest one. She stabbed her sword into the sensory cluster and it dropped like its strings were cut. James and Ashley sent out their attacks at the weakened one. The light beam combined with its earlier injuries to send it off this mortal coil. Max clapped his hands. Perfect! This means we dont have to wait for the hammers to recharge before we move on. Hows everyone doing for mana? Im tapped. James said. Me too, Gus added. Max realized they had been using a lot of magic. He thought about how slowly they had been moving through the rooms. If they didnt pick up the pace, they wouldnt get out of here before Ebba left. We cant afford to wait between every room. Next room well use the hammers then take a break for lunch. We can let the hammers and your mana recharge while we eat, Max said. They walked through the next room and ensured that all of the monsters had already been killed in their trap. Just like last time, there were traps near the exit door. Four of them this time. Lily sent out her summon to open the door and Max yelled out. This time five monsters barreled through the door as one. Three parasites and two centibees. The parasites got pulped by the spikes and the centibees were grounded. They skittered through the mist Lily had set up and ran for the humans. Max did his impression of a bullfighter and slid to the side as a centibee barreled past him. When it skidded to a stop, he slammed his hammer down on its head. The super strike did its work, but he must have missed the sweet spot. The monster wrapped four limbs around Maxs left leg and pulled him close. It opened its mandibles wide to cut his leg off. Yang came to the rescue by stabbing it through the mouth. Gus and James worked together to finish off the other centibee with their magic hammers. No sooner were the first five dead when another four ran through the door. Ashley yelled as they came close and Lily panicked and sprayed out a huge cloud of coagulant. The thicker mist made the monsters pause and go around it. Two parasites ran towards Lily and Ashley and two centibees buzzed towards Gus and James. Max moved to support them, but fell to the ground. The dead centibeess legs were still caught on his pant leg. Just like the parasites, the centibees legs were covered in barbs. Yang ran to support the women while Max ripped the barbs out of his jeans. It was slow going. Four legs were wrapped tightly around his own and the barbs werent letting go. A yell from James made him look up. Both of them were out of mana and didnt have a charge in their hammers. They kept jumping out of the way, but things were getting rough. Gus had a line of blood down one leg and he was limping. Max grabbed the last charged hammer from his backpack and threw it towards James. The hammer spun end over end while Max yelled his friends name. For a moment it looked like the hammer might hit the ground, but a blue hand appeared and caught it. The hand jerked it up to James gauntlet and held it fast. He didnt waste a second and used the super strike to knock a centibees head off. The remaining centibee buzzed back and forth, trying to get a good angle to sting James. Gus came at it from behind and slammed his hammers spike into its thorax. The strike disabled a wing and it spun to the ground. James was there to finish it off with his two hammers. By the time Max was free of the dead centibee, the women had finished off the parasites. Max pulled out his first aid kit and patched up Gus and himself. It hurt to walk, but their mobility wasnt too impaired. He cleaned up and said to everyone Lets take a break to recharge and see how everyone likes cassava root. They hated it. Max hadnt learned how to make it tasty yet, and the resulting goop was only just barely edible. He promised to take cooking lessons in the next city. Once everyone was full of food and mana, they sent Lilys summon up to open the exit door. The next room was empty. There were the remains of a dozen parasites and half of the columns had been cut down. Max checked for traps. He thought he might have seen a few, but none of them were active. He did see something interesting on the floor though. What is this place? Do we just get a pass on this room or something? Gus said. Max pointed to one of the walls without a door. Do you see those footprints and blood trails? They came from a room weve never visited. I think its the other team running the dungeon at the same time as us. This dungeon isnt spatially expanded, so there is overlap when three teams try to run the same floor at once. They were rather violent, Yang murmured while she fingered the stub of a column. Most of the damage in the room looked like the warriors had done it instead of the monsters. I bet they are overleveled for this dungeon. Or at least stronger than is necessary for the first floor, Max said. They moved on to the next room. It was devoid of life as well. This one must have been run by Ebba because none of the columns had been cut down. The monsters were dead, lying across the floor where she ambushed them. Max tsked when he saw one of the ant-lobster guys was dead too. How much you wanna bet this guy was supposed to help us out? Gus said and pointed to the body. No bet. Its definitely easier when you play along with their scenario, Max said and gestured towards the bladder Lily was holding. To his surprise, the traps in front of the exit door were still active. They were confused about how she left without triggering them, but then realized she must have left out a different door. They walked up to the exit door and used the still active defenses to set a trap for the monsters in the seventh room. Mushroomantis was bait again and a thin cloud of mist covered the area. Seven parasites rushed through the door at once. Their trap was as effective as last time. Most monsters were killed, the rest were easy to finish off. With everyone at full mana, it was easy to keep the parasites off balance and the centibees grounded. Another five monsters came out of the seventh room before it was completely cleared. For the first time, there was a trap in the center of the room. Max made sure everyone gave it a wide berth. The eighth room should have been easy. It had the same number of monsters as last time and they were able to set up a good trap. Two of the monsters changed everything. A larger parasite and centibee, both level 12, were able to tank the spikes and keep walking. They eventually killed all of the monsters but it cost them all of their magic and Gus and Ashley picked up an injury each. They waited a full hour before they moved on. The ninth room was a shock. It was completely different from the first eight rooms, inorganic except for the monsters inside. There were stacks of hexagonal plates, each one interlocking with the other like legos. Crystal dodecahedrons floated above each one. Metal arms were attached to the ceiling, vaguely reminiscent of insect limbs. They focused on the monsters as they wandered by, pushing the holograms in their faces. The large parasites ignored the machines in the room and paced through the stacks while the centibees buzzed from stack to stack, like they were pacing. There were five of them, each one at level 12. They stayed in the center of the room because all around the edges of the room were active defense platforms. Instead of the organic spikes, these ones were disc shooters. Max presumed that they tracked intruders because there were only six slots per emplacement. The monsters saw their bait right away, but didnt fall for it. Apparently, they were smart enough not to run into the traps in the room they had spawned in. Max yelled, but they didnt do much more than growl at him. They couldn''t enter the room without setting off the traps, and they couldn''t convince the monsters to run into the traps either. Gus scratched his butt and said, Dont worry. I got a plan. Chapter 30: Don鈥檛 Open That! Youve got a plan? Lily said, disbelief dripping from her voice. Hey. Im smart and Ive been planning on my dungeon run for a while, Gus said. Before she could reply Max jumped in. Whats your plan, Gus? Gus dropped his bag and pulled out a thin rope. This is my plan. Just watch. The end of the rope held a compact grappling hook. He pulled on it and four hooks expanded out and locked into place. Each limb was serrated with inward facing blades. Gus made everyone get to the side as he unwound the rope. He spun the grappling hook in a circle to his side and let go, sending it flying forward. The first throw hit the ceiling, but the second one flew through the air in a perfect arc. It flew forty feet, using up most of the ropes length. The grappling hook caught a parasite and dug deep into the top of its red bulbous body. Gus yanked on the rope, intending to pull the monster into the traps. He hadnt counted on the monsters size and intelligence. The parasite pulled back, easily able to overpower Gus. Help! Gus yelled. Max and Yang were already moving, having seen where this was going. They grabbed on and held tight. It was just enough to stop Gus from sliding into the eighth rooms traps. James and Lily joined in and the tug of war shifted in the humans favor. The level 12 monster scrabbled and pulled on the rope, but it was stuck fast and no match for five people at once. They slowly pulled it into the range of the ninth rooms traps. Dozens of hexagonal blades shot out, eviscerating the parasite. It fell to the floor, dead, before they could even drag it into the eighth room.
Medium amount of essence gathered
One of the blades cut the rope and the five humans fell to the ground from the sudden slack on the line. Good job, Gus. I dont suppose you have another grappling hook in your bag? Max said. No. I wasnt sure I would need this one, let alone a spare. Gus said as he stared at the cut end of the rope. I think I can jury-rig a replacement, Max said and sat down. He created a small hammer with a loop on the bottom and two wide hooks behind the hammer. He combined it with two drills to cover all directions. His backup knife acted as a crossbar and duct tape held it all together. It wouldnt win any beauty contests, but it would hold. Damn, son. What else you got in there? Any way you can rig up a bomb too? Gus said as he inspected the new grappling hook. No, I have parts for a crossbow, but itll take more than duct tape to make it usable again, Max replied. Gus spun the improvised hook around to test it. It was heavier than his last one. The extra weight made it harder to hook the next monster. They had caught on to the ploy and were jumping or flying out of the way. A frustrating fifteen minutes later, they finally hooked a centibee around its middle. They all pulled hard to get it into the range of the traps before it could unconnect itself. They just barely succeeded and brought it into range of the next set of blade traps. Hexagonal discs cut through the air and shattered the centibees chitin. It was dead in moments.
Medium amount of essence gathered
The remaining three monsters didnt wait to get hooked. A parasite and two centibees charged in at once. The parasite bounded over the other bodies and landed in the eighth room. The plants on either side of the room swelled up and shot a spray of spikes into the monster. The organic spikes werent as effective as the metal discs. The level 12 monster was pierced by dozens of spikes and kept going. Unfortunately for it, there were more traps. The parasite stumbled into the range of another trap and died. Max wanted to cheer, but there were still two more monsters alive. The centibees buzzed past the fresh corpses and barreled towards the humans. The last trap went off, but it only grounded one of the monsters. The uninjured centibee flew straight for the closest human, Yang. It lined up its stinger and pierced deep into her stomach, and then all the way through her. Yang shattered into tiny pieces that faded away. The monster buzzed in a circle when it realized it had been fooled by a Decoy. Behind it, a blue clone appeared and started ravaging the grounded centibee. The warped copy could still fly and it was able to stab at the real monsters eyes over and over again. Lilys summon appeared behind it and the two blue monsters made short work of the injured one. James sent a spray of glass shards into the air at the final monster. Most of them shattered on the centibees exoskeleton, but some of the glass shards hit its wings and grounded it. Max and Gus attacked the instant it landed. The two super strikes hit the monster in its head and sent a spray of bug guts everywhere.
Medium amount of essence gathered
Medium amount of essence gathered
Medium amount of essence gathered
Level Up
They waited a second, but no new monsters attacked. The ninth room was empty except for black and white electronics. It felt excessively sterile after the eight rooms of moving flesh and plants. Max pulled up his system and used the two points from the level up to advance his Levitate. He already felt stronger and faster because of the reduced inertia, a bit more would be fantastic. When he was done, he had a forty percent reduction in his effective mass. He could really feel the difference now. He felt like he could run a marathon and leap over a building. For now he had to content himself with walking. The team slowly wandered through the room, afraid to touch anything. Max warned them where the traps were set up, but that didnt ease anyones mind. This room felt strange, like they were intruding on a neat freaks home and the violent owner could return at any time. A metal arm dropped from the ceiling and shoved a hologram in Maxs face. He jerked back, but it wasnt an attack. It was just a menu. The writing was strange, but the translation magic helped him understand it.
Do you want to browse the genetic trait library?
Yes No This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
On a whim, Max selected yes. A small zap hit him and the message changed.
Only authorized parties are allowed access to the trait library.
Max rubbed his finger where it hit him. He was about to warn the others, but the same thing happened to Gus and James. The ladies watched it happen and laughed. The men grumbled and they avoided the arms as they made their way through the room to the exit door. Thanks to Guss rope, they hadnt used up much mana and still had enough charged hammers to fight with. They decided to open up the next room and repeat the same strategy. To Maxs surprise, the plan went off without a hitch. There were seven level 12 monsters in the 10th room, but the traps in the tenth and ninth rooms were enough to mostly deal with them. The rest were put down by a generous helping of violence. Just like the ninth room, the tenth room was stacked with electronics and devoid of any columns. It did have one unique feature though. Instead of traps around the exit door, there was a small hexagon room with windows all around. A person stood up and looked at them through the window as they walked into the room. It was the same species as the custodian, with a darker brown exoskeleton. As they neared the center of the room, the person shot at them with disc blades. It yelled, Get back, trespassers, or the next shot wont miss. Everyone ducked down behind a stack of electronics. Max turned to Lily and gestured for her to speak. Uh... Lily cleared her throat. We arent trespassers. We are pest control. The manager sent us. There was a brief pause and the ant/lobster/person called back. How do I know you arent lying? Lily stuck the bladder over the top of the stack she was hiding behind. We got this from- She cut off as the person shot the bladder and made it spill coagulant everywhere. Lily dropped it and stumbled back. She got some on her hands, but it didnt form a crust like it had against the parasites. She wiped it off and yelled back at him. Hey! What was that for? The custodian gave us the coagulant sprayer because he knew we were sent by the manager, Lily said indignant. Really? Sorry. I guess Im a bit jumpy. Can you hold it up again? She slowly raised the empty bladder above her head and held it there for a moment. Is that good enough for you to prove who we are? I was wrong, sorry. You can stand up, I wont shoot. Nobody got up at first. It was tough to trust someone that had just shot at them. Max took a deep breath and raised his gauntlets above his head. When they werent shot he slowly stood up. The insectile person was holding her weapon to the side out a different window. A little nametag hovered above her head. Trait Clerk I really am sorry about shooting at you. Its been a rough few days. I would have escaped when the creepy crawlies first arrived, but you know how the manager is. He would have literally killed me if I let anyone steal from data storage, she said. Max lowered his hands. Mind putting down the gun? Im sure wed all feel better if you did. Sure, sure, she said and dropped it to the floor. Its not like they give us real guns anyway. This thing wouldnt crack a standard shell. Its really only good against the little flesh bags there. Ive been trying to keep them under control, but new ones keep arriving. So are you security or something? Max asked as he walked forward. The others peeked up but didnt get closer. She laughed, Or something. Im actually in sales. Im supposed to sell traits to clients that come in, but we havent had a customer since this all started. Oh, hey. If you are here that means we can kill the rest of the beasties together, right? I would love to lock up data storage again and go home for once. You got it. Happy to work with you, Trait Clerk. Do you know whats in the next room? Yeah, thats the lesser data storage. The two nasty mommas are in there making babies. I would have killed them myself, but with just the one disc flinger I wasnt confident of my chances. Should be easier with us here. Whats the room like? Any defenses we can take advantage of, disc shooters, poison sprayers? She shook her head, No poison sprayers on the first floor. Those are on the second and third floors. No disc shooters in that data storage room either. Cant afford to damage what were protecting, right? Not that it matters now, Im sure the disgusting beasts have made a mess in there by now. Gus and Lily had joined Max during the conversation, and the other three moved closer. They discussed strategy and capabilities. The Trait Clerk seemed upset they werent stronger, but just like the custodian, blamed the manager for being a cheapskate. Max suggested they set up traps of their own. He had a few ideas that might even the odds. When they were ready, Lilys summons opened the door. The Trait Clerk sprayed the room with metal hex blades, filling the room with projectiles. It was hard to miss. The room was dominated by two large monsters, both with a concerningly high level. Blood Parasite Level 24 Toxic Centipede Level 24 That was twice the level of what they could comfortably fight, even as a team. The monsters turned as one and roared, the air shaking. The parasite was so big its head almost touched the ceiling, and the centibee was wide enough that it couldnt fly. The room was filled with broken machinery and cracked open crates. Both monsters rushed forward, sending debris flying. Only one of them could fit through the door at a time. They shoved each other, vying for first. The centibee scrambled through the door first, already attacking. It popped the mushroomantis with a single chomp of its huge mandibles. The huge monster kept coming, its beady little sensors fixated on the Trait Clerk. It ran right into the trap they had set for it. A noose pulled tight, wrapping up its legs and pulling it to the side. Max jumped up from behind a stack and slammed a drill into the top of its head. A small hole sprouted from the magic drill effect, but the monster kept squirming, loosening up the rope that bound it. Max made sure the drill was stuck in the hole and slammed his war hammer into it. The magic effect did what it was designed to do and imparted a large amount of force to its target. The drill shot into the monsters head through the mouth and out the other side. Max had another drill ready, but it wasnt needed. The centibee mother was dead. He turned and ran. An instant later, he was glad that he did. The momma parasite was out for blood. It slammed down its barbed tentacles where Max had stood a moment ago. The Trait Clerk diverted the monsters attention with a few well timed shots. It roared and turned to the insectile person again. It stomped forward and sent stacks of electronics flying. Ashley hopped up and sent her light beam spearing towards its upper mouth. The magic power wasnt enough to blind it, but it was enough to slow it down. Gus and Yang tipped a pile of electronics onto the monster, complete with metal arms on top. Yang had spent the last five minutes gradually heating up the stack of electronics with her Convection card. The stack was glowing red in places and giving off an acrid smell. The objects hit the monster in its side and burnt it deeply. Gouts of steam rose from where the hottest pieces fell. The monster screeched in pain. The sound hit them like a punch and they fell backwards. The Trait Clerk was the first to get back up and keep shooting. Max hurried over with another drill and a fresh hammer. James stood back up and cast Decay, like he had been doing this whole fight. Ashley joined him with several more light flashes. Lily held a hammer in her hands, but seemed scared to jump into the fight. Gus slammed down his hammer on one of the wildly flailing tentacles, but missed and wasted the charge on the floor. Yang was better with her weapon, standing just outside of range on the burnt side of its body. One after another, she cut the tips off the monsters tentacles. Max came up from behind it, aiming for the spot where its mouth hinged open. He activated and tossed the drill, a small hole opening up in its back. He hadnt been sure that would work, but he was glad it did. Scratch that. The drill fell out of the hole since it hadnt been stuck in tightly enough. Max couldnt pick it back up because the monsters tentacles were writhing around where it fell. He grunted in frustration and grabbed a nearby hexagonal electronic plate. He would need to transmute a new one. His help turned out to not be necessary. A combination of blood loss and burn injuries had the monster slowing down and stopping a few moments later. It slumped to the ground, lifeless. They waited to make sure it was really dead, before breaking into a cheer. Ashley gave James a high five. Yang broke out into her widest smile yet, a slightly upturned lip. Lily gave Max a hug and Gus slapped him on the back.
Major amount of essence gathered
Major amount of essence gathered
Great idea with the traps. Youre a regular Macgyver, Gus said. Lily stepped back and blushed. Sorry I didnt help more. Its fine. We won! Max said and raised his hammer triumphantly. The Trait Clerk ignored the celebration and sifted through the wreckage of the eleventh room. Whatever the room had looked like before, it was unrecognizable now. She said, The manager is going to pitch a fit. He better not fire me. I protected my room. As long as they didnt get to the data vault, I think things will be fine. She turned and swiftly walked over to the door to the twelfth room. Ashley whipped her head around and yelled, No! Dont open that! She sprinted towards the door to stop the Trait Clerk, but she was too slow. The insectile person opened the door as she turned back to see what the human was yelling about. A four foot wide tentacle shot through the door and wrapped around the trait clerk and squeezed. Her head popped off. Ashley slid to a stop and turned to run away. She was too slow. A second tentacle snaked through the door and shot across fifteen feet to wrap around Ashleys waist. She cried out in horror and pain as she was pulled back towards the twelfth room. Her screams suddenly cut out as the monster crushed her. The razor sharp barbs on the tentacle kept squeezing, and a moment later Ashley was cut completely in half. Chapter 31: This Isn鈥檛 Right Back, back, back! Max yelled and motioned everyone away from the exit door. Everyone jolted into motion and ran to the other side of the room. The enormous tentacles retreated through the door. The high leveled parasite slid back and lowered its body so it could stare through the door at them. It coiled and uncoiled its tentacles, eager to add another body to the pair in front of it. The sight of Ashleys bisected body made Max nauseous. He turned away before he threw up. How... why... This wasnt right. The monster in the twelfth room was way too powerful for this floor, it was a huge jump in size and strength. There had been a steady linear progression in the dungeon so far, the boss monster should be a third that size at most. This behemoth shouldnt be here. It didnt even fit in the room it was stuffed into! The thought of attempting to kill it sent chills down his spine. Nothing they had would even get through the giants skin, let alone kill it. They were going to die. That realization hit Max with the finality of a gong. It rattled him to his core and he backed up more. He hit the rear wall and slid to the floor. James stood next to him, breathing hard. Lily left the room, heading back to the tenth room. She came back when she realized no one was following her. Minutes ticked by in silence. Max slowly grew angry. This isnt right. Ebba would have warned them if something like this was possible. She said the real hard stuff didnt start till the third floor. Even though the purple skinned alien was stronger and faster than any of them, she would have real trouble fighting a gargantuan parasite like the one in the twelfth room. What level was it anyway? The curiosity got him moving again. He stood back up and moved so he could see through the open door. He made sure to keep well out of reach of its tentacles. He stared at the monster long enough for Insight to trigger. Mutated Blood Parasite Level 36 The monster was only level 36, but that was like saying a skyscraper was only a building. Size mattered. The other important thing was that it was mutated. He didnt know what that meant exactly, but he knew it was an important clue. Lily took a deep breath and said, I think we should go back to the first room with the custodian. I know he said he would attack us if we came back before clearing the twelfth room, but thats clearly impossible. Id rather fight one little bug person than that abomination in there. Nah, thats not how these things work. Theres gotta be a way to kill it. Its a boss, but we got a team. Well, most of a team anyway, Gus said. Lily swore at him and flipped him off. Dont you get it? The Builders dont care if we live or die. They lied to us to get us to come here. None of us are heroes. Im not throwing my life away because you have some schoolboy fantasy that you are one. I aint stupid. I know itll be tough. But its our only hope. Killing that custodian wont help none. The only way out is through. Gus folded his arms. Im willing to try both plans, but lets try to kill this bastard first, Max said. Gus is right. There has to be a way to kill it. Remember, none of this is real. A dungeon designer thought that the team that fought through rooms one through eleven would be able to kill the final boss in twelve. I dont see how, Lily said and folded her arms, mirroring Gus. I dont either, but we have some clues. Its a mutated parasite, level 36. Maybe there is something we missed in the trait libraries that could help. James snapped his fingers, What about that dead guy in room six or whatever? Maybe he has a special weapon under his desk that he was supposed to give us. Max agreed and they went back through the rooms, searching for clues. They found a few interesting ones. The dead ant/lobster/person did have a weapon, but it was smashed beneath its body. The trait library was accessible without the robot arms, you just had to browse manually. They found a few interesting genetic traits, but no way to use them. Eventually, they wandered back to the eleventh room. There are a few things we can try, Max said. Its trapped in there and we have some ranged attacks. James, you are up first. Use Decay on the same tentacle, over and over again. Use up your whole mana pool and well see what effect it has. Once hes done, Gus and Lily can use their cards at the same time. James moved some debris and sat down where he could see the monster. It crouched down and stared back at him. He lifted his arm and tiny distortions zipped through the air, one after another. While he worked, Max decided to see if his own cards could be useful. The only thing that might make it through the giant parasites skin was his Drill card. The only issue was delivery. He liked the idea of drill tipped arrows, but he couldnt reconstruct his crossbow here. Drill tipped spears was a possibility. He needed a long shaft first. He had just been through the debris of all rooms and knew there wasnt anything ready made. He would have to make his own. He grabbed some electronic wreckage and transmuted it into a war hammer. He made the shaft long and the head tiny. Attaching a drill to the side of the head would leave the spear unbalanced. He solved that problem by transmuting a second drill. With both drills attached to the head, it was balanced again. It took a liberal application of duct tape, but he had a spear. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. He walked over to stand by James. I dont think this is going to work, said James. I used up my whole mana pool on the same tentacle. I thought it might be working towards the end, but it healed the damage almost instantaneously. Well, shit. Can you level your card up at all? Already did before we entered the dungeon. I cant level it up anymore with white orbs. I need the bigger stuff, and none of these monsters drop orbs. Max nodded, not having expected anything different. Lily, Gus, lets try our attacks all at once. Ill kick us off. They joined Max and waited for Max to attack. He threw his spear as hard as he could, activating both drills as he did. The magic pierce activated moments before it hit a tentacle. Small holes appeared in its flesh and were plugged by the drills that made them. The tentacle flexed and the spear fell out. Despite the magical assistance, they didnt pierce deep enough to stay in. While he was throwing, the other two activated their cards. The mushroomantis got off a few scythe strikes before it popped. Surprisingly, the Warped Mirror card didnt do much better. It didnt create a slightly weaker clone, it was substantially weaker. In fact, it was the same size Gus had created last time, it didnt grow at all to match the larger foe. It was popped a moment after the other summons. Gus turned and shrugged. Thats as big as it gets until I level it up. Same problem as James. Max ran his hand through his hair. Yang, any tricks up your sleeves? No. I thought Convection would be useful, but my card wont work on the beast. I believe our level difference is too great, Yang said. I dont believe throwing bits of molten metal at it would work either. Max swore. Gus tapped his chin. I still think there is a trick. Some clue we havent found yet. Im gonna keep looking. Max shrugged. It couldnt hurt to look. Lily, how much time do we have until night falls? James asked. She checked her watch and said, Just under three hours. Dinner would be a good idea, as long as its better than lunch. Hey! I didnt see any of you cooking earlier. None of you bought food, you just assumed Id take care of you. Im doing my best, Max said, perhaps a little too defensively. Lilys expression softened. Im sorry. I know you are doing your best. James put his arm around Maxs shoulders. Yeah, buddy. We know you are trying your best. You cant help it if you suck balls at cooking. Hey! Max said as he laughed. He shoved James away and said, Thats it! You are cooking dinner! Max walked away, ignoring James as he called for him to come back. He wasnt mad at his friend, but he thought the panic in his friends voice was hilarious. Yang took pity on him and offered to help cook. While they muddled through, Max sat himself down where he could see the monster. One monster separated them from freedom. It was trapped in that room, but they were trapped in this dungeon with it. He let his mind wander, trying to come up with a new plan of attack. They hadnt tried traps, but it wasnt worth trying. None of the materials they had could stand up to the strength the level 36 parasite had. He wished he had a home depot, then he could build the perfect trap. The next best thing was creating the materials he needed himself. He had already discovered the secret to changing his hammer into whatever metal he wanted. He just had to have the exact atomic components and electron shells memorized. He pulled out his e-ink tablet, glad it still worked. He realized he couldnt count on that though. He took a few minutes to write down the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons for all the metals. He made sure to include the electron shells. It seemed like electron shells were the secret sauce for citadel cards. There were plenty of people who had the atomic number of various elements memorized, but he doubted many had the electron shell numbers memorized. That explained why citadel cards were said to be hard to change. When he was done, he slowly browsed all of the Wikipedia articles on metals. There were a few radioactive metals on the list that might make for a good weapon. Radium was a metal, that sounded rather deadly. Max realized that anything radioactive enough to kill the monster was radioactive enough to kill him from exposure. Toxic metals briefly held his interest before he realized it would take forever to poison the monster, if it reacted at all. He vaguely remembered some of the metals reacted with water and exploded. He dug around until he found alkali metals. Lithium, sodium, potassium, cesium, all underwent exothermic chemical reactions with hydrogen gas as one of the byproducts. The heat was enough to make the gas explode. Could he make a cesium hammer and make the monster explode from the inside? Turns out, that would be a bad idea. It was liquid at room temperature. Potassium would cause skin burns. Sodium was the most reactive metal he could safely create. He decided to give it a try. Sodium has 11 protons, 12 neutrons, and 11 electrons in a 2, 8, 1 shell pattern. Simple enough. He grabbed a bit of detritus and focused his mind. A mental click later, and hundreds of bright lights transmuted the material into a metal hammer. It was solid metal, the shiniest he had ever made. As he held it in his hands, it started slowly oxidizing. He had done it. He made a solid sodium hammer. Max stood up and hefted the hammer. If magic didnt change things, this hammer would create flammable hydrogen and caustic sodium hydroxide on contact with water, or blood. And the parasite was covered in the stuff. He shuffled over and lined up his shot. Then he threw his new hammer at the monster as hard as he could. It spun through the air in an almost straight line. The hammer deflected off the monsters head and settled atop one of its tentacles. Max held his breath. For the first several seconds, nothing happened. Then a bit of smoke started wafting up from the hammer, then more. A few seconds later, it started billowing up. The parasite felt it now, and wiggled it off its tentacle. It was slightly too slow. As it fell, the hammer heated up enough to ignite the fumes. For a brief moment, it glowed with an incandescent light. Then it clattered to the floor and the chemical reaction stopped. The monsters tentacle was badly burnt. It was slowly healing, but Max could tell it would take a good chunk of time before it was fully healed. What was that? Lily said. She had walked over while he worked and watched the experiment. That was a sodium hammer. Sodium reacts violently with water. Blood is mostly water, Max said with a wide grin. I can see that. Can you do that again? Max did some mental math. His mana pool was 36 and the level six Hammer card cost 28 mana. With his regeneration rate that would mean... I can do it twice more before nighttime. If we are going to kill this monster today, Ill have to try something different. Different how? I have a few ideas, Max said as he grinned maniacally. Chapter 32: I Never Liked That Girl Max took a big breath. This would work. It had to work. He gripped the cube tightly and took a deep breath. Three, two, one, GO! he shouted. Several things happened at once. Gus stomped, using his Sonic Step card. The floor vibrated and gave him an idea of exactly where everything was in the next room. He took the metal cup from James and rushed to the right side of the door. He kept pounding the floor. The sound was only as loud as a standard stomp, but it caught the attention of the enormous parasite. It crawled towards the door. Lilys mushroomantis stood just within reach of the monster, wiggling around. The parasite took the bait and stuck a tentacle out to squash it. Gus tossed the contents of the metal cup an instant before it reached its tentacle through the door. He was running away before a drop touched the monster. James winced at the sight. He had bled a lot to fill that cup. His Acid card required his own blood as a base for the potion. While they were maneuvering the monster around, Max transmuted the cube he was holding into a potassium hammer. It was a soft metal, and he had to wear gloves to handle it, but it was worth it for his next move. The magically powerful acid started eating through the monsters skin. It started smoking before the parasite jerked its tentacle back and roared. The sounds of pain and anger reverberated through the room. That was the moment Max had been waiting for. He sprinted forward and flung the hammer towards the monsters open mouth. It spun end over end, flying in a shallow arc. The monster started to react as it saw something approaching. The hammer slipped between its teeth an instant before it slammed its mouth shut. Max skidded to a stop and turned to run away. He had to get close to ensure that their one shot made it in the monsters mouth. A tentacle snaked through the door and reached for him before Max got far. It was fast enough to sweep his legs and send him sprawling on the floor. Yang, Lily, and James pulled on a rope all as one. They couldn''t hope to tangle up the monster, but that wasnt the plan. They pulled on the harness attached to Max, ensuring his escape. Since his Levitate was running at full blast, they were easily able to yank him across the room. Once they stopped pulling he rolled to his feet and turned to watch. The reaction was startlingly quick. Once the pure potassium hit the spit and blood in the monsters mouth, it started reacting, creating potassium hydroxide and hydrogen gas. The reaction was hot enough to self ignite and burn a bright white color. The billowing hydrogen ignited with a bang, causing the monster to open its mouth in pain. The roof of its mouth was savaged and bleeding, and its tongue was useless now. The hammer wasnt done though. The potassium kept reacting with the newly exposed blood and bouncing around to ignite the hydrogen again and again. Bang, bang, bang. It was like they had thrown a string of grenades into its mouth. By the time the hammer stopped reacting, the monster was obliterated. The top of its head was blown off and its torso was a smoking crater.
Major amount of essence gathered
Level Up
Level up, baby! Gus yelled and pumped his fist. Max slowly walked into the twelfth room. He could barely believe it. They did it. Twelve rooms. They were vastly underleveled for this dungeon, but they had survived. Mandatory Quest complete. Additional rewards created in the first room. A grin spread across his face and he shouted in celebration. The squad embraced each other, reveling in the joy of being alive. It took them a while to calm down. The sight of Ashleys dead body brought them back down to Earth. They slowly gathered around her two halves. Max closed his eyes and said, Ashley, thank you for fighting with us and making the ultimate sacrifice. May you rest in peace and your spirit find a pleasant afterlife. A soft chorus of amens filled the room. They might not like her much, but they recognized that she didnt deserve to die like this. A pang of loss washed through Max. He missed Kezhi. The two losses so close together wore on him. Gus grabbed her backpack and started rifling through it for anything useful. It had been knocked across the room when she died. Despite the fact that she had three cards when she died, only one remained. Max made a face as he read the details.
Common Listen Bell
Allows cardholder to hear the surface thoughts of beings within 23 feet. Those without complex thought will sound like static. Mana cost renewed every .9 minutes.
Mana Cost: 8 Concurrent targets: 1 Card Level: 6 If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
What? Whats wrong with the card? James asked. Max wordlessly turned the card around so everyone could read it. Yang and Gus started swearing, each one upping the other in their insults about Ashley. I knew she was acting weird since we left the city. I had no idea it was because of this, Lily said, disgusted. Are you sure it started then? Maybe she was listening to our thoughts the whole time. James said. That would explain a lot. She hated me from the get go, she must have heard that I thought she was a meth head. No, I think Lily is right, Max said. Ebba picked up an extra Bell card when we left the city, Fengs old card. I saw her give Ashley a card when we were walking here. I didnt think it was important until now. I bet its how Ashley suddenly got good at detecting monsters. Damn. I can see why she didnt tell us she had it though, James said. Gus cleared his throat and said, I found this one in her bag. He showed them the card he found.
Common Deafen Clover
Cardholder can reduce the sound reaching a target within eyesight. Effect can be resisted if the target is aware of cardholder.
Mana Cost: 15 Duration: 5.6 Minutes Card Level: 6
She lied about this one too, Max said. I bet she was planning on sneaking around and stealing stuff. I knew there was a reason I never liked that girl, Gus said. There was an awkward pause then James asked, So, what are we going to do with the cards? If its acceptable with the group, I would like the Deafen card. It would make monsters easier to sneak up on, Yang said. I was hoping I could get that card, actually. It would make it easier for me to fling glass shards at monsters if they cant hear them coming, James said. When no one else spoke up Max said, I think it would be better for the group if Yang got this one, actually. Sorry, buddy. Its fine. You can make it up to me by giving me the Listen card, James replied. Hell no! Gus said. Aint nobody gettin'' that card. My thoughts are staying private. I dont wanna hear your stupid thoughts either. Yang firmly said, Anyone using that card is a violation of our privacy. Its the only privacy we have left. I agree, Max said. But I dont want to throw away the card. Is it alright with everyone if I keep it so we can sell it later? You all know I cant use it because I specialized in citadel cards. Fine by me. Just as long as nobody uses it. Sell it as soon as you get a chance, Gus said. By the way, Ashley had two large and fourteen little cores in her bag. I guess Max can hold them and we can sell and split them in the next city. Max nodded and tucked everything away. Alright. Now that we have that sorted, I think its finally time for loot! Oh, yeah! The message said rewards in the first room. Lets go! James said and dramatically pointed. They hurried through the rooms, one after another. The dead monsters had been all cleared out by the time they passed through. Max, can you tell if something is cursed or not? Lily said. Ebba said that most of the dungeon rewards are cursed. Uh, I hope so, Max said. The first room was empty. The counter the custodian had been standing at was now covered in random items. There was a strange knife, a golden apple, a belt with six pouches, three rings, a barometer, a necklace, and a rubber donut. Max took a deep breath and stared at them. Insight triggered. To his delight, there was a name and a description for all of them. He carefully read through each one. Carapace Scraper Hygiene tool for maintaining osseous tissue. Repeated uses will slowly increase ductility and strength. Scraper edge is self sharpening. Golden Apple Upon consumption, grants the user the full effects of a fremulon rejuvenation over the course of two hours. The standard psychological adjustments do not accompany the rejuvenation. Utility Belt Once a day, five of the pockets will be filled with something new. Sixth pocket is a dimensional pocket. Pockets may be relocated along the belt. Ring of Time Travel Move forward in time two seconds. User will exist in a quantum antiposition during those two seconds. Effect is recharged every two hours. Shitty Ring Cure for constipation. Takes effect gently after five minutes of wear time. Effects cease when no longer worn. Ring of Justice Thwarts one crime a day within city limits. Adamant chains will appear and restrain the criminal until a law keeper unlocks them. Weather Tube Controls weather within a limited space. Contains enough energy to affect a sphere eleven feet wide for six hours a day. Size can be increased at the cost of usage time. Arousal Band Assists beast procreation by creating an illusion of similar animals mating. Replicates sight, sound, and smell. Works on any non-sentient being over three feet tall. Bit of a good news, bad news situation, Max said. I can read the full descriptions of all the items, but none of them say if they are cursed or not. I think if we want to take any of them, well just have to guess. Ah, fluffernutter, James said and slumped his shoulders. Max laughed and read off the descriptions to everyone so he could get their input. Gus tapped his chin. Well, some of these are easy. The Shitty Ring is clearly cursed. You put it on and you cant stop shitting. Maybe. The dungeon was created by the builders, who are clearly not human. Whos to say they will follow the same tropes as us? Maybe it really is just a simple cure for constipation? Max said. Gus tilted his head back and forth. I see what ya mean. If we cant guess at their motivation, then we cant pick any of these rewards. But Im guessing. I aint leaving without a magic artifact. Why? Yang asked. Why, what? Why dont you want to leave without taking something? There is nothing special about this dungeon, and all of these items might be cursed. The smart thing is to leave without taking anything. We can collect rewards after Maxs Inspect is high enough to detect curses. Gus opened and closed his mouth a few times. Ok, yes. That is the smart thing to do. I aint gonna do it though. Pappa getting some bling. Max laughed. He knew how Gus felt. Max wanted to take something for the same reason Gus had. Yang was right though, there was no reason to take the risk. He just had to convince himself of that fact. Gus leaned over and stared at the items one by one. The Arousal Band probably isnt cursed. Its basically a monster porn projector. No one in their right mind would want it. I aint touching the Golden Apple, no telling what a fremulon is. Utility Belt could be really useful, just depends on if the pockets get filled with slime every day or something... He continued to mutter to himself as he went over every item. Chapter 33: Dinner Bell for Titans Max, why? What were you thinking? James said, his eyes wide. Batman made me do it, Max said as he fingered his new dungeon artifact. James laughed and punched him. Max rubbed his shoulder exaggeratedly and said, Its just that he has this cool utility belt and I wanted one for myself. I knew it might be cursed, but I guess my love of caped crusaders was too great. Max, you are smart, but you make some stupid decisions sometimes, James said as he shook his head. Hey! I resemble that remark! Max said and shoved him. James laughed and headed out of the dungeon. Max turned back to the belt on his waist. It was an impulsive decision, but in his defense, it seemed logical at the time. Gus had picked the Ring of Time Travel. Once he had it on, he was able to read a longer description of the item. It wasnt cursed, it just had limited use. He said he planned on using it as the ultimate defense against an attack. There was nothing better than simply not existing while the attack landed. Max guessed that the items with clear disadvantages wouldnt be cursed. That meant the Ring of Justice was certainly cursed, and the Utility Belt probably wasnt. Only one of the six pouches on the belt was useful, so the item wouldnt be cursed, right? Wrong. As soon as he clipped the belt on, it gave him a longer description. Utility Belt Benefits: Once a day, five of the pockets will be filled with something new from the users homeworld. Sixth pocket is a dimensional pocket that can hold 3.7 cubic feet regardless of weight. Drawbacks: Belt is bound to the user and will return within hours if taken off. Dimensional pocket will always be the last pocket opened. Five new objects will be created daily. The utility belts objects must be used for their intended purpose (as defined by the wielders understanding) before the dimensional pocket can be used for the day. If objects are not used that day, the stored contents of the dimensional pocket will be lost forever. Basically, it was a pretty good bag of holding, but in order to use it he had to complete five tasks every day. If he ever forgot or failed a task, he would lose whatever he stored in there. If he got the hang of how to use it, it would be a wonderfully useful belt. The insidious part was that he might be lulled into a false sense of security by a few easy days and then bam, he has to use a suicide pill or something. As far as curses go, it was fairly mild. If he wanted, he could just not play the game. As long as he didnt put anything in the belt, there wasnt anything to lose. He would still be stuck with the belt, but that was barely an imposition. The real danger came from the impulse to gamble. To put something heavy and valuable in there and hope that he would be able to use the items every day until he wanted to pull stuff out. Only Max and Gus decided to risk picking up a reward. The rest of them headed out as soon as the exit door opened. They found Ebba waiting for them under a nearby tree. She was ecstatic to see them. My nestlings, no, my fledglings! I am so happy to see you survived. And so many too. I know the first level was very easy, but you are all new to this world. Great job! she said. There is nothing to celebrate. We still lost Ashley, Max said. There was a conspicuous silence as no one backed Max up. He may feel guilty about his failure as a leader, but everyone else was still thinking about how she had invaded their privacy with the Listen card. Ebba said, You should always strive for better, yes. But do not let perfection kill good. Nestlings are always lost along the journey to adulthood. Its why we should revere our elders because we may one day die too. Thats a pretty cavalier attitude about the deaths of babies, Lily said. Do all Lunuks think like that? Of course. The weak die and the strong live. Lily jerked her head back, surprised at that answer. Ebba curled her fingers in a smile. Ah, yes. I remember now. Humans cherish their babies and ignore their elders. Lunuk cherish their elders and do not interfere with their hatchlings'' fate. There is a reason Lunuk are the most numerous species on Spinworld, and humans the least. Lily sneered at her and said, I guess I cant expect aliens to have any humanity. Ebba sliced her hands in agreement. Come, fledglings. Night will fall soon and I have arranged to stay the night with some Igra. They are camped nearby. As they walked, Gus disappeared. He was there one instant, gone the next. A few seconds later, he reappeared. He stumbled and caught himself. He chuckled and did a little happy dance. Following his example, Max tried out his new belt. The belt was white leather with pockets that felt like they were made of woven metal. He popped the button on the first pocket and reached inside. He pulled out a novelty pencil, one two feet long and an inch thick. There was no way that fit in the four inch square pocket. Magic shenanigans. He tried another pocket, but it wouldnt work. He had to use the pencil first. He drew a squiggly line on a nearby tree. Moments later, the pencil dissolved into motes of mana. That was handy. He would have instant feedback for when the belt considered an item used. The next pouch opened when he tugged on it and he pulled out an electric fan. The cord swung in the air, uselessly. Max slowly blinked. Did the belt expect him to find a socket? He tried switching it on anyway. To his immense relief, it worked. He fanned his face and it dissipated. A bow tie was next. He felt a little silly putting it on without a dress shirt, but it disappeared before anyone saw it. The rusty nail made him laugh. He had just what he needed to use it. Once he hammered it into a tree, he reached into the second to last pocket. It held an acorn. How do you use an acorn? He could eat it, but he was pretty sure acorns were poisonous if you didnt cook them first. Maybe it wouldnt harm him if it dissolved into mana once he chewed it up? He took off the little cap while he considered it. Then he smiled. He put the acorns cap on his thumb and danced it around a bit. It was his thumbs hat. The belt seemed dubious and the acorn didnt dissolve. The description said that the wearers understanding was the decider and he knew lots of people used acorns as tiny hats. As soon as he had that thought, the acorn fell into tiny motes of mana. He did it! All five pockets were used, so he should be able to use the sixth pocket for the day. He wasnt sure if that was until nightfall, or until twenty-five hours had passed. He wouldnt put anything important in there, just in case. It was actually slightly difficult to decide on what to put in there. He had already thrown away everything unnecessary. In the end he threw a cassava root into the pouch. The root was wider than the opening of the pouch, but it sucked it in anyway. He buttoned the flap of the pouch out of habit and unbuttoned it right away. He reached in and pulled the root back out. It worked like a dream. 3.7 cubic feet was actually a lot of space. He could fit his entire pack in there now that he had tossed some stuff. He didnt attempt it though. He decided to test the limits of the belt much more before he risked something like that. Maybe even wait until the mandatory quest was over. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Ebba led them through the forest and up to a dense thicket. It wasnt until they were right on top of it that they saw it had been built, not grown. Ebba turned off her Disregard field and announced herself. A section of the thicket swung out and a person appeared in the doorway. It was about four and a half feet tall with two legs and two arms. It was thickly muscled under layers of armor. It wore black woven metal with silver plates attached on top. The helmet was flat topped with a Geordi La Forge eyepiece. Welcome, Ebba. Your friends survived after all. Wonderful. Come on in, it said and gestured inside. The six of them filed into the space inside the thicket. It looked like someone had woven spiky branches together to form a small room, complete with a leaf covered roof. Four more Igra sat on the dirt and looked up as they walked in. All of them wore armor that completely covered them, but each had their own style. No two armors were alike. Friends of Ebba, thank you for joining us. We are happy to sleep well tonight with her card protecting us. I am called Chunus. What are your names? Im Max, and this is James. Gus is the tall one, Lily is the woman with the red top, Yang is the one with the white top. Excellent introductions, I will follow suit. This is Bootus. Furtis is the one with the pointed helmet, Fooby has the black chestplate, and Borts has the green chestplate. Remember our names, we will test you later. Max thought he heard a smile in Chunus voice. Just in case, he fixed their names in his head. Chunus, Bootus, Furtis, Fooby, and Borts. Nice to meet you all. Thank you for letting us stay in your camp. Borts nodded. His armor was in different shades of green, much like military camouflage. No trouble at all. I made this shelter in two clicks of a clam shell. Fooby the Black Knight said, We were just finishing our game of hounds and jackals. You can play next round if you like. Ooh! Or if you have your own games, we would love to play that, Chunus said. I heard a lot of humans carry around rectangular playing cards. Max smiled and said, Yeah, I have some rectangle cards. He rummaged through his bag and brought out a standard deck of cards. Earth standard, anyway. He suggested they start with Crazy 8s. All of them wanted to play, but Max suggested a smaller group for learning new card games. Chunus, Borts, and Fooby stayed and the other two asked the remaining humans about the games they had. James got out his travel set of yahtzee and taught Furtis and Bootus how to play. Night fell not long after, but Fooby threw up a U shaped light on the ceiling so they could keep playing. An hour later, Max was the only human still awake. It had been a long day for all of them. He begged off playing and Fooby took up the dealer position. When he slid into his sleeping bag, all five Igra were playing poker with a quiet intensity. The next morning Max woke to find them still playing. Gus had joined them and was teaching them Texas Holdem. Did you guys play cards all night? Nah, we are all tier three. At our levels, we only need 3.2 hours of sleep a night. We took a break this morning, one of them said. Once Max was fully awake, he realized he had no idea who was who. In the night, they had switched armor pieces around. Now he realized what Chunus meant when they were going to test him about their names. This was another game. A different Igra held up his cards and said, We do like your rectangles. They can play so many different games. You dont know the half of it, Max said. Humans have literally hundreds of different games you can play with those cards. Reeally? In that case, would you consider selling them? he (maybe she) said. I dont need a lot of money right now, the five of us have a mandatory quest to reach the first layer. Any chance you could help us get there faster? We are on our way spinward, north two layers would be an imposition. How about this? If you can name each of us correctly, we will take you halfway there. If not, you will sell me all your games for a single white core. Deal? Gus shuffled his feet and said, Its a deal. Hey, those are my cards not yours, Max said. Trust me, Gus said with a meaningful look. Fine, guess their names, Max said. A deck of cards wasnt worth that much anyway. Gus grinned and pointed at each of them in turn, Borts, Bootus, Fooby, Furtis, and Chunus. What? How did you know! Did you sneak a peek when we thought you were sleeping? That is very rude, you know. Igra dont like outsiders seeing them without armor, Chunus said. Gus rocked back and raised his eyebrows a few times, Nope. Slept through the night. You gonna help us get to the first layer, or welsh on the bet? Chunus held up a finger. Halfway there, and you have to tell us how you did it so we know you didnt cheat. Sonic Step, Gus said smugly. Max smiled like dawn breaking. Apparently Guss Sonic Step card could see through their armor. At least well enough to tell who was who. Blind Bats, Chunus cursed. I hate that card and the builders that crafted it. Curse the tree they were born under. Well take you halfway there today, but you must let us hold that card until we arrive. Gus laughed and pulled out his card as he said, Deal. After breakfast and once everyone was packed up, Borts waved his hands and the thicket shrunk back down into the ground. Fooby grumbled as they started walking. This is going to take days. Chunus, you dont get to make the next bet. Hey. I didnt see you objecting when I offered the deal, Chunus said. Besides. I have a plan to speed things up. Whats that? These humans are newbies, remember? That means they are all less than tier one and dont have any mana resistances. Chunus mimed throwing a ball. Alright. I revoke my objection. This will be fun, Fooby said and hopped in place. Wait. Whats going to be fun? Max asked. He was starting to have a bad feeling about this. Ebbas eyes lit up. Some of you have an evolved mass changing stat? Wonderful. I have Levitate at twelve, so I can play along if you want. Im assuming Borts will move the vegetation out of the way? Chunus waved. Course. We need your Disregard card to cover the middle of our formation. Otherwise well just be ringing the dinner bell for titans. Max looked around. The talk about levitating wasnt making him feel better. The Igra didnt seem like they were joking, but he couldnt see their facial expressions. Chunus pointed to the ground. Alright, humans and Lunuk, have a seat, grab your knees tight. Why? Max said, the question echoed by others. I guess you dont have to sit down. It just makes things easier, Chunus said. Borts, Fooby, you two ready? Yep. Yeah. Max frowned, Ready for- Before Max could finish the sentence, Chunus snaked forward and grabbed his arm and flung him forward. Fooby tapped him as Chunus reached the apex of his throw. Max yelped in surprise as he spun through the air. He could see flashes of the sky and ground. He was sure he was going to run into a tree, but it bent out of the way. He kept flying though the air, spinning around, over and over again. Max flew forever, way longer than should be possible. He stopped yelling and tried to figure out what was going on. He felt like he was falling sideways. Chunus bounded through the air beside him, catching him moments before he hit the ground. There was a sudden jerk and he was stationary. He didnt feel the sudden deceleration, or the acceleration now that he thought about it. What the hell was that? Max said as he backed up from the armored alien. Chunus laughed, joined by the other Igra as they landed and caught the humans. Even Ebba laughed as she landed. Borts gestured to Chunus and Fooby. These two have their Weight and Levitate evolved. Chunus removed your inertia to throw you, and Fooby added it back after you started flying. Yep. Its a marvelous way to travel. Chunus said. This time, I think you should all grab your knees. It makes it easier for me to throw you. Oh, and this time, no screaming. Ebbas Disregard card can only do so much. Gus took another step back. Isnt there a better way to travel? Youre gonna make me lose my lunch. Chunus tapped his legs. The other option is to walk. With your tier, that would take several days. We can get you there today. The humans shared a look. This was an extremely unpleasant way to travel, but they needed to get to the first layer quickly. Max took a big breath and said, Alright. Well do it. Ill try not to scream." Ebbas fingers smiled. Can we go faster this time? Of course, Chunus said. Hold tight. Max screamed. Chapter 34: I Graciously Accept Max had learned to stop screaming as he was tossed through the air. It helped to keep his eyes shut and ignore the falling feeling. That didnt mean that tears didnt leak from the edges of his eyes. They had to be traveling at least seventy miles an hour. He was starting to get windburnt, like he had spent the entire day skydiving. The pace was grueling, only stopping when they ran into monsters that pierced through Ebbas bell card. Max didnt see most of the fights, but the one he did see was impressive. A lizard yeti caught up to them and whipped at the Igra with its furry tail. Borts took a chunk out of a nearby tree, transmuted it into knives, and blinded the creature. All in one motion. Furtis lined up his hands and waited for the beast to stumble to a stop. Green sparks sprayed out of his hands and flew forward in a cloud. Wherever the sparks touched, burnt away in a flash of red light. The monster was dead in seconds. They collected the monster core and were off, keeping up a brutal pace. Max relaxed slightly when they got to the mountain range separating the third and second layers. Chunus only threw them most of the way up the mountain, having them walk over the top so they didnt get flung over it. As they walked up the side of the mountain, Max noticed something interesting. It was super easy to walk up here. The mountains were high enough that the centrifugal force was lower here. It was like the gravity had been turned down. Once they reached the top of the mountains, they got a beautiful view of the second layer. It was full of rivers and temperate forests, completely unlike the jungle they had just left. Off to their left, an upside mountain floated in the air. It was distant, but Max guessed that it was the floating city of Bespin. They didnt get to enjoy the view because Chunus threw them off the peak of the mountain. Max felt his stomach protesting as they fell and fell. The wind rushed by his ears as they flew all the way down the mountain in one go, being caught in the foothills. Thankfully, they didnt get thrown again as they landed. Max was able to get a proper look around. There were pine trees in the foothills, oak and cedar further in. There were splotches of red further in, groves of trees from Ebbas homeworld. To their right was a section of blue and purple trees with yellow leaves. Max wanted to go check it out, but he had no desire to leave the group. Borts stretched and said, Well break here for a bit, then head out to The Regal Father. Its a city in the middle of the second layer, I figure that counts as halfway for our deal. Ebba cleared her throat and said, Actually, I was hoping you could drop us off at The Twelve Meditations instead. Its my home town and about as far away as The Regal Father. I know it. Used to work as a climber in the citys tower, back when I was earning my third tier. Its more spinward than north, but Im fine with dropping you off at The Twelve Meditations. As long as its what Gus wants. Gus looked up from where he was laying flat on the ground. Yeah, sure, whatever. Max took out his bottle and stumbled over to a water berry plant. The constant wind had really dried him out. James had the same idea and they rehydrated together. Afterwards, they sat under the same tree. It was relaxing on the second layer, more than he had been expecting. The mana was less dense here, and that ineffable sense of tingling pressure was lessened. It was like moving from a crowded city out to the suburbs. Not quiet, but much less oppressive. Now that we have a minute, James, can you do me a favor? I have another citadel card I bought, but I wanna test it out before I permanently add it to my deck. Sure, hand it over. Id love to try out a new card, James said. Max got out his Actuator card and gave it to him. Once it was in his deck, James uprooted a nearby fern and transmuted an actuator. It was a small thing, about two inches by four inches. It had paddles on the ends with a ball joint in the middle. You should be able to move it around with your mind, Max said. James nodded and stared at the actuator with intense concentration. After a few moments, the metal paddle started slowly moving. It moved up and down, left to right. Is that as fast as you can make it move? Max asked. Yeah, I think so, James said and handed over the small device. Max tsked and looked it over. It wasnt that useful. It moved too slow to weaponize and was awkwardly sized. The idea was great, and he would love to make something with a few of them, but it wasnt immediately useful. He decided against adding it to his deck, at least for now. Thanks anyway, buddy. Anytime. We got a gray legger coming this way, Furtus said, staring into the dense forest. Chunus stood up. We could deal with it, but I really dont want to deal with the mess. Lets get going. What about you, Fooby? Borts asked. I know were on the second layer, but I bet you a game that the gray leggers got a good core. Oh, if you are willing to do the fighting, sure. Ill stay right here, out of the guts splash zone, Fooby said and folded his arms. Come on then. I bet I can lock it down for you. I know Bootus and Chunus arent willing to waste mana on anything not mission critical, so it has to be you, Borts pleaded. Gus slapped Max on the shoulder and said, Borts, take Max with you. He can make a hammer that will explode in the monsters stomach. Just chuck it in and stand back. Is that true, Max? You wanna kill one of the strongest monsters on this layer? Borts said eagerly. Uh, maybe? I mean, I can create a hammer that will explode in water, but whats a gray legger? Should I even be going near it? Max asked. Definitely not. Its a vicious monster with armored skin. Each leg is as long as a spear and its got a dozen of them. But if you have an explosive, just hand it over and Ill do all the work. Its not exactly an explosive. I can make a hammer out of pure sodium. Its a metal that reacts with water and creates heat and hydrogen gas. The reaction will go boom, but it requires something wet. If you get it in its mouth, itll probably kill it, but if you miss, it will do nothing. Hand it over then. Ill give it a go and well be on our way. If I miss, Fooby can take care of it. Fooby put his fists together in frustration. Hey now, I didnt agree to that. Borts just laughed and turned to Max expectantly. Max shrugged. If it wasnt going to put him in danger, he would be happy to help kill a monster. He grabbed a pine branch and focused on the atomic details of sodium. He knew his standard framing hammer flew fairly well, so he made that instead of a war hammer. Whatever you do, dont get it wet until its in the monster, Max said as he handed it over. Borts flexed his gauntlet and said, Dont worry, we keep our armor perfectly maintained and dry. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. He convinced Ebba to come with him so he could sneak up on the monster. Furtis kept watch so no other monsters would sneak up on them with the Disregard field gone. Borts happily bounded off with Ebba in tow. They headed north-spinward and soon disappeared from sight. Furtis could still see them, but Max didnt know if it was his enhanced senses or a magical effect of his helmet. Ebba returned sooner than expected. Borts trailed behind, his helmet facing down. As he came up to Fooby he threw his fist high to reveal a monster core. Fooby groaned while Borts laughed victoriously. Max walked over to them and said, Howd it go, Borts? You should have seen the look on the buggers face. I snuck up close and tossed your hammer right between its mandibles. It tried to cough it up, but insect monsters cant throw up. Its mouth started smoking and then a few seconds later, boom! Ill show you the body when we head out. Speaking of which, you lot ready to go? Max nodded and looked back to the others. Gus and Yang were ready to go, but not Lily and James. Lily was sitting on the ground, crying, and James was trying to comfort her. Max was surprised, he hadnt even seen when that started. As he walked up to them, Lily sniffed and wiped her nose. Im fine, Im fine. You dont look fine. Whats going on? Was James talking about Pokemon again? Its so boring, it could drive anyone to tears. Max said. Lily half laughed, half cried and said, No, James is a perfect gentleman. He hasnt brought up Pokemon or My Little Pony. It has nothing to do with James. Its personal. Can we drop it? Sure thing, if thats what you want. Lets go, Max said and held out a hand to help her up. She hesitated for a moment. Before Max could second guess himself, she took his hand. They walked over to the others. Before they got really going, Borts led them to the site of his battle. There was a monster there, one that would have been twenty feet tall if it was still alive. It looked like a centipede with javelin-like legs. The monsters exoskeleton looked a lot like segmented armor. Its head had been blown off and left a slightly smoking stump. The Igra paused to show off for a bit and then they were off. They flew through the forest, plants continuing to bend out of the way as Borts used his card. Max had a sense of mental whiplash as he watched the temperate forest slide by. Less than an hour ago he was in the jungle, and now he was watching maple and beech leaves flutter about from the speed of their passing. Another half hour later, they entered a red forest. The trees were different from the ones they had seen on the third layer, but they were clearly from the Lunuk homeworld. The way the trunk split so thinly in the canopy was a giveaway. That and the red color of course. Max promised himself he would learn more about the alien plants when he got the chance. In less time than he expected, they were at their destination. The city of Twelve Meditations. It was bigger than Wild Plums they had just left. The wall was green and glinted in the sunlight. There were several large hills within the city, notable only because the surrounding countryside had none. Flying machines graced the sky above the city, not quite as many as were in the city of Wild Plums. As they drew close to Twelve Meditations, they could see more of the construction atop the hills. There were dozens of openings into the hills but very few buildings atop them. There were some log cabins, made out of the same red wood that surrounded the southern side of the city. To the north were a series of ever increasing boulders, and some of the buildings inside the city were made of huge stone slabs. The Igra stopped in front of the city gates. There was a short line out front with a bunch of haggard people waiting to get in. The Igra stopped and said their goodbyes. Your armor is clean and bright, Gus, Chunus said as he handed back the Sonic Step card. Next time you see an Igra, dont use this card. Do offer to teach them Texas Holdem though! I cant wait to teach it to my friends. Max stepped up and handed over his deck of playing cards. Youll need this then. Chunus held up his hands. You dont have to give that to me, I lost the bet. Underestimated human craftyness. I insist, take it. Chunus put a fist to his chest and said, Then I graciously accept. Allow me to give you a gift in return. Its dungeon loot, but we have verified it isnt cursed. Inject a bit of your mana and wind will blow out. It would be useful for flyers or dungers. Max stared at the strange device and his Insight triggered. Impeller - Activable This is worth a lot more than a deck of cards, Max said as he mentally dismissed the Insight pop-up. The impeller was a thick tube with holes on both ends. The inside didnt seem to have anything in it, but light bounced strangely through it. You helped us kill a gray legger, this is the least we can do. Max put a fist to his chest and said, Then I graciously accept. Chunus laughed and said, It was nice gaming with you, dont get killed and we might meet again. We need to head back now. The return journey will take much longer without Ebbas card. Thank you again for bringing us here, Ebba said. Sadly, I cannot loan you the card. The Elders will be expecting it back when I return. Ah well. Until we meet again, Chunus said and they took off. Max had been thinking while they traveled. He suspected they grew up on a planet with heavier gravity. Running around here must be like childs play for them. He wondered if he would be able to run like that when he got his Levitate high enough, or if air resistance would keep him slow. Ebba almost danced in line. She was so excited to be home again, she kept clenching all four hands together and then spreading them apart. Its almost never like this. The city of Twelve Meditations is so great that people rarely leave, so there isnt often a line to get back in. Wait a second, go back. You said the Elders will want the Disregard card back. If you give it up, how are you going to get us to the first layer? Max asked. An emotion traveled through her hands, gone before the translation magic could pick up on it. She said, Dont worry, I will still escort you to your destination. I have to check in with the Elders when I arrive, but they will let me keep the card. That was just something I said to make the parting smoother. Ok, thanks. I can see the mountain range to the first layer from here. How long do you think it would take to walk there? Four or five days. The kind Igra have saved us much time. Max blinked in shock. She wasnt kidding. They still had more than twenty days left on their mandatory quest to make it to the first layer. The Igra had shaved off so much travel time, he wished he could thank them again. A wash of emotions passed through his body. They were going to make it. He felt himself tearing up. He wiped his eyes and refocused as the line moved forward. Do we need to hand in our bell cards? Yang asked. No, dont talk about them, though, Ebba said without turning to her. They reached the front of the line shortly afterwards. The guards were heavily armored and Max noticed faint wisps of magic emanating from each piece. Like the guards on the third layer, there was a white core socketed into several spots on their armor. Ebba walked inside without issue, but the Lunuk guards stopped Max and the others. The taller one said, Cost of entering the city has gone up. Five eggs for five humans. We have a lot of refugees from the Ladys Lashes and we are trying to keep the riff raff out. Ebba put all four hands together and bowed slightly, I am a resident. I was sent out on a mission from the Elders of the fourth hill. Elders Vanentin, Humfrid, and Agneta. These are my fledgelings. May we enter for the standard fee instead? The tall guard straightened his fingers in disgust. Humans are not fledgelings. They are beasts at best. Regardless, they are under my care. May we enter together? Fine. Three eggs. Ebba handed over tiny golden eggs and said, May the Elders wisdom guide us all to prosperity, She gestured for the humans to walk inside. She turned back to the guards and said. What happened with the Ladys Lashes? Its Bespin again, the shorter guard said. Broken Shells, Ebba cursed. Someone needs to do something about them. You said it. May the Elders wisdom guide us. They walked into the city together. Max felt like he had walked onto the set of a western. The houses and business were all made of the same red wood as the forest around them. But the construction was clearly human. Square construction, tilted roofs, correctly sized doors. In fact, those were swinging saloon doors right over there. Someone must have wanted to really lean into the vibe. Ebba gestured around herself. You can stay here if you want. Humans take the outer circle. Then Igra, then Paj. My home is in the center of the city. Fourth hill, as you just heard. We will meet here again the morning after next, just like last time. Thanks for helping us, Ebba. Whats going on with Bespin? Max asked. Its a floating city. Theyre a bunch of rebels, dont respect other cities, they just come and take what they want. Mostly humans, some Paj and Igra. They started in the first layer and have been attacking or harassing city governments all over spinworld. They say they are fighting to free people, as ridiculous as that sounds. Something about power to the people. Sounds ridiculous. Anyway, have a nice time with your family. See you in two days, Max replied, distractedly. The political situation was concerning news. Knowing his brother, he was absolutely in the city full of freedom fighters. Michael used to piss off their dad by spouting off communist and socialist propaganda. Max knew he had to visit the floating city now, but he wasnt sure if it would be a good idea. It would be dangerous to say the least. Chapter 35: I Was Just Testing You His brothers potential affiliation with a war mongering city was a problem for future Max. Today he needed to find some food and a hotel, in that order. They started walking through the human part of town. It was crowded, moreso as they got further from the walls. Max looked up to the twelve hills in the distance. This city was huge, maybe ten times the size of the one they had just left. They slowly walked along the street, taking in the city. Interestingly enough, there wasn''t any glass in the windows. Maybe it was hard to make here, or maybe it wasnt worth it when it only rained for a short while in the morning. The more they walked through the city, the more it seemed intentional that it was built to resemble a frontier town from the old west. James hitched his thumbs into his belt loops and started walking bow legged. He spit out imaginary chewing tobacco and said, What you reckon we should do tomorrow? I was thinkin we might track down some cattle wrestlers. What the hell are you talking about? Gus said. Ignore him, James. I think you make a fantastic cowboy, Max said. He tipped an imaginary hat at his friend. Lets find something to eat and a place to sleep before we hunt down any varmints. The ring of human made buildings around the city was a few blocks wide, adding up to much more land than the human neighborhood in Wild Plums. It didnt take long for them to find a delicious noodle shop. After Lily paid for everyone, they headed out to look for a place to stay. There were several hotels and a few inns, but all of them were full of refugees. They had to spread their search wider to find open rooms. I dont have any spare rooms, exactly. Igra hotels have communal quarters. Ive been told humans call it barracks style. I can rent you five beds for the night. Half an egg. We dont have any of the local currency. You take white monster cores? Monster cores, ey? You lot must be cardholders. Dont get a lot of those in Twelve Meditations. Thats a problem here too? Vultures preying on newly arrived and swindling them out of their cards? Max asked, disappointed. He had hoped that it was only the third layer that was so cutthroat. Youre going to find that sort of thing in every enclave. Most people are decent, regardless of species. It doesnt take a lot of bad apples to ruin it for most of us, the innkeeper shrugged his pauldrons. Just keep your cards on you and do your best not to make a bad deal. To answer your original question, one white core is worth three whole eggs. So the beds for the night will cost you a sixth of a monster core. I can make change for you. Max handed over a core and said, Thanks. The innkeeper held out two small metal eggs and a half of one. Actually, if you want, we can make a little wager. Lets play a game of hounds and jackals. If you win, Ill give you back your core. If I win, Ill keep the change and you all still get to stay the night. Max shook his head. Betting against an Igra is a losing proposition. Ill take the change. Ah, cant blame a helm for trying, right? Your beds are on the far side of the room. Look for numbers 18-23. Max nodded and headed back to the beds. It was a windowless room with dozens of small divisions. There was a curtain across half of them, the others still open. The floor was wooden and the walls porcelain. It reminded Max of shower stalls at the pool. The center of the room was a long table with low stools. A half dozen people played a board game on the far end of the room. None of them looked up as they walked in. Max collapsed into his bed, only just remembering to close his curtain. Not being able to take his belt off was uncomfortable, but he had an eventful day. He quickly fell asleep. ... Why was the ceiling made of swords? Max blearily stared at the ceiling as the events of the last few days slowly percolated into his mind. He was in an Igra inn. He hadn''t noticed it before, but the ceiling was made of tessellated swords, merged together into one. He had been woken by the morning rain on the metal roof. The first thing on his to-do list today was exploring how his belt worked. Actually, that would have to be his second thing. The first was to double check his timer for how long he had before he got turbo-cancer. Mandatory Quest Your body cannot handle the level of mana in the local area. Although mana is normally beneficial, healing wounds and strengthening bodies, your biology hasn''t adjusted to it yet. Return to a low mana area within [24] cycles or you will develop incurable cancer. Max sighed in relief. They had plenty of time. Twenty-four days was well over the five days Ebba thought the trip would take. He smiled as he turned back to his belt. If he could still use the dimensional pocket this morning, it meant the belt refreshed at the same time every day. If not, it meant that it refreshed overnight. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. He reached into the upper right hand pocket and focused on pulling out the cassava root he had stuffed in there. Instead, he pulled out a hacksaw. Well, that answers that. Every morning he would have five tasks to complete to unlock the usage of the pocket of holding. He looked around for something disposable he could cut. Moments later, the wooden bedpost had a tiny notch cut into it. Max made a mental note to reimburse the innkeeper. The next thing he pulled out was a toothbrush. How convenient. He headed over to the communal bathroom and brushed his teeth along with his normal morning ablutions. The toothbrush dissolved into mana when he considered his teeth clean. Once he was back at his bed, he pulled out the next item. It was a plush unicorn. He furrowed his brow. It was a decoration for kids. Could he just put it on the bed near his pillow? To his delight, the answer was yes. The pink unicorn dissolved into motes of mana and he moved on to the next pocket. This time he held a charm bracelet. It was made of silver metal links and dangled a variety of dice. It was DnD themed. Max chuckled to himself as he put it on his wrist. Once it puffed into a cloud of mana, he pulled out his final task of the day. It was an extension cord. No actual device, just the cord. This one might be harder than the others. The first thing he tried was to plug it into itself. Didnt work. He rummaged through his stuff and remembered his solar charger. He hadnt used it since his exolegs broke. He set it up and plugged the extension cord into the solar charger and then into his kindles charger. Once he had everything connected, the cord disappeared. That had been close. He didnt know what he would have done if that hadnt worked. Right now, he only had a cassava root stored in there, but one day he might put something important in there. He tilted his head to the side. Actually, there might be a way around the belts drawback. He re-read the belts description to be sure. He only had to use random items once a day and then he would have access to the dimensional storage all day. He could put his whole pack into his belt and he wouldnt have to carry it around all day. As long as he took his pack out at the end of the day, there was never any risk of losing it. He decided to go ahead throw the pack into his storage belt. Just to be safe, he decided to take out the important things, his remaining five white monster cores, and the two magic cards. The rest of his stuff was important, but he could purchase replacements. He pulled out the Actuator card right away, but Ashleys old Listen card wasnt there. It should have been right next to the other card in an inner pocket. The hexagonal card was missing. He grumbled to himself and started taking things out one at a time to track it down. The Listen card wasnt there. He checked through all the pockets again without any luck. Max stood up and ran his hands through his hair. Where had it gone? Had he dropped it somewhere accidentally, or had someone stolen it? He packed everything back into his pack and shouldered it. He paused. He was planning on testing out his belt before he noticed the missing card. Might as well try now. The pack came back off his shoulders and he held it to the pocket. He had been expecting it to get sucked in, but that didnt happen. He tried again, putting a strap into the pocket first. This time it worked, the bag dropping into the pocket like it was falling to the floor. Nice. That improved his mood a bit. He still had to deal with the missing card, though. He looked around as he walked out of the alcove. Gus and James were playing a game with a trio of Igra on one end of the table, Yang and Lily were quietly chatting on the other end of the table. Both women were wearing skirts. It was Yangs first new outfit, other than the chitin armor. The material was red with a slight shimmer. They must have gone clothes shopping and bought something local. Max called the humans together and said, I think someone stole the Listen card. James turned to look at the Igra. Are you sure? Pretty sure. I just spent the last ten minutes going through my bag twice, Max said and looked at their faces. Someone stole the card, probably listening to our thoughts right now. How do we know you didnt take it for yourself and want to blame us? Gus said and gave him the stink eye. Lily shook her head, Dont be an idiot, Gus. Max and I both picked Specialize. We cant use a Bell card like Listen. Gus scoffed and said, I knew that. I was just testing you. Trying to see if the real thief would reveal themselves. Lily rolled her eyes. Whatever. Its clear you didnt steal it, your beer gut would have gotten in the way of any sneaking. James is too timid to steal something like that. Besides, hes Maxs best friend, he would just ask him for it. That leaves just one person. Someone with a Deafen card to make sneaking in easy. Yang turned to Lily with a hurt look on her face. I did not steal it. Lily squinted. Alright. I believe you. It must have been one of the Igra. Just like that? Interrogation over? Why do you trust her anyway? We know shes a criminal. Gus said and pointed an accusing finger at Yang. Because Yang isnt braindead. She wouldnt steal it the first night we had the card. All the clues point to her, she would have to be a moron to steal it. We would suspect her right away, Lily said with a wave of her hand. Max shook his head, It doesnt really make sense that an Igra would take the card. How would they know that I had it in my bag? And if they were stealing stuff, why did they leave my other magic card? Lily tapped her chin. Good point. We dont really know much about the resources or motivations an alien species might have. But it does seem strange that the Listen card was stolen and your other card wasnt. Yeah, Max said softly. There was a silence while they looked at each other suspiciously. Gus stood up, Yall are creeping me out. Im heading out to eat breakfast. Dont none of you come with me. Max shook his head as Gus walked out, bringing his pack with him. Whatever. I didnt want to use the Listen card anyway. It just bothers me that someone else has it now. That and the lost money. Dont worry, buddy, James said and patted him on the shoulder. You can create a hammer that makes monsters heads explode. Money isnt going to be a problem. Max nodded distractedly. He suspected everyone of stealing the card, but mostly Gus. He hadnt liked the bearded man when he met him. Fighting with him by his side had only slightly improved his opinion of the man. He kept telling himself that it didnt matter. Who cared if Gus could hear Maxs thoughts? Max wasnt the one keeping secrets. His heart wasnt listening to his head. The whole thing made him feel violated and angry. He stood up. He needed to move. To do something, whether or not it would fix things. Chapter 36: A Different Option Presented Itself Are ya going to buy anything, or just drool all over my cards? the Paj shopkeeper said. He glided out from behind the counter over to where Max stood. The green skinned Paj seemed to hover over the ground, his thousands of tail cilia let him move smoothly. Im loving this card, but Im hesitant to ask how much it costs, Max said and pointed to a citadel card in the middle. The city of Twelve Meditations was much larger than Wild Plums had been. That meant that the selection for cards was also much wider. The card and artifact shop was three stories tall and full of amazing options. The rooms were tall and immaculately decorated. The displays were lit from within by crystal lights. The second story held the magic cards and several employees. There were several guards and salespeople, each with their own spots. Max was standing in front of a glass case devoted to citadel cards. There were five other similar cases for the other suits, as well as a display case devoted to cards of different suits that worked well together. It was a shoppers paradise. That one is 700 eggs. The ones on this side of the case are more expensive, and the ones on the other side of the case are less expensive, the Paj said, hinting that Max should move down. Max considered the card again.
Exceptional Phase Spear Citadel
Transmutes matter within 16.2 feet into a phase spear designed by the cardholder.
Mana Cost: 36 Refresh: 0.3 Hours Card Level: 12
How much is that in monster cores? Max said without looking up. This was an impressive card, even if he couldnt afford it now, he might want to come back for it. Being able to create a spear on command would be fantastic. It was made of a magical sounding metal and he bet that the magic effect was epic. 121 whites. Maxs eyebrows rose. 121? Thats insane. I bought two good cards in Wild Plums for less than 50 whites. It had actually been 54 whites, but the point still stood. The Paj knocked on the display case and said, This is certainly better than any card you bought there, otherwise you wouldnt be drooling over it. Besides, you have to expect higher prices for cards on the second layer. Monsters drop cards and shards more often on the third layer than here. Damn. The Paj stroked his forearms and said, Let me make a few guesses. I bet you are a sapling, you only got here a few days ago. You were lucky to survive this far, but you need to get to the first layer because of your mandatory quest. You are trying to buy something to help you survive the trip. Was it that obvious? The Paj gestured to Max''s body. You are still wearing clothing from your homeworld. Let me offer some advice. The first layer is the source of most of the worlds dungeon artifacts. Spend a year clearing dungeons, that should net you four or five really good artifacts. That would be enough to buy this card. Maxs shoulders slumped. A year. It would take a year to save up enough to buy the one card in front of him. Well, maybe not. He already had an artifact in his bag. That tube thing Chunus had given him, the Impeller. If dungeon loot was plentiful on the first level and cards scarce, it would be best to sell the Impeller now and buy cards instead. Max reached into his belt pocket and grabbed a strap of his bag. As he tugged on the strap, the thought occurred to him that his belt of holding completely eliminated the weight of items inside. There had to be a way to take advantage of that. He would think about it later. For now, he rummaged around inside his pack for the Impeller. A storage device? And clearly one that holds much. Perhaps you have been much more blessed than I thought, the Paj said. Max found the Impeller and held it out. Yeah, Im pretty lucky to have the belt. Anyway, how much do you think this guy is worth? It creates a strong wind. The shopkeep undulated back a bit and pulled his hands back. One moment please. I need to use my Insight before I touch any dungeon loot. Never can be too careful with curses. The Paj leaned forward and stared at it for a bit. He chuckled as he read something only he could see. Its a Mark 11 Stark Impeller. These descriptions are always so whimsical. Its not cursed, you may hand it over. Max did and said, Do you mind if I ask what level your Inspect is at? I dont get a whimsical description at my level. As an employee of Victorious Secret, I can tell you that my Inspect is 18. Most people stop at 12, since thats the minimum to see if an item has drawbacks, but I find that 18 is better because some drawbacks arent really curses. Max nodded. I know what you mean. My belt has drawbacks but as youve seen, its still very convenient. The shopkeep flipped the impeller in the air and peered through the hole. The mana conversion rate listed on the description is very good. This would be a fine addition to a flying machine. I would be willing to give you 54 whites. More in store credit. I was thinking of getting some cards, even if I dont use them myself. Theyll be worth more on the first layer, right? Yes, if you survive the journey. Max ignored the pessimism and said, What do you recommend I get? What would sell best on the first layer? The Paj undulated around him to the other end of the table. Theres been a boom in dungeon artifacts coming from the first layer. Ive heard the largest guilds are investing heavily in the business. Citadel weapon cards like the one you were looking at are getting more and more valuable. That makes sense, Max said and moved down the display case to join him. What most people are forgetting is infrastructure. Any card that helps with construction, food, or plumbing will soon be even more valuable. I recommend you get a few of those type of cards and sell them in a month or two when everyone recognizes their value. The shopkeep opened the case and pulled out four cards. If you trade me your impeller, you can afford any two of these cards.
Common Pipe Citadel Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!
Transmutes mana neutral matter within aura into a 7/8th inch diameter pipe of woven polymer. Mana cost increases with length.
Mana Cost: 12 Couplings: 2 Card Level: 1
Common Rope Citadel
Transmutes mana neutral matter within aura into a thick rope.
Mana Cost: 12 Refresh: .3 hours Card Level: 1
Common Rotary Cutter Citadel
Transmutes mana neutral matter within aura into a rotary cutter able to cut through most materials.
Mana Cost: 28 Refresh: 7.1 hours Card Level: 1
Common Preservation Box Citadel
Transmutes mana neutral matter within aura into a 15 inch cube that retards most biological processes. Particularly effective on the microscopic level.
Mana Cost: 42 Efficacy: 2x slowed Card Level: 1
Max was struck again how lucky he was that he had started with a high level card and upgraded it to advanced. Most cards were clearly common. His advanced hammer card had an amazing attack and was flexible in design. Back to the common cards. He immediately slid the Rotary Cutter card to the side. He knew from construction work how essential a good saw was. You could cobble together replacements for most tools, but not saws. Work always ground to a halt when you didnt have the right one. Plus, this saw had a magical effect he couldnt wait to see in action. His second choice would be a little more difficult. The Preservation Box card sounded fantastic, but it would have to be leveled up a bit to get the mana cost down and the efficacy up. As it was, he couldnt use it and he knew anyone that chose Quicken wouldnt be able to use it either. The rope sounded intriguing, the card indicated it had a spell. Maybe it was self tying rope, or even rope that could wrap up a monster. He decided against it though. Even with a magic power, it wouldnt be much more useful than a mundane rope. Anyone could make one of those. Pipe sounded great, vital when constructing any new building. Its usefulness dropped dramatically after that though. Pipes didnt need as much maintenance as the rest of the building and werent often moved during renovations. Max knocked his fingers on the case, imitating the Paj habit. Ill take the Rotary Cutter, but Im not sure about the other three. Do you have anything else in my budget? I could always pay you out 25 whites in change, or I could show you two more cards in your budget. They are a little more esoteric, but I have a feeling you might like them. Max motioned for the Paj to continue. He put the three unwanted cards away and ducked low to grab two more. He placed them on the glass and Max eagerly read through them.
Common Glue Gun Citadel
Produces adhesive that restructures atomic bonds between any two solid materials to join them together. Strength of bond is dependent on component parts.
Mana Cost: 30 Reservoir Refill: 8 Card Level: 1
Common Adjust Citadel
Rewrites the charged spellform on a citadel created object. Resulting spell form will be random and incompatibly will destroy the item.
Mana Cost: 28 Feasibility: 21% Card Level: 1
The glue gun was tempting. He would have loved to have one at his old job site. But he wasnt sure if anyone would buy it in this world. He had seen a Join card on the more expensive side that skipped adhesive and directly combined materials while strengthening them. On the other hand, Adjust card was calling his name. He would love to be able to change the spell on his hammers. He could just imagine himself with a dozen hammers, each holding a different spell. Max picked up the Adjust card and said, This one seems very nice. Whats it doing down here with the cheap stuff? You are right that its a fantastic card in the right situation, the Paj said and knocked his green knuckles on the glass. But its one of the few cards with a drawback. It destroys failures four out of five times. If you arent a Citadel Specialist, that would get expensive fast. If you are a Specialist, then you dont want it in case it would spread that drawback to your merged card. So you are saying this is actually a garbage card? Well that kinda sucks. What about the glue gun? Is it the main card used in construction? Max asked, already knowing the answer. No, Join is the main card used in construction. The glue gun is similar, but uses a monster core to operate. Alright. So the glue gun isnt that great either. Max said with a frown. Inwardly he was excited. He remembered a project that really needed some glue. His broken crossbow. He wanted both of these cards but he still had to play it cool. How about you give me both of these subpar cards, plus the Rotary Cutter, in exchange for the impeller? That way you get rid of inventory that no one else wants and get a very desirable dungeon artifact instead? Your impeller is nice, but it isnt three cards nice, the Paj said and slid the glue gun back. Max reached out and slid it back to his pile. True. So give me one good card and two cards that no one else will buy. The Paj grimaced and knocked on the display case. You make a good point. Deal. Max thanked him and happily tucked away the three new cards. He kept them in his pants pockets, not willing to risk them in his magic belt. He couldnt wait to work with James to try out the Adjust card and swap magic spells on his hammers and drills. They would rarely succeed, but mana was endless as long as you were patient. As Max walked out of Victorious Secret he was feeling much better than when he walked in. This morning he had been super frustrated with the loss of the Listen card. Now he had three Citadel cards, and he might actually put one of them in his deck. The day was looking up. He looked around the neighborhood while he thought about how to spend the rest of his day. He was right on the edge of Paj and Lunuk. He had already discovered that he wasnt welcome in the hills the Lunuk lived in. He had decided to explore the Paj shopping district when a different option presented itself.
Optional Quest
A phase whale has breached 8.2 miles spinward of Twelve Meditations. Work together with the city defenders to kill it before it has the chance to wreak havoc. Recompense based on contribution. Do you accept?
Yes No
Chapter 37: Don鈥檛 You Dare Max mentally selected no, while saying no at the same time. He didnt want there to be any chance the system would misunderstand him. He had absolutely no desire to join the optional quest to kill the phase whale. He actually loved the idea of optional quests and impromptu adventure. He just wanted nothing to do with phase whales. He had seen what its poop had done to a titan, he didnt want to mess with a living one. If one of the defenders wanted a sodium hammer, he would make them one, but that was it. He wasnt getting close to the beast. The optional quest had rattled him a bit, so he decided to head back to the inn. He realized now that he shouldnt have left James when he stormed out this morning. At the time he was harboring suspicion against everyone, but distance had cleared his mind. He could trust his friend implicitly. The next time he went out on the town he would bring James along. While he walked along the road made of boomerangs, Max decided he needed to use his stat points. He had leveled up after he blew up the boss parasite and hadnt spent the points that went with it. A quick check of his system showed his options.
Max Kraft (Level 8)
Insight: 6
Flow or Resistance
Presence or Paranoia
Quicken or Broaden
Levitate; 5
Specialize: 3
?(Free Points: 2)?
Levitate was a good option. He had found it useful in the dungeon, both attacking and dodging. Plus, the Igra had shown him that it was great for traveling. He attempted to put both points into the stat. It half-worked. For some reason, he still couldnt raise any stat above six. Hed have to ask someone about that. Ebba was an option, but she had been weirdly cagey about what she would talk about and what she wouldnt. That left him with one unspent point. He was leaning towards picking Quicken. It had been so frustrating to wait for his mana to refill in the dungeon. The only problem with that is that he still couldnt use one of the cards permanently in his deck. Maybe the Igra back at the hotel would tell him all about it in exchange for a game. It would be a good way to spend the day either way. When he got back, James wasnt there. Lily was the only one in their group still hanging around. Good, you came back. James was worried about you so he went to look for you, Lily said. I just came from the main road. Which direction did he go? He went south and then east, I mean spinward. He thought you were going food shopping and thats where the closest market is, Lily said. Nah, I went card shopping, closer to the city center. Im gonna go find him. You wanna come with? Sure thing. Ive wanted to see the city but James asked me to stay here in case you came back. Ive been playing games with Clarser and Shamp, but they always win, Lily said and gestured towards the Igra setting up a board game on the other end of the table. Max lowered his voice a bit. Before we go, I wanted to ask if you are ok? It seemed like you were having a really bad day yesterday. Its fine if you dont want to talk about it, I just wanted to check in with you. Lilys face reddened and she looked away. Im good. Its fine. Its fine. It was an overwhelming day. I didnt mean to cry. Its ok to cry. Ive cried a few times since we got here. This world is traumatizing. Just know Im here for you whenever you need something. Youre my friend, Max said earnestly. Lily nodded and opened her mouth. She closed it and looked away. I was rushed when I was packing and I forgot tampons. I bled through. I was trying to hide it when James came over to check on me. I didnt want him to see and ruin everything. Oh. Im sorry for making a big deal about it. Its not like you should be embarrassed though. Its a natural process you have no control over. Dont be embarrassed to be human. Thats even more special on this planet. Or in this planet? Does it even qualify as a planet? Lily giggled and said, Thanks. I dont know why it was such a big deal in my head. It wasnt life or death. Weve seen a lot of death over the last few days. Anyway, Yang and I went shopping this morning. We are all good now. We have a magic solution to that problem and these stylish clothes. Lets go find James. Max nodded and headed out. They walked from a neighborhood made of metal and stucco into a wild west town made of red wood. He had to double take when he saw someone walking by with a cowboy hat. They were really leaning into the theme. Do you... Do you think James has the hots for Yang? Shes hot. That femme fatale thing is really working for her, Lily asked. Maxs eyebrows narrowed as he thought about how to put this. Im pretty sure hes scared of Yang. But Lily? I dont think hes as into you as you are into him. I didnt say... She put her head in her hands. Ok, fine. I like him. Hes got this dorky cute thing going for him. I tried to tell him once, but he said I was too young. But Im nineteen, and I dont think anyone really believes that is too young. I just gotta make him see me for me. Are you sure you even want to pursue someone who isnt that into you? I cant help it. I liked him before, and now? Ive seen how James fights, total badass. Now I like him even more. Max grimaced. She had it bad. No one that had seen James flail around would call him badass. To each their own. You should start by telling him how you feel. Lily crossed her arms. No. Im not ready for that. Im waiting until after we get settled in the first layer. I want a proper date. Ill just send him hints until then. That wont work. James doesnt do hints. You have to spell it out for him. I can tell him for you if you want. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. She shoved him. Dont you dare. Im serious. Ill have Mushy kill you in your sleep if you do. You named it? Mushy the mushroomantis summon? I wont have you disparaging Sir Mushy the thirds good name. He is a loyal companion that has died for us time and again. Max chuckled. Is that how pawn cards work? Do you summon the same spirit or whatever every time? I dont summon a spirit from the beyond to inhabit my mushroomantis, if thats what you are thinking. Its more like the card houses a magic AI. It only experiences time when its summoned and I give it instructions. The more I use my card, the more it learns. Its getting better at fighting the more I use it. Will it ever get tougher? Mushy is a great asset, but he gets destroyed every time a monster gets a good hit in. Every time little Mushy gets hit, I spend my mana to heal him. These monsters can hit hard enough to blow through my whole mana pool in one hit, before I can even try to keep him alive. I choose Broaden to get a bigger mana pool. As I level it up, Mushy will last longer. Burst damage will always be a summons weakness though. Max nodded, filing away that fact for later. They arrived at the market not too much longer after that. The market was bustling with open air stalls full of fruits and veggies. On the far end, there were tiny farms with workers harvesting food and bringing it directly to the market. Plants must grow insanely fast here for that to be a viable set up. James found them shortly after they arrived. Hey guys! I found you. Ive been looking all over for you. I found this great smoothie place, you gotta try it. Its got ice and everything. He led them over a stall on the corner of the market. It had a wooden sign with pictures of mangos, bananas, apples, and coconuts. The man behind the table was doing everything by hand, using magic to speed things along. He stuck his hand into a bucket of water and pulled out a sphere of ice. He tossed it over his head into the pitcher, making a show out of the process. Chopping the fruit up midair with a summoned monster was particularly impressive. They got in line while Max filled his friend in on how his shopping trip went. So, I wanna make a bunch of drills and have you use Adjust to change the magic spell. Itll destroy most of them, but drills dont cost me too much mana. I can make like three an hour. More than enough to experiment with. Its a deal, James said and held out his hand. Max plopped the card into his hand and dug out the two drills he had stuffed into his bag. He would have made more, but he would probably get in trouble if he ripped a plank off a nearby table. James happily absorbed the card and took one of the drills. He stared at the hand drill with intense focus. Max started to wonder if he was having trouble activating the card. Slowly, tiny motes of light slid out of his hands and sunk into the drill. There was a pulse of light. Maxs heart beat faster. Then the drill fell to pieces. It crumbled into dust as it landed. They had to pause experimenting because they got to the front of the line. They all chose a blended fruit smoothie and Max paid a half egg. It was way too much money, but the economy here was geared towards more expensive things and didnt have smaller change. As they sipped the slightly too chunky smoothie, Max got back to experimenting. He handed over his last drill and said, Try, try again. Well make this work, Im sure of it. James accepted the drill and tapped his hand with it. Bit of a wrinkle in your plan. That one usage of Adjust took 28 points of mana. I only got two left. Itll be a bit before I can try again. Your pool is only 30? Mine is 36, Max said. Yeah, mine used to be 36 too, but after I picked Quicken, my pool shrunk. My mana refills much faster now, but its still kinda slow in the middle of a city. Not a lot of ambient mana around here. That was concerning news. Max didnt care about the slightly slower magic project. It was the size of his mana pool. All this time he had been planning on picking Quicken so he could use magic more often. But if it shrunk his mana pool, he would never get to use Augment. It was the third card in his deck and he hadnt used it once. He sighed. That pretty much made up his mind. He had to pick Broaden. He pulled up his system and assigned it before he could change his mind. Once the decision was made, he let out a sigh of relief. He had this vision of himself, who he would be in a magical world. It was built up over time after reading literally thousands of books about portal jumping. He thought he would be more like James, flinging magic from the back line. His Hammer card had changed everything. Hammers arent ranged weapons, despite what certain turtles would have you believe. Max would have to be a front line fighter. Hopefully not a tank, but melee was in his future. He looked over his whole system with that revelation in mind.
The System of Max Kraft
Benefits: See mana in use and track its origin. Fathom basic information about magic items. Range 24.8 feet Insight: 6 Drawbacks: Physical senses will never improve. Items that improve physical senses have a reduced effect.
Increase the flow of mana and blood. Grants faster control of magic and greater bodily flexibility. Flow or Resistance Resist outside influences. Grants greater resistance to magic, poisons, and the elements.
Enforce your presence on the world, show your true self and force others to acknowledge you. Presence or Paranoia See them before they see you. Hide from perception and avoid traps.
Benefits: Adds 6 mana to pool and strengthens body structure. Broaden: 1 Drawbacks: Mana regeneration slowed by 5%
Benefits: User has 48% less effective mass Effect is toggleable Levitate: 6 Drawbacks: Long term use results in minor bone and muscle deterioration.
Benefits: Can add 3 additional cards to your active deck. Card effects morph to closer match each other. Specialize: 3 Drawbacks: Cannot remove cards from deck. All cards must be the same suit.
Mana 36/42 Free Points: 0 Overall Level: 8
Maxs eyebrows rose as he read over all the changes. He got the extra six points of mana he needed in his pool. That would be just enough to use Augment when his pool filled up. He hadnt expected Broaden to also strengthen his body structure. In retrospect, it kind of made sense. Mana made plants grow faster and healed injuries. If you hold more of it in your body, you might get tougher. The next time he leveled up, he planned on putting a point or two into Specialize. All of his unused cards were calling his name. Now he had four citadel cards just waiting to be slotted in. He wouldnt use all of them, but some would make the cut for sure. While they were in the market, Max spent the rest of his eggs on trail rations. They went for tasty food instead of root veggies this time. Max! Thank the Elders I found you. Where are the other two? Ebba said. He turned to see the seven foot tall purple Lunuk swiftly walking towards them. She really stuck out in the mostly human crowd. This city did segregation even more than Wild Plums did. Other two? Max asked. You mean Yang and Gus? I dont know. Havent seen them since this morning. Broken shells. We have to find them, right now, Ebba said as she closed and opened her hands in frustration. Why? Whats the rush? We need to leave the city. The governor left to deal with the phase whale and she is overdue to return. My elders have urged me to take you and leave. If she doesnt return soon, things will go badly once everyone realizes the city is unprotected, she urgently whispered. Are there monsters out there that the guards cant deal with? No, not monsters. You need protection from us. Chapter 38: Should I Use It? What exactly is the danger here? Max whispered as they hurried back to the Igra hotel. It was the only place they were likely to find Gus and Yang. Ebba glanced around and waited until no one was near. Tensions have been rising in the city for months. Certain Lunuk factions want a pure city, to drive out the aliens. Particularly the humans. You are in danger here without the protection of the governor. One high leveled guy leaves and the whole city is going to fall into anarchy? That is the worry, yes. Some would say its impossible, that Twelve Meditations is a civilized city. But my elders have told me that things have been getting worse since the city of Ladys Lashes fell and the refugees came here. The Governor already broke up one riot, there could be more tonight. Damn. So youre saying that most Lunuk hate humans? I had hoped to spare you this side of our people, but Lunuk xenophobia runs deep. The fourth hill is the only one that actively helps humans. The other factions are neutral at best and murderous at worst. We must find your friends and leave the city before nightfall. Max unconsciously sped up, James and Lily joining him an instant later. The road transitioned from dirt and wood into tiles made of metal boomerangs. They were in the Igra part of town now. Thankfully, it seemed like the armored people didnt seem to have the same prejudice as the Lunuk. It was lunchtime by the time they arrived at the stucco building with the metal roof. As they arrived, illusions started popping up atop raised platforms. It was the news guy. Max stopped to listen to the news. Gooooood Afternoon Spinworld. This is Ernie Pyle with another edition of Spinworld News. Coming to you live from an undisclosed location, delivering to every major city from the first layer down to the fourth. First, financial news. The multi-layer alchemy company, Moonstone Mixtures, has folded. I investigated yesterday after they didnt submit their earnings report, only to find that two of the founding members have died, and the other three disappeared. The founders had been stuck at level cap for a while and the presumption is that they have moved up to the fifth layer. If you are a clerk at one of their chain stores and are learning this for the first time, I would recommend emptying the till and running before the loan sharks come to repossess everything. Next in the weather, the dungeon breaks on the third layer have all cleared up, but theyve been replaced by breaks on the first layer. Too many to list. If you are on the first layer, I recommend not stepping a foot out of town unless you plan on running a dungeon or two. Stay safe out there and Ill report back tomorrow with any changes. In war news, the conflict at the city of Wild Plums has escalated. Estimates put the death toll at five thousand on both sides. The ruler of Abyssinia, King Yekuno, has arrived and challenged Governor Agata to single combat. The battle to the death would decide the war. Its unclear if Governor Agata will accept. On the fourth layer, The Ushuaia Hunter conference started today. Early morning presentations have conclusively shown that wild monster populations are no longer being equalized. This means some areas have enough Titans to threaten a town''s destruction and it isn''t being fixed by the Builders. The conference is still divided on the cause, but they know that layers three and four are being affected. Ill keep you updated with the solution they come up with, if any. In political news, the bad boy city of Bespin ....." There was a long pause before Ernie continued, This just in. The governor of Twelve Meditations is missing and presumed dead after leaving to deal with a phase whale. Early reports are spotty, but foul play seems possible. Ill let you know tomorrow if anything new is uncovered. Broken eggshells, Ebba cursed. Why didnt he wait until tomorrow? Lets find your friends. A riot is pretty much guaranteed now. Max nodded and headed into the nearby hotel. To his relief, both Gus and Yang were inside, getting the story from James and Lily. Ebba urged everyone to quickly pack so they could leave right away. Gus was done within moments and turned to Max, Arent you going to grab your pack? He patted his side and said. Its in my belt. The dimensional storage is just big enough. I thought it was cursed. It is, but I can work around the drawbacks. Max said and shrugged. Spread the love, man. Carry my pack too will you? I can''t take your whole pack, but I can take your heaviest stuff, like weapons or armor. Gus and Lily happily handed over their metal hammers. Yang kept her sword on her, unwilling to part with her weapon today. James handed over her hammer and said, Cursed belt for the win! and held up his hand. Max obliged him and gave him a high five. The resulting smack was louder than expected, he had gotten slightly stronger from the stat point in Broaden. Once everyone was ready, Ebba led the way through the city. Her seven foot tall frame split the crowds with Max and crew following in her wake. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The atmosphere in the city had changed. The Igra were hurried, trying to get home to friends and family. As they entered the human ring, the streets grew even more crowded. Everyone was out and about, talking about the implications of the news. There were dozens of opinions, but no solutions. Ebba had to slow down even more when they were half a block from the southern city gates. They werent the only ones to have the idea to leave the city. An unruly crowd was assembled around the gate, shoving each other and yelling. It stretched to the left and right and didnt seem to be moving. The purple skinned Lunuk started shoving her way through, but stopped when Ebba saw the others couldnt come with. The sounds of the crowd were oppressive now, full of angry yelling and undirected rage. Whats going on? Why arent we moving? Max yelled up at Ebba, who had a better vantage point. A heavily muscled man to his right yelled back, They arent letting anyone out. Some bullshit about a herd of Acid Worms out there. Max winced at the mental image. The man continued, Even if there was a herd out there, we could fight them. Its so dumb. The guards arent listening to us and more keep arriving. Ebba heard the exchange and turned around. She shoved her way back out of the crowd, pulling her humans along. She kept walking until they came across an alleyway. She ducked inside and waited until everyone could hear her. This isnt good. I think the guards are trying to provoke a riot so they can brutally put it down, Ebba said. What about the other city gates? Max asked. Probably the same. My Elders sent me away because the xenophobic sentiment has been rising for months, Ebba said. Any other way out of the city? Like a secret door only you know about? Ebba said, No secret gates. Any break in the wall needs to be manned with guards, and you cant keep that a secret. She paused then continued. Actually, there might be one gate we could use. The area around the anti-spinward gate is the nicest part of town. Merchants like to do business out of that gate. Humans are usually discouraged from passing through, but if you are part of my entourage, I think it might be fine. Might be fine? Ebba shrugged. Its either that or we hole up until a new governor takes up the position. That could take days or weeks. It depends on who from the fourth floor wants to take a break and rule a city for a bit. Max ignored her statement about ruling an entire city being a vacation. He said, Lets try to get through the anti-spinward gate. If thats not possible, then we can find a place to hide and ride out the unrest. Ebba agreed and turned and speed walked away. The rest of them had to do a half jog, half walk thing to keep up with her long legs. They continued along the outer rim of the city, never straying far from the sparkling green wall. When the road wasnt too crowded, Ebba urged them into a run. Thunder rolled across the city. Maxs anxiety rose when he realized there was no weather on Spinworld. He looked to the skies, but didnt see anything. No natural or unnatural events. Ebba picked up the pace. They left the old west styled neighborhood and entered one made of mud and wattle. The domed buildings were smooth and immaculately maintained, giving the neighborhood an upscale feeling. Occasionally they passed groups of Lunuk soldiers who gave the humans the stink eye. Max suspected they would be harassed if Ebba wasnt leading them. A half hour after they started running, they were stopped at the border to a new neighborhood. The buildings were made up of black stone blocks surrounded by vibrant green plants. Together they formed pyramids that straddled the line between organic and brutalist. Judging by the tailed people in the street, it was mostly a Paj neighborhood. The people that stopped them were Lunuk guards, heavily armed and armored. Halt. This neighborhood is restricted. Youll have to turn back. the guard on the left said. Honored guards, my destination isnt this neighborhood, but the gate beyond. Im a trader on my way out, Ebba said respectfully. The guard narrowed her eyes, The Elders arent sending anyone out right now. Its too volatile. I wasnt sent by my Elders, I have my own deadlines, Ebba replied calmly. What about these humans? Are they with you? the guard said, her voice tinged with disgust. Yes, these are my porters. You dont expect me to carry all my goods myself, do you? They are tier one, but they get the job done, Ebba said and folded both sets of arms. The guard turned to her partner and they shared a look. A few finger twitches communicated something that the translation magic didnt catch. She turned back and said, You can pass through, but not unescorted. These are dangerous times. Of course. I would be happy for an escort, and I understand everyone needs to get paid for their time, said Ebba. The guards fingers curled in a smile at the mention of a bribe. Come on then. Well get you where you need to go. We have to hurry because we cant leave our post unattended for long. Not today of all days. Understood. Ill follow and my porters will keep up if they know whats good for them, Ebba said. They started jogging through the stone studded greenery, slipping through the dwindling foot traffic. The Lunuks long legs meant that the humans had to run to keep up. Thankfully, the trip wasnt long. They came within sight of the anti-spinward gates within minutes. Instead of heading right for them, they turned and entered a large rounded building. It was a red wood utilitarian building, Max guessed it was a warehouse. The only light came from slits near the ceiling. What are we doing here? Ebba said as they walked into the darkened building. My clutchmate will take you the rest of the way, dont worry. the guard said. He raised his voice, Kalle! You in here? We have some guests for you. A Lunuk stepped out of the darkness. He had been hiding behind a nearby crate. Dont do that to me. I could have attacked. The guard waved his concern away. I have important guests for you to help out. I assume you heard the news and loaded all your important cards? Max tilted his head at the odd emphasis. Kalle looked between the guard and the humans Yeah, as soon as I heard the news. Should I use it? Yep. Low levels. No one knows they are here. Ebba and Max realized something was wrong at the same time. Max took a step back and Ebba started fading away. They were both too slow. Sleep. Sleep, Kalle said softly. The sound reverberated through the room and drilled into Maxs skull. His vision narrowed and the room grew dim. He stumbled as he tried to run away. His mental defenses fought against the spell, but were quickly overwhelmed. He crumpled to the ground and the world disappeared. Chapter 39: We Need You to Keep Him Quiet Max dipped in and out of sleep, like a small boat on stormy seas. Time slid by, flashes of movement and arguing passing without understanding. The mental fog slowly cleared and he found himself somewhere strange. It was green and yellow, round and musty. Like he was in the belly of a huge beast. Lily and James were lying to either side of him, still asleep. Gus was facedown with his butt in the air. Max slowly sat up and got a better look around. Light filtered through a membrane in the ceiling. They were in an organic room, with slimy branches covering a narrow exit. This was a prison. Ebba and Yang were already up, whispering to each other on the other side of the room. Max stood up and stumbled over. Whats going on? he whispered. Ebba pulled on her silver tunic. Max realized that they had taken her cargo shorts of holding. He looked away to give her some privacy. They captured us. Stole our stuff. The only reason we are alive is our cards. If they kill us, they get one. If they convince us to hand them over, they get all of them, Yang said. Max sat down hard. I cant give them my cards, even if I wanted to. I picked Specialize. Dont let them hear that, Ebba said. Its the only thing keeping you alive. They are getting someone with the right bell card to strip us of our cards. If they realize you can provide them nothing, theyll kill you. Keeping any of us alive is a risk. The governor may be gone, but none of the Elders would condone this. They need to get rid of us as soon as possible. Max swore softly. Not too loud. Ebbas working hard to give us some awake time. If the guards catch on theyll come in and hit us with Sleep again, Yang whispered. Max was fully awake now and made the connection. Weve been in here for a while, havent we? Theyve been regularly dosing us with mind magic to keep us asleep. But Ebba, now that you are awake, wont your Disregard card make things easy? Ebba slashed a lower hand negative. No. We are in the heart chamber of a living building. That means its aura smothers ours. None of our cards should work at all. My Disregard card is high enough to work, but at a greatly reduced effect. Ill run out of mana in about ten minutes. This time Yang swore. Max ran his hands through his blond hair. They needed to get out of here before the criminal with the bell card got here and mind controlled them. What did he have to work with? His belt was gone, which was a real blow. He had a string saw in his pack that would be perfect for cutting through the cell bars. Everyone else''s packs were gone too. His pockets were empty, his shoes were missing. He supposed he should be thankful they left him with a shirt and pants. That was something, at least. He vaguely remembered an episode of MythBusters where they showed that getting a shirt wet and twisting it around some bars could bend them. He walked over to the cell bars. They could be better described as wooden tendons dripping with snot. They crisscrossed everywhere, so even if he was able to bend them, it wouldnt open up a space wide enough to slip through. The other three had woken up by then and he gave them the same whispered run down that Yang gave them. James immediately freaked out. He was concerned that they were going to be killed, but absolutely frantic that they were locked in a small space. He was claustrophobic and the stress of the situation made the condition flair up. Max said, Its fine, buddy. Well get out of this in just a bit. I know you cant calm down, but you can breathe deep for me, cant you? No! I cant, I cant take a breath. The walls are closing in, James said and cringed back. There was stomping from outside the cell and a single word. Sleep. ... You called me in too early, a voice said. I told you they have to be awake for this to work. I told you having a merged bell card slotted was dangerous. I cant walk around like this. Sorry. They are lower leveled than I thought. Most people shake off the effects by now. Kalle replied. Whatever. Provide me some tea and well come back in 24 minutes. If they arent awake by then, you can splash them with water or something, the first voice said. Max waited for the sounds of them walking to fade away completely before he cracked an eyelid. He was in a pile of sleeping bodies, still in the same cell. He carefully sat up, making sure not to jostle James. They didnt need him freaking out again. Ebba and Yang were already awake, just like last time. They must have upgraded their system in a way that let them shake off the effects easier. They were sitting together, but not talking. Just like last time they were awake, no one had an idea of how to escape. Ebba had said that their cards wouldnt work in here, but Max decided to try it anyway. He just needed some material he could transmute into a hammer. He looked around, but the only free material was the clothing he was wearing. Actually, he was wearing something new. His utility belt was back on his waist. Why had they given that back to him? It took his sleep-addled mind a moment to catch up. They hadnt given it back, the belt was cursed. It returned on its own. He grinned and reached into the belts leftmost woven metal pouch. He grabbed and pulled out ... a beaded bracelet. Shit. It had been at least a day since they were imprisoned. That meant he had to run through the belts curse and use five objects. As he slipped the beaded bracelet onto his wrist, he found himself hoping that it had only been one day. If it had been more than that, his pack would be lost forever. The beaded bracelet disappeared as it fulfilled its purpose and Max quickly opened up the next pouch. This time he pulled out a box of baking soda. His mind stuttered to a stop. How was he supposed to use this? He could only think of baking and science fair volcanoes. What are you doing, Max? Yang said. I have my belt back because of the curse. I have some stuff stored away that can help us break out of here, but I have to satisfy the curse by using this random junk, Max said. Do you know a way we can use baking soda here? Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. My mom used to clean floors with it, Yang replied. Ok, sure, its a floor cleaner, Max said as he poured the whole box on the floor and mashed it around with his hands. The moistness of the floor was soaked up by the baking soda and left a cleaner organic floor behind. The box disappeared as soon as he saw the clean floor. Next was a plastic fork. Max swore to himself. It would be easy to use in some situations, but infuriating in this one. He shook his head and looked around the room. Hair! He used it to comb his hair. It took a while for the magic to agree with him that this was an acceptable use of the fork. It wasnt until he cleared some tangles with the fork that it dissolved into nothing. James groggily sat up. Max fell to his knees and covered his eyes. Hey buddy. We got out, but you arent allowed to see just yet. Its a secret. Yeah? Howd we get out? Dont worry about it. We just need you to be quiet right now. James stretched out his hands, one finding the wall and the other waving in empty air. Uh, are we still in jail? That tiny, tiny jail? Max grit his teeth. Sorry, Ebba. I need your help. Give him a kiss and keep him quiet. What!? Lily whisper-yelled. At the same time, Ebba, Now is not the time for affections. Please. Itll reset his brain, Max said. We need you to keep him quiet. James sputtered, Dont do that, Ebba. Hes just being weird. I can be calm. His breathing hitched as he said it though, belying his words. Ebba leaned over and gave him a gentle kiss. James immediately froze, unable to move. Max felt a little bad about the chaos he just created, but there hadnt been time to think of a better solution. At least he hadn''t asked Lily to give him a kiss. If he had asked either of the human girls to kiss him, that would cause problems for weeks. He reached into the next pouch and pulled out a toilet paper tube. He immediately put it to his eye and peered through it like it was a spyglass. He used to do that a lot as a kid. When the cardboard tube disappeared, he opened the next pouch. He pulled out a TV remote. What the hell, belt? Max muttered to himself. How can we help, Max? Ebba said. I dont think you can. I need to use this remote, and it goes to a device that I dont have, he said and slowly blinked as he stared at the small plastic device. A glance towards James showed that he was still sitting stock still with his eyes closed. Lily was softly talking to him. Whatever she was saying just made him more and more nervous. Ebba asked, How does it work? It uses an electric charge to create infrared light that bounces off a sensor in the television to change channels, Max said, half to himself, half to her. He handed it over while he thought. She poked at the buttons while he ran through possibilities. He couldnt reprogram it to work with a different device, not that he had any still working. He couldnt reuse the batteries in anything else. It would take some serious mental gymnastics to convince himself it was a toy. It wasnt edible in any sense of the word. Ebba handed it back and said, I cant think of any ideas either, sorry. The light is too brief to use as illumination. Wait. You can see the infrared light this gives off? Yes, of course. You cant? No, humans cant see that end of the spectrum, Max said and tapped the remote on his chin. He had an idea forming and he stared at his belt to double check. Once Inspect finally triggered, he reread the drawback section. Belt is bound to the user and will return within hours if taken off. Dimensional pocket will always be the last pocket opened. The utility belts objects must be used for their intended purpose (as defined by the wielders understanding) before the dimensional pocket can be used for the day. If objects are not used that day, the stored contents of the dimensional pocket will be lost forever. The TV remote must be used for its intended purpose, as defined by Max. What was the remotes core purpose? It was a signaling device. It was a universal remote. It didnt have to be for a TV, it just had to signal. Ebba. I wanna try something out. Face that wall and raise your hands when you see two flashes of light. Lower them when you see one, Max said and pointed the remote at the wall. This was a bit of a stretch, but it was the remotes intended purpose. It was creating a signal that resulted in an effect he wanted. He pressed the button twice, she raised all four arms. He pressed it once, she lowered them. She turned to see if it worked. A wave of relief washed over him as the remote disappeared. That had been close. Max held his breath and reached into his pocket again. This would be the last one. It was heavier than the others had been. He pulled it up revealing ... bolt cutters. A shocked smile spread across his face. The random objects werent always useless. He walked over to the cell door and placed the small blades around a wooden tendon. It barely fit. The bolt cutters were designed for cutting smaller things, like chains. He leaned into it and pushed the long handles together. The organic cell bars protested, but eventually relented. The heavy duty cutter made it all the way through. The bolt cutters disappeared. That was the first time he was sad to see a cursed item go. Ebba reached forward and pulled on the bar, slowly bending it. Itll grow back together if we let it. Max nodded seriously and reached into the sixth pouch. This one was his dimensional storage with 3.7 cubic feet of space. He hefted out his pack and rummaged around inside until he got to the bush tools. Gus was looming over him, so Max handed over his handsaw. It was small, but it was better than nothing. Gus got to work right away. The real treasure was his hand chainsaw. It looked a little like a garrote, a wire between two rings. But instead of piano wire, this one had tiny chainsaw links. He wanted to use it himself, but he knew Ebba was stronger. He handed it over and showed her how to use it. She leaned back and pulled one ring, then the other. The serrated links quickly bit into the wet tendons. Bits of slime flung off onto Gus, who was sawing nearby. Ebbas hands blurred and the saw cut through the wood like butter. In less than four minutes, they had cut the entire door off. Max reached into his bag and handed Ebba a pair of hammers. He had stored all of the hammers he had made for the team in his bag, so he had three more left. He gave Gus and Yang one, keeping the last for himself. Before they left the cell, Max grabbed a pair of sweatpants from his bag and handed them to Ebba. They were too tight on her, but now no one would be distracted by a half naked Lunuk. Ebba thanked him and said, Everyone, prepare yourselves. Max tucked away his pack into his belt. He felt a little nervous about using his belt again. He had just seen how difficult the morning tasks could be. Still, he needed to be combat ready and a backpack would only get in the way. Before they snuck out of jail, Max pointed to the slime and said, Shouldnt we block our ears or something? Bell magic works with sound, right? Ebba shuddered and said, I wont be sticking that in my ears, but feel free to do it yourself. Max grimaced and followed through with his idea. James followed suit, but no one else created slime earplugs. The six of them slowly crept through the long hallway and out into the room beyond. It was constructed of the same slimy wood, but with blocks of black stone embedded as well. Max recognized the style. They hadnt been taken far, this was the same construction as the Paj neighborhood near the anti-spinward gate. Yang whispered something to Ebba, but Max couldnt hear what. He slightly regretted his decision to slime himself, but defense against the Lunuk bell cards was vital. There were two exits to the room, standard doors this time. Ebba chose the one on the left and quietly led them to the next room. It was a sitting room, with tables and cushions on the ground.. Two Lunuk were sitting at one table, sipping tea. They turned when they heard the door open. Kalle was quick to react, shouting, Sleep. He wasnt fast enough. Ebba was in motion as soon as she spotted them. She hurled a hammer at the younger Lunuk and started sprinting across the room. The hammer spun end over end, its super strike activating midair. The leading edge of the magic hit Kalle in the head and shattered his skull. The older Lunuk didnt flinch as he was splattered with blood. He turned and stared down Ebba as she sped towards him. He shouted, Die. Chapter 40: A Badass Wizard Max had been running towards the older man when the Lunuk spoke. Waves of magic radiated out towards Ebba, the command to die made manifest. Despite Maxs slime earplug, despite the fact the command wasnt aimed at him, the magic still wormed its way inside him. He felt pain lance through his body, agony like fire burning him up. He stumbled to the floor and dropped his hammer. He couldnt move, but his eyes were still open. He saw Ebba stumble but not fall. She kept moving. She lifted her remaining hammer high and brought it down atop the Lunuks head. The force magic triggered and pulped it, sending a spray of blood against the far wall. Ebba fell to one knee and breathed heavily. She massaged her ears with one pair of arms and placed the other pair on the ground. Yang knelt near him and put a pair of fingers on his neck. She nodded when she felt a pulse. She dug a finger into his left ear and pulled out some slime. Im sorry I didnt protect you too, my card only targets one person at a time. Card? Max croaked out. The Deafen card. Remember, you gave it to me? Max sat up. Yeah. Now I do. That was one of the cards Ashley hid from us. I use it all the time, but it doesnt have a visual component, so I understand you forgot about it. Are you feeling better now? Yang said and held out a hand to help him up. I am. Thanks, Max said and stood. Across the room, Lily was having a similar conversation with James. Ebba was at the front door, peeking out. Based on the sounds, it opened up to the street. James and Max continued to dig slime out of their ears. The corpses of the two Lunuk lay on the cushions where they fell. A card hovered in the air above the headless one. Max bent down to read it.
Worthy Compelling Suggestions Bell
Use a single word to suggest actions to target sapients they feel compelled to follow. Resistances dependent on level and Presence. Effect is much more powerful due to merged status.
Mana Cost: 144 Targets: 6 Card Level: 24
The mana cost was outrageous, but that aside, this was a fantastic card. Dont touch it, Ebba said as she glanced back at Max. Its a poison pill. Max stood back up. I cant use it, I was just curious. But why shouldnt we take it with us and sell it? Ebba sliced her hands. That card is far too valuable for the second layer. Only Governors should have one. If you try to sell it, you will die. Anyone that could afford to buy it would just as soon kill you for it. If any guild discovers you have it, theyll send waves of acolytes after you. Just leave it. That card will create a bloodbath when we are gone. Max took another step back. Now that these two are dead, should we search the place? Ebba pointed at the shorts Kalle was wearing. I have no doubt our belongings are hidden here. Those are my shorts of holding, and I bet your bags are in a storage room. Just be careful, there might be more of them here. She bent down and started stripping the corpse. Max had no desire to see alien junk so he quickly turned and backtracked to the last door they had passed. He already had his pack, but he hoped that the magic cards he had bought were still in the building. He opened the door to reveal another room, perhaps a kitchen. It was clearly constructed with alien sensibilities. Three more doors led from the naturally shaped room. The humans split up, Gus going one direction, the ladies another, and James stuck with Max. All three rooms were storage rooms of some sort. They each stepped in, squinting at the dim light filtering through the membranes above. Max moved along the shelves, opening boxes and crates. That wasnt cool, just so you know, James said from the entryway. Max stopped and turned to him. What? Having Ebba kiss me. That was messed up. I get that it was a life and death but forcing Ebba to do that wasnt right. I guess she didnt mind it, but you dont do that to people, James quietly said, glancing back to make sure the others couldnt hear. Several thoughts quickly ran through Maxs head. He would have asked Lily to kiss him and force James to realize he liked her. But that really wouldn''t have been ok. Having Ebba distract James was the best alternative. Max put his hands on James shoulders. You are right, sorry I didnt come up with a better way to distract you. Ill apologize to Lily later. "Lily? No, apologize to Ebba," James said. He looked away. "And, uh... Sorry for freaking out in the first place. I know I almost got us killed. I''m sorry you have to drag me along. " James. I''m not dragging you along. You have saved my life as many times as I have saved mine. You are a badass wizard and I am glad to have you along. Besides, you are my best friend and I have excellent taste, Max said and pulled him in for a quick hug. James patted his back. They were interrupted by a shout. Jackpot! We got the good stuff! Lily yelled out. Max walked over to where Lily was dancing around. Yang stood in the storage room with her arms folded, but she was smiling. They were at the back of the room where their bags lay on the bottom shelf. That wasnt what was making Lily dance. There were more than a dozen cards arrayed along the top shelf. Max walked in to review the cards. James stayed at the door, not willing to risk the claustrophobia. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Maxs three cards were sitting on the shelf, he happily scooped them up. Lily snatched up a clover suit card and Gus reached over to grab one of his own. That still left eight cards on the shelf. It looked like there was one of every suit. Yang was looking over them and tapping her chin. What suit do you need, buddy? Max called out to James. Pawn or citadel. Or actually, you always want me to test out your citadel cards, so just get me a pawn suit card, James said, not moving closer. Aw. I was going to grab that one, Lily said. Max grabbed the pawn suit card, Drop Bear, and handed it to Lily as he said, Show it to James and decide who can use it better. Max flipped through the remaining cards. There were eight of them, four bell cards and one each of clover, cups, wand, and citadel. Max immediately read the citadel card.
Advanced Denuder Citadel
Transmutes mana neutral matter within aura into a handheld ionic denuder. Costs 3 mana every 5 seconds.
Mana Cost: 32 Presets: 4 Card Level: 6
It took Max a minute to remember what a denuder was. He knew that the translation magic wouldnt use that word if he didnt know it. Eventually he remembered that a denuder was a device to strip off the top layer of something. Like a sandblaster, paint thinner, or bark peeler. It was a tool, like most of the Citadel cards he had run into. An alien tool. He wondered if it was an Igra or Paj tool, or if the builders designed it. It was a high tech tool, one for a post industrial society. Unless he was wrong and it was a fancy tail scraper tool. Either way, he was keeping it. He stuffed it into his pocket. He couldnt imagine how the card would be useful right now, but he felt like he had first dibs on anything citadel. Anything he didnt end up using would be passed out to the team. The cup suit card was called Troll Form. It was a temporary buff that involved some shape shifting. Kinda like the Hulk. The clover card was Slow. It sapped the momentum on a single target. Max wished he could use that one. That would make their fights so much easier. The pawn card was a Crab card. Max idly wondered if it was the tiny earth version or the gigantic monster version. The remaining four cards were all bell cards. He didnt read them. He had a bad taste in his mouth from the abduction and attempted murder. He held out the seven cards to Yang and Gus. Yang took the Crab card and Gus snagged Troll Form. Neither of them looked at the bell cards. They must be just as turned off on bell cards as he was. Max separated out the clover Slow card and stuffed the remainder into his belt of holding. He wasnt too worried about losing those cards to the belts curse. Once everyone grabbed their bags, they headed back to meet Ebba. She was still stationed at the door to the street, peeking out without being seen. Max handed over the Slow card and said, Your share of the loot. She accepted the card with all four hands and said, Thank you. That means a lot to me. I will be sure to repay your kindness when we arrive on the first layer. Speaking of which, can we just waltz out there? Max asked. I doubt it. There are signs of fighting everywhere. Im fairly certain I smell death in the wind, Ebba said. Max grimaced. Should we wait until nightfall and sneak out then? Even with the city rioting, the gates will always be heavily guarded. Everyone understands that if the walls fall, we all die. What we need is a distraction. I was thinking of attacking to draw the guards away and then activating my Disregard card. Thats a good start, but well need more than that. Dont forget there will be deaf guards that will be immune to your card. Lets take a second to really plan this out. ... Max tried to confidently walk towards the gate. This was the most nerve-wracking part of the plan. As the only humans in the neighborhood, they stood out. Paj glided around gray stone towers while Lunuk strolled through the streets like royalty. Max hoped that by walking with purpose, he could get close before they stopped his little group. There were four Lunuk manning the gate at ground level, and two more on the battlements up top. The door within the gate was open, but they were stopping everyone going in or out of the city. What are you rodents doing out of your pen? one of the Lunuk guards challenged. His Presence was high enough that it was hard to pay attention to anyone else. Max pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and held it up. The five of us have special permission to use this gate. Permission? From who? The governor is dead. Not the governor, the new leader, Max said and held out the restaurant menu. What- the guard started before he was cut off by a hammer to his face. Ebba had thrown a hammer from a block away, her tier two strength was enough to give it an almost flat arc. The guard was heavily injured, but far from dead. He stood back up as his fellow guards shouted and pointed at her. She stood near a tower, holding three more hammers. Three guards burst into action. The injured guard sped forward on ice skates while his partner bounced forward with huge leaps. The third seemed to teleport forward, leaving a straight line of black ash behind himself. Ebba turned to jump behind the tower, but the teleporting soldier was already slashing down with a thin sword. The sword was glowing red, screaming through the air as it neatly bisected Ebba at the waist. Her form scattered into a thin mist of mana. Yang had lent her the Decoy card as part of the plan. The ash guard just had time to be surprised when he was hit by a hammer from above. The impact rattled his helmet and would have been enough to kill him if he hadnt been wearing it. Ebba was standing on top of the roof now, looming down at them. The ice skating guard arrived then, whipping a trio of javelins up at the attacker on the roof. She saw it coming and leaned out of the way just in time. The guard slid to a stop, holding up his shield in front of his concussed comrade. The bouncing man was the slowest of the three, but he had the height advantage. He jumped up to the top of the roof. Back at the front gate, the humans watched everything happen. Some soldiers had stayed put while the others ran off. Military discipline in case of distractions just like this. A Lunuk with metal earmuffs pointed to the rooftop on the opposite side of the street. The real Ebba stood there under the effects of her Disregard card. The guard took a deep breath to shout out her real location. This was where Max stepped in. Their little group of humans had pretended to shy away from the conflict, positioning themselves closer to the gate. He pulled out two drills from his belt, one for each hand. He sprinted at the guard from the side and stabbed at him. A different guard probably would have heard him coming, but the same metal earmuffs that protected him from Bell cards also silenced Maxs approach. His drills stopped when they touched his armor, their sharp tips not even making a scratch. The white core socketed into the back of the armor glowed slightly as its enchantment reinforced the metal. Max activated the drills magic before the guard even had time to turn. Bright yellow light flashed as the magic pierce made it all the way through the mans body. To his credit, the guard counterattacked before he died. He flung two arms behind himself, smashing into Max. It was enough to knock him off his feet and into the metal gate. The sparkly green metal wall clanged as Max hit it and fell to the ground. He groaned and slowly got up. His head pounded and he felt woozy. The sound was enough to draw the attention of the two guards atop the gate. They had been watching Ebbas decoys get destroyed one after another, but now they were focused on the humans. They pointed their bows down at Maxs prone form. Shards of glass spun through the air, hitting both guards in the face. A blue force field appeared and protected their eyes from the shattered magic. They redirected their bows towards the attacker and shot their arrows an instant later. James was unprepared for their instant counterattack. He was still trying to raise his buckler shield when the arrows struck. Chapter 41: Don鈥檛 Ya Trust Us? An instant before the two arrows skewered him, James shield activated. His once-daily magic protection appeared as a green dome around him. The fast moving projectiles hit and shattered, along with the shield. The impact was enough to send James stumbling back, but he was unharmed. Gus threw bags of dirt directly into their faces. They exploded into a dense cloud on contact. The attack didnt get through their magic helmets, but it was enough to blind them momentarily. One guard stumbled back but the other was unfazed. He raised one set of arms up to block the attack and counterattacked with the other. A great gout of flame shot out towards the ground like a flamethrower. An instant before the fire hit him, Gus disappeared. The flame raged and burnt the ground where he had stood, quickly dissipating due to its magical nature. Gus reappeared in the same spot two seconds later due to the ring he had picked up in the dungeon. He sprinted towards the gate to avoid the next attack. James belatedly joined him. Lily''s mushroomantis appeared in between the two guards. It was far too low level to harm them, but it wasnt trying to. The summons ducked its bulbous head and shoved. The blinded guards were already off balance and the shove was just enough to tip them off the battlements above the gate. Yang snuck up to Max while this was going on and helped him to his feet. Max pulled out his two remaining hammers and handed one to her. They turned to throw the hammers at the guards, when the mushroomantis delivered them to the ground at their feet. Max didnt hesitate to slam his hammer down on the nearest guards back. The resulting super strike smashed into his plate armor with a resonant clang. The armor held up, but the Lunuk inside it did not. Blood spurted out of his sides and spread out to stain the road. Yang attacked in the same moment he did, but used the spike to deliver her magic attack. It resulted in a slightly less bloody death. Go, go, go, Max urged, trying not to be too loud. They had just killed three guards in broad daylight, but Ebbas fight with the other three was drawing everyones attention. A stuttering explosion indicated she had used the potassium hammer Max had given her. The humans filed out of the door within the gate without notice. Max was last through and glanced back to the fight. Ebba had drawn the fight back down to ground level, dancing in between the three guards. They must have suspected they were fighting with an illusion, but Ebba was using her enchanted stick to throw a real hammer in the mix and keep them guessing. After what just happened with the potassium hammer, they werent letting this one touch them. Off to the right, a female Paj crested the pyramid building to the right. Her centipede-like tail was strong enough to adhere to the tilted side of the building and leave her hands free to wield a long spear. The spear was long enough that it drew Maxs attention when she swung it around. She stabbed her spear forward into empty air. He lost track of the spear for a moment, and then it reappeared. Ebba was skewered. The spear ran through her back into her heart and out her front. She managed to break the spear and fall to the ground. The Lunuk guards swarmed her a moment later. Max turned away, but not quickly enough. He couldnt help but glimpse a gout of blood spurted up from Ebbas prone form. She was dead. He hurried through the door, shutting it behind himself. He ran to the others, tears welling up. Yang caught his arm and slowed him down. We are just walking, remember? Nothing to see here, she said. Max nodded and slowed down. There were another dozen guards along the wall, far enough that they didnt see the fight, but close enough to see people running away from the gate. The plan was to start running after they made it to the treeline. Ebba wont be joining us, Max said softly. Yang turned towards him. Shes dead? Yeah. They caught her. Gus swore loudly. James looked back fearfully. Lilys voice caught as she said, Are you sure? Yeah, Max said as he wiped away tears. He was discovering he hadnt gotten used to death yet. He had seen so much of it recently, but this loss hit him hard. He blinked and focused on walking. That is going to make survival difficult, Yang said. Lily rounded on her and said, Have you no heart? She was our friend. No, she was our guide. She was a good guide and saved us from many dangers, but she was not our friend. Maybe not your friend, but she was mine. Do you even have friends? Is that why you were a thug for my father? No one else could stand you, could they? Have you ever had a friend in your life? Lily said. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Yang jerked back like she had been struck. Her normally stoic face betrayed her and she looked genuinely hurt. Whoa whoa. Lily, you went too far. You arent mad at Yang, you are mad at the people that killed Ebba, Max said. Lily wiped her tears and turned away. Yang hardened her face and stiffened her walk. As they neared the tree line, Max allowed himself to think about the notices he had gotten earlier.
Medium amount of essence gathered
Medium amount of essence gathered
Level Up
Killing those two guards earlier had given him experience, enough to level up. Suddenly a lot of things made sense. The bloodthirsty actions of the Lunuk in the city were motivated by greed in addition to the standard xenophobia. They were happy to kill the lesser species since it helped them level up. He understood why Ebba hadnt told them about it. Anyone that hadnt murdered a sapient wouldnt see others as potential bags of experience. It was probably an open secret among those that had been here for years. This is why a governor was needed. Without someone there to stop them, killers would get stronger and stronger until they were able to wipe out cities. It''s possible that wouldn''t happen, people could band together to stop murderers even without the government. Still, Max was glad to be leaving Twelve Meditations now that they didn''t have protection. A city must have been wiped out at least once for the Builders to create quests for the governors. They had to bribe people to keep everyone safe. It made him wonder what the Builders motivations were. Max hadnt thought about it much over the last few days, he was always focused on staying alive. Case in point, they reached the treeline then and started running north. The builders had lured people to Spinworld with promises of strength and magic. But to what end? This was a world created by unfathomable power. What need did they have of manaless people to come to their world? The more he thought about it, the less it made sense. Humans, Lunuk, Paj, and Igra. None of them could kill a single monster without the Builders magic. There wasnt an indigenous society in need of heroes, everyone was new here. As far as he knew, no one had even seen a Builder. They only knew about them from the system and the quests they gave out. An idle thought crossed Maxs mind. What kind of entity would want a constant source of new people to kill its monsters? Was this whole world a dungeon? If it was, that would explain everything. In the stories, dungeons got passive power just from having people alive in their domain. It would explain why the dungeon didnt want anyone to wipe out cities. Can we take a break? James gasped out. Sure, Max said as he was shaken out of his reverie. He slowed down and led them into a section of thick underbrush. Once they sat down, they were fairly well hidden. Maybe have someone else lead next? Gus said as he panted. You arent carrying a pack. Yeah, sorry. Might as well walk from here on anyway. We need to be careful. We dont have Ebba anymore to guide us around herds of monsters and make ambush predators ignore us, Max said. When you put it like that, it sounds like we are doomed, James said. Max shook his head, Its gonna be difficult, but I think we can do it. What makes you so confident? Gus said. He had caught his breath, but he still seemed tired. I got my Citadel cards back for one. I leveled up before this all happened, and I know I can make some amazing shit with a little more time. James, c''mere. I got an idea we can try out right now. James left his pack where it was and trudged over to where Max was pulling his pack out of his belt. Max handed him a card as he dug to the bottom of the bag. I bet we can finally fix my crossbow with that Glue Gun card, Max said as he pulled out the pieces. And Ive been thinking about ammo. I might be able to make a magic drill in the same shape as the crossbow bolts. James steepled his fingers and said, Excellent, just like Mr. Burns. Max laughed and they got to work. The glue gun that the card created looked remarkably like a hot glue gun from earth, but made of metal. A socket on the bottom was just the right size to insert a white monster core. A test with a few branches showed that the glue set within minutes and was super strong. They worked together to take the crossbow apart so they could put it back together again. They couldnt repair the reloader, so they tossed it. The top rail feeder had to go since it was connected as well. The result was a much simpler crossbow, much like the ones from medieval times. Max was confident it would work. He was just waiting until it was fully set before experimenting. While they waited, Max focused on his drill card and envisioned a thinner, longer, drill than the default one. If he could convince the magic to add stabilizing fins, even better. Before he could activate the card, he was interrupted. If we are taking a longer break, can I have one of the cards you swiped from the Lunuk bastards? Gus said with a gimme motion. Max wanted to get back to his project, but he knew strengthening the team was just as important. He nodded. We passed out the other cards already, but I do have some Bell cards that aren''t being used. Since Ebba died with my Decoy card, I need a new Bell card, Yang said. Max pulled the Bell cards out and laid them out all in a row so everyone could see. He still hated Bell cards because of what they did to him, kidnapped, injured, and privacy invaded. But if they were going to survive, they would have to use every tool at their disposal. He had four Bell cards, they were going to use at least one of them. There was Startle, Foul Odor, Sonic Bolt, and Camouflage. Yang reached for the last one as soon as she read it. Max a thought. He held up a finger for Yang to wait a second. Once James was back from peeing behind a bush, Max said, I would love to do a little test before we divvy these up. I want to make sure none of you have that stolen Listen card. At our level, everyone can only have one Bell card at a time. Everyone take turns using the Camo card so we know you dont have the Listen card slotted. Whats wrong, dont ya trust us, buddy? Gus said in a confrontational tone. Max grabbed the Camoflauge card and held it out. Trust is earned. Here is your chance to earn yours. Chapter 42: I鈥檝e Been Thinking Trust is earned? Gus said in a mocking voice. He snatched the Camouflage card out of Maxs hand and said, You just lost mine, buddy. Gus absorbed the Bell card into his deck and activated it. His skin slowly changed to match the browns and greens in the forest around them. The illusion spread to his clothes a moment later. When the card was done, he looked down at himself. Told you I didnt steal the damn Listen card. I would never use a card like that. This one either. Its shit, Gus said and pulled it back out of his deck. Max had to agree. The camo was slow to take effect, never fully matched the background, and didnt handle movement well. Gus handed the card over to Yang. She absorbed it without comment and soon faded into the background. Max took back his unkind thoughts about the card. Yang was much better at using it and fully matched the colors of the earth forest around them. She didnt disappear, but she was much less noticeable. She took the card back out and held it out. Max tossed it to James. He pulled it into his chest and activated the card. His camouflage was better than Gus but not nearly as good as Yangs. Max found it interesting how wildly different the same card was in different hands. There was something to be said for natural aptitude. None of that really mattered though. He had just tested three people and none of them had a Bell card slotted. I apologize to all three of you for doubting you. Its clear none of you stole the card, Max said as sincerely as possible. Gus scoffed. Or they are smart and took it out before you called everyone together. I bet it was your buddy James over there. James flipped him off and Max held up his hands between the two. Max said, Thats ridiculous, Gus. I just had the idea. Even if someone was reading my mind, they wouldnt have had time to act on it. The matter is closed. Whatever. Im keeping my eye on you, chubby. Gus said. Youre one to talk, James said and pointed at his gut. Shut it, both of you! Max said. The men moved to opposite sides of the group. Yang waited a moment and then said, With that resolved, may I have the Camouflage card? Sure thing. Lets divide the rest of the Bell cards while we are at it. We have Startle, Sonic Bolt, and Foul Odor left. Gus, Ill give you first pick, Max said, trying to extend an olive branch. Gus scowled and snatched the cards from his hands, reading them over again. To Maxs surprise, he picked the Startle card. Predictably, James grabbed the Sonic Bolt card. Dont use that one until we are already in combat, James, Max said. With a name like that, I bet its loud." James nodded seriously and slipped it into his active deck. A shock hit Max, like he was hit by a taser. He jumped back and looked around for the source. Gus laughed and slapped his knee. Sorry, I thought you liked tests? Max took a deep breath and tried to calm down. It didnt work. Knock it off, asshole. Gus stood taller and said, Oh yeah!? Look around, Gus. Everyone here is my friend, Max said. Calling Yang his friend was a stretch, but the other two were clearly on his side. Max put his hands on his hips. Dont you want to be my friend too? Gus looked around, realizing he had four people staring him down. His expression hardened and he said, Yeah, sure, whatever. Dont get your panties in a twist. Gus moved off to the side so no one was behind him. Max rolled his eyes and got back to work on his crossbow. The glue was set, he just needed to work on ammo now. He had eight regular bolts, but that wasnt enough against serious monsters. He sat down and focused on his Drill card. The default drill that the card created was a straight line hand drill with a tapered tip. That was halfway there to an arrow already. He needed to make the handle much longer and thinner. A vision of what he wanted slowly built in his mind. He had learned that Citadel cards work best when he was incredibly specific. He specified the drills exact length and width in his mind. When he felt ready, he pressed that mental button. Dozens of tiny lights appeared and moved to devour and change the stick he held. They were chaotic and ordered, like a murmuration of starlings. When their work was done, he held a long thin drill. Max pumped a fist. He hadnt gotten the fins he wanted, but that was looking pretty good. He grabbed the repaired crossbow and slotted in the new arrow. It didnt fit. He had made it slightly too wide. He sighed and checked his mana. He still had plenty, he could go again. That reminded him, he had upgraded his mana pool to 42 earlier. He guessed that he could complete his Hammer evolution quest now. First things first. A better magic arrow. He lowered the diameter in his mind to eight millimeters and tried again. Another light show and he had a similar looking long thin drill. It wasnt as long as a typical bolt, but it fit into the rail. Good enough for a test. The real question was if he could activate its magic pierce effect as he fired it. It should be possible. Ebba had activated the effect as she threw one of his hammers. He moved off to the side from the group for his test firing. He glanced around to see what everyone was up to. Yang was working on perfecting her camouflage. Lily was practicing with her new summons, a drop bear. James sat close to her and talked strategy. Gus had cut his palm and was dripping blood into a small water bottle. Max shook his head. There was no need to cut your palm when you needed blood. The back of your forearm would be way better. Less nerves, easier to bandage, and wouldnt interfere with a fight. Not that he would tell Gus that. The ass could figure that out by himself. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The crossbow looked like a kludged together piece of trash. It was time to see if looks were deceiving. He aimed at a nearby tree and mentally activated the drill bolt. A light twang sounded as the drill shot off. A beam of yellow light flashed, gone before Max had time to register it. He walked over to the tree to see the damage. A neat hole had been bored through the three foot wide tree. It was exactly what he had hoped for, but there was a problem. The drill was embedded into the tree at an angle. Even over fifteen feet, the improvised ammunition had started to tumble. He needed to readjust the center of balance. He sat back down and transmuted another drill, this time with the weight farther forward. He still wasnt able to get fins to appear though. The magics of the Drill card were flexible, but not that flexible. Instead, he peeled off the fins from a bolt and glued them back onto a thin drill. This time when he tested it, the magic ammunition flew straight for fifty feet and pierced all the way through a four foot trunk. He grinned. Now he had some serious firepower. He emptied out his mana pool by making one more drill-bolt. That meant he had two good bolts, which was honestly enough. Without the modern reloading lever, it took thirty seconds to reload. Most combat was long over by then. He hooked the crossbows strap on and slung it over his shoulder. That took care of his ranged attacks, now he wanted to see about making better hammers. He could use his Augment card now, as well as complete his Hammer evolution quest. Either option would have to wait for his mana to refill though. Is everyone ready to head out? Max softly asked. Before anyone could answer, a twig snapped in the distance. Everyone froze. There was the soft sound of footfalls on the forest floor. Max slowly aimed his crossbow in that direction. The steps sounded out of sync, like a monster with a missing leg. A new voice softly said, Where in the clutch is Ebba? She was supposed to lead them here yesterday. Broken shells, Agneta, I keep telling you she slipped through on her own, another voice responded. Agenta tsked. I know Ebba. She wouldnt steal from the Elders. Shes a true Lunuk. You heard what the Elders said. Those humans are carrying a small fortune in cards. Maybe their greed rubbed off on her and she extracted the cards for herself. You think she could? I know humans are dumb, but they wouldnt fall for the old let me recharge your cards for you trick, would they? She isnt here, doesnt that prove ... the voice faded out as they walked away. Max turned to the others blinking in disbelief. Did he hear that correctly? Was Ebba supposed to lead them into an ambush to steal their cards? Had she been planning on doing the same thing that the mind controlling Lunuk had attempted? Gus softly said, They are far enough away now. We should get going. What the hell was that? James said. Was Ebba supposed to give us up? Do all Lunuk want to steal our cards? Certainly sounded like it, Lily replied. Damn. I was just grieving her, but should we hate her now? Ebba saved us on many occasions. Its possible she was ordered to lead us into an ambush, but never intended on obeying, Yang said softly. Gus scoffed. Dont be naive. Everyone is out for themselves in this damn ball. Yang shook her head with a stony expression. Max softly said, Well never know what she would have done. I choose to believe she was on our side. No matter what, we need to get out of here. Lets set up a formation. Yang, can I ask you to scout ahead a hundred feet or so? I think you can move quieter than the rest of us, and your new card makes it safer. I wouldnt want you to get too far ahead though. We need to be close in case you get attacked. She gave Max a short nod. Max nodded back. Alright, Yang leads the way, Gus behind her. Use your Troll Form potion if anything attacks. Lily, Ill have you behind him and support the front line with your summons. James, you are next with ranged support. Ill guard the rear and use my crossbow. Everyone good with that plan? Most people nodded but Gus made a gimme motion. I need one of your magic hammers if Im gonna be on the front line. Max handed over the hammer he had used at the city gate. Thats my last one. Ill have to make more as we walk so everyone has a backup weapon. They headed out shortly after that, carefully making their way through the forest. They had left the red trees behind and entered an earth style temperate forest. Maple, oak, sycamore, and shagbark trees crowded around, vying for sunlight. The underbrush was thick, but not nearly as bad as it had been on the third layer. There were magic plants scattered throughout, but fewer once again. The forest still felt magical, but less so. Max wondered if the first layer was entirely mundane outside of the dungeons. The first hour of walking passed without incident. It wasnt surprising since they were still fairly close to the city. The city probably sent out hunters on a regular basis, just like Wild Plums. Max found his thoughts drifting back to the guards he killed. They had been xenophobic bastards, but he was feeling guilty for ending their lives. They werent his enemies, just people that got in the way. Ebba had made a plan to distract some guards and kill the others, and they didnt consider any other plans. A wave of shame washed over him. They should have thought of a less violent method of escape. He should have pushed for it, but he didnt. Now he had a level up to assign, and it felt tainted. He was drawn out of his self incrimination when Yang stopped and hurried back to the group. She motioned for everyone to crouch down and whispered, Crabby found a big slow monster up ahead. Do we want to go around or attack? Crabby? Max asked. Yang gestured to the ground where a little blue crab sat. It waved a little claw. Hes my summons. I have him scouting ahead. Alright. Can Crabby tell us anything more besides big and slow? The crab did a little dance and Yang nodded back. Crabby says the monster isnt as tough as he is. I assume that means it doesnt have an exoskeleton. Gus pulled out his water bottle. The potion he made had turned a light green. He said, I vote we attack. I wanna try out my new card. Max said, Good idea. We have to fight sometime, at least now we can prepare for it. He pulled out his crossbow and opened up his belt pouch. He pulled out a copper hammer. He had made one as they walked, but didnt have enough mana to make another yet. Lets fight it here where we can use trees for cover, James said and gestured. Good idea. Lily, send your mushroomantis out to lead the monster to us, Gus, bottoms up, Max said. Lily and Gus nodded. She sent her summons out and he took a drink from his bottle. A transformation quickly washed over his body. His veins turned black and bulged out. He grew two feet and his skin turned gray and pebbly. A groan of pain escaped his lips as his muscles bulged out. His pants and shirt grew tight, and his shoes tore open. When the transformation was complete, Gus hopped up and down a bit and stretched out. He was quicker than before. Probably much stronger as well. He turned to the group and said, Mr lst vel tetta. Gus seemed surprised and tried again. Another set of mumbled gibberish came out. He was having real trouble controlling his tongue. Max laughed and said, Apparently trolls cant talk. Gus tried again, but couldnt get his tongue and mouth to behave. I like him better this way, Yang said from behind a nearby bush. Gus fingers worked just fine and he flipped her off. Heads up. Its coming, Lily said. A few moments later the monster came into view. Max immediately regretted his decision to fight. It trampled the mushroomantis and charged forward without slowing. Inspect triggered. Poison Bear The monster was twelve feet tall at its shoulders and hairy all over. It had six long legs, ending in sharp hooves. It loped forward in a loping gait much like a giraffe running. Its face had four large eyes with six more small ones surrounding it. Two large fangs jutted out of its mouth, green dripping from the tips. Chapter 43: Spit It Out Max shouldered his crossbow and yelled, Dont get bit! as Gus ran forward in his troll form. Despite Gus being two feet taller than normal, the six legged Poison Bear was still taller. That meant that Max and James were able to attack without worrying about hitting Gus. James threw out a decay attack and then peppered the monsters face with glass shards. The leggy bear turned its head to avoid the spray of shards. It slowed down, but kept coming. Max lined up his shot and fired. The drills magic activated as it fired, a bright yellow light piercing through the air. It hit the monster on its left shoulder and sank deep inside. The Poison Bear stumbled and opened its mouth wide in a roar. Gus slammed his hammer down atop its head as it was still reeling from the hit. The magic effect activated and sent the monster tumbling to the ground. Gus kept slamming his hammer into the monster, but the repeated strikes were having less effect than the first one. The copper hammer bent out of shape from his troll-like strength. The monster struck out with a hoof and caught Gus in the stomach, knocking him back several feet. His stomach was torn open, a gash wide enough for intestines to spill out. The troll magic held him together, stitching the wound closed within moments. Just as the leggy bear was trying to get back up, a blue shape fell from the sky. It was Lily''s drop bear summons. Max thought it looked like an evil koala. It hit with all four paws at once, the impact popping two eyes. The leggy bear roared again, this time a plaintive cry. The summons magic ran out after the single attack and it faded away. Max dropped his crossbow after the single shot, knowing that he wouldnt have time to reload it. Instead he raced forward with his hammer. He reached the monster just as it was standing back up from the drop bear attack. Both hands held the copper hammer tight and swung down atop its head. The super strike slammed the monsters head back down, cracking its skull open. Yang appeared then and stabbed deep into its neck. Max was pretty sure it was already dead at that point, but appreciated the double tap.
Medium amount of essence gathered
Medium. Not even great. Medium. It had taken the whole team to take this monster down, when they had time to plan an ambush, and it wasn''t even Major. An orb appeared over the body, white with veins of brown throughout. Nice! Level up, Lily said as she stared into the air. Gus garbled something, probably saying the same thing. Max didnt level up, presumably because he had just done so after killing the guards. It put into perspective how lucky they had been to kill high level guards like that. Max thought of something. Hey Gus? Dont forget to use your Warped Mirror card next time, ok? You probably wouldnt have gotten hit if you had a summoned monster distracting it. Gus grumbled his assent. Yang walked over and said, Max, can you please carry my pack? It slowed me down there when it got caught on a branch. If Im going to keep scouting, I need to be agile. Max nodded. Sounds fair. Hand it over. And anyone else that has something really heavy you want me to carry, I have some space in my dimensional belt. There is only a small risk that we would lose it all. Yang handed over her pack, but no one took Max up on his offer. He shrugged and shouldered the bag. Despite just mentioning the space in his belt, Yang''s bag was too big to fit inside. Thankfully, it wasnt as heavy as his own. He went to check on Gus. He had taken a pretty heavy hit from the monster. Gus stood and stretched. He grumbled and fingered the hole in his shirt. The troll skin underneath was unblemished. He walked over to the leggy bear corpse and kicked it. The body rocked a bit, but didnt move. It was at least three times as heavy as his troll form. He reached down and picked up the monster core. He stared at it for a second and then popped it into his mouth. Gus, what the hell? Max said and spread his arms wide. What happened? James asked. Max gestured and said, He ate the monster core! It was a big one too. Dude, not cool. Spit it out, James said and put his hands on his hips. Gus opened his mouth to show it was empty. He said, Tae leit svo vel t, g boreaei tae. Max ran his hand through his hair. Can you turn back to human so we can talk about this? Gus clenched his fists and closed his eyes. Nothing happened. After a few moments, he opened his eyes and shrugged. Fine, well play charades until the potion wears off. Ill ask my question again. What the hell? Gus slowly moved his hands about and then shrugged. Lily stared at him and said, I think he doesnt know why he did it either. I guess its some kind of magic bullshit, Max said with a sigh. In the future, Gus doesnt get near the monster cores. Gus nodded and stepped away from the monster corpse. Max shook his head and retrieved his drill arrow from the body. He tucked it away in his belt and got out a new one. He loaded up a charged bolt into the crossbow and they set off again. They didnt make it far before they were attacked. Yang had just sent Crabby out on patrol when a Quill Cat dropped down from above. Max cried out, just in time for her to roll out of the way. The monsters long claws dug into the dirt instead of her flesh. Max snapped off a shot, activating the drills magic almost on instinct. The bright yellow pierce shot out and drilled through the Quill Cats head. Yang jumped back, but it was already dead.
Minor amount of essence gathered
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. When the white orb appeared, Max snatched it up and tucked it away. He gave Gus a look. Gus stepped back and raised his hands. He didnt seem angry about the suspicion, but it was hard to tell with his pebbly gray skin and bulbous features. Gus pointed at Maxs hammer hanging from his belt and made the gimme motion. Max sighed and handed it over. Guss copper hammer hadnt held up to the strength of a troll. Max would have to create a stronger hammer for him. He pulled out his kindle and looked up the strongest element on Wikipedia. It actually took a little while to decide on one. There were many different definitions of what strong meant. Diamond was strong, but when it broke it shattered. Plus, he could only create metal hammers. Tungsten won out as the element of choice and he slowly memorized its details. Atomic weight of 184, 74 protons, 110 neutrons. 74 electrons arranged in shells at 2, 8, 18, 32, 12, 2. It was a hefty metal. He made a note to write down all of the details on the periodic table before his e-ink reader finally died. He already had all of the details for metals written down, but the info for the other elements could be very valuable to other Citadel card users. When his mana was finally full enough, Max picked up a large branch. He focused on exactly what he wanted and pressed that mental button. He could feel the magic fighting against him, but he pushed back. When the swarm of lights finished, he was holding a war hammer fit for a troll. Five feet long with a large head and a nasty spike on the back. It was heavy too, much heavier than he had been expecting. He almost dropped it. His system tried to tell him something, but he hid the notification for now. Gus, I made you a better hammer. This one shouldnt break or bend. Gus took the tungsten hammer in his huge hands and handed the copper one back. He gave it a few test swings, and grunted in approval. He stalked forward, looking for a monster to test it out on. Max was finally able to turn his attention to the message he got a moment after he created the hammer. Citadel Evolution Quest Complete! Fabricate a hammer with a different material. [?] Change the shape of the default hammer. [?] Create two hammers within 32.5 minutes. [?] You have completed all parts of your Hammer evolution quest and may now select one of the following evolutions. Mutable Hammers- unlock an additional twelve different alloys Manifold Hammers - six different hammer models as the default Multiple Hammers - halve the mana cost of a hammer Max rubbed his hands together. He had a choice to make and all of them sounded good. He hadnt figured out alloys yet, so getting Mutable would be good. He was very curious about what alien designs Manifold would give him. And of course Multiple would be immediately useful when arming his squad. In the end, there was really only one choice. He had to choose the Multiple Hammers upgrade. The other two options just made it easier on Max to change the hammer, but he was already good at that. Plus, he had Wikipedia on his kindle for extra learning. No matter how much he practiced though, he wouldnt be able to lower the mana cost without the evolution. He selected the Multiple Hammers and pulled up the description to read it over.
Advanced Multiple Hammers Citadel
Transmutes mana neutral matter within aura into hammers of the cardholders design.
Mana Cost: 14 Refresh: 0.4 Hours Card Level: 6
Fourteen mana. Thats all it cost now. He could make three hammers with a full mana pool, instead of one. The refresh rate hadnt changed, but getting a super strike every half hour was pretty good. This card was pretty powerful now. He looked down at the copper hammer on his belt. Copper produced a strong magical effect, but as Gus showed, it was too weak for regular use. He pulled out Wikipedia to research metals again. His current theory was that materials that were electrically conductive would also conduct mana. Thats why copper created a stronger super strike. He just needed to find a metal that was strong and conductive. He researched titanium first because that was the go-to expensive metal. Sadly it wasnt conductive. Funnily enough, tungsten was conductive. His musings were interrupted when they were attacked again. This time feathered monsters swooped in from both sides with a screech. They looked like large colorful velociraptors with a snake tail. Max had kept an eye out and was able to fire off a drill bolt before they hit Lily and James. His drill hit a feather and bounced off. The drills magical effect hadn''t been triggered because it had been less than two hours since it was used last. Max swore and ran forward. He pulled out his copper hammer, it had a charge at least. Moments before the two raptors hit, the humans attacked. Gus swung his hammer out, connecting with the right raptors head. In that instant, the super strike activated with a flash, darker blue than normal. The tungsten hammer absolutely obliterated the monsters head. A spray of blood and bone painted the underbrush. James used his Sonic Bolt card for the first time. He got his hand up and fired off a thick distortion of air. Rumbling thunder buffeted the monster, but didnt stop it. The monster came down atop Lily, slightly slowed from the attack. Both feet hit her chest, knocking her to the ground. The claws would have eviscerated her if it wasnt for her chitin armor. The raptor clearly didnt like that and raked its claws across her belly. It used its wings to keep its balance so both feet went to town on her armor. It was quickly broken and torn off. Yang arrived then, ducking under the monsters wings to stab it in the chest. Her sword scraped across the feathers and was deflected away. The raptor squawked and knocked Yang back with a wing beat. Max was almost there with his hammer, but he didnt want to knock the monster onto either of the women. Instead, he mentally activated Levitate and reduced his effective mass by half. He leapt into the air, spinning around so the raptor was underneath him. At the apex of his jump he swung the hammer sideways, activating the super strike on contact. A wave of blue knocked the monster up and back, five feet away. The strike shattered the monsters skull and almost ripped it off its neck. Max saw the raptor collapse into a heap as he landed. He fell and rolled across the ground, his agility not up to sticking the landing. Luckily, his clumsiness didnt cost him. The monster was dead. Gus pulped the corpse to be sure.
Minor amount of essence gathered
James fell to his knees and checked Lily over, making sure she didnt get up before he knew she was ok. Her stomach plates were torn off and her shirt was cut to ribbons. Fortunately, the scratches underneath were superficial. She got up without help, but a small smile showed she liked the attention. Yang helped her clean and bandage her wounds. Max slowly caught his breath. He told everyone to stay put and set up an ambush. If any nearby monsters heard that sonic bolt, they were going to come running. Time passed and nothing new attacked. Everyone else relaxed, but not Max. They hadnt even made it twenty miles and they had come close to dying several times. It was only luck that kept them all alive. He really missed Ebba right now. He collected the monster''s cores while he thought about it. He needed to get more powerful before they moved on. Thankfully, he had a few avenues to explore. He could transmute a few new drills so he always had one that was charged up. He could use his Augment card now, to make a few stronger weapons. Or he could use his points from leveling up to slot in two new Citadel cards and try out a new weapon. With only 25 points of mana out of 42 in his pool, Max couldnt afford to do everything right now. He could slot in the new cards though, that didnt cost him anything. He pulled out all of the Citadel cards to see if he wanted to make a permanent decision to add one or more to his deck. There were more of them than he remembered. Adjust, Circular Saw, Glue Gun, Actuator, and Denuder. He decided to add at least one of them to his merged deck. Based on past experience, he could count on the card increasing from common to advanced quality. He would have to make his decision based on what he guessed the better version of the card would be like. Chapter 44: Stuck Like That Forever Max found the decision surprisingly difficult. Adding another card to his permanent deck was a big decision. He had added Augment to his deck on day one, but hadnt used it once because of mana constraints. What if he missed some similarly important detail about one of the new cards? He would have to carefully examine each one. Some cards were easy to reject. He had seen Glue Gun in action and knew he didnt want that. It wouldn''t be useful in combat and was barely useful as a tool. Maybe he would consider it if it had some magic spell, but it didn''t. Actuator was interesting, but not something he wanted to use right now. He could think of all kinds of neat gadgets that he could make with a mentally controlled hinge. Unfortunately, he couldn''t think of any way to fight with it. He wouldn''t slot it into his permanent deck. He could always ask James to make him a bunch if he wanted to do some crafting later. The remaining three cards seemed good, but he couldnt be sure. The Circular Saw card sounded like the angle grinder power tool he was used to. That would make a good weapon and tool. But what if it was useless without the charge to make it spin? The Adjust card was full of possibilities. Being able to change the magical effect that each magical tool held was a game changer. Instead of a hammer that smashed things well, he could create one that moved on its own or something. But he couldnt control the results so who was to say he would ever want to use the magic it gave him? The Denuder had a weird name, but promised a powerful effect. It could strip of the surface layer of something. That would be was useful in construction, but also in battle. What was skin if not the surface layer? He could imagine lasers stripping off a monsters natural armor to make the next attack deadly. But what if he was wrong and the effect was slow and useless in battle? Max shook his head. He was being ridiculous. He had already had James test out cards for him before, there was no reason not to have him test cards now. Sure, I can help. Im already full on mana again. Quicken is awesome, James said after he explained what he wanted. Max spread out the three contenders and said, Here is what Im looking at. Im leaning towards The Circular Saw or the Denuder. Adjust might be a winner, but its a backup to the other two. Gimme the Denuder card. The Circular Saw card is too expensive, James said. Max handed one card over and checked the mana cost of the other. It was only 28 mana. He hadnt even considered James wouldnt have enough mana in his pool for that card. He must have upgraded his Quicken again, which had shrunk his mana pool once more. James would be able to sling spells one after another, but soon he wouldnt be able to use the majority of the cards Max could. The system choices they made were having compounding effects. What does this thing do, anyway? James said as he looked at the small metal device in his hand. You didnt even read the description before you made it? James shrugged, I trust you. Max shook his head and took the Denuder from him. It was six inches by two, all metal. Soft curves gave it an organic feel. There was a nozzle on one end, and a hexagon button near the top. It felt strange in his hand, inhuman. It was the first time he used a Citadel card and got something that couldnt have come from earth. Usually the card pulled the design from the users mind. This was something wholly alien. The question was, what kind of alien? Was this something Lunuk used in their gardens, or something the Builders used to create Spinworld? With no answers forthcoming, Max pointed the Denuder at a nearby tree and pressed the hex button. Thousands of thin laser beams burst forward, playing over the tree, top to bottom. The lights cut out and a high pitched pop sounded. Nothing happened at first, but then the leaves started falling. All of them. The oak tree lost every single leaf. A few seconds later, bits of bark started falling off, a little at a time. Max walked up to the oak and touched it lightly. More sections of bark fell off, starting a cascade that left the tree naked. Lily clapped as if it had been a show. James took a bow. Max rolled his eyes. The test showed that the Denuder card was good, particularly if it worked on monsters. Max worried slightly that it would change once he put it in his deck though. His other cards had a metal theme and that carried on to new cards he slotted in. What if the Denuder only worked on metal after the merge? He pulled up his system while he thought about his two choices. Denuder or Circular Saw. He could just add both to his deck, he had two points after leveling up. But even if he ended up doing that, Max wanted to treat this decision with the seriousness it deserved. This would be with him for the rest of his life. Sort of. Once he had all six cards, they would merge together into one. He would always be able to add more cards to his deck as they merged together, he just wouldn''t be able to take anything out. He felt something click in his mind. Only one of these cards really resonated with him. The saw. Whether in combat or building things, Max wanted a saw. The Denuder could be great, but he wanted a saw. His mind made up, Max put a point into Specialize and absorbed the Circular Saw card. He excitedly pulled up the description to see how it changed as it merged with his deck.
Advanced Circular Saw Citadel
Transmutes mana neutral matter within aura into a handheld metal circular saw able to cut through any mundane material.
Mana Cost: 24 Stolen novel; please report. Refresh: 6.1 hours Card Level: 2
Maxs eyes went wide. That was a much better card. It was advanced now, cost less mana, and had a shorter refresh time. What was really shocking was the change in the description. Now it said it could cut through any mundane material. As long as it wasnt reinforced with magic, he could cut it. That was wild. Excitedly, Max uprooted a fern and held it in his hand. He clicked the new mental button and watched as a school of tiny lights swam out to devour the fern and turn it into a circular saw. When the last of the lights winked out he was left with a metal handheld tool. It had a foot long handle and a sharp disc on the end. It reminded him of an angle grinder. Unlike an angle grinder, the cutting disc was in line with the handle. It was six inches wide and had tiny serrations all along the edge. Just like the Denuder, it had a hexagon button on the side. There was an empty socket at its base, just like the glue gun. Its first victim was the tree Max had just stripped. It was going to die anyway, he might as well cut it up. He pressed the button and a faint whine started up. The discs edge grew fuzzy. Starting small, Max pressed the saw into an oak limb first. The branch fell to the ground. Max hadnt even put any pressure on the limb. The circular saw passed through it like it wasnt even there. The cut wood was smooth and straight, like it had been polished. Max took a step back and stared at the cutter. This was like a lightsaber. It could cut through anything with hardly any feedback. It was a marvelous weapon, but just as dangerous to him as it was to his enemies. He would have to be very careful. He brought the spinning disc to the main trunk of the tree. It sunk in without effort, stopping at the handle. Max easily widened the cut to the sides, hoping to cut the tree down. He made it halfway around the tree when the cutter died. He probably needed to socket in a white core in order to power it to continue. For some reason, he still wanted to cut the tree down. He mentally pushed on the circular saw, willing its magic to activate. A silver sheen covered the disc and then shot forward, expanding as it went. The circle of magic expanded until it was four feet wide. It flew forward twelve feet and dissipated into a sparkly mist. The tree stood there motionless. Then it started to slide off the base. Max yelled Timber! and jumped out of the way. The twenty foot tall oak tree fell to the ground, branches shattering as it landed. James gave him a solid high five and Yang gave him a nod. Now that youve made firewood, are we ready to go? Lily said. Max realized he couldnt win them all. We can go. I just wanted to test my new weapon. Just as they were about to set out again, Gus fell to his knees as a change rippled through him. He lost two feet, his skin cleared up and his clothes were loose again. He was back to normal. Oh, thank god, Gus said. I thought I was going to be stuck like that forever. I think you looked better before, Yang said. Ooh, harsh, Max said as he laughed. Gus picked up a pinecone and threw it at her. She disappeared into the brush before it hit. Her laughter showed she was still nearby. Now that you can talk again, what was up with you eating that brown core? It was worth ten or more of the little ones, Max said. Gus put his hand to his mouth and worked his jaw. I dont really know why I did it. It was just instinct. The core smelled fantastic. It was delicious too. Max tilted his head. So, what, Troll Form makes you eat cores? It doesnt make me do anything, but I think I know what happened. The description on my card said the transformation is supposed to last a few minutes, but I was a troll for more than an hour. One hour, forty-eight minutes, Lily interjected. Gus gave her a look. Anyway, I think eating the core made me last longer. Like magic viagra, Max said. Gus sputtered as Max continued, It makes sense. The power to keep you transformed has to come from somewhere. The brown core was broken down to grant you strength and healing. Something like that, yeah. Gus said. But I dont wanna be a troll again anytime soon. I hate not being able to talk. Stay human for now. You can save the potion for emergencies, Max said. Lets head out. Weve got miles and miles to go. Before that, do you happen to have shoes I can borrow? My troll feet burst through these ones and I dont want to hurt my human feet. Max did have a spare pair, but didnt want to give them up in case they were ruined as well. Instead, he bound Gus shoes back together with duct tape. They worked perfectly after that. Duct tape was truly a wonder. They set out again, trudging through the forest. They went slower on Yangs insistence. She needed the time to find and avoid monsters. The raptor ambush had rattled her. Max was happy to divert around monsters, but that slowed them down even further. They were getting a firsthand look at how much Ebba had done for them with her Disregard card. A few encounters were unavoidable, but Max made quick work of the tier one monsters. A Void Cat, Snake Ent, and Trilobite Scorpion all fell to his crossbow, saw, and hammer. The others brought their magic to bear as well, but the fight was always over by then. While they walked, Max debated what to do with his final free stat point. Did he want to give himself an option to add a card to his deck? There werent any cards he wanted right now. Except maybe Adjust. He had passed over it earlier because it wouldnt be immediately useful. However, it would be wildly useful later on. He decided to add the stat point to Specialize to but not use the card just yet. He would give himself a week or two before he filled that slot in his magic deck. Throughout the day Max continued to build their arsenal, arming everyone with the weapon of their choice. Yang was particularly enamored with the cutting ability of the saw. Sadly, the silver slice and the disc spinning were both dependent on a magic charge, so the tool was only useful for a short time before it needed a six hour recharge. Either that or a white beast core, but that would be wasteful if it wasnt an emergency. When Lily said that night would be falling soon, Max started looking for a place to camp. He used Levitate to reduce his mass and scurried up a sycamore tree. Climbing at half weight was so much easier than before. Thick forest surrounded them on all sides, so there wasnt much to differentiate one spot from another. Max saw something deeply disappointing in the distance. It was the city of Twelve Meditations. They hadnt made it far today. He turned and looked towards the mountains north of them. They didnt seem any closer. They were going to have to figure out a way to speed up. He hopped down the tree, leaping from branch to branch. He only missed once and didnt get too hurt. We can stop over there for the night. There are some brambles that should discourage monsters from wandering nearby. Max said and pointed a short distance spinward. As they walked over, he continued, Well have to set watch tonight. Without Ebba, the monsters that hunt at night wont ignore us. Ill take first watch, Yang said. Max nodded and said, Ill take the middle watch. Gus, you ok with taking last watch? Gus grimaced. Can I stand watch tomorrow night? Being a troll all day has really taken it out of me. Thats fine. Lily, you good with taking the last watch instead? Sure. She said seriously. James, Gus, you two can stand watch tomorrow night. Max pretended that it was random chance that James wasnt chosen. The truth was that Max knew his friend had trouble staying up late without falling asleep. He wanted to make sure they had their best people keeping a lookout. He had a bad feeling about tonight. Chapter 45: Is It Over? Max squinted up at the sky. The large floating hex would be passing in front of the sun soon. Thankfully, they had already holed up for the night. They had made a small camp inside a thorny thicket. It was small and cramped, but it should be safe. Max passed out the trail rations they had bought in Twelve Meditations. Dried apples, peanuts, monster jerky, and dried peas. It wasnt high cuisine, but it would fill them up. Do you need the monster orbs you got today, Max? Lily asked around a bite of food. Mushy is stuck at six, but I could use them to get the drop bear up to six as well. Six? Did you get an evolution quest too? Max asked. Yeah, its impossible though. I havent even accomplished one of the three tasks, she said while staring at something only she could see. I just completed my Hammer quest. What worked for me was to expand my mana pool. Maybe you can level up some part of your system to make the quest easier? Maybe. My pool isnt the problem, but if I... Lily trailed off, mumbling to herself. James chuckled softly. Shes gone. She gets like this sometimes and forgets the world exists. Lily paused for a moment and looked up at him, I never forget about you, James. She turned away, mumbling again. James face turned red and he turned away. Max jumped in to fill the awkward silence. Yang. I was going to give everyone a split of the orbs, but maybe it would be best for you to use all of them. Once you get to six, you can improve the card. What are the chances you can evolve your Camouflage card to cover all of us? Yang shrugged, No idea. Ill try if you want me to. Max frowned slightly. He had been hoping she would have insight into how her card worked. She clearly had a better connection to the Camouflage card than the rest of them did. If its all the same to you, Id rather have my share of the orbs than to have her waste them, Gus said. Max shook his head, One orb each wont help us survive. Avoiding attention might. Yang, take these white cores and start the evolution quest on your Camouflage card. Gus grumbled a bit. Yang made a show of eating the monster cores with gusto. Gus looked away. When the sixth one was down, she stared off into space. Got the quest. Ill have to try it tomorrow. All of the tasks require actively avoiding attention of a monster. Max nodded, having expected that. He finished up his dinner and took a swig of water from his water bottle. He would have to be careful with the water. There were far fewer water berries on this layer than there had been on the third. Night fell, as sudden as ever. Everyone but Yang lay down to sleep. She climbed a nearby tree so she would have a view while she kept watch. Max was glad he had kept his best sleeping pad and bag. He was perfectly comfortable. Sleep was slow in coming. They had lost Ebba today and it left him with conflicted feelings. He missed her, but maybe she had been planning on betraying them the whole time. There was no way to know. Now she was dead and they were on their own. Max was in charge of keeping the final five of them alive. Anxiety pushed his way into his mind, his heart racing. This was too much responsibility. Everyone was going to die and it would be all his fault. Why had these people trusted him? It couldnt possibly end well. Thoughts jumbled around in his head, each vying for the worst thought ever. He tossed and turned. Eventually, he sat back up. If he couldnt sleep, maybe he could do something useful. His mana had finished refilling and he had one card he hadnt tried yet. Augment. He pulled out his latest circular saw and focused on the Augment card. He got the impression he could improve the material the saw was made of, or the magic spell inside. Not both. Without thinking about it much, he chose the magic effect. A wave of mana rushed out of him all at once, sinking into the saw. He felt woozy. Something that had always been with him was gone again. He felt tired, lesser. He couldnt test the saw right now, not in the middle of the night. So instead, he succumbed to the weakness and slumped back. He fell into a dreamless slumber. ... Max, someone whispered. Its your turn to take watch. Max wrestled with the urge to ignore her and go back to sleep. He sat up and gave Yang a nod. He slipped out of the sleeping back as Yang slid into hers. It took him a moment to fully wake up. He grabbed himself a snack and stretched to get himself ready. He slid a hammer into his belt and was ready to go. Climbing up the tree to keep watch was easier than ever with his Levitate turned on. Once he was up there, he realized he had no way to tell time. He had set up a three shift watch, but hadnt thought to give the camp guards a way to know when their shift was over. Lily was the only one with a working timepiece, he would have to ask to borrow it tomorrow. Time passed slowly. Occasionally he heard something in the distance. It might have been monsters prowling or trees creaking. Either way, it never drew closer. Their little camp stayed undisturbed. Boredom forced him out of the tree. He had no idea how long he had been up there. There werent any visual cues to time passing and his instincts for time had never been good. He didnt want to wake Lily for her shift in case it hadnt been that long. Instead, He crept over to his bag, trying to be as quiet as possible. He took out the tool that had been weighing heavily on his mind. The saw. He had finally used his Augment card to create a circular saw with an enhanced magic spell. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The middle of the night might not be the best time to test it, but Max couldnt help but pick it up. He stared at the metal cutting tool long enough that his Insight triggered. Circular Saw- Charged The description hadnt changed. He had hoped that it would, maybe by adding a descriptor. Super charged, or Amazing Circular Saw. That didnt happen. Or at least he couldnt see any change with his level of Insight. Maybe it would be different if he had it over 18 like that Paj shopkeeper. He still had one point unused, so he could raise his Insight to seven, but he doubted that would do any good. The system seemed to be on a base six system. He probably wouldnt see a qualitative change in his Insight until he hit 12. The only way he was going to find out how well his augmented saw worked was to test it. Which would be kind of dumb in the middle of the night when he knew there were monsters prowling about. Even if the magic cutting disc was quiet, it was bright. He would just have to wait for morning. Time passed slowly. Very slowly. His mind drifted to his belt. He had emptied his storage belt before he went to sleep, knowing he would have to use five random objects before he could trust it with his stuff for the day. It was after midnight and he could probably do that random object task while he waited for morning. He unbuttoned a pouch and stuck a hand inside to check. There was something new inside. It was one of those springs with handles, a grip strength trainer. He happily gave it a few squeezes and it dissolved into nothing. The next item was a package of some sort of dust. It was hard to know what kind in the darkness. He opened it up and gave it a sniff. Nothing. He stuck a pinky in the substance and swirled it around. A dawning horror came when he realized what it was. This was evil incarnate. Craft herpes. The belt had given him glitter. The only reason he didnt immediately throw it away was that he knew it would dissolve into mana once he used it. Probably. Just in case, he decorated the bush off to the left, one he could avoid if the glitter never disappeared. He had to admit, the bush sparkled rather nicely in the dim light. Thankfully, it also disappeared. After that he pulled out a Christmas ornament. A wry half smile formed and he softly hummed Silent Night. Once the ornate ball was hung on the tree, he moved onto the next item. This one was big. Too big to take out in the tree in fact. He snuck down and used both hands to pull out the porcelain object. It was a toilet. A random toilet, dry as a bone and not hooked up to anything. He rolled his eyes and moved the toilet past the edge of the camp. He relieved himself and the toilet disappeared, leaving the pee behind. Good thing he hadn''t done that closer to camp. He waited until he was up in the tree before he pulled out the final task of the cursed belt. He made another check of the surroundings and reached into his belt one more time. It was a paper bucket. One filled with popcorn. Maybe his cursed belt actually liked him. He took a handful of popcorn and stuffed it into his mouth. He was almost sad when the bucket disappeared. With his belt available for storage again, he tucked away the hammer and saw. Time passed slowly once more. He got the saw out again. A stick snapping set his heart pounding. That was close, closer than any before. His night vision had long since adapted, and he saw a shape slinking through the trees, heading their direction. It was four legged and huge, at least fifteen feet tall at its shoulders. Max couldnt tell more from where he sat in the tree. It was snuffling about, staying in the area. Getting down without being heard would be difficult. It was too close. But he needed to wake his squad before the monster got here. He grit his teeth and did the only thing he could think of, he plucked an acorn and threw it. It hit where he was aiming, Yangs sleeping bag. She was the only one of the four he could trust to wake up silently when something hit them in their sleep. Once she was up and looking at him, he motioned that there was a monster and he was going to attack it. She went around and woke everyone quietly. This was the perfect opportunity to test his upgraded magic tool. He bet that the spell would travel farther now. He planned on getting closer first, just in case. Either way, he was excited to see what happened. As he guessed, as soon as his boots scraped the tree trunk, the monster zeroed in on them. He hopped down the last few feet and stood at the entrance they cut in the brambles. He waited until the slathering monster was close before activating the magic. A silver sheen covered the disc and then shot forward, expanding as it went. It flew forward twelve feet and dissipated into a sparkly mist. The monsters forelegs were cut off and it tumbled to the ground. To his surprise, the spell wasnt done. Another silver disc shot out of his circular saw. He had kept it trained on the monster, so the second cutting spell sliced the top of its head off. A second later, a third spell cut through the body once again. Then a forth, fifth, and sixth cutting disc flew out of his magic tool. Six discs in six seconds. The monster was a minced mess when the spell finally completed. He stood there motionless. A beat later a magic card and an orb appeared over the body.
Medium amount of essence gathered
Damn, Max. You sure its dead yet? James said and clapped his hand on his shoulder. Overkill, I know. But check it out, this little guy can do that every six hours. Power overwhelming! Max said, quoting Starcraft. Lily stumbled over then and said, Is it over, can I go back to bed now? Yeah, its over, Max said and chuckled. Yang and James watched as she went back to her sleeping bag. Gus had never gotten up despite Yang shaking everyone. Max walked over to the corpse. It was hard to tell what it was, even up close. He grabbed the orb and the card. He read it over as he walked back to the others.
Advanced Shrink Clover
Removes mass from living target as spell takes effect in stages. 3/4th within a minute, half size within two minutes, an eighth size within three minutes. Reduced effects from tier differences.
Mana Cost: 42 Permanent: 1.2 hours Card Level: 2
It was an interesting effect. He could just imagine tiny titans. Max handed the card over to James to read. James read it over and said, Do you want this one, Yang? Its good but I think my Decay card is better. Yang shook her head, No. It takes too long. I would rather keep my Deafen card in my Clover slot. Max nodded and tucked it away. He decided against offering it to Gus in the morning. The bearded man hadnt even woken up for the fight, he wasnt going to get loot from it. They could sell it on the first layer. Once the other two were back to bed, the forest was quiet again. A few hours later, dawn came with its typical suddenness. Strangely, rain didnt accompany the coming of the morning, so Lily and Gus slept in. Max decided to join them while Yang and James kept watch. When he woke up again, he remembered to check his mandatory quest. 21 days. He looked towards the distant mountains. That should be plenty of time to get there, even with their slowed pace without Ebba. Before they started walking for the day, Max climbed a tree and took a good look around the area. His heart fell as he looked north. Surviving the trip suddenly seemed a lot less likely. Chapter 46: Drop Your Pack! Their destination was in sight, the mountain range separating them from the first layer, roughly eighty miles away. It was tough to tell exactly how far since the land curved up instead of down. It was weird judging distances without a horizon. Max saw that the temperate forest they were in ended a few miles ahead and a blue forest took its place. These trees were tall and spindly, thinner than the Earth type he was currently hanging onto. That meant that he could see through the forest better, enough to see movement even at a distance. There was a herd of monsters in the forest ahead, their dark fur easily contrasting from the light blue wood. Max couldnt tell for sure, but he guessed that there were at least sixty of them. More than enough to overwhelm their little group of five humans. As he watched, an explosion of lightning blossomed out from the center of the herd. The dome of electricity looked small from here, but he estimated it was forty feet wide. Just getting close to that type of monster would be deadly. They would have to go around. Spinward was tempting because they could avoid the blue forest altogether if they went that direction. However there was a river running north-south that he wasnt sure they could cross. It was just wide enough that he didnt like their chances. Anti-spinward looked good. There were low hills that would give them cover so they could guarantee they wouldnt be seen by the horde. There was a dungeon tower farther north, so they would need to cut spinward again after a few miles, but Max wasnt too worried. They should have enough room to avoid the tower, even if it had a mandatory quest going on right now. The path decided, Max climbed down and told everyone what he saw. Any chance we could kill all of the monsters? If I used my troll form and that awesome hammer you made for me, I could kill a bunch of them on my own. Gus said. If the rest of you set up a killing field and traps, do you think we could kill them all? It would be worth a lot of money. Max shook his head. These guys are huge and have lightning magic. We would be lucky to kill three of them before the rest of them electrocute us. Yes, thank you for being reasonable, Max, Lily said. I dont want to die because we got greedy. We are so close to freedom. Freedom is farther away than you think, Max said. We are much slower without Ebba. The point still stands, Lily said with her hands on her hips. We need to be smart about this, play it safe. Max nodded and they headed out. Gus and Max took point with Lily and James behind them. Yang took rearguard this time because she needed to work on the Camouflage quest. She wouldnt be able to focus on the magic and scouting at the same time. They werent too worried about monsters ambushing them. With the horde of lightning monsters just a few miles away, any other monsters would have left by now. It didnt take long for them to enter the blue forest. Max felt unnerved as soon as stepped foot inside. The tree trunks were thin and spindly, not providing much cover at all. There wasnt any underbrush, just a thick mat of moss and lichen. Or at least the alien equivalent. It was soft and springy, like they were walking on rubber. Like the trees, the moss was blue, but it had streaks of yellow throughout. It made the forest feel sickly to him. Through unspoken agreement, they grew quieter as they entered the forest. They were one false move from drawing a horde down on them. There was an unexpected benefit to entering the blue forest. There was nowhere for monsters to hide. The thin trees couldnt hold Max, let alone a large monster. If anything tried to attack the squad, they would see them coming from a long way away. They were able to pick up their pace considerably. Max kept an eye anti-spinward as they hurried around the herd. He didnt see any monsters coming close, but he regularly caught glimpses of brown in the distance. Each time, his heart beat faster and his grip on his hammer tightened. The monsters never wandered closer though. To take his mind off things, he decided to make himself a better hammer. Right now he had a copper hammer which had a great magical attack, but wouldnt last long as an actual war hammer. He cracked off a branch from a nearby tree. It dripped red sap, almost like blood. Max shivered. He would be happy when he was out of this creepy forest. He focused on the branch and clicked that mental button to transmute a hammer. It didnt work. That had never happened before. It always worked the first time. He tried again, and failed once more. What was going on? He read the card description to see if anything changed when he wasnt looking.
Advanced Multiple Hammers Citadel
Transmutes mana neutral matter within aura into hammers of the cardholders design.
Mana Cost: 14 Refresh: 0.4 Hours Card Level: 6
No, it was all the same. Why wasnt his card working then? He reread everything and stopped on mana neutral. Was it possible this branch wasnt mana neutral? If it was a magic tree, that would explain things. Staring at the branch didnt trigger Inspect. He tried staring at a nearby tree instead. This time Inspect did trigger. Mycelium Aspen - Charged Stolen story; please report. That was concerning. What did Charged mean in this case? Did the tree have a magic attack? Max looked around the forest and the same description showed up over every single tree. A sinking feeling fell over him. Mycelium was the connecting thread of mushrooms and Aspens were connected underground as well. This forest wasnt made of thousands of different plants, it was all one big organism. One single plant, with a magical spell to protect itself. What if that dome of lightning he saw earlier wasnt from the monsters? What if it was the trees? Max dropped the branch and jumped away from it. Guys? I think we need to leave the forest. Now. What? Why? Gus said. My Inspect says the trees have a magic spell charged up. I think it might be the lightning I saw earlier, Max said while nervously trying to stay away from all of the trees. It wasnt really possible. As if to punctuate his statement, a tree behind them exploded in a dome of lightning. It was the same one he had taken a branch from. Run! Max yelled and turned towards the spinward edge of the forest. They sprinted after him, Yang quickly outpacing everyone. Another tree detonated its lightning charge, this time closer to the group. The edges of the electric dome were only a dozen feet away from the slowest in the group. The plant system had some way of tracking them. Max slowed a bit and yelled, Drop your pack, James and Lily! They complied right away, shrugging off their backpacks and sprinting forward. Max made sure they were keeping up and surged forward. Gus was fit enough to keep up with his pack on, and Max wore Yangs pack so she didnt need to worry. Somewhere along the way, Max had activated his Levitate stat and was running along at half weight. He could keep this up for a long time, but he worried about the others. Another tree shot out its lightning, closer this time. James and Lily were caught on the edges of the field. Tiny tendrils of lightning hit them and danced across their forms. They both cried out in pain and stumbled to the ground. Their momentum brought them out of range and ended the effect. Lily rolled across the ground and bounced to her feet. She slowed down when she saw that James wasnt beside her. James! Lily yelled, the cry full of anguish. The chubby man was still on the ground. He jerked when he heard her call his name. He rolled and stumbled to his feet like a drunk. She ran back to him. Max had the same idea and they arrived at his side at the same time. They each took an arm and helped him get going again. James groaned in pain and tried his best to get running again. His arms and neck were spiderwebbed with angry red scars. His shirt covered his back but the way he ran showed it was in pain too. Gus had kept running, not looking back. Yang had been in the lead, but stopped where she was, unsure if she should run ahead or go back to help. The hairs on Maxs arms stood up. He scanned the forest, his eyes wide in panic. His Insight gave him a fuzzy hint that the tree ahead of them was glowing brighter with magic. This way! Max shouted and turned them. The tree shot off its charge a few moments later. The expanding dome of lighting was centered on where they would have been if they had kept running. As it was, the edge of the effect still hit Max. His right arm and leg were caressed with tendrils of lighting, pain shooting through his body. The jolt of fiery anguish would have brought him to his knees, but James held onto his arm this time. The help was enough to keep him upright and they kept running for the forests edge. A hunch formed in Maxs mind, prodded by Instinct. The trees took some time to release their magic payload. They had to guess where their prey would be and start charging up before they got there. If Max could see the tree that was going to blow next, he could angle them around it. A flicker, a slightly brighter fuzz of magic made Max yell, Left! They turned as one, avoiding the next explosion of magical electricity. Yang saw that they were going to survive and started running herself. Gus had never stopped, he was far ahead of everyone. The three of them kept running arm in arm, as fast as they could. It made things easier for Max to turn them as a group, angling them around the trees that were about to blow. Max had thought that they were fairly close to the forests edge, but they werent there yet. Panic was distorting his sense of time. Each step took an eternity and each tree activated faster and faster. James was breathing hard, starting to stumble occasionally. Lily was much more fit, but the pace was getting to her too. Max felt like he had to drag them along. His own heart started pounding faster and faster. Finally, the edge of the forest came into view. Gus and Yang were there, standing at the treeline, just outside the range of the electric attack. Maxs heart plummeted. The tree in front of them was charging up. So was the one to the right. And the left. The whole alien treeline was going to blow as one. There was no way to run around it. He slowed in indecision. Then a thought struck him. Stop! They tried to stop as one, but the rubbery moss gave at just the wrong time and they fell to the ground in a tumble of limbs. The treeline went off then. The sound of so many electric explosions at once was like thunder from real lightning. Max cringed and braced himself. They were just outside the area of effect. He sighed in relief and then jumped up. Go, go, go! Lily and Max helped James back to his feet and they ran forward. The inner row of trees exploded. They left the blue forest just in time to avoid the second lightning row. James stumbled to the ground and lay on his back. His arms and legs were splayed out. He had his eyes closed and he was gasping for each breath. Damn Spinworld. Even the trees are out to kill us, Gus said. Max turned to him. Gus had basically abandoned them to their fate. He didnt even consider helping them. At the same time, Max knew he couldnt say a thing. Gus had never pretended to be anything but selfish. He was number one in his own book. They took a break so everyone could recover. The fresh pine scent was like a soft hug, helping them relax. Several minutes later, Lily came to sit next to Max. She turned to him, her eyes wide. Hey, Max? How long do you think it will take the trees to recharge? I dont know. It could be hours, it could be minutes. The whole forest is one interconnected organism so I wouldnt be surprised if it could pass mana along to recharge trees quickly. Oh, she said, her shoulders slumping. Well, do you think you could repeat your trick again so we could get my bag? She must have seen something in his eyes because she hurried to add, Its not about the stuff. We can buy new stuff. I left a magic card in my bag. Thats worth a lot. Plus, I have a few mementos from Earth. Its silly, but my mom gave me my grandmas pearls. Its the only thing I have left from her. Do you think you could lead me back? Max rubbed his neck. They had been lucky to survive with their lives. Sure, he could drop his pack and run in on his own, but it would still be a huge risk. On the other hand, he understood the importance of family. The whole reason he left Earth was to meet up with his brother. Family was important. He was about to say he would do it when Yang appeared. She had been standing nearby and let her Camouflage drop. She sat close to Lily and said, Thats not true. You are the most important thing to come from your family. Yang touched Lilys knee lightly. Keeping your memories of her alive is far more important than a string of oyster spit. Your mother is watching you now, and Im sure they wouldnt want you to risk your life for an object. Lily looked down, Maybe. Its hard though. Thinking of walking away from the forest feels like walking away from her memory. Tell us a story of them, we will help you bring their memories along with us. They will live in us as they live in you, Yang said. The corner of Lilys mouth twitched up, I think Id like that. Gus cleared his throat and said, Maybe while we are on the go? Im seeing movement down the corridor south of us. Chapter 47: A Mother Loves Her Child Max stood up and looked south. There was a narrow corridor where the blue forest ended and the Earth forest started. It wasnt straight, but you could see a good distance away. You sure there is something there? I dont see anything, Max said as he squinted. Positive. There is a brown monster about a mile south of us. Its headed this way, Gus said. I put some system points in ta Sight. I can see better than you now. Trust me. Max nodded. He held out his hand to Lily to help her up. Tell us a story while we walk. I would love to hear about the mother that shaped you into a wonderful person. Lily took the hand and stood up. She looked into the forest where her pack with her grandmothers pearls was stranded. With a shake of her head, she turned and started walking. James groaned as he sat up. Max had to help him up too. The run for their lives had taken a lot out of him, and James was still recovering. Thankfully, they were just walking now, and he didnt have a pack to weigh him down. My mom was different when I was a teenager, Lily said. Time and my father really beat her down. My favorite memories of her are all from when I was a little kid. The five of them got into formation and walked along the corridor between the two forests. To their right was the earth forest with tightly growing pine trees and to their left was the blue Mycelium Aspen forest. In between there was hard packed earth where nothing grew. It was almost a road through the wilderness. She continued softly so her story wouldnt carry. I grew up in a house that would consider a mansion small. It was opulent, but far from kid friendly. The painting in the corridor was a beautiful Renoir, but god forbid that little girls fingers would ever come close to it. The whole house was like that. Look but dont touch. My mom and the nannies were assigned to keep me away from everything and fill my days with lessons in English, Violin, Polo, Needlework. All of it was too much for a little girl of seven. One day my mom snuck me out of the house. Gus kept looking over his shoulder, a concerned look on his face. He didnt say anything though. Lily glanced back, but kept talking. At first, I didnt know what was going on. I thought it was weird that we were taking a taxi since we had a fleet of cars and two drivers. Then we got there. The Greenbelt Mall. It was a whole day of playing and shopping. My mom was hilarious in the bumper cars, she looked so surprised when I drove into her. The VR games were the best though. They were so fun and we spent hours shooting monsters. She got motion sick halfway through, but didnt let me know. She knew I was having fun and didnt want to spoil it. Eventually, the day ended. I fell asleep in the cab home. I still remember the feeling of leaning up against my mom with the shopping bags piled up on the other side. Max heard something in the distance. One of the lighting attacks had triggered. He picked up the pace and angled them farther away from the blue trees. They kept to the corridor though, it was still the fastest path north. Lily sighed. Later I found out that my mom got in big trouble when we got home. She knew she wasnt supposed to go out without my dads permission, but did it anyway. I dont know what he did to her, but she wore long sleeves and sunglasses for weeks. I think she knew that would happen, but took me out anyway. She didnt want my life to be lessons only, she wanted a little joy in my life, even if that came at a cost to her. Your mom really loved you, huh? James said softly. She really did. She died when she was thirty. Parkinsons. Max softly said, Thank you for the story, Lily. I wish it had a happier ending. Me too. Tests say I have it too. Its one of the reasons I came here, I was hoping for a magic solution. They were quiet for a bit, Gus continued to look over his shoulder and sped up a bit. Yang let her camouflage fall and said, I am sure she is watching you from heaven, proud of who you have become. Lily smiled. I hope so. How would you know, Yang? Gus asked. Are you a mom? Did you leave your kid on Earth? Yang scowled at him and a knife appeared in her hands. Gus held up his hands and said, Hey, hey. Its just a question. I wasnt tryn ta be rude, I swear. She didnt reply, instead activating her Camouflage card again and fading away. Soon only a vague impression of a human shape walked in front of the pine trees. Max bet that if she were standing still, he wouldnt be able to pick her out from the foliage. Gus, what do your enhanced eyes see behind us? Gus smiled and said, Look! Look with your special eyes. Max chuckled when he realized Gus was quoting a commercial. Max replied, My brand! There are at least three monsters following, probably more out of sight. They keep dipping in and out of the forest. They are too far away to see details, but there is more than one type. I think they headed this way when they heard the lightning. Its just like with the guns on the third level. Monsters from all over are trying to find us. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. They hurried up a little more. We should head into the trees again, James said. We just talked about how thats a terrible idea, Max said. Maybe. But I think the lightning trees are reactive, not proactive. We walked for a while before anything happened. They didnt attack until after you broke that branch. We can head into the blue forest and use their lightning as an extra attack. We can throw something to break the branches around the monsters and have the trees electrocute them. Plus, we will be able to see them coming. No ambushes. Youve clearly put a lot of thought into this idea, Max said gently. But its still too dangerous. We dont know if the trees are reactive, or if they are intelligent. Maybe they werent trying to protect themselves, maybe they were trying to hunt us. James shrugged. Alright. But we should stay nearby in case you change your mind. If a titan finds us, youll be glad we have the trees. Thats fine for now. But weve got to turn spinward after a bit. There is a dungeon tower straight north of here, I dont want to get- Max was cut off when something huge fell from the sky, blocking out the sun. It was like someone threw an enormous blanket over them. It wrapped itself around Max from head to waist, covering him completely and cutting off his air. He tried to bring his hands to his face, but they were bound down, like they were tied to his waist. Then the burning started. Everywhere his skin was exposed felt like it was on fire. It wasnt hot so it must have been acidic instead. He screamed in pain, losing what little air was in his lungs. He was suffocating now, panic overriding the pain. He dug his feet in and jerked backwards. That sudden move pulled the acid curtain away from himself. He took a breath before the curtain wrapped itself around him again. That breath gave him the ability to think. He had a monster wrapped around him. Some kind of blanket slime or something. The fact that no one had rescued him yet meant that the others had been attacked too. He needed to get out of this on his own and help them. His feet were still free even though his arms were useless. He tried the same move again and jerked himself back, but this time the monster kept itself glued to his face. It was expecting him now. All it had to do was wait until the acid or lack of air did him in. Most of his skill set was useless without his hands, but he did have Levitate. He turned it on and off rapidly, jumping around randomly at the same time. The monster wasnt able to keep up with the sudden changes of direction and inertia and he freed his hands briefly. Just enough to reach into his belt. He grabbed a rotary saw and pulled it out. It was hard to move again as the monster wrapped itself tighter around him, but then the cutting disc came out. As soon as it left the dimensional storage, it sliced through the monster with ease. Max jerked his hand up, slicing the monster off his right arm and then up to his face. He held it just far enough away to avoid cutting himself. The monster screeched, vibrating in pain. Yang appeared then, yanking the monster up and away. The monster peeled off, falling to the ground behind them. Max spun and sliced it up a few more times to make sure it wouldnt get back up. It looked like nothing, just a black carpet of slime.
Minor amount of essence gathered
He looked up to see Yang was helping Gus now. They were cutting a monster off his right leg. James had cut himself out of his monster, but some of it still wrapped around his waist. He was ignoring it, trying to free Lily as she weakly struggled. Max dashed over to her. He grabbed the edge of the monster and started cutting. His hand started burning again, but he ignored it and pulled. The monster slid apart, the saw parted it effortlessly. He had to be careful that he didnt cut the struggling girl underneath. Working with James, they were able to separate the ambush monster from its prey.
Minor amount of essence gathered
Once her mouth was free, she gasped. They got the monster off her and James. After a great shuddering breath, Lily started crying. James wrapped her up in his arms and she cried into his shoulder. He didnt say anything, just stroked her back. Max felt uncomfortable and turned away. He looked at the monsters again. There were six corpses scattered about, a white orb hovering above each one. The acid blankets must have dropped down on them from the trees. Yang, how did you get free so quickly? Max said. They didnt see me. I had camo up. All six fell on you guys and I had to kill the extra ones before I could help you get free. That came out of nowhere. Thanks for helping me, Max said. I saw it coming, but I wasnt fast enough to get out of the way, Gus said. Damn system. Why cant we increase our speed and dexterity? Sure would be nice right about now, Max said and ran his hand through his hair. He hissed in pain. His hand felt like the worst sunburn ever, and his hair was all frizzy now. Everyone but Yang looked like they had gone to the same terrible barber. Their clothes looked like shit too, spots all over. Like someone had done a load of laundry and thrown in bleach with the colors. A rustle of leaves was the only warning he got before a monster pounced at him. Max turned to see a boar-wolf bearing down on him. Its right hoof knocked him onto his back and held him there. It opened its jaws wide, huge tusks on display. A crackling purple ball formed inside its mouth, inches above Maxs face. The monster was interrupted by glass shards to the eye and a flash of blue. The boar-wolf leaned back and squealed in pain and frustration as the purple ball shattered. That distraction allowed Max to get his hand free. The one that still held a circular saw. With a vicious thought, Max activated its magic and a silvery disc appeared and lopped off the limb holding him down. The monster fell back with a howl. Its summoned twin still had all four legs and held it down to go for the jugular. Maxs weapon still had five more shots in it, and he was happy to direct every one of them at his attacker. A few moments later, a blue and brown orb floated above the corpse.
Medium amount of essence gathered
That was the second time in so many minutes that Max had almost died. He slowly caught his breath, keeping an eye on his surroundings this time. Thanks, James, Gus. Quick thinking on the save, Max said. James nodded and Gus grunted. He said. Youre welcome. I remembered the Warped Mirror card, but I forgot about my ring. I coulda avoided the black slimes altogether if I had disappeared for two seconds. Still. Saved my life. Thanks. Uh, more pig beasts are on their way, Gus said and pointed. They must have heard their buddy. Max didnt see anything, but took his word for it. Alright, lets run for it. We need to lose them, or at least find someplace more defensible. Yang, grab the cores. Chapter 48: A Chance to Survive As they ran through the forest, Gus kept checking behind them and urging them to go faster. Apparently, the monsters hadnt caught sight of their prey yet, but there were a lot of them headed this way. Max pulled out a hammer and a drill. It was almost all his remaining weapons. He had given Lily and James hammers earlier, but the three of them had dropped their weapons as they ran through the forest. The only charged weapon he had left in his pouch was the huge hammer Gus used in his troll form. Yang still had her charged saw, but that was it. He pulled up his system screen and double checked his mana. Full. That meant he could do one thing while they ran. He could make a new saw, or supercharge his hammer or drill. Augment to be specific. When he applied the Augment card to his saw, it duplicated the cutting spell on activation. He didnt want a hammer that did that. He might want a drill that shot out piercing ray. He shook his head. He couldnt experiment while he was literally running for his life. He tucked the drill away. He scooped up a branch and activated his Circular Saw card. When the motes of light cleared, he held a saw. A charged saw, since it always started with a spell loaded up. They ran on, trying to keep up the pace without wearing themselves out. Max was impressed that Gus wasnt slowing down. The bearded man had a gut, but must have corded muscle underneath. He was able to keep running while continually checking behind themselves. They are going to catch up with us, Gus said. We got maybe five minutes. James swore and tried to run faster. He was already flagging. They had run for their lives not long ago and he hadn''t recovered fully. They werent going to get far, even without Gus time limit. Max glanced around. The blue forest was to his left. It might be time to revisit entering the forest again. If they grouped up, he might be able to keep them out of range of the electric attacks. Might. It had been tough to survive when everyone was fresh, it would be almost impossible now that they were all tired. A better option would be to turn and run into the thickest part of the pine forest. The problem was that they each smelled of monster guts so they definitely couldnt hide. Finding a defensible spot in the forest didnt seem likely either. There was no way to funnel the monsters or prevent them from swarming every side. In the distance, a pointed tip rose above the Douglas fir. The dungeon tower he had seen before. They needed to turn to the left or right now if he wanted to avoid the mandatory quest to clear it. Ebba had said mandatory quests were rare, but the news reports were full of them. Max needed to make a decision now. Left or right. A quick or slow death. He looked ahead, mentally shouting at himself to make a decision. He didnt want to choose either. A surge of determination hit him and he slowed down. We cant keep running. Everyone, stop here. We are gonna hide in the trees nearby. Gus, stay where you are. When the monsters get close, use your Warped Mirror card on the trailing monster. Then take your troll form potion, Max said. While he talked he pulled out the long hammer. Yang. Once they engage, use your saw right away. The magic disc should be able to kill one monster on its own, and the cutting disc can cut through anything for about five minutes after that. She nodded and faded from sight. Lily, James, both of you climb a tree. Get as high as you can and stay hidden. Im not going to hide and let you fight for us, James said around gasps for breaths. You arent. I just want you out of melee range so I dont have to worry about protecting you. Use your decay on everything at least once. After that, go ham with your Glass Shards. Lily, you know what to do. Lily grabbed James and said, Come on. Climbing takes time. Gus tsked. He accepted the hammer and laid it on the dirt next to him. Im not sure if I like the idea of paying bait. I know Ill heal, but it still hurts, you know? I know. Im sorry, I really am, Max said and stepped towards the closest pine tree. This is the only way we can control their approach. Ill jump out after I use both drill arrows. I wont leave you there to be a punching bag. Max dropped Yangs pack and knelt behind the tree. He pulled out the crossbow and lay it next to himself. He had the two drill-bolts for it and then it would be useless. Then he had one each of a hammer, drill, and saw. He had been making more tools every chance he got, but they kept getting broken or lost. He checked his mana. Even after making the saw, he still had enough for a hammer. He reached up and broke off a branch and transmuted it into a tungsten war hammer. It was a bit heavy, even sized for himself, but he didnt think this fight would last long enough for that to matter. Either the monsters or the humans would all be dead soon. The first monster caught sight of Gus and let out a howl. Max focused and inspected them in turn. He was getting faster at this. Boar Wolf Level 24 Scaled Spider Level 16 Scaled Spider Level 19 Scaled Spider Level 18 Feathered Tiger Level 26 Five monsters bore down on a single human. Gus nervously gripped the large hammer as they galloped closer. With a dramatic flourish, he made a blue monster appear behind the slowest one. The fake feathered tiger dug its talons into the hindquarters of the real one and opened up deep gashes. The monster turned and slashed at the doppelganger. A single swipe was all that was needed to turn the summoned monster into a puff of mana. The feathered tiger turned and rejoined the chase, but at a greatly reduced speed. Gus quaffed the troll form potion and underwent a rapid change. His skin turned gray, his muscles bulged out, and his veins pulsed angrily. The lead monster opened his mouth and a crackling purple energy formed inside. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Max took the shot he had been lining up. He timed it perfectly to hit the lead boar-wolf in the face. It hit the bone just above the eye socket. A normal arrow would have deflected away, but this one had its magic pierce active. The drill-bolt sunk deep into the monsters head as a yellow light flashed out the back of its skull. It tumbled to the ground, its body slowly catching up to the fact that it was dead. The trio of scaled spiders hopped over the corpse without missing a beat. They skittered towards Gus as he readied his hammer. Distortions in the air flew out, James applying Decay to each green scaled spider. Yang appeared out of nowhere and targeted the trailing spider. She fired the magic disc and a silvery circle flew out, slicing off all of the monsters legs on the right side. Green blood spurted out, painting the ground as it slid to a stop. At the same time, Lilys drop bear fell from the top of the tree, accelerating as it fell faster and faster. It slammed into its target with full force, killing the same spider Yang had mortally wounded. Max tsked at their lack of coordination, but refocused on the fight. He had finally reloaded his second shot and aimed it at the remaining two scaled spiders. They were both in front of Gus, dancing just out of range of wild swings from his hammer. One was braver than the other and attacked. It leapt over him, twice as high as Gus was tall. Troll form Gus ignored the high flying spider and pounced on the timid one. This time the monster didnt get out of the way in time. Gus tungsten hammer activated its super strike and pulverized the monster. Green blood painted the ground. The other monster landed where Gus had been and Max took his shot. Once again, Maxs projectile was magically enhanced and sunk deep into the monsters body. This time it didnt hit anything vital. One of the eight legs was out of commission, but it was able to move just fine without it. The scaled spider skittered forward and knocked Gus onto his face. The hammer went flying. Max dropped his crossbow and scooped up the drill and his steel hammer. Shards of glass shattered on the scaled spiders face, distracting it for an instant. It was just long enough for Gus to wriggle out of the way. The scaled spiders fangs only found dirt. There were two sizzling holes where the impact had missed him. Gus was on his back now, but still held down by a pair of green scaly legs. He punched one, but the leg didnt move. Max arrived then, activating his hammers super strike in a horizontal swipe. The blue spell knocked three legs clean off the spider. With only four rear legs left, the spider pitched forward, spurts of green blood going everywhere. Its fangs hit Guss upraised arm and sank deep. He yelled in pain and terror, pushing the monster off him. Max helped by slamming his hammers spike into one of its many eyes and pulling. Together, they got the monster off Gus. He scrambled away as Max finished the job. It took three more two-handed hammer blows to put the final scaled spider down. Max allowed the hammer to drop when the monster finally stopped twitching. Guys! Theres one more! Lily yelled from above. They had forgotten about the feathered tiger. Yang was dancing around the striped monster, just barely avoiding its swipes. James was using his glass shards to keep it off balance and Lily was having her mushroomantis jump in and out of range. Somewhere along the line, Yang had lost her saw and was holding her right arm against her chest. Her sword was in her left hand which was the only thing keeping her alive. Slash after slash sparked off of the short sword. Yang gave ground, not even trying to counterattack. Max sprinted forward, activating Levitate to run faster. He looked down at his last weapon. A charged handheld drill. He didnt know he was going to use it when the monsters arm was as long as his body. One talon was longer than the drill. He came up on the feathered tiger from behind and noisily slid to a stop. The monster spun and swiped at him. Max leaned out of the way, but not fast enough. His drill was knocked out of his hand. The talon would have sliced right through his hand if it wasnt for his gauntlets. Max growled in frustration and pain. He backpedaled as the monster swiped at him again and again. Then he remembered a magic skill he rarely used. He reached out towards the drill on the ground and activated the gloves. A blue hand shot out and grabbed the drill. It shot back into his hand just in time for Max to use it. He activated its pierce and stabbed at the approaching feathered paw. The bright yellow light shot out and sliced through the paw and cut off a talon. The feathered tiger shrieked in pain and anger as it looked at its paw. Yang and Mushy attacked then, each from a different side. Mushy slid close, and activated a half dozen mantis blades into its chest. At the same time, Yang swung her blade down on its feathered neck. Her blade cut deep. It wasnt enough to decapitate it, but it was a mortal blow. The monster made a plaintive cry and stumbled to the ground. An orb appeared over the corpse, white with flecks of yellow. Max checked around and didnt see any other monsters approaching. No new threats. However, Gus continued to be a threat to their finances. Gus, seriously? I thought you said you wouldnt eat the monster cores anymore. You know how valuable those are, Max said with resigned disappointment. g turfti tae til ae l?kna, Gus said and pointed to his injured forearm. Max sighed, The spider bite is taking longer to heal and you wanted to keep your troll regeneration? Fine. But stand away from the other orbs. James, Lily, get down here and grab them before he does. Yang walked closer to Max. She didnt have to say a thing. Max reached into his belt and pulled out his first aid kit. When he was ready he gently took her arm. The feathered tiger had cut through the chitin gauntlet she had been wearing and sliced all the way down to the bone. He hurriedly took the remains of the gauntlet off her and wrapped up the arm tightly. He would have to readjust the bandage when the bleeding stopped. Ill try to figure out a way to shrink my gauntlets next. That way this wont happen again, Max said. Yang grunted and looked away. Tears were slowly dripping down her tattooed face. That must have hurt more than she was willing to admit. He sighed and finally allowed himself to focus on the system messages.
Medium amount of essence gathered
Minor amount of essence gathered
Minor amount of essence gathered
Minor amount of essence gathered
Level Up
Medium amount of essence gathered
Nice. He had leveled up. It was a bit disappointing that the scaled spiders had been worth less. They had poison and seemed rather deadly to him. Still, he had another two points to assign to his system, which made him happy. Gus shouted, Krakkar, vie h?fum flagsskap! and pointed south. Max turned to see movement in the distance. It was too far to see details, but it looked like a moving carpet of brown. It was a horde of monsters, probably the boar-wolves. He made a snap decision. Time to go! Max shouted and stuffed his first aid kit back into his belt. We cant outrun that many, Lily said. I know. Thats why we are heading straight for the dungeon. Ebba said its walls are impenetrable. What? No. We cant trust anything she said. Besides, what if there is a mandatory quest and we have to do more floors this time? Lily said as she started running. That horde is certain death. At least the dungeon gives us a chance to survive, Max said. Gus, gimme that hammer and grab Lily and James. We need to run faster. Chapter 49: I Just Want a Break The gray skinned troll picked up James and Lily and they yelped in surprise. Gus chuckled and started running. He was carrying two people and his full pack, but Max and Yang had to work to keep up with him. Max looked behind him. The horde had gotten closer. It was the same herd of Boar-wolves he had seen earlier. There were a few dozen monsters rushing towards them. The three lead monsters had their mouths open as they ran. A purple ball was forming inside, an energy attack forming. Attack incoming, get ready to dodge, Max said. A few moments later he shouted, Left, now! A thick beam of purple light hit the ground where they had just stood, followed by two more. The three beams turned and followed the humans into the blue forest. Several trees were vaporized as soon as the beam touched them. The magic cut out a moment later. Max turned forward again, hoping that they couldnt do that often. He focused his Insight, staring at the trees ahead of them. The forest would be counter attacking soon. He just had to- there! Right! They left the blue forest just as a row of trees crackled with electricity. Domes of lightning exploded out with rolling thunder. Max looked back and grinned. The trees had taken out half of the monsters. The grin fell off his face a few seconds later. The affected monsters stood back up and joined the hunt. They must be immune to the forests attack. Everything became clearer now. The blue forest was the herds hunting grounds. They could survive anything it threw at them, and the tree''s lightning attacks alerted the monsters to prey. It was like the whole forest was working to feed the monsters. Max firmed up his expression. The monsters were going to go hungry today. The people ran on, putting their everything into the mad sprint. Max kept a careful eye on the monsters behind them, telling Gus and Yang when to dodge. Six of the monsters attacked at once, but they couldnt turn their purple beams fast enough to catch his squad. He dipped into and out of the forest, using the lightning domes to slow down the horde. Finally, the dungeon tower appeared, just past the edge of the blue forest. There were people camped out in front of the tower, sitting around a clean burning campfire. Humans mostly, with a pair of Igra and a Paj in the mix. Gus yelled incoherently, but that was more than enough to get them moving. It seemed like they thought Gus was attacking at first, but then they saw the herd of boar-wolves behind them. The crowd turned and ran into the tower. Groups of five and six filled an entrance and slammed the doors shut behind themselves. Half of the entrances were closed before Maxs squad got there. Most everyone found their teammates and locked themselves away. Only one Paj remained. She stood near one of the open doors and waved them in. Gus followed her lead and brought Lily and James into the antechamber. The Paj wriggled inside, gesturing for Yang and Max to come in too. The instant they entered the dungeon, she slammed her hand onto a symbol on the wall and the door fell down. They heard the sound of beams hitting the dungeon an instant later. One after another hit, but the dungeon''s walls were impervious. Maxs eyes adjusted to the interior lighting as he caught his breath. Gus sat with his back to the wall, catching his breath as well. Yang faded into the background. Lily and James stood together, rubbing their bodies where Gus had held them tight. The Paj stood near the door, trying to keep all of them in sight. She was particularly wary of Gus enormous troll body. She wore light armor, metal mesh with segmented plates overtop. It reminded him of the Igra style of armor, only with less protection. In one hand she held a knife with a blade above and below the handle. The other hand tightly gripped a small red ball. Max thought she looked particularly attractive for an alien. He was immediately suspicious of the thought. Was she using a Bell card or Presence to mess with him? He tried to think about her looks analytically. Her face was symmetrical, her green skin smooth, her figure was curvy enough for Captain Kirk to be interested. Her tail was centipede-like and a little off putting. Huh. Maybe there was no mental manipulation. Her upper half was just his type. Still, he resolved to be cautious. Hello there. My name is Max, whats your name? Greetings Max. My name is Bisrat. She did a little bow then looked around. Are these ... beings in your party? Max laughed. Yes, we are all together. We are all human, even Gus there. Hes just temporarily a troll because of his cups card. The young woman over there is Lily. The dashing young man next to her is my best friend James. Hiding in the corner over there is Yang. Yang deactivated her camo and folded her arms, How could you tell? Max just winked at her. She would figure out soon that he could see a wisp of mana when her card was active. He had to pay attention to pick her out, but it was possible. Bisrat relaxed. Wonderful to meet you all. Im assuming there is an interesting story of how you ended up south of the Blue Forest Dungeon with the whole Boar-wolf herd after you. Not really. We came from Twelve Meditations and didnt have a guide. When the monsters caught wind of us, they chased us up here. We are just making it up as we go. No guide? You must be confident to enter the wilds without one. Max shook his head, More like we didnt have a choice. We have to get to the first layer. We are new, I think the Paj call us seedlings. Bisrat tapped her chest in an impressed manner. You arrived on the second layer and you are still alive on your own? You must have gotten powerful heart cards. Max decided against telling her the whole story. We got lucky. Many of those that arrived with us did not. How about you? What brings you to the Blue Forest Dungeon? I am an artifact appraiser. I climb with teams and let them know which dungeon artifacts are cursed and which ones are not. I was contracted with The Red Band for the last week, but they left yesterday. Bisrat said and dipped her head. I was attempting to sell my services when you pushed everyone inside. Max scratched his cheek. Sorry we interrupted you. Hopefully you can find a good party when this is all over. I hope so too. I was beginning to think I should have returned with them to the first layer. Regardless, I think a fair recompense to your disruption would be a short jaunt through the tower and an even split of the loot. Actually, I was hoping we could hide out in here for a little bit then head out. There is no mandatory quest making us run the dungeon, right? No, it isnt required, but you might as well do a short run. It will be several hours before the herd leaves. Why not kill a few monsters in here while we wait out the monsters outside? Even for seedlings like you, the first floor should be simple. Its only the upper floors that are dangerous. Well think about it. For now we are going to rest and recover. Yang, come here, lets look at that wound. Max pulled out his first aid kit again. This time he got the fishing line and needle out too. He was going to stitch the wound up. It might be ugly, but he was sure that it would heal better that way. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Bisrat wriggled closer and said, Is the wound clean? If so, I have some mana water that will speed up healing. Max turned back to Yang. The last time she had that choice she rejected it. Yangs expression turned blank. I would appreciate that, yes. Bisrat dipped her head and pulled out a small vial. We should pour a bit on the wound and then you drink the rest. Max slowly unwrapped her forearm. Yang sucked in a breath and let it out in a long hiss. She didnt move though. When it was exposed, Bisrat poured half the vial on the wound and then put the rest to Yangs lips. She obediently swallowed it down. Max watched the wound for a bit, but it seemed like Bisrats mana water wasnt as potent as Ebbas had been. The wound was still bleeding, just slower now. He carefully sewed up her wound. Once that was done, he got out a new bit of gauze and bound up her forearm again. A bit looser this time. They all settled in to rest. Bisrat did this interesting thing where she sunk down and wrapped her centipede tail around herself. Max pulled out another set of trail rations and handed them out. He offered Bisrat one, but she had her own provisions. Gus ate his food in seconds, but the rest of them took their time. Yang, how did your Camouflage quest go? You get an option to cover everyone yet? Max asked. She shook her head, No, sorry. I finished the quest, but the cards evolution options only apply to me. My camouflage works better now, that''s it. Damn. I was really hoping we could get a replacement for Ebba, Max sighed. Well, lets pass out loot evenly now that we arent trying to boost you up. Max had kept track of the large and small monster cores they had collected along the way. He asked James and Yang to hand them over and he passed out on large and two small orbs to everyone but Yang. They had already given her several small, so she didnt get any more. While he was at it, he swallowed another orb and brought his gloves card up to six. Just as he expected, that triggered the card evolution quest. He read over it, hoping that would result in gloves he could size down. He had promised Yang her own gauntlets and he meant to deliver. Citadel Evolution Quest In order to progress your Gloves card past level six, demonstrate competence in the following three areas: spell, function, style. Use the hand spell in six five materially different ways. [ ] Craft a pair of gloves with a different function. [?] Create gloves to match the style of six different people. [ ] This is an optional quest and there is no time limit. You must pass this evolution quest before you can start another. Max read over the quests. He had one complete and the other two would take some time. The first quest would require some imagination, but he figured he would have plenty of time to figure out a new application of the spell while it recharged. It was nice that the second task was already complete. Gauntlets were rather different than the default gloves. The final task wasnt happening anytime soon. He had no sense of personal style, and he certainly didnt know how to judge others styles. One thing at a time though. How to use the floating blue hand spell better. So far he had only used it to grab something out of reach. Until this quest, he assumed that was all it could do. The task called it a hand spell. Maybe he could use it like a mage hand? He turned his gauntlet towards James and focused on what he wanted the spell to do. He activated the spell and a blue hand flew out of the gauntlet and the pointer finger aimed directly at James ear. At the last moment, James ducked out of the way. He hadnt been looking the right way, but he must have sensed it somehow. As the blue hand dissipated into nothing, James turned and flipped Max off. Max stuck his tongue out at his friend. He checked his quest and it now said he only had to find four more uses for the hand spell. It was an exciting thought. A whole new world of mage hand magic opened up in his mind. He checked his gloves card. Just over an hour before the gloves recharged themselves and he could try again. He couldnt wait. So, Bisrat. How long have you been on Spinworld? Lily said as she snacked on nuts. Six years, give or take. There are no seasons here, so its hard to tell. The days all blur together, she said and smoothed out the segments on her tail. I imagine youre used to this place by now. You seem unflappable. I wish I had that. This place is so overwhelmingly violent, its relentless. There are monsters out that door that want to kill us and a dungeon through there that wants to eat us. I just want a break, Lily said and sighed. Bisrat rattled her quill hair in laughter. Dont we all. But you are right, you do get used to it. The world wants to kill you and you kill it before it can. Some people cant handle that of course, but there are always jobs in the cities for people that want peace. Most people stay in cities, actually. They go out on hunts for weeks or months and spend twice that long relaxing in town. Max found himself relaxing for the same reason Lily was stressed. There were monsters everywhere around them, but none of them were getting in here. For the next few hours he could let his guard down. Im guessing you dont spend much time in town, right? Max said. You said they, not we. She inclined her head. Yes, very perceptive. I spend most my days on the road, traveling with caravans or climbing dungeon towers. Not many people choose to invest in Insight, so I provide a valuable service. What do people normally invest in? Max asked. Depends on the person. If they are a frontline fighter, then they invest in Weight and Resistance. If they are a spell slinger they invest in Flow and Quicken. If they are a leader, Sight and Presence. It all depends. There is a use case for every stat. Even the seemingly useless Levitate stat is required if you want to live in the floating city. Max opened his mouth to ask about the floating city, but Lily beat him to the punch. Is there a way to change your mind? I picked Specialize and Ive been thinking I should have picked Generalize ever since. She knocked on the floor. There is actually. If you focus intently the next time you level up, you can lower a stat instead of raising it. The only problem is that it still uses the level up points. Its incredibly expensive, but possible as long as you catch the mistake early. Do you think I should change, switch to Generalize? It depends. It typically isnt worth it for most people. Particularly if you have access to the cards of your suit. What suit do you have? Maxs attention wavered as they continued talking. He was happy to have chosen Specialize. Her comment about level ups reminded him that he had points still unassigned. He pulled up his stat screen to decide where the two new points should go.
Max Kraft (Level 10)
Insight: 6
Flow or Resistance
Presence or Paranoia
Broaden 1
Levitate 5
Specialize: 6
?(Free Points: 2)?
Broaden was out. He already had enough mana to make anything he wanted. He could put his free points into Levitate, but he wasnt sure if he wanted to be slightly lighter. Specialize and Insight were at level six, he couldnt raise them for some reason. A soft cap or something. Flow was calling his name. He had wanted to get better at magic, and there was a stat that would do just that, while making him more flexible and dexterous at the same time. He didnt know why he hadnt picked it before. Now was an excellent time to rectify that error. About to take the plunge, a thought occurred to him. Bisrat was right there. She seemed willing to answer any questions they had. He should double check his assumptions and thought processes before he took the plunge. Hey Bisrat. I leveled up on the way here, can I ask your advice on how to spend the points? Of course. And although I am very trustworthy, you should avoid talking specific numbers with anyone that isnt in your long term party. Max inclined his head. Thanks for the honesty. I have a stat that I want to raise, but the system wont let me. Whys that? Ah, so you hit level 6 or 12, right? You cant progress a stat past those points until after you pass level 12 or 24, respectively. I believe the builders want to ensure that we spread out our points and not put everything into one stat. I told you I specialized in Insight, but I have placed points in other areas as well. Max nodded. Thanks. That explains it. How about the Flow or Resistance stats? Anything I should know before I make that choice? Thats fairly simple. Are you a front line fighter or a backline fighter? Max tipped his head back and forth. Thats a good question. I specialized in citadel cards and I have a few cards that come with ranged attack spells. I want to stay in the back line, but I keep ending up in the front line. Gus cant hold it alone, even in his troll form. Bisrat sat up and unwrapped her tail. You have more than one citadel card with a magical effect? Yeah, four of them actually, Max said. Im sure Ill show you all of them if we fight monsters later. Bisrat wriggled backwards and said, Have you been lying to me? She raised the red ball in her hand. Mas held up his hands. Whoa, whoa. Ive been completely truthful. Why are you asking? It occurred to Max that she knew a lot about them now, but he didnt know what level she was or what cards or artifacts she used. He carefully moved his hand towards his belt while her eyes darted around the room in panic. Chapter 50: Grinder Dungeons Who are you people? Seedlings that got here less than a month ago dont have exceptional cards. Not one, let alone four of them. I arrived on the second layer, so I know everyone got a common card. Common citadel cards dont have magic effects. So who are you guys, really? Bisrat said and held the red ball up higher in a menacing manner. Calm down, we arent secretly strong, Max said with his hands raised. We have better than average cards because we had some crazy first days when we arrived on the third layer. Bisrat tilted her head. Now you are expecting me to believe you made it from the third layer to here as seedlings? Do you think Im actually dumb enough to believe that? Im not lying, Max said, starting to get frustrated. We had help from a Lunuk guide through most of the third layer, and some Igra helped us out even more when Gus won a bet. Its true. Trust us, Bisrat, James said. I can tell you are a good person. Just listen before you act, ok? Weve had a wild few weeks, but that doesnt mean we are lying. Bisrat slowly lowered her hands. Maybe you are all seedlings. No one that has been here for a while would expect anyone to believe such an outlandish tale. Did that all really happen or were you trying to impress me with braggadocio? It really happened, Max said firmly. He listened to the door behind her. There were still occasional attacks to the dungeon walls. James said, Hey, we have time. I can tell you the whole story if you want. Ekki segja henni neitt, Gus said and held his arms up in a cross. Whats that, Gus? You want us to tell her everything? Even our secrets? Ok, will do, James said with a shit eating grin. Gus grumbled and James told Bisrat all about what happened to them since they got there. Max made sure he left out details about their magic cards, but he was fine with James telling her all about the big events. It was cathartic to tell her about everything that had happened to them. It was a lot in retrospect. He told her about the swarm of monsters that were drawn by guns, the titan that almost killed them all, and the dozens of monsters that attacked them along their way. Lily jumped in to explain the betrayal of Feng and Fern and the escape from the war in Wild Plums. James gave a blow by blow of the mandatory dungeon run right afterwards. Max took his turn telling the story of the boss fight and the loss of Ashley, but he didnt mention how they killed the boss or what card Ashley held. Next was their adventures in city of Twelve Meditations, then attempted card stealing, first by the mind controlling Lunuk. Then by Ebbas Elders, if not Ebba herself. The whole story was depressing actually. Other things came up in the retelling that helped Max feel a little less gloomy. The countless times Ebba saved their lives, the kindhearted innkeeper Hammurabi, the generous Igra that sped them along. That is ... quite the story, Bisrat said. She had sat back down during the telling and knocked her fingers on her tail. I find myself believing your unbelievable tale. Its too wild for anyone to have made up. My own history is far less dramatic. She got more comfortable and said, I arrived on the second layer, a few miles south of Beetletun. All the towers still worked then, so we had a gentle introduction to Spinworld. Too gentle, really. We were unprepared for how brutal this world is. Half of us died our first night outside the tower. James shivered at the thought. She rolled her hand, Anyway, the survivors made it to Beetletun and we joined a caravan to the first layer. Its much safer there. My friends and I formed a party, we were successful dungeon climbers for a time. Then I got thrown in jail. I had a misunderstanding with the scion of the Governor of New Pants, and she had me arrested. My friends tried to win my freedom, but they failed. Paj rarely find justice in human run cities. In the end, two of them sold their cards to free me. I was very grateful, but the incident destroyed our party. Three of them left, and I do what I can to support the other two. Without a card, there arent a lot of opportunities to make money. I was lucky to keep my Acceleration card and carve out my niche as an artifact assayer. I try to send them money regularly, but times are tough in our little metal ball. Max nodded along. Im starting to realize how rare it is to survive, let alone thrive. By the way, why does everyone freak out about heart cards? It seems like people are willing to do almost anything to steal or swindle them away from the newly arrived. Bisrat smoothed her hair spines. All magic cards are worth a substantial amount of money, but heart cards are special. They can be merged. Two common heart cards of the same type can be merged into an advanced card. You cant do that with a regular card. Not outside of Specialization anyway. The rich and powerful in Spinworld hit a limit to their card magic quickly. The only way they can continue to advance is to get more powerful cards. That means incredible risk to life or limb on the fourth and fifth layers, or simply taking enough heart cards from seedlings. If you were in their position, what would you do? James nodded, They set up bounties on heart cards. Its one of the few rare resources on Spinworld. Max nodded along. It was nice James was opening up to someone new like that. Maybe because she was a green alien it bypassed his social anxiety. While they were talking, Max refocused on his system. He had two points to use to upgrade, and Bisrat hadnt really been helpful. Well, that wasnt true. She hadnt told him the correct upgrade path, but that just meant the decision was up to him. With that in mind, Max opened up his system and put both points into Flow. He felt the change wash over him from the inside out. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. When he was back on Earth, he used to donate plasma. They would replace the plasma with saline at the end. If the saline was cold, you could feel it working through your body, every vein protesting one at a time. This was much like that with a spreading change washing over his body from the inside out. The feeling quickly passed and Max stood up to test out the dexterity difference. He almost fell over. It was like having rubber bones. Every movement went further than he was expecting. It was an odd sensation. He stretched out, finding his new limits. Every part of him was more flexible, even his spine. He would crush the limbo competition back home. Thankfully, he adjusted to the change quickly. He was more flexible now, and more in control of every movement. He also checked himself with Inspect and his internal magic seemed faster. It was still kind of fuzzy, but he got that impression. He wanted to test out how his magic behaved now, but there wasnt any random junk in the small atrium he could use. Bisrat cleared her throat and said, It doesnt seem like the herd outside is leaving anytime soon. What do you all say to a quick dungeon run while we wait? Max shrugged. Actually, I wouldnt mind doing one or two of the lower floors. But I wont consider it if we dont have hundred percent buy-in. What do you guys think? Lily looked at the door into the dungeon. Whats it like, Bisrat? You said youve been running this dungeon for a week, right? Whats the set up? I cant say for certain, dungeons change their layout and monsters all the time. Sometimes multiple times a day. But the layout has stayed the same since I got here and I can tell you about that, Bisrat said and stood up. There are three main dungeon types. We call them Training, Entertainment, and Grinder. The first type teaches you something, like how to do an alien job. If you do the job well, it provides additional rewards. The second type has a story and playing along makes things much easier. The Blue Forest Dungeon is currently the third type, a grinder. There is no lesson, no story, just killing. Although again, things change and you should be prepared for anything. Grinder dungeons dont have a way to make the climb easier. The only way to progress is to kill the monsters. On the first floor there are wraith fish, metal urchins, and shadow kraken. The second floor has all that plus sliver striders and chain umbrella. The third floor adds- Max cut her off and said, I dont think well get that far. We almost died doing one floor in our last dungeon. Well probably call it quits after one or two floors, depending on how easy it is. Bisrat made a face and said, The rewards after only two floors would be meager. How about you make a decision after every floor on whether or not to proceed? Max shrugged. Fine by me. We still havent decided if we are going inside at all. Gus, do you have any idea how long your troll form will last? I dont want you to lose it halfway through a fight. And we arent stepping a foot into the dungeon without you acting as our tank. Gus opened his mouth then closed it in frustration. He growled, a low sound that rumbled their chests. He nodded and held up three fingers. You do have a sense of how long it will last, three somethings. Minutes, hours? Max said. Gus pointed to him as he said hours. Hours. Three hours. That should be plenty of time. We should get back here within two hours just in case that sense is off. Gus grunted and gave a firm nod. He clearly didnt like not being able to talk. Max kind of preferred it. Gus couldnt piss anyone off if they didnt understand his racist ramblings. Ok, Gus is in. How about you, Lily? We dont have to do this, I am fine with taking a nap. Im in, Lily said firmly. Me too, James said. There was a pause and Max turned towards the corner Yang was hiding in. And you? I wanna hear everyones opinion. Yang came out of camouflage and stomped her foot. How do you keep doing that? And yes, I am in. Max smiled and tapped his eyes, I chose Inspect, remember? I can see the wisps of magic your card uses. I bet Bisrat can see you too. I can, yes. But only when Im paying attention. Max is strangely perceptive for a seedling. It was Yang, right? Yang, I can teach you exercises that will contain your mana, making it easier to hide from people that spoil the fun like Max. Bisrat said with a smile. Yang chuckled evilly while Max rolled his eyes. Gus lumbered to his feet and made a gimme motion. Max handed over his extra large hammer and got out the other weapons he had stored there. A steel hammer, his crossbow, two drills, and a circular saw. Since his mana had regenerated, he created a few more weapons. He transmuted trash into a tungsten hammer, and sacrificed some food for a tungsten saw. Both times he used his card, he felt something new. It was like a word on the tip of his tongue, he could almost grasp something new about mana, but he couldnt understand it yet. Lily got one of the drills, and James the steel hammer. Hopefully they wouldnt need them. Yang still had her saw so Max kept the rest. Once he had everything situated, he turned to Bisrat. She was staring at him with her mouth open. Do you have any idea how rare a storage device is? No? Ebba had one, and Im sure Ive seen one for sale before. Besides, mine is cursed. Bisrat shook her head. Bags of holding are valuable. I dont know how much one is worth because Ive never seen one for sale. All I know is that the super rich always have one, but almost no one else does. Max stared at his belt with new appreciation. I guess its a good thing it cant be stolen from me then, ''cus of the curse. He shrugged. Anyway. If you are climbing with us, I need to know what you can do and you have to agree to be under my command. Are you ok with taking orders from a seedling? Of course. I am soft locked at level 12, and my main card is Accelerate. Its a clover suit card. The longer it has to work, the faster the object goes. I like to use it in conjunction with this cursed ball. It never returns to me. That means I can throw it in a dungeon room and never worry about getting hit. I Specialized in clover, but I only have two more cards. I would prefer to keep the details secret until I know you better. I am rather handy with my double bladed knife. Im even better with a spear, but I had to sell mine a few months ago. My previous teams have placed me on the rearguard because I can spot stealth attacks easier that way. Max tsked. Having you in the backline wouldnt be that useful. You cant use a melee weapon from a distance. And Im assuming you cant make your flubber ball avoid allies, right? True, the red ball cant differentiate friend from foe. However, my card makes knives a ranged weapon. And I never said I had just one, Bisrat said and tapped her waist. What Max had assumed was her armor was actually a row of stilettos. She wore a few dozen knives like a skirt. Max spread his hands. Well, alright then. You can be backline with James. Well have Gus up front, Lily and I right behind him with melee support, then James and Bisrat with ranged support. Yang, keep practicing stealth from behind and engage when you think we need it. Sounds good, James said cheerily. Thank you for including me, Bisrat said with a little bow. And I promise, I take no offense to having Yang act as a gardener until you trust me more. The corner of Maxs mouth twitched up. He intended on Yang keeping an eye on Bisrat without her knowing. She had seen through that right away. Whatever. She said she was fine with it. Gus, open the door, Max said as he shouldered his crossbow. Chapter 51: How Bad Is It? The dungeon door slid into the floor, revealing a medium sized room. The walls and ceiling were made of blue wooden planks. The floor was covered in volcanic rock and wet sand. The room was lit by three floating sprites glowing a faint green. Their random movement cast shifting shadows from the waist high rocks and random wooden detritus. There was a salty sour smell in the air. The first impression was one of tarnished glory. This room had once been the pride of talented craftsmen but those days were long past. Now there were gaps between the planks and once beautiful furniture lay shattered in piles. Gus. Stay in the doorway. This room is small enough that it makes sense to have them come to us. Give them a little roar, Max said. Gus turned and gave him a grin. Then he turned to the room and bellowed. The sound was loud enough to shake dust off the ceiling and rattle the blue wood furniture. A half dozen monsters appeared, scattered across the room. White fish rose up from shadows across the room. They were four feet long with six fins and a bifurcated tail. They turned and swam through the air towards the massive troll in the doorway. As they swam, they changed color, morphing from bone white to a pale gray and back again. Max fired his crossbow as soon as the lead one came into range. The drill-bolt activated midair and a yellow light speared out its tip. The bolt pierced through the fish and halfway into the one right behind it. Both monsters crashed to the ground, one dead instantly, and the other flopped on the sand like it had just discovered it was on dry land. Pale blue blood spurted from the wound, painting the ground. The other four monsters ignored the dying fish and sped up. They opened their mouths, revealing long thin teeth. Max braced for a shriek, but they were eerily quiet. James flicked out a trio of glass shards at the fish on the far right. The first one shattered on its bone scales, but the other two drew blood. The monster slammed its mouth shut and shook in place. That only made it easier for James to follow up with a shard to the eye, killing it. Simultaneously, Bisrat tossed out a pair of stilettos. The first one passed right through the fish like it was an illusion. The second knife punctured deep into the monsters brainpan. It crashed to the sand a moment later. Max ignored the multiple notices about gathering minor amounts of essence. Lilys drop bear made its move then, dropping from the ceiling on top of the trailing fish. The impact sent them both to the ground. The fish shook off the summoned monster and attempted to take to the air. Its spine had broken in the attack and it flopped uselessly. The drop bear swung its claws into the fish Belly before the summons timer ran out and it dissolved into mana. The fish died a moment later. That left one monster fish, the one that had phased through Bisrats knife. Gus stepped forward and swung hard, activating the long hammer as he did. A blue force field appeared over the hammers head and slammed into the remaining monster. The impact burst the fish like popping a balloon. Pale blue blood splattered everywhere. Max spat and heaved with revulsion. Some blood had gotten into his mouth. Gus, you maniac. You didnt need to use the super strike. The fishies would have died without it. Gus wiped blood off his own ugly face and shrugged. He didnt seem bothered at all. Then he pointed to Maxs hammer and motioned to swap them. No way! Im not going to swap hammers after you just wasted your charge. Keep your big hammer and use the magic of muscles to kill monsters. Gus grunted and rolled his eyes. He couldnt say anything of course. Max was starting to wonder if it was worth it to keep giving him cores to keep it that way. No, that would be a waste of money. As tempting as it was, Max wouldnt keep feeding Gus cores to shut him up. Very impressive, Bisrat said with fervor. You cleared that room easily. The way you talked earlier, I thought this tower might be a challenge for you. It clearly isnt. Max nodded. This is considerably easier than the last dungeon we ran. These monsters are small and weak. Thank you by the way. You are pretty handy with those knives. Thanks, Bisrat said and smoothed her quill hair. James smiled and said, You and I make a great team, Bisrat. Bisrat did a little wiggle. Max thought it was cute, but the translation magic let him know she was uncomfortable. Moving on, Max said. Does this look the same as when you ran the dungeon before, Bisrat? Yes, its the same theme. The exact number and placements of monsters will change, but every room should follow the same sunken ship theme I am used to. More wraith fish, metal urchins, and shadow kraken await us. Watch out for blade traps starting in the fourth room. Blade traps? Yes, they look like discarded piles of weaponry, but when you get close enough to trigger them, they explode outward in spinning blades. That sounds nasty, Max said and winced. It can be. Most people that climb the Blue Forest Dungeon wear better armor than... She trailed off. Max nodded. Lily and Yang wore broken chitin armor, but they were the only ones. The only armor James and Max wore was the gauntlets he made them. Gus didnt need armor in his troll form, but a blade trap would still hurt a lot before it healed. Yeah. One of the many reasons we wont be trying to climb the whole dungeon, Max said. We just arent equipped for it. Gus grunted and motioned for everyone to follow him. They formed up at the next door and the troll slammed his palm into the hexagon in the middle of the door. It slid into the floor, revealing another room, much like the first. Gus roared and they were off to the races. The second room was much like the first, only with eight wraith fish instead of six. It took them a bit longer to kill the monsters this time. The monster fish pulled the insubstantial trick a few more times in this room. It only prolonged the inevitable. It wasnt too long before Gus splattered the guts of the final monster across the floor. The third room introduced a new monster type. I gotta admit. I was expecting something different when you said metal urchins, Lily said. She shuffled to stand behind Gus. Uh, yeah. Without armor, Im not sure we should even attempt this room. Im assuming they can shoot their spikes, right Bisrat? Max said and took a step back. The blue wooden room in front of them held three metal urchins. The monsters looked more like a carpet made of foot-long steel spikes. They undulated across the room in a random pattern, climbing up and over wreckage and furniture. They were slightly faster than walking speed and were five feet around. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. No, actually. They attack by wrapping themselves around their target and squeezing. Their strength is formidable, but as long as you dont let yourself get caught, you will be fine. Gus grunted and stalked forward. The metal urchins hadnt reacted when he roared at the entrance to the room, they clearly couldnt hear. When he was close enough, he slammed his hammer down onto the monsters spines. The tungsten war hammer shattered a half dozen spikes. The metal urchin rattled its spines and wrapped itself up and around the hammer and halfway up his forearm. Gus warbled in pain and yanked his arm back. The metal urchin came with it, spines piercing deep enough to hold on. Guss cries grew louder as he flung his arm about. The monster hung on, digging deeper into his right arm. Hold still, hold still! Max said and stepped forward with a hammer in hand. Gus continued to flail as the monster climbed higher. Despite the wild gyrations, the metal urchin was slowly enveloping his arm, inch by inch. Max gave up on getting Gus to hold still. He stepped forward and grabbed the trolls arm with his left hand and swung down with his right hand. The war hammer impacted the monsters swinging body. Max activated the super strike and squinted as the blue light flashed out and pulped the monsters hanging midsection.
Minor amount of essence gathered
The remaining monster hung off of Gus arm in two parts. He yanked them off with a growling hiss. Blood poured out of dozens of puncture holes. The wounds quickly closed up as the trolls constitution healed him. Gus tapped his chin and brought his hand down; sign language for thank you. You are welcome, but next time hold still. I could have pried it off you sooner if you werent flailing around, Max said. Gus shrugged and said, T reynir ae sitja kyrr. Max shrugged back, having no idea what Gus was trying to say. He turned back to the room. The other two monsters hadnt come any closer. The spiny carpets were still climbing over furniture and wreckage. Being deaf protected them from Bell cards, but it made working together with other monsters difficult. Gus took a step into the room, but Max stopped him. Lemme see if I can tag them from here. He pulled out his crossbow and aimed at one of the wandering monsters. Even with unfamiliar ammo, he should be able to make the shot. He slowly exhaled and pulled the trigger. The long thin drill buzzed through the air. A bright yellow light extended from its point. The makeshift bolt dropped, too heavy to fly straight. Max had accounted for that, and the magic pierced the metal urchin, nailing it to the floor. The monster rattled all of its spikes at once, a clanging sound that vibrated the wood floor beneath them. The other metal urchin spun and dashed over to where the other monster was calling for help. Unfortunately for it, that was most of the way across the room from the source of the danger. Max carefully loaded his second drill bolt and aimed it at the new arrival. A few seconds later, it was nailed to the floor as well. The monsters rattled their metal quills and yanked themselves off the floor, tearing a hole in themselves in the process. The moment they were free, Lily struck. First the drop bear struck from above, thudding into the monster. It poofed into mana a moment later. Then the mushroomantis struck, leaning over and slicing deep into the monster. Most of its mantis blades were stopped by the metal quills, but the summoned monster had many scythes under its cap and it attacked with all of them. Blood spurted from the monster a few moments later. The mushroomantis sped up its attacks, but got too greedy. The metal urchin jumped onto the summons mushroom cap and squeezed. Scythes fought against quills on all sides, blood flying. Mushy lasted longer than he used to, but it was only a matter of time before he puffed back into mana. The monster died from its wounds a few seconds later.
Minor amount of essence gathered
James attempted to help with his magic glass shards, but he couldnt get past the quills on the last metal urchin. Bisrat didnt even try. Gus carefully walked up and slammed his war hammer into it. He struck again and again.
Minor amount of essence gathered
Gus, its dead, Lily said. He gave her a look and slammed the tungsten war hammer onto the monsters corpse once again. Max rolled his eyes and recovered his two bolts. He wondered if he should stop and wait until they were recharged. After a bit he decided against it. This dungeon was already much easier than the last one. They would be fine. He would just make sure they were recharged before they tackled the final boss of this level. They lined up in front of the next room and Max gave Gus a nod. He pressed the button in the middle of the blue wooden door and it slid into the ground. He was immediately attacked on all sides. This room held five wraith fish and four metal urchins. All of them were crowded by the door. They pounced on Gus as one, biting and stabbing from all sides. The troll garbled a cry and stumbled back. One of the fish phased right through Gus and aimed for Lily. She yelped and backed up, holding her drill in front of her to ward off the monster. She was substantially shorter than Gus, so the fish missed its first attack and swam through the air for another. Max wanted to help her, but he knew Gus needed his help more. He would have to trust the other two to help her out. Gus was flailing about in the doorway, keeping the monsters back but not leaving room for Max to assist. He wished he could help from a distance. Then he remembered he could. Probably. He held out his hand and focused. Moments later a blue hand shot out, passing just under Guss arms. The magic smacked into the closest monster and pushed. The hand dissolved a moment later, but it did what he wanted. It gave Gus some room and fouled a few of the monsters attacks. The effort gave the massive troll a second to collect himself. Gus refocused and swung out with his war hammer, catching two of the fish with a single blow. The other monsters avoided his next two strikes, but that bunched them up. Max stepped in then. His left hand held his last charged drill. He pointed it at the massed monsters and activated the spell. The bright yellow light pierced through five of them, killing three in a single blow. One of the metal urchins was winged, and one of the wraith fish swam out of the way just in time. Gus stepped in and swung his hammer at the urchin, trying to catch the fish at the same time. The strike whiffed through the insubstantial fish, but shattered the spines of the metal carpet. Max watched the wraith fish, waiting for it to phase back into reality. It seemed like they couldnt control it, they just cycled through phases over and over again. When it was bright white, he raised his hammer. He was too slow. Bisrat caught the monster in the eye, killing it with a single knife. She helped kill the stragglers as Gus pounded the metal urchins to pulp. Everyone got notices about minor amounts of essence gained, but that didnt stop him. Max turned back to check on Lily. She was laying on the floor, holding her side. The chitin armor was broken through and blood seeped through the cracks. A wrath fish corpse lay a few feet to the side. Apparently it had got in a good blow before it died. James yanked his bag open and pulled out his first aid kit. He knelt by Lilys side and gently pushed her hands away so he could see the wound. Blood was seeping from a long gash along her side. He pulled her broken breastplate off and tore her gambeson so he could better get at the wound. Lily cried out and covered herself back up. No, not like this. Not like this. James shook his head, confused. Im trying to help. Yang appeared out of nowhere and pushed him out of the way. Turn around. Shes embarrassed. James swiftly turned as his face turned red. He seemed to realize for the first time he had exposed her breasts when he was trying to bandage the wound. Max made an about face and gestured to Gus to turn around too. Lily didnt need to worry about modesty when she was getting bandaged up. How bad is it? Max said to the wall. Its not good, Yang said as Lily moaned in pain. But not too bad either. If we were still on Earth, I would say we must go to the hospital. But here? She will maybe be fine tomorrow. Maybe we should turn back. Fighting injured is dangerous," Max said. No, I can keep going. Im fine. Just stick me in the back with James, Lily said. Her statement was undercut when she gasped in pain a moment later. I thought you already knew this, but we cant turn back, Bisrat said. What? No. We dont have a mandatory quest for this tower. Are you saying you do? Max said. Chapter 52: You鈥檙e Acting Weird No, this isnt about quests. Its the dungeon itself. Once you start a floor, you have to finish it. The exit door wont open otherwise, Bisrat said. Max swore and she continued, I apologize, I should have realized that you wouldnt know the basic rules of dungeons. Damn. I should have asked more questions too, Max said and sighed. This world is always out to get us. Bisrat said, Sorry again. If it helps, the cities are usually quite safe and tranquil. A bark of laughter escaped Maxs lips. I hope our next city visit will be better than the last two. Bisrat winced, remembering what they had told her about the war at Wild Plum and the kidnapping in Twelve Meditations. They sat there in silence for a while as Yang finished bandaging Lily. Once she said it was ok to look again, Max turned around. Her chitin breastplate was ruined, laying in several pieces on the floor. She still wore the arm guards and skirt. White bandages covered most of Lilys torso. Yang helped her to her feet. By the way she winced, Max was sure that she had broken a rib or two. What happened? I thought it was just the one fish that slipped through, Max said. Yang scowled, It was just the one. Lily panicked. James panicked too, but at least he didnt get himself hurt. She pointed to the monster corpse nearby. The fish had been eviscerated by a dozen sharp slashes, probably James going overboard with his glass shards. Yeah, alright. We are going to take a break first, Max said. Lily opened her mouth to protest and he added, We need to wait until my magic tools are recharged. Lily nodded seriously and then found a half broken chair to sit down on. Tears streaming down her face belied her tough exterior. James moved to sit by her, but then blushed and turned away. He wandered over to the other side of the room. He sat down and stared at the floor. His knees started shaking. Max plopped himself down next to his friend. He quietly said, Hey, you ok? Im fine. Liar. James chuckled briefly. Really, Im fine. Just a little shook up. I thought... Shes fine. Yang said shell be fully healed by tomorrow. I know, I heard. There was a brief lull then Max said, You think about why that hit you so hard? Maybe you think of Lily as more than just a friend? Shes too young for me. We both know thats a shit excuse. Shes nineteen, not some kid. And, Im twenty-three, James said weakly. Max shrugged, Im not trying to play matchmaker or anything, but thats not actually a big age difference. Is that honestly the only reason you dont want to date her? Dont you think shes hot? I swear you said she was hot when you first met her. James glanced her way and then to the ground. She is hot, but... He shook his head. Her dad called, you know? When she first started hanging out with us. I dont know how he got it. He threatened to kill me if I ever dated her. I know he meant it. Said I should still be friends, but make sure no one got too close. Im positive Yang has instructions to kill me if I ever kiss Lily. Max widened his eyes and then shook his head. Dang, James. If you were twice as smart you would be a moron. Hey! Her dad is on the other side of the universe, and Yang has no intention of ever working for him again. Quit being stupid. Ask her out if you really like her. James shook his head. You dont understand, its not that simple. It really is, Max said and stood up. He could tell his friend needed some time to think. Maybe a smack upside the head too, but he was saving that for later. He slowly wandered around the room to give James some space. This room had fewer bits of broken furniture, no piles of wreckage. That was probably why the monsters had bunched up, no good spot for ambushes. This was the first room with mostly intact furniture and Max took some time examining various pieces. They werent made for humans, or really any race he had seen on Spinworld. The chairs had spots cut out for tails, but were raised up like it was meant for people with legs. The craftsmanship was exquisite. The blue and brown wood had designs carved into them. Thin and flowing lines with soft edges and curves everywhere. It straddled the line between script and decoration. I often wonder if the dungeons are modeled after real places, Bisrat said. Max looked up from where he was examining a table. You dont know? No, communication with the Builders is almost nonexistent. We mostly know of their continued work on this world by their mandatory quests. They send people to their new creations all the time. Max stood and glanced around the room, Its a good question. Is this place a set piece for their entertainment, or are they trying to teach us something about their world? Bisrat shrugged with her tail. Maybe both. Ive been in dungeons on the first layer that felt so real. Not this dungeon though. It seems off slightly. Like an AI thats been poorly trained. She paused. Did that translate, do they have artificial intelligence in your world? Yes. At least I think it did. We have computers and the beginnings of artificial intelligence. Its weird to think you had computers in your world too. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Ive heard that the builders choose our worlds because they are so similar, practically identical from a cosmic scale. Max gave her centipede tail a significant look and said, We seem fairly different to me. Bisrat laughed. There are some differences of course. But you have to admit that we share some remarkable similarities. Similar size, gender expressions, bones housed in squishy flesh. The resemblance is stark. I doubt evolution is to blame either. Convergent evolution produces crabs, not people. The spell that brought us here was very selective. Max nodded. I guess you are right, there are a lot of similarities between us when you consider how different aliens could be. They kept chatting while the rest of the team rested. Max wanted to rest for several hours, but then Guss transformation would wear off. They needed a troll on their front lines, particularly now that Max knew they couldnt turn back. They assembled themselves and lined up at the door with Lily in the back line. Max asked Yang to join him and Bisrat right behind Gus. She hadnt done any fighting in the last few rooms because there wasnt any opportunity for ambushes. Gus made sure everyone was ready and hit the door to the next room. It dropped into the floor to reveal a dozen monster corpses. They were half absorbed into the floor. Looks like another team was routed through this room. That makes things easier for us, Max said. On to the next one! They moved through the room, much like the previous one. This one had more metal bits, silverware and embellishments on the furniture. There was also less general wreckage. The next room was almost identical, only with more dead monsters. Gus smashed a metal urchin on their way through the room. They lined up in front of the sixth room and Gus popped open the door. He hopped back immediately, having learned from last time. He didnt want to get ambushed by monsters again. Another empty room greeted them. This one had metal bands along the walls and most of the furniture. The lighting was obstructed by broken boards along the ceiling. It created dozens of patches of shadow throughout the room. Gus looked around and then shrugged. He took a step forward. Wait! James yelled. There is something big in there. It could be a shadow kraken, Bisrat said. They usually appear in rooms six or eight. Even with the same room design, the exact monster placement is different every time. Shadow kraken? What kind of magic does - Max started before he was interrupted. A pitch black tentacle poured out of the nearest shadow and stretched towards Gus. He saw it coming and slammed his weapon down onto the three foot wide appendage. The war hammer bounced off. Gus had time to yelp before the tentacle wrapped around him and yanked him into the room. The seven foot tall troll disappeared into the shadowy room, leaving the other five people standing there in shock. Max was the first to burst into action. He dashed after Gus, a charged drill and hammer in hand. Gus was on the ground with a pair of tentacles wrapped around him. The tentacles were slowly squeezing him tighter and tighter as he slammed his meaty fists into them. Max slammed down his war hammer on top of the tentacle holding Guss feet. A blue spell smashed into the tentacle, stronger than normal because his hammer was made of tungsten. The black tentacle exploded like a popped balloon. The inky blood splashed everywhere. Where the light hit it, the blood puffed into smoke. Max pivoted and slammed his handheld drill into the other tentacle. The sharp tip only penetrated a few inches. One of Bisrats stilettos sprouted from the tentacle a few feet away. The monster didnt twitch until Max activated the drills yellow piercing magic. That tentacle popped too, splashing black blood everywhere. Gus scrambled to his feet as the rest of the squad arrived in the middle of the room. They spun in circles, looking for the monster they knew was in here. There was nothing but shadows and warped furniture. Get out of the shadows, the beast cant abide the light, Bisrat said as she motioned them towards her patch of light. Gus hopped to it, everyone else right on his heels. A tentacle speared out of the shadows behind them, just barely missing James retreating form. The tentacle entered another patch of shadow and was sucked inside. Max growled to himself in frustration. How could they hit a monster that could disappear into the shadows? He dropped his weapons and reached into his belt. Max pulled his backpack out of the dimensional belt and fumbled for his outside left pocket. The zipper fought with him for a second. It gave way to his shaking hands and Max pulled out his led flashlight. While he had his bag out he grabbed his rotary saw too. It was the last magically charged weapon he had left. With the saw in one hand and the flashlight in the other, Max turned it on and scanned the room. The bright light banished the shadows around the room until it reached one of the corners. The light was absorbed into the charcoal colored monster that sat there. It was the shadow kraken, its head alone was six feet high. Six tentacles branched off from the main body, two of them ending in stubs. The other four tentacles dipped into pools of shadow. As soon as the light hit it, it screeched. The deafening cry felt like a thump to the chest. James wordlessly cried out and threw glass shards at the head. The monster flinched back with every impact, but didn''t seem injured. Maxs heart was beating faster. It was only the sixth room and that looked like a boss monster. It was time to pull out the stops. He activated Levitate and dashed forward, keeping the light on the monster. A tentacle emerged from a nearby shadow, but missed him. When he was twelve feet away, Max activated his saws spell. A silvery disc shot out of the tool, expanding as it went. It was four feet wide by the time it hit the monsters head. The cutting spell sliced the shadow krakens head in half. The monster stilled instantly, the top half sliding off with comical slowness. By the time it splatted to the ground, Max already had a notice from the system.
Medium amount of essence gathered
Gus clapped and gave him a thumbs up. Yang and Lily joined him. Good job, buddy, James said and clapped him on the shoulder. Maybe bring out the big guns sooner next time, ok? Max laughed and shoved him. I did! I used three spells in one room. We are going to have to wait again for my tools to recharge. Cant you just make more? Isnt your pool refilled yet? James asked. Yes, but its not that simple. My cards all say I cant use something that already has magic in it. I bet all of this junk here was made by magic, Max said and gestured around. Do you want to sacrifice some food or whatever so I can make a hammer? Nah, man. We can wait like, a half hour, right? Max nodded in response and plopped down onto a nearby chair. It felt weird, but it was better than sitting on the floor. Bisrat mumbled to herself. Ive seen enough. She straightened her tail and bowed towards Max. Honored Max. I would like to formally request to join your party. Max shook his head in confusion. What? You are already part of our party. Is this about loot distribution? She waved her hands no. I want to be part of your party. Not just for today or this week. I mean for as long as youll have me. Max looked back to his friends. James shrugged. Max turned back and cocked his head, Why do you want to join my party? I promise you wont regret it. I would make a valuable addition to your team. Ill cover expenses for the first few months if you want. Selling your tools could make that up within a week. She sensed something in his eyes and changed tack. Or, or, if you want to continue to climb towers I would be happy to join you. I have connections to get us the best prices selling dungeon artifacts. One of my friends works with an armorer so I could get us a good deal on getting outfitted. Max frowned. Youre acting weird. We are all new. Why do you want to join a saplings party? Bisrat straightened and said, I apologize, it seems I skipped an important step. Please allow me to explain. Chapter 53: You Have It, Don鈥檛 You? I dont believe you truly understand how hard it is to earn a good living in Spinworld. Without a card, you are nothing. With a card, you have many paths make something of your life. Your collection of cards gives you a path to riches. You could climb dungeon towers, sell weapons, sell arrows, build houses, guard the town, hunt titans, the list goes on. Riches will flow to you, Max. I am only asking for the opportunity to assist you in that journey. Please. Its the only way I can repay my friends from when they sold their cards to free me. Please, Bisrat said. It looked like she was going to cry. Max held up his hands, Whoa, whoa. I never said no. Sure, you can join our party. I wont promise long term, but you can hang out with us for now. I was going to ask you for directions to the first layer anyway. Now you can show us the way yourself. Bisrat slumped in relief. Thank you, thank you. You wont regret this, I promise you. I will be a valuable asset. We are going to make a lot of money together. Im sure we will. Thats not my main priority though. I came to Spinworld to find my brother. He came here a few years ago. Im sure searching for him wont always be profitable. Bisrat tilted her head slightly. You realize the chances of him still being alive are low, right? Yes. Im still going to try though. Bisrat bowed again and said, Then I will come with you for a time. Trust me. I can help you make money no matter what we are doing. Max shrugged. Sounds good. Ill listen to your advice for as long as it makes sense for us to stick together. Speaking of which, I have some suggestions about how we handle the next six rooms. The monsters may change a bit, but the rooms stay the same. Max nodded and she gave them an overview of the next six rooms and the boss of the first floor. She gave them way more information about monster weaknesses and successful strategies she had seen from the other team. When she was done, Lily spoke up. Wait, if you knew all this, how come you didnt tell us before? She smoothed the quills on her head and said, Two reasons. First off, I wasnt sure if the dungeon had changed or not. Secondly, now I am part of your party. Of course I will try harder now. Lily shook her head and pouted. She wanted to say something, but couldnt get anything out. Max assumed he knew what she was thinking. Maybe if Bisrat had given them the full rundown earlier, she wouldnt have gotten injured. But Lily couldnt really complain because Bisrat had told them some things, and Lily was mostly to blame for her injuries because she panicked when the wraith fish got too close. He decided to redirect the conversation. Bisrat. Now that youre on the team, I was wondering if you could help me out with feedstock for my Citadel cards. They all need mana neutral matter and I havent been able to use anything in a dungeon. Interesting. I dont think Ive heard of that restriction before. I dont know many people with a Citadel deck though, so maybe its common. Anyway, the reason you cant use the dungeon props is because everything has a persistent self repair spell. Even if you thoroughly destroy all the furniture inside, it will be back to the way it was the next time you enter. I figured it was something like that. Do you have anything mana-neutral I can use? She laughed and gestured to her body. Does it look like I have anything extra? I need everything Im wearing and Im not lucky enough to have a storage device like you. Maxs eyes were drawn to her curves when she said that. He blinked and turned away. He was seriously starting to wonder if she had a beauty card or something like that. He cleared his throat and said, Alright. I do have some stuff in my bag, but the only thing I can part with is our food supplies. We have two weeks of food. How long do you think itll take to get somewhere we can buy food on the first layer? Five days at most. I made the journey here in three days, Bisrat said confidently. Max sighed in relief. That meant he could use a few days worth of food and still be safe. And the more magic weapons he could make, the safer they would be. He pulled out a block of hardtack and got to work. He was never going to eat the bread bricks in the first place. The dense rations made excellent feedstock for three new weapons. A half an hour later, they got going again. The timer on Gus transformation pressed them onward like a deadline. Gus opened the door and jumped back, having learned from the earlier ambush. This time there werent any surprises, just a room full of floating fish and spiky carpets. More of them than before, but nothing new. Bisrat took the lead and killed half of them from a distance. When the remaining monsters got close, she slid back and the rest of the team killed the remainder. It was easier than the last room with that small tactics change. The next two rooms were just as easy and they breezed through. Blade traps made an appearance in these rooms, but with Bisrat there to point them out, they were easy to avoid. Bisrat warned them that the tenth room was different. It was full of metal urchins. Almost a dozen of them lay around the room like shiny carpets. They slowly undulated around each other, randomly moving around the room. Max waved to Yang, who was standing on his right. She grunted in frustration and lowered her camo. She summoned her little crab friend and sent him inside. Crabby skittered into the room and tapped the closest monster and then raced back to its master. The metal urchin vibrated its spikes, sending out a thrum through the floor and alerting all the monsters. With a grunt, Gus slammed the hammer down onto the floor, sending vibrations through the room. The monsters took notice right away, their quills standing on edge. They raced for the door, bunching up together as they did. Once he saw they were coming, Gus slid off to the right and held up his hammer. Max was already on the left side. Directly in front of the door was a heavy table, blue wood banded with silvery metal. They had it on its side, blocking the way forward with only a small gap to the sides. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. The lead monster raced forward through the doorway and slowed to a stop. It didnt have eyes, but it had some way of sensing the world around it. Max and Gus slammed their hammers down, driving the spike on the end into the metal urchin. They had it pinned to the floor. Once it was trapped, Bisrat poked her head over the top of the upended table and flung a knife into the nerve center in the middle of the monster. It died immediately. The next monster crawled over the dead one, uncaring about the first ones plight. Max and Gus pulled back and stabbed forward again. Once this one was held tight, Bisrat took careful aim and punctured its brain. They repeated the tactic again and again until there were five bodies piled up in front of the door. The mound of metal and flesh was getting tall and unstable. Max took a step back and yelled, Phase two. More monsters climbed over the corpses, unceasing bloodlust driving them forward. They started questing around, looking for a way through the doorway. Gus waited until two of them were piled up on top of each other. Then he swung his war hammer down, activating the enchantment at the last moment. The blue super strike slammed into the top monster and kept going. It pulped both monsters and shattered most of the quills below that. Gus stepped back and Max stepped forward. He repeated the same trick, waited for a few monsters to build up, then pulverized them with his hammers magic. That left two monsters, intelligent enough to not rush to their deaths. Death found them anyway. Lily killed one with her drop bear, and James sent a hail of glass shards at the other. Max stood there in mute surprise. That had worked so well. He wasnt even breathing hard. It took them longer to recover Bisrats knives than it did to kill all twelve monsters. Thanks, Bisrat. You were right, you are a valuable member of our party, Max said with a smile. She wiggled her chitin tail happily and then straightened up. Dont thank me yet. We still have to survive the next room. The eleventh room was full of tight corridors. Bisrat said it was the hardest room, even worse than the boss. The blue wooden walls snaked around the room like a miniature maze. As soon as they grew close to one of the monsters inside, they attacked. Phase fish came at them through the walls. Monsters appeared on their left and their right, trying for a pincer attack. Gus and Max were ready for it, each of them using their spikes on the attackers as soon as they phased back into reality. They werent ready for the third one to appear while they were dealing with the first two. A phase fish came through the walls above them. It sliced into Gus'' head, flaying open his skin. If his troll skull wasnt so strong, he would have been dead from the single blow. Gus fell to his knees with a bellow of pain. The fish he had been fighting was still alive and gave him a slice across his forearms. He cried out again and rolled away from both fish. Glass shards and knives filled the air, killing the two attackers. A blue summons appeared, but the mushroomantis was too late to do anything. Blood poured from Gus wounds, staining the blue wood a burgundy brown. As they watched, his wounds stitched themselves back together. Blood slowed down, skin reknit, and the wounds disappeared without a scar. Lily swore and said, Sorry I was late. You cant see them coming. It gives you no time- James interrupted her with a shout. Behind us! He spun and dropped to the floor as two more fish phased through the walls. Lily fell to the floor without turning, then rolled away before hopping back up. Bisrats physiology didnt let her turn quickly so she was caught unawares. The phase fish slashed her. The strike sparked off of her back plate and cut through her metal woven armor. She cried out and fell to the floor, clutching her arm. Blue blood poured from her green skin. Max knew he couldnt get to her in time so he threw his war hammer, activating the spell as he did. The hammer flew end over end down the corridor. The fish phased out of reality and the handle of the weapon passed through it. The spell did not. The blue field of magic splattered half of the monster across the walls. The other half fell on top of Bisrat. While he was saving their Paj teammate, Yang was saving James and Lily. She sliced up the four foot long fish with her short sword. Monster sashimi fell to the ground a moment later. Max slid to Bisrats side and said, How bad is it? Ill be fine. Wouldnt say no to some healing paste though. We dont have any of that, but I can bandage you up. Can you take off the sleeve? Yes. She winced in pain. Maybe you should do it, Bisrat said and motioned with her chin. Lift the shoulder piece and unclip the connector. It should slide off then. Max carefully removed her woven metal sleeve and slid it off. Bisrat whined in pain but held herself still. The cut was long, but not too deep. He pulled out his first aid kit and cleaned and bandaged the wound. He made a mental note to buy more bandages. He made a mental note to buy quality armor too. Their party had received dozens of wounds since they arrived in Spinworld. It was only luck that none of them were fatal. He couldnt wait to get some real protection. Thank you, Max. My blood warms for you. Max turned to find her face inches from her own. Her symmetrical face held an ethereal beauty from up close. The translation magic let him know she was showing her heartfelt thanks, but he couldnt help but find her statement strangely alluring. He cleared his throat. No problem. It wasnt too bad. You should be fine in a few days. Likely sooner. I expect to be fine by morning. Come, let us finish this wretched maze. Max nodded and stood. He held out a hand to help her up, but it was unneeded. Her thick tail weighed more than her upper body so she simply bent backwards at the waist to stand up. Good eye, James, Lily said. If you hadnt seen them coming, we might have died. And double thanks to Yang for actually killing the monster. I only wish I had seen them coming sooner. I could have killed both given time. Yang said. Well spotted, James. James ducked his head in thanks. Gus grunted and pointed to James and then his ears. When no one understood what he meant, he did it again. Are you saying I heard the monsters coming? James asked. Gus pointed at him and did a thumbs up. Heard or saw, whatever. Just keep watch so we can stay alive, Max said. Gus grunted in frustration. He threw up his hands and pointed forward. Yeah, lets get going, Max said. He swapped out his hammer for a charged one and they crept forward again. The blue walls felt like they were closing in on them. The room had a claustrophobic feeling. Unlike the previous rooms, the lighting flickered every so often. They were plunged into pitch blackness every so often. To your left! James said. A few seconds later, he yelled, Two more to your right! Gus dealt with the one on the left and Max took one on the right. Yang sliced up the final attacker, but it took her a bit of dancing to finally kill it. Max looked at his friend, but didnt say anything. They moved around the bodies and kept going. James warned them of a few more attacks before they reached the end of the room. The door to the final room of the first floor was in sight. By then, Max was very unsettled. He was breathing hard and he could hear his heartbeat in his ears. Once he was sure no more monsters were attacking, he turned to James. You have it, dont you? Max said. You have the Listen card, dont you? He shouted in his head. James flinched back. That was all the confirmation Max needed. Chapter 54: How Could You? How could you? Youve had the Listen card this whole time? Max yelled. What? No I dont, James sputtered. Dont try and deny it, Max yelled and slammed his gauntlet into the wall. I thought you were my friend. How could you do this? I didnt... you are being..." Yang tapped James shoulder with the flat of her blade. If you dont have the Listen card, you must have the Sonic Bolt card slotted. Show us. Blast that wall right now. James eyes went wide and he looked around the room in growing horror. The expression was mirrored by Lily and she took several steps back from James. He took several deep breaths, trying to control his panic. James pushed Yangs sword away from his shoulder. He took a step back out of her range. James threw up his hands. Alright, fine! I have the damn card. Sue me. You guys were being stupid about it. Its a valuable card. I needed to use it, it saved our lives in this very room. Gus roared and pointed at him and then his ears. This is what he had been talking about earlier. How could you? Max repeated in disbelief. I had to! James said and clenched his fists. You dont get it. Im not trying to spy on you all, I just need to understand what people mean. You know I have trouble understanding people. My brain tells me everyone is making fun of me. With the Listen card, I know thats not the case. I can talk to people now. Did you even notice that I talked to Bisrat as soon as we met her? I never would have done that before. Max blinked in surprise. James had been more outgoing and affable recently. Max had just assumed that his friend was coming out of his shell. He should have known better. James had been dealing with social anxiety for all of his life. You dont get over that in a few days. Whats this about a Listen card? Are we talking about a Bell card with mind reading? Bisrat said. Yes, Max said sourly. We came across this card when someone used it against us. We all agreed to never use it. But then this pervert stole the card and has been using it on us all this time. James looked at Max with hurt on his face. Im not a pervert. You know me. Im just using it to help, to deal with people and to save us from monsters. I saved you all! How can you call me that? You violated our privacy. Yang said with a cold voice. What is that but the actions of a pervert? James flinched back. I... He shook his head and took a shaky breath. I can take the card out most of the time, and only use it when we are hunting monsters. Max put his palms to his temples. I cant deal with you right now. Just go. Wait on the other side of the room. I cant even look at you. James blinked in shock and looked around the hallway. He found no friendly faces. He took a step back and hesitated. Max was thinking unkind thoughts as loud as he could. James turned around and hurried around the corner. Shock continued to wash over Max in waves. How could James do this? He never broke the law, never took drugs, never even disobeyed his parents. Why would he violate them like this? Max''s heartbeat was roaring now, his skin warm. He found himself pacing back and forth along the hallway. Gus was growling and clenching his fists. Lily was sitting up against the wall, blankly staring. Bisrat was watching Max pace, curiosity on her face. He didnt know what to do. This was James, his best friend. He had known him since they were kids. If this was anything else, Max would have forgiven him already. This though. This was too much. He felt like someone had broken into his house and rifled through his stuff. Nothing was taken, but he felt... violated. Gus interrupted Maxs musings with a pained growl. He turned to him to see the trolls skin rippling. He fell on his hands and knees and shrunk down. Gus went from a tall troll down to a bearded human with a gut. His backpack and clothes returned from wherever they went when he transformed. When the transformation was completed, Gus stayed there gasping like he had just run a marathon. Max swore and said, I guess your estimate of how long your troll form would last was off, huh, Gus? He caught his breath and said, No, actually. This was an accident. I was thinking I wished I could talk so I could tell you I told you so! So you threw away our tank so you could say I told you so? Gus rocked his hand back and forth. Kinda. I mean yeah, I did tell you so. But it really was an accident. He moved to the hallway wall and sat down up against it. How soon can you change back? Not today. It really takes a lot out of me. Speaking of, gimme some food? I need to refuel. Gus said and held out his hand. Max grumbled and dug into his belt. He tossed Gus a small sack of rations and sat down up against the wall as well. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Bisrat nervously looked at everyone and slithered over to the wall near Max. She wrapped her centipede tail around herself and sunk down, like she was sitting as well. Max pulled his knees up and dropped his face down. He wished everything would just go away. The hallway was silent except for the sounds of Gus eating. There was a heavy presence in the room, like someone had died. Max felt like he might have lost a friend. He wasnt sure if he could ever forgive James. It wasnt just the invasion of privacy, it was the lying. James had that card for a long time and never said a word to him about it. After about twenty minutes, Lily stood up. She wiped off her tears and said, Im going to go talk to James. Gus lifted his head. Gonna beat him up? Dont do it alone. Ill come with you. Thats not... no. Stay here, Lily said and hurried away. Gus rolled his eyes. After a bit he lay down and used his pack as a pillow. Within minutes he was snoring. Bisrat wriggled closer to Max and softly said, A Paj merchant once told me that humans and Igra dont like Bell cards. He knew he could always underbid on them and still win. He would get a good deal on Bell cards up on the first layer and come down to the second layer to sell them. Lunuk pretend not to like them but they were his best customers. Paj are more neutral on the subject. They are a tool like anything else, but dangerous tools need restrictions. How about you, personally? Do you hate Bell cards? Max tilted his head. After the kidnapping, I kind of expected to be traumatized by Bell cards. But really, no. I dont hate Bell cards. I wanna destroy the overpowered Suggest card, but Im glad Yang has the Camouflage card. He turned to a fuzz of mana on his right. You are getting better at that, Yang. I had to look for you to find you. Bisrat flinched as Yangs color returned. The corner of Maxs mouth twitched up. The half smile didnt last long before it slid off. He said, Its not about the cards. Its about James. I cant believe he would do that to me. To all of us. Its not even the invasion of privacy, although thats bad enough. Its the fact that he lied to me about it, for days. Yang cleared her throat. I did not choose to come here. Most of you did, but I did not. I lost everything when I jumped through that portal. My money, my job, my family. Her voice cracked. Even my clothes and gun. Everything was taken from me. One of the few things I thought I had left was my privacy. Its one of the reasons I enjoy the Camouflage card so much. I get to be on my own even when I must stay with you for safety. She paused for a moment and then softly said, And now even my privacy is gone. Max blinked and put his hand on her armored shoulder. Im sorry. I didnt think about how hard this all must be for you. Yang nodded and said, I know he is your friend, Max. But this has hurt me deeply. I do not know if I can forgive him. Max nodded and said, Thank you for telling me. I dont know what Im going to do yet. I dont know if I can forgive him either. They sat in silence for a while longer. They let Gus sleep since there was no longer any rush. Max used his Augment card on a tool every time he had enough mana. The tools didnt need to be stronger, so he improved the magic spell on each one. When a third tool was augmented, Lily returned, holding the Listen card. She held it out. Without looking him in the eyes, she said, James wants to apologize. He wasnt thinking about how you would feel, he just wanted to use the card to get around his neurotic thoughts. He sent me back here with the card. He said you could put in your belt and not use it for a day. That will destroy the Listen card, right? Max stared at the card but didnt get up. Eventually he made up his mind. Im not going to make it easy on him. Im not going to destroy the card and pretend everythings all better. Give him the card back and tell him to come help us clear the last room. We have to kill the boss before we can get out of here. Are you sure you dont want the card? Lily asked. Max shook his head. Im sure. With or without that card, James has lost my trust. Lily slowly dropped her hand. Gus had woken up during the conversation. Hey! I didnt agree to that. Its not up to you. Besides, destroying the card wont change anything. Could you ever trust your thoughts were private around him again? Uh, no. But Id still feel better if I had the card myself. Max shooed Lily away and said, We need someone to use it in case there are more monster ambushes. Might as well be him. Gus grumbled but didnt stop Lily from going to get James. A bit later he returned, peeking around the corner. Do you have the Listen card slotted? Max loudly thought. Uh yeah, James said and hesitantly took a step forward. I have the Listen card slotted like you asked. Whenever Im close I can hear your surface thoughts. But I can''t hear anything you aren''t focusing on." Whatever. Bisrat, go over the makeup of the twelfth room again. I want to make some adjustments to the plan, Max growled out. ... Once everyone was in place, Max slapped the hexagon in the middle of the door. The wooden door fell into the floor. He pressed himself up against the side of the hallway, just out of sight of the doorway. He tapped Lily on the shoulder. A blue mushroom appeared in the doorway. It confidently strode forward until it made it five feet. A pair of blade traps activated, sending spinning half moon blades flying everywhere. Mushy was eviscerated. A puff of mana was all that was left. Lily sent in her drop bear a moment later. It met the same fate. Once the final blade clattered to the floor, Gus took a step forward. Wait! Max hissed. That was only three traps. There are four of them near the entrance, right, Bisrat? Right, she replied. Yang, do you think your little crab can set off the last trap? Max asked. Probably, but Crabby doesnt like to be used like that, Yang said reluctantly. A little blue crab appeared on the ground and skittered over to Max. It waved its claws around and then crossed them. Max knelt and said, Please? If we spring a trap we will be dead forever. If you do it, you will be back in a half hour. The crab skittered back and forth. Then it held up a single claw. That means hell do it just this once. Yang said. Thank you, Crabby. Max said seriously. The little blue crab skittered sideways into the room. It headed towards the right side of the room and found a barely hidden plate in the floor. It jumped on it to set it off. A half dozen new crescent blades joined the others embedded in the walls and ceiling. Gus looked to Max to double check and Max nodded. Gus stepped into the room and slid to the side, hugging the left wall. As Bisrat said, there were a few crates and barrels there he could hide behind. James entered after him, hiding to the right. Max took a deep breath. This should work, but it was nerve wracking entering the room without armor. Particularly after seeing four traps explode in spectacular manner. But Gus and James were already in the room, he needed to go now. Max breathed out and dashed into the room, straight down the middle. Chapter 55: I Wanna See the Loot The boss room looked like someone had taken a pirate ship and run it through a demented AI. Off to the left, where Gus hid, there were crates that almost looked right. Off to the right were barrels with thin middles. In the middle were a dozen thick posts, almost like masts, that went from floor to ceiling. Each one had three thick metal bands. Everything was made of blue wood, the same kind as the alien forest outside. It seemed normalish at first, but bizarre with closer inspection. Max threaded through the banded masts with Bisrat slithering behind him. His heart started beating faster and faster. He pulled a saw and a drill out of his belt and readied them. Both were Augmented and he didnt want to waste them. He put his back to the far mast and peeked around it. The other half of the room was open with black pools scattered about. A huge shadow kraken floated on the far end, its tentacles poking up through various shadows across the room. Riding atop the kraken was an insect person. It looked like a huge mantis with four blade arms instead of two. It reminded Max of the person they talked to in the last dungeon, but this insect was red and a bit smaller. Max yelled, Gus, James, now! Gus activated his Warped Mirror card and a blue kraken appeared by the real one. The summoned monster sat atop the wood since it couldnt use the krakens shadow powers. It screeched and wrapped all six tentacles around the real monsters bulbous head. At the same time, James sent a half dozen glass shards at the red mantis, one after another. The energy attack shattered against its exoskeleton. The monster held up all four limbs in front of its face and weathered the attack without injury. Max used the distraction to race forward. He had to cross about thirty feet of unprotected ground to get to the krakens head and the red mantis. All while passing shadows that the kraken could push its tentacles through. It would have been reckless if the other two werent distracting both monsters. Even with the distraction, Max couldnt approach unchallenged. The shadow kraken was devoting most of its attention to the fake kraken attacking its head, but it had enough presence of mind to send a tentacle flailing about when it heard Max coming. As he got closer, Max had to activate his circular saw early to defend himself. A silvery disc shot out from his tool, growing as it spun up. He used it to slice off the tentacle heading towards him. The limb dissolved into puddles of shadow. The augmented cutting spell created another disc an instant later, wasted because there was no other target in range. Max growled in frustration. He couldnt bear the thought of the augmented spell going to waste. He would have run closer, but he had missed the window. Gus kraken clone had been destroyed and the shadow monster was waiting to attack Max. Four tentacles surrounded him, out of range of the spells twelve foot range. A third cutting disc was wasted while he assessed the situation. A sudden inspiration led him to his gauntlets. He hadnt used the hand spell in a while, it should be recharged. Max let go of the circular saw and a blue hand grabbed it before it fell. The mage hand shot forward, slipping beneath a shadowy tentacle. It moved ten feet away from the krakens head, just in range. The next two magic discs cut into the shadow krakens head, one after another. Great gouts of black blood poured out of the monster. The blue hand cut out then and the saw fell to the ground. It landed facing the monster and the final cutting disc scored a third hit. The shadow kraken collapsed in on itself, dead. The red mantis tumbled off of the remains. That left one monster and one charged tool in Maxs hand, a drill. He hadnt tested the augmented spell yet, but he assumed it would lengthen the drills pierce. Just in case, he got closer to the mantis before he activated it. A yellow light pierced from the tip of the drill and stretched out three feet, the same distance as normal. However, it didnt disappear an instant later as usual. Instead, the magical effect persisted. It was like a three foot long magic blade. By now the mantis person had rolled to his feet and attacked Max. He skipped backwards and held the drill like a sword, trying to parry the scythes coming his way. He failed to stop the blades. Where scythe met yellow magic, it simply ceased to exist. Max lopped off one cutting arm and took off the tip of another. The tip spun through the air and hit Maxs thigh, but he ignored it. The mantis person hissed in pain and sprung to the side. That gave Bisrat the chance to join the fight. She flung two crescent blades from the trap and activated her Accelerate card. The blades spun end over end, going faster and faster the longer they were in the air. By the time they reached the monster, they were going fast enough to lop off its right legs, all three of them. It fell to the ground with an anguished cry. Max put it out of its misery with a swipe of his new laser sword. Sadly, the magic cut out right afterwards, so he wouldnt be getting into lightsaber fights anytime soon.
Medium amount of essence gathered
Minor amount of essence gathered
Level Up
Nice. He hadnt even used up all his points from the last level up and he already had more. Bisrat whooped with joy behind him, so she must have gotten a similar message. Looks like you sprung a leak, my guy, Gus said and pointed at Maxs leg. His upper thigh was bleeding heavily, blood dripping down his jeans. The tip of the mantis blade had been sharp enough to slice deeply into his leg. Max groaned as the pain hit him. There was a bit of frustration too, he knew he couldnt buy a new pair of jeans. He dropped to his butt and pulled out his first aid kit. He moved to bandage himself up, but Gus took the kit out of his hands. I got this, Gus said and started dressing the wound with brutal efficiency. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Max lay back and let him. The waves of pain with each jostle let him know that he wouldnt be able to do a proper job himself. James hurried over and said, Max. Dude. Are you alright? Max turned his head away and didnt answer. Gus said, Give me some space. James awkwardly shuffled back. Gus finished a moment later and took a step back. Max closed his eyes and tried to breathe through his nose. It wasnt that serious of an injury, no major arteries were cut. But it was still jarring. He felt the pain radiate out. His whole body felt a little sore, like his other nerves were crying out in sympathy. It was crazy to think that this was better than it would have been otherwise. Mana was rapidly healing his body and an injury that might take months to heal on Earth would take hours here. It still hurt. Like a bitch. It itched too. He had to ball up his fists so he didnt reach down there to scratch. He lay there for a half hour before Gus came over and said, You done loafing about yet? We wanna see the loot. Max sighed. Dammit. Now I want to get up. I wanna see the loot too. He held out his hand. Lets go. Gus carefully helped him to his feet. Max blinked away tears and put an arm around Gus shoulder. He wished that James wasnt a terrible person. Gus was too tall to make hopping around with his support comfortable. They slowly made their way back through the twelve rooms, one hop at a time. They would leave through the same door they came in through and their loot should be in the first room. Bisrat mentioned that if they had done two levels, they wouldnt have to backtrack at all, there would be stairs leading down to the first room. Every even numbered level was set up that way so it was easier to head out. When they finally reached the first room, there was a table set up near the exit. It hadnt been there before. There were three objects on the table; a scarf, a glass ball, and a clay pot. Bisrat said, This is very good for only completing one floor. The dungeon probably gave you better loot because the five of you are underleveled for this dungeon. At least, thats what I assume. If they are all cursed, then the dungeon doesn''t care what level you are. I always find it fun to guess which items are cursed before I inspect them. Whats your guess? Max thought for a second and said, I bet the scarf is fine and the other two are cursed. No way we are getting more than one good item. Nah, its the pot thats uncursed, Gus opined. James and Lily stayed silent. They stood off to the side of the room. It was clear that Lily had decided to throw in with James, even if the others didnt like him anymore. Bisrat slithered closer and stared at each of them in turn. Ah, it looks like our golden Cup has a leak. All three are uncursed, but they are all single use items. Really? What do they do? I find most people prefer I read out the full description, Bisrat said. When Max nodded she continued, The scarfs description says: Scarf of Time. When worn, this scarf will reverse any changes to your body within the last hour. She tapped the scarf and said, That ones worth more than a few orbs because it can probably reverse a mortal injury or refill a mana pool. If it wasnt single use, we could retire after selling it. The other two are good, just not as good. The glass ball is a Ball of Enlightenment. When held for more than three minutes, your mind will expand to its greatest potential, particularly along the lines of creativity or innovation. Lasts twelve minutes. The clay pot is a Soap Pot. When the liquid inside is poured over anything, dirt and grime are completely removed. Max shrugged. They were all nice, but nothing that special. A super healing scarf, an inspiration ball, and a pot of crystal wash. Max motioned for her to hand them over and he tucked them away in his belt. It was getting close to night time, they would have to find a place to camp and he would empty out his belt again. Hopefully the boar-wolves were long gone. When they listened at the dungeons exterior door, they didnt hear anything. They lined up to fight just in case. When they opened the door, they didnt see any monsters. The ground was torn up from hundreds of hooves running over it. The trees in the immediate area were knocked down. Yang gave Max a nod and faded away. He shook his head with a smile. She was clearly going to go scout around, but she didnt want to say that. She wanted to be all cool and mysterious. She returned a short while later and appeared in the middle of the group. Max and Bisrat were expecting it, but the others jerked back in surprise. The corner of Yangs mouth quirked up and she said, Monsters are gone. Everyone is staying in the dungeon antechambers. Bisrat sucked in a breath through her teeth. Thats bad news. The dungeon doesnt like it when we spend too much time in the antechamber. More than a day or two and it starts sending out bosses to clear them out. Let me go talk to them and find out why they havent left yet. She wriggled away and made a circuit around the tower, stopping at each of the occupied alcoves. When she completed the circle, she wore her backpack and a smile. Good news for you, bad for them. The boar-wolves are still in the area, so theyve all decided to head back to the first layer. Theyll set out at first light, and I told them well come with, Bisrat said. Why is everyone still in the antechamber though? Didnt you say that was dangerous? Max asked. The dungeon expert says that only happens after twenty-five hours. We should be fine if we leave first thing in the morning. They are fairly sure the pack will attack at nightfall, so everyone plans on closing up and sleeping in the dungeon tonight. Max nodded. Thats the plan for us too then. Settle in, everyone. Ill make dinner. Before that, he emptied out his belt completely. He didnt want to forget to do that later and lose everything. He stacked everything up against the inner door to the dungeon, just in case it opened in the night. Couldnt hurt to be sure. He got out his camp stove and put together a stew. He used a pouch he bought on Earth and supplemented it with preserved veggies from Spinworld. Everyone got a bowl, even Bisrat. She complimented him on his cooking skills. Conversation was stilted. Max couldnt help but stare daggers at James on the other side of the room. Eventually, they closed up the outer dungeon door and went to sleep. ... The next morning, Max checked his leg wound. Just like Bisrat said, it had healed completely overnight. Lilys arm was better too. Max threw together a quick breakfast of oats. They didnt taste good. He really shouldnt be the squads cook, but no one else wanted the job. Gus sat down next to Max and said, Weve collected a lot of loot over the last few days, orbs, cards, and trinkets. Why dont you divvy everything up? That way it will be easier if we decide to split up after we get to the first layer. He pointedly looked at James as he said the last bit. Yeah. Ill pass out the rewards this time instead of having us pick stuff in order. Max said. He pulled out everything valuable they had collected. It had been an eventful few days, but that could be said of every day since they got here. They had eleven white orbs, three larger orbs, six cards, and the dungeon loot Gus called trinkets. The squad gathered around closer. Max thought about it for a bit, then pushed the scarf over to Bisrat. Thats your share for todays dungeon run. Its a bit more than a fair split, but I figure that can be your bonus for joining the party. The rest of the loot will go to the original members. Thank you, thats more than fair. He pushed a large orb over to Yang, another to Lily, and kept the largest. He gave James ten white orbs. He rolled a single white orb over to Gus. Gus opened his mouth to complain, but Max rose a single eyebrow in response. He had promised him this would happen when the troll ate orbs. Gus grumbled a bit and snatched up the white orb. Next he flipped through the magic cards. They picked up four of them when they escaped the city of Twelve Meditations and got two more in the forest outside. The only question was who got what. Chapter 56: I鈥檒l Pretend to Believe You James, you have the Sonic Bolt card and the Listen card. I think thats enough for you, Max said. He glanced up to see James hurt face. Max shook his head sadly and turned away. Bisrat. Do you think you know card values well enough to split these six cards into four equal value groups? She said, I would consider myself primarily an expert on dungeon artifacts, but I have absorbed plenty of card knowledge in my many trips to magic stores. Let me see what I can do. She read each card shuffled them around. The two lowest value cards are these two Bell cards. We talked about how humans and Paj dont particularly care for them. The Memory card is very limited at common rank. It helps you remember a handful of events perfectly, but thats it. The Peace card is advanced, but no one will want it. It creates a sense of peace and wellbeing, but its addictive. People that add it to their deck never remove it. This common Distract card is decent. It does exactly what you think it does, and I would say its worth the same as these first two put together. It would be worth more if it wasnt a Bell card. This Clover card could be valuable, but you gotta find the right buyer. The Encase card creates a layer of bark all around the target monster. Against small and weak monsters, that stops them cold and leaves them open for the kill shot. But stronger monsters can break through the wood with ease, and Encase doesnt scale well. Pressure Wave is worth more. Its a Cups card that lowers or raises internal body pressure when you splash the potion on them. Knock monsters out with low blood pressure, or make them quickly bleed out with high blood pressure. It works on everything, even titans. But of course, the effect is reduced on them. Focus is worth even more. Even though its a Bell card, most people recognize how useful it is to have supernatural focus on a task. Fighting, farming, or crafting; people want focus. Max nodded along as she listed everything out. There wasnt an easy way to split the six cards between four people. He tsked and decided to include James after all. Gus, you were our MVP as our tank yesterday, youll get the best one, Focus. Then Ill take Pressure Wave. Yang, Encase. Lily, you take Distract and Memory. James, Im giving you Peace. Use it well, Max said. Oh come on. Do you really still hate me? Im your friend, James said. Max shook his head. You were my friend. I dont know you anymore. James screwed his mouth shut and turned away. Lily put her arm around him and squeezed his shoulder. She turned to Max and gave him a hurt look. Max shook his head. He really didnt understand what the short Filipino girl saw in his chubby friend. Although that description was changing. James had started to lose weight and he wasnt Maxs friend anymore. An armored human walked past their door and said, We are leaving in ten minutes. Meetup on the north side. Thanks Marcus. See you there, Bisrat said cheerily. Max reached for his camp stove and moved to put it in his belt. He swore under his breath when he realized he hadnt done the daily belt task. He couldn''t use it until he did. Instead, he threw everything into his backpack. It was large enough to easily fit everything, but it was heavy. He had stocked up on food and made several metal weapons. He walked over to the group of people assembling and reached into his belt pouch. Hopefully he could get this task out of the way quickly, otherwise he would be huffing and puffing before the day was half over. There was a group of about twenty people milling about. Mostly human with a few Paj and Lunuk. No Igra, sadly. Max had grown to really enjoy their game focused mindset. A tall man in plate armor stood at the head of the group. He cleared his throat to get their attention and said, My name is Karl and I will be leading this caravan. We are going to head straight north, and turn west when we reach the foothills. Well take the Donner pass over the mountains. Everyone contributes to the defense of the caravan. The killing blow gets any white orb that drops. Since Im the highest leveled, I get any greater orb that appears. If you dont like that rule, tough. You can make your way home on your own. If you keep walking with us, you are agreeing to those rules. Lets head out. They set out at a moderately fast pace. They walked two or three abreast, stretching out into a line about fifty feet long. James and Lily were near the front, so Max hung back until he was in the back. While they walked, Max turned his attention back to his belt. The first thing he pulled out of the pocket was a pen. Simple enough. He wrote a smiley face on the back of his hand. The pen dissolved into nothing as the ink faded away. On to the next random object. Using a tomato was easy, he just took a bite. A postage stamp didnt require much imagination to use. Then the belt threw him a curveball. A Swiffer mop. He had no idea how to use a mop designed for hardwood floors when he was walking through a monster infested pine forest. Would spraying the dirt and mopping away pine needles work? Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Max paused for a bit to try it out. The rest of the caravan kept going. He kept an eye on them as he worked. He wasnt going to let himself get left behind. Bisrat stopped with him. What are you doing? she asked. Its the curse of my belt. I have to use five items for their intended purpose. Otherwise I cant access my belt for the day. This is a cleaning tool, so Im trying to clean with it. I dont think its working though. I think youre making mud. Yeah. This isnt working. Lets catch up. They hurried to join the line of people walking through the forest. To his surprise, Bisrat was easily able to keep up with his jog. He had assumed that her tiny tentacles on her centipede tail would slow her down. As they neared the group, he found himself fascinated by how she moved. Her tail flowed over any obstruction, never pausing. Thousands of small tentacles gripped the landscape and propelled her forward. Max thought actual centipedes were gross, but this didnt trigger his revulsion. It was smooth and somehow gentile. Is my tail really that fascinating? Bisrat said with a laugh. She gave it a little wiggle. Max shrugged. I guess. Its new is all. I bet you were interested in legs when you first saw them. Not really. We have animals with legs on our world. It wasnt much of a stretch to imagine a person with legs. The pink skin took some time to get used to. But what really surprised me about humans was the hair. Hair? Max put a hand to his head. Why is hair interesting? She giggled. Because we dont have any! Havent you noticed Paj have quills, not hair? I guess. I never really thought about it much. Our heads have natural armor. I find it fascinating that other species have a soft rug instead. How do any of you survive to adulthood? Max laughed, We try our best not to get hit on the head. Do Paj get hit on the head often? No, of course not! We protect our young. She lowered her voice. Unlike the Lunuk, we have one child at a time and we cherish our young. Max hadnt really thought about alien procreation. Now he was wondering if Paj gave live birth or if they laid eggs. Looking at Bisrat, he didnt really have any indication one way or another. I can tell you are trying to figure out Paj procreation. I can tell you that Paj and Humans are similar in that arena, but you dont need to know more than that. Maxs face reddened as he realized the implication. I wasnt trying to... I mean, I wasnt thinking about that. Sure, sure. Ill pretend to believe you. Really, I was just thinking about how different we all are. She smiled to let him know she was just messing with him. They reached the group shortly afterwards. Max decided he wasnt going to find a floor he could mop right now, so he debated what to do with the Swiffer. Part of dealing with his belts curse was mindset. He just needed to convince himself that this was how you were supposed to use the random object. Some items were more flexible than others. For some reason, he was drawing a blank with the mop. It cleaned floors, that was it. Although, it didnt have to be a floor. Any flat surface would do. Sadly, he didnt see any flat surfaces around here. They were heading north, getting closer to the mountains in the distance. The landscape was changing from a thick forest to sparse trees. There were groves of pine trees, but in general there was a lot more room around them. They could see farther into the landscape than ever before. That was probably why everyone seemed so relaxed. There were twenty-four people walking in a line. They had naturally broken up into different groups. James and Lily were up front with the tall armored guy and four others. A tall Lunuk was gesturing widely as he talked. The next group held two Paj and three humans. They all wore the same type of armor, segmented lorica armor with silver greaves. Max guessed that they were a sponsored dungeoneering team. The six people after that clearly weren''t sponsored. They each wore a hodgepodge of armor. Two Lunuk didnt even wear full armor, only wearing greaves and an armored skirt. Gus had joined the trailing group, four burly men. Max could hear them talking about where they were from. They had gone through the portal together, three years ago. Their group had been bigger, but the dangers of the second floor had whittled them down until only six remained. The following years brought them down to four. Max almost joined their conversation, but then he saw something that derailed that thought. There was a boulder in their way. Not unusual, there were often rock formations or boulders strewn about. He assumed the builders put them there to make this world seem more natural. But this boulder was somewhat flat on one side. Maybe he could clean it. It was too rough right now to move the cleaning pad across it. But he could do something about that. He took out the drill he had used Augment on yesterday. His Insight showed him it had recharged in the night. Time to see if the lightsaber spell was still active, or if the Augment was a one time thing. With a bit of trepidation, he activated the drill. A yellow light flashed out, and then disappeared. Damn. He could only supercharge a spell once, not in perpetuity. His mana was full though, so he might as well make himself a lightsaber. He used Augment and pushed all forty-two points of mana into the drill. He felt briefly lightheaded and weak. When the feeling passed, he activated the drill again and this time the yellow magic thrummed in place. A few test swings showed that he sadly couldnt get the same sound effect as in the movies. He quickly moved to the boulder and sliced off a large section of the boulder. The top layer slid off, revealing a perfectly flat surface. Max grabbed the Swiffer and picked out the pine needles from the pad. Then he pressed the button and sprayed the surface with cleaner. He happily slid the mop around the flat surface. He didnt do a great job, but he knew he was using it for its intended purpose. The mop agreed with him and dissolved into nothingness a short while later. He excitedly reached into his belt to pull out the final item. He was looking forward to getting this weight off his shoulders. The belt pouch bent space to accommodate a larger than normal object. It was a parachute. Chapter 57: Are You Sure? Max stared at the parachute in disbelief. How was he supposed to use this without jumping off a cliff? There werent even any cliffs around here to jump off of. None of the trees around here were big enough to jump off of, even if he was willing to risk his life to a random magic parachute. Eventually he swore and dropped the parachute on the ground. I give up. Im just going to have to carry my backpack for today. Bisrat nodded. Might be a good idea to carry it for the rest of your trip. A storage device is rare enough that certain people would be willing to kill for it. Even cursed items can change owners when the original is dead. Max looked forward to the men Gus was happily chatting with. Ok, yeah. I think you are right. He dumped some of the extra tools to lighten his load. He left himself with a hammer and a circular saw. The hammer was the one he had charged up yesterday with Augment. He wondered how long the stronger spell would last. And what form it would take. He hadnt tested out his Augment card on the hammers super strike yet. They had to hurry to catch up with the group. Despite only pausing for a short while, they had gotten far behind. They were keeping up a fast pace. Max would say it was a pace that only the fit could keep up, but with magic, who knew. He suspected that the higher leveled people were stronger and healthier, even though there werent stats for that. Speaking of which, Max activated his own Levitate stat and the walk through the forest became much easier. Roughly an hour later, he started cursing himself. He remembered another use for parachutes. He could have played with it like they did in elementary school. A big dome with everyone inside. Although, that would have required a few more participants, and Bisrat was right, it was better that no one else knew he had a storage belt. About two hours into the journey, the caravan was attacked. Three monsters walked out of the tree line. They were hairless and gray, with long floppy ears. Each of their four limbs ended in long claws. Maxs Insight called them Bat Fiends. They scrambled across the clearing towards the front of the line. Everyone stopped and pulled out a weapon. Five people from across the line sent out ranged magics. Glass shards, green hoops, red lightning, yellow cubes, and a fireball grapeshot all pelted the incoming monsters. One of them fell and didnt get back up. The other two bat-fiends stumbled but kept coming. When they were about fifteen feet away, they both screeched. The sound attack hit like a punch, bowling over several people near the front. Some people fell to the ground, holding their ears and screaming. Their tall leader, Karl, and two others were entirely unaffected by the attack. One held off the monsters with an enormous shield, and the other two fighters stepped in with a mace and spear. Karls mace glowed a sickly green that transferred to the monsters with every strike. The bat-fiends were dead moments later. Small white orbs appeared over each of the corpses. There was a brief discussion of who earned the final kill and everyone collected their due. Max was slightly surprised that it went so smoothly. Then again, this exact situation must be common. He almost wished one of the monsters had come his way. White cores were money and he could always use money. Max belatedly remembered he had a crossbow tucked away in his pack. He took a moment to pull it out and loaded it up. He had two bolts for now, but he thought today would be a good day to change that. He didnt have to worry about bottoming out on mana when there were so many other capable fighters around. Once he had enough mana, he created a thin drill. Just like last time, he cut off the backs of his old bolts for the fletchings. He had a glue gun card to attach the two. But he didnt want to ask James for help anymore. Hey, Bisrat, did you pick Specialize or Generalize? I specialize in Clover cards, remember? Oh yeah, Max said. He turned and said, Gus, hold up a second. I need a quick favor. Gus stopped walking and let Max and Bisrat catch up. Whats up? I need you to use this card real quick and create a glue gun. Max said and handed it over. Gus absorbed the card and failed to create a glue gun. Max jogged over to a nearby tree and broke off a branch. He came back to Gus and said, Its like a 3D printer. You change one thing into another thing. Gus grumbled and took the branch. A short while later, Gus handed over the Glue Gun card and its creation. Thanks. I might ask you to do that every so often. Im happy to keep making your hammers in exchange. Yeah, give me one I can use while Im human and well be square. Gus paused. At least for now, anyway. What else do you want? Excellent question. You might have to do a lot to keep me on your team. These four tell me that Im hot shit with four cards slotted. Most people have one or two, if they have any at all. I might move to a new team, one that appreciates me more. Max turned to him. I do appreciate you, Gus. Why would you think otherwise? Youve helped us stay alive day after day. Thanks for that, but there are other ways to show appreciation. Like how you gave me the best card this morning. Max gave him a flat stare. You want me to always give you the best loot, otherwise you are bailing? Is that what you are saying? No, no. I havent made up my mind yet about anything. Im not going to jump ship with the first people that offer. Im just saying, there are ways to ensure my loyalty. Ill think about it, Max grumped as he put together his new bolts. Thats all I ask, Gus said and spread his arms wide. He hurried up to join the four burly men. More monsters attacked as they walked. Max was able to pick up two more orbs with his new bolts. The rest of the monsters were taken down by others. Scaled Gnolls, Poison Bears, and Crawling Claws all fell to the combined might of twenty-four armed dungeon climbers. Wait, no. That wasnt right. There were twenty-five people in the caravan. Where was Yang? Max scanned the line, not seeing her. He had to lean into Insight before he finally found a suspicious blob of magic. He hurried forward until he was close to her. How high is your Paranoia, Yang? Max asked the nearby bush. Yangs camouflage dropped and a few people were startled. She scowled at him in mock anger and said, I have several points in the stat. I wont tell you how many. There are several curious ears in the group. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Max was about to say she could whisper the number before he realized that would be a mistake. The Sight stat enhanced all senses, not just vision. There were likely a few people listening in from a distance, just like she said. Im trying to decide on my last stat choice. Presence or Paranoia. I know you said you didnt feel like the stat affected you before, but do you think it might be pushing you to hide when you dont need to? No. I have always been one to stick to the shadows. Avoiding attention comes naturally to me. Are you sure? She opened and closed her mouth. Then she said, I am less sure now then before you asked. Bisrat has been here for a while, yes? We should ask her. They slowed down to let her catch up. Bisrat had been talking to a short African woman, but they stopped talking when Max and Yang drew near. Hello, Max and Yang. This is Amari. We met at the Blue Forest Dungeon, so we havent known each other long. Still, I have a feeling we will be friends one day, Bisrat said with a smile. Amari nodded at them both. She had mismatched armor, but it seemed to be quality. Her demeanor was calm, but she had a hand on her waist where a curved sword hung. Her black hair was tied in a bun and she had a smattering of freckles across her cheeks. Max said, Nice to meet you Amari. I would like to hear your opinion as well. We wanted to ask Bisrat about the Presence vs Paranoia choice. She clicked. Ah let me guess. You want to know if Presence changes you or the viewer? Uh, no. I wanted to ask if Paranoia changes your personality. But now I am more concerned about Presence. Dont be concerned about either. They change your personality, but its not significant. Uh, changing your personality sounds significant to me, Max said and nervously flicked his eyes back to Yang. Yang tilted her head. Are you sure it changes you? Our Lunuk guide said that the Paranoia only helped her avoid attention, it didnt actually make her paranoid. Amari shook her head. No, there is a mental effect. It is gentle, but it is there. I chose Paranoia years ago, and I have to remind myself to be present sometimes. Large parties are difficult. Smaller groups are easier. But its never been hard to push against the impulse to hide. I chose Presence to help with negotiations. Its practically a requirement. I think I am more outgoing and happier at parties. But I have to remind myself to let others talk, and I am always targeted in monster ambushes, Bisrat interjected. Max slowly blinked. Negotiations. All of the shopkeepers I have met since I got here have had high Presence. Thats why I felt bad about driving a hard bargain. Probably, Bisrat said. Having a high Presence of your own helps counteract the advantage. Even without it, you can still get a good deal. Its one of many factors. Max glanced away. Honestly, it makes me concerned about choosing either one. I dont want to change who I am, even if its minor. Yang scoffed. Dont be an idiot. You have been changing since you got here. Dont you think all this fighting has made you a more resilient and violent person? Of course it has. Changing yourself is good, as long as its the direction you want to go in. She stepped away from the group, fading into the background. Max sighed and looked away. He chose to let her disappear without comment. He liked teasing her, but not actually making her mad. A few moments later, she reappeared next to the group. She didnt say anything, just kept walking with her eyes forward. Max had to fight to keep a smirk off his face. Yang was fighting against her Paranoia, maybe proving to herself that she could do it. Bisrat cleared her throat. Anyway. The choice is all about attention. Do you want to draw attention to yourself or push it away? The effect is subtle on people and pronounced on monsters. Decide what you want and go for it. Max said, Thanks for the advice. They fell into a companionable silence. The caravan had bunched up a little during the day, so they could defend from monster attacks easier. They heard the chatter around them and felt no need to add to it. Max pulled up his stat screen and read over his choices again.
Max Kraft (Level 12)
Insight: 6
Flow 2
Presence or Paranoia
Broaden 1
Levitate 5
Specialize: 6
?(Free Points: 2)?
After that discussion, Max felt like he should make his final choice. He didnt want to though. Either option didnt seem like him. He didnt want to be the center of attention or hide from everyone. He put off the choice for now. Instead, he focused on what would help him fight better. Yang was right, he was a bit more violent these days. He wanted to be a better monster hunter. Specialize was fine until he added his final card to his deck. Levitate was a good option, it helped with his mobility a lot, and had uses outside of fighting as well. Broaden was tempting. He hated running out of mana when he used Augment. But adding to it now wouldnt help him fight and level up later. He liked the extra dexterity from Flow, but it hadnt really helped him in the last dungeon run. Maybe he avoided an attack or two, but it wasnt game changing. Insight could be very useful. Learning more about monsters would help him kill them. On the other hand, Bisrat was in his party for now. She had Insight covered. Until that changed, there was no point in investing in it himself. That made his decision easy. Of the six stats, only Levitate could help him right now. He pushed both points into the stat. Only afterwards did he realize he had broken through the six point barrier. Now that he was level twelve, he could raise any one stat above six. Nice. He immediately felt even lighter. Two points equated to several pounds of weight, and changed the stat somehow. Levitate felt different. Like he could do more with it. He turned Levitate on and off again. It felt the same, and took the same time to activate and deactivate. Still, he had a sense that he could do something new now. One change was that his backpack unbalanced him more now. His body didnt have the mass to counteract the weight of his pack, so he had to lean forward more than was comfortable. The thought immediately had him trying something new. He deactivated Levitate and reactivated it. This time he tried to focus on making his backpack lighter, not himself. The stat fought against him. It was like he was trying to push water out of a bowl. It kept slipping through his mental hands and making his body lighter instead. The fact that he could push against the skill at all was encouraging. Before that wasnt possible. After about fifteen minutes of effort, he did it. He felt the skill lock into his backpack and the pressure eased off his shoulders. He almost jumped for joy. His body was back to normal and his pack was fifty pounds lighter. Perfect. The caravan stopped about an hour before sunset. They had found a shallow cave that would be easy to defend in the night. The leader didnt think they would find anything better in the next hour, so they set up camp there. He assigned a watch and everyone ate dinner. Max noticed that monster meat was a popular choice among the veterans in the group. He wondered which monsters tasted the best. Despite the long walk today, Max wasnt tired yet. He felt like playing something. He had given a deck of cards to the Igra group that threw them off the mountains, which left him with one last deck of playing cards. He hadnt even opened the pack yet. Gus, Bisrat. You guys want to play something? Maybe we can invite some of your new friends to play too. He held up the pack as he talked. Bisrats eyes went wide. Is that a new pack? Never been played? Yeah. I havent gotten around to opening it. Its actually kind of interesting. Each card has different survival facts printed- He didnt get a chance to finish his sentence before Bisrat snatched the pack out of his hands. She held the pack reverently and whispered, New in the box. She looked up at him, Sorry. I dont think you realize how special this is. Do you mind if I set up a card game? I promise you can play too. Uh, sure. Why are playing cards special? Im sure humans bring them to Earth all the time. Yes, constantly. But after several rounds of playing, the cards start to pick up tiny imperfections. You might not notice them, but anyone that invested in Sight will be able to pick them up. We dont let anyone that has the stat gamble with us. She held up the pack. Unless of course, its using a brand new deck. We are going to play poker with people with high Sight stats tonight. And since they never get to gamble, the stakes will be very high. Her grin almost seemed predatory. Chapter 58: I Don鈥檛 Want to Go Seven people sat around a stone table. They stared at each other in suspicion, each sure the other was trying to lie to them. There was a weighty feeling pressing up against them, like a giant breathing down their neck. Call. Call. Call. Bisrat, Amari, Sebastian, and Karl all flipped their cards over. Karl gave a boisterous laugh and slammed his palm down on the table. I knew you were bluffing! I knew it! Karl said. Even without his armor, he was still a large intimidating presence at the table. Or rather Presence. Max was certain that Karl had heavily invested in the stat, along with Resistance and Sight. That last stat was why he was at the table. Everyone but Max and Bisrat had high Sight numbers. They normally werent able to gamble because Sight made it easier to cheat. Maxs fresh deck of playing cards changed that equation. Everyone in camp could play now, and most of them had wanted to. Bisrat had selected the richest eight from the volunteers and set up an impartial dealer. While she was doing that, Max used his lightsaber trick to make a super smooth table. They had an audience at first, but after night fell most went to bed. As Karl scooped up his winnings, coins and orbs, Max was grateful he had folded earlier. He was trying to look for tells in peoples mana. He guessed that their mana would reflect their emotions. It was working, kinda sorta. Max had lost half of his initial stake, but he was still in the game. Gus had gotten out a few rounds in before he lost everything. Another guy Max didnt know had dropped out shortly afterwards. After this hand, the table had lost another player. Sebastian blew raspberries at them all and stood up. Im tired anyway. Goodnight everybody. Dont stay up too late, yall. Especially you, Karl. You need as much beauty rest as you can get. Karl guffawed and said, Youre one to talk! He happily scooped up the winnings as Sebastian walked away. He and Bisrat had the largest piles of money, followed by Zhang, then Max, and Amari. The next hand gave Max a pair of queens. It was an excellent starting hand for Texas Holdem. He told himself he didnt care. He couldnt show any tells if he didnt care about what was in his hand. Karl bet a few coins and Max called when it was his turn. The flop gave Max a third queen. He told himself he didnt care again, but he didnt believe himself this time. When it was his turn, he grabbed a white monster core and rolled it into the center. Somebodys confident, Bisrat casually remarked. Max shrugged, not trusting himself to speak. Karl snickered and rolled two orbs into the pile. Bisrat was next and she stared Karl down as she rolled three more into the pile. The turn was garbage, and Max had to decide if he wanted to stay in or not. Three queens was a very good hand, but there were plenty of hands that beat it. Karl had been bluffing a few times so far, but Bisrat hadnt. He grit his teeth. Amari was next and she matched and rose the bet. That made up Maxs mind and he folded. Zhang followed suit. Bisrat matched her bet and so did Karl. The river was the Ten of Hearts. Amari stared at cards showing. A pair of sevens, a Jack of hearts, the Two of Spades, and the Ten of Hearts. Amari tilted her head back and forth and then shoved all her money into the center. Thats two orbs and thirty hexes. Bisrat nodded, A strong bet. However, I am compelled to raise. She rolled four orbs into the center. The dealer had to corral the pile of money so it didnt roll of the table. Karl sifted through his pile of coins. Ill save you the time, you dont have enough on the table to match my bet. Unless you can come up with more money, the pot is mine. Bisrat said. Karl growled. Thats not fair. You cant just outspend me and win. The dealer said, Those are the rules you agreed to in the beginning. I am not heartless. Do either of you have anything else of value you wish to wager? Bisrat asked. Amari tossed her cards to the dealer. Im out. Im not risking my loot. Karl dug into his jacket and pulled out a magic card. He tossed it onto the pile and said, That should more than cover it, right? Perfectly acceptable, Bisrat said. Max read the card. It was a common Citadel card, but the name sounded fantastic. Scalemail. The description said it created sleeveless armored tunics. He wanted it so bad. He cursed himself for folding. It was just what he needed to feel safe fighting. He wondered how it would change if he merged it into his deck. He would have to ask the winner if they felt like selling. Karl flipped his cards first. A pair of jacks. Max internally yelled at himself again. Bisrat flipped over a King and Queen of Hearts. She had won with a flush. Good game, Bisrat said and pulled the pile towards herself. Wait. How did you know? Did you cheat? Karl said as he stood up. Bisrats quills stood on end atop her head. Karl. You know how I got this armor, Im just good at games. Besides, your Sight is high enough to catch anyone cheating. Accusing me is beneath you. Karl took a deep breath and slowly let it out. You are right. Good game. He swiftly turned and walked away. Max let out the breath he didnt know he had been holding. Bisrat smoothed out her hair quills. The dealer nodded at them all and went to bed too, followed by Amari. When it was just the two of them, Max asked, Any chance you are willing to part with your new card there? I was thinking of adding it to my deck, finish out the first six. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. She shook her head. You dont want this card. It doesnt fit the deck you have built. Why not? She pointedly looked back to the camp. I wont go into specifics, but the quality of your card should match the rest of your deck. It should match the theme too. Armor doesnt go with the tool theme you have going. I would strongly recommend you wait for just the right card to round out your deck for the first merge. Only three of my cards are tools. Did I already ruin the perfect merge? Max asked. No, your five are perfect. The gloves are tool adjacent and the card I wont name only improves your merge, it doesnt detract. Trust me. You will see a huge jump in power if you wait for just the right tool card. Max thought about it. She was saying he needed to find an advanced rank Citadel tool card. That might be hard to find. He reluctantly nodded. He hated waiting, but he trusted she knew what she was talking about. The next morning, he found himself antsy for progress. Just knowing that he couldnt take any card he liked felt like he was blocked somehow. He wanted to go all out and kill monsters to level up. But Bisrat hinted that would be a bad idea too, his cards were too powerful for his level. He stuck with using his crossbow and nothing else. His lust for power would have to be redirected. He decided to focus on card evolution quests instead. He was working on his glove quest right now, what did he still need to do? Citadel Evolution Quest In order to progress your Gloves card past level six, demonstrate competence in the following three areas: spell, function, style. Use the hand spell in six materially different ways. [?] Craft a pair of gloves with a different function. [?] Create gloves styled for six five different people. [ ] He had finished the first task already. That was good. He had also made progress on the last one. He hadnt even remembered doing that. Maybe it was when he made a new set of gauntlets for Gus. Apparently, creating darker gloves counted for the quest. As he walked, he kept an eye out for dead branches on the ground. Since gloves only cost him twelve mana each, he should be able to finish up this quest today. The only question was who he should make them for. Yang and Lily were out, the Filipino women were too small to wear gloves sized for him. On the other hand, it looked like Bisrat could wear it. She was a bit smaller than he was, but if he made a set with extra padding, it would work well enough to cross off the task on his quest. Since he knew nothing about style, he just asked Bisrat what kind of magic gloves she wanted. Unsurprisingly, she didnt want gauntlets. Her Igra made armor was already higher quality than anything he could make for now. Instead, she asked for long blue gloves, made of something soft. His first thought was silk, but that didnt work. He didnt know enough about silk for the magic to understand his intent. He got out his kindle e-reader to read up on silk. As soon as he pulled up Wikipedia, the screen started glitching. A moment later, the screen turned white. A little wisp of white curled up from one corner. Mana had fried the internal circuits. It had taken longer than the other Earth technology since it didnt use much electricity. Continued mana absorption over time was still enough to kill it in the end. He was glad that he had written down all of the elemental atomic details before it died. Now he could still make potassium hammers or tungsten drills. Still, he would miss his little e-reader. It was his last bit of Earth tech. Since he couldn''t create silk gloves (and he wasnt sure if Wikipedia would have worked anyway) Max focused on making his default leather gloves softer. It took a few tries, but eventually he ended up with soft leather gloves, in a pale blue shade. He didnt think they looked good against Bisrats green skin, but she disagreed. He was happy the quest moved forward. Next he made Gus a second set of gauntlets, with darker steel this time. Gus loved them but the quest didnt move forward. It must want him to make gloves for six different people. That was a problem because he didnt want to hand out gloves with a mage hand spell on them. Bisrat was sure that his Advanced cards would draw the wrong kind of attention. If only he could change the size of the gloves. Actually. Maybe he could. He hadnt tested resizing them since he had brought the card level up to six. It could be more flexible now. He tracked down Yang (who was not blending into the background today) and measured her hands. To his delight, it worked the first time. He was now able to make smaller gloves and gave her a set of perfectly sized gauntlets. She liked them better than the chitin gloves she had before. Strangely, it didnt move the quest forward. After discussing it with Yang, he realized she wanted a set with matte black steel. She didnt want to wear anything shiny. Once complete, the new gloves did move the quest forward. Now that he could make smaller gloves, he decided to ask Lily what kind she wanted. He didnt like that she had sided with James, but she hadnt done anything to Max. There was always the risk that she would spill the beans about the spell inside, but she already knew all his secrets anyway. He quickly walked up to the front of the line. Karl was regaling them with a story of how he soloed a dungeon on the first layer. Max caught Lilys eye and motioned her to hang back a bit. Lily slowed down until she was near Max. She softly said, Are you thinking of forgiving him? He feels really bad and I- No, Max interrupted. I dont think I can forgive him right now. It hurts too much. You know him, you know hes not a creep. Why cant you forgive your best friend? Max shook his head. I dont want to talk about that right now. I have a quest to make gloves for different people. What kind of gloves do you want? Lily stared him down. Are you going to make gloves for James too? As much as I dont want to, I kind of have to. Alright then. Ill help you out if you promise to talk to James a bit when you make him gloves. Sure. Alright. I hate how my chitin gauntlets catch when I roll my wrist. Make me some gauntlets that are easy to move around in, she said as she pointed out the design flaw. Max saw what she was talking about. His own design didnt have that flaw, so it was easy to make her a pair. He went ahead and made them purple to match her chitin armor. As he handed them over he said, Can you explain the quest to James and send him back here? Will do. Remember your promise. Talk to him for a bit. Fine, fine. Just go. He said. He knew he was being a bit rude, but the idea of talking with James again was stressing him out. A few minutes later James slipped back without drawing attention to himself. He started walking near Max without saying anything. He gave Max a upward head nod. Max returned the gesture. She tell you about my quest? Yeah. I want lighter gauntlets. These are fine, but lighter would be better. Still tough though. Can you do titanium? I can. Give me a second to get out my cheat sheet. Max pulled out the small notebook with his atomic details. He found the entry on titanium and refreshed his memory on the atomic details. A short while later, he handed James a pair of leather gloves with titanium plates along the back. The gauntlets were a bit shinier than his old pair but looked mostly the same. The quest updated. Now he only had to make one more pair. There was an awkward silence when the transaction completed. Max knew he was supposed to say something, but he couldn''t think of anything that wasnt angry and accusatory. What do you think of our leader, Karl? Hes a talker. Maybe a bit full of himself, but hes a good guy. Hes trying to recruit Lily and I to his guild. He says his team is full, but he wants to put me on his girlfriends team. Max made a noncommittal Hmmm noise. James turned to him. I dont want to go. I want to stay in my friends party. The friend I came here with. The friend Ive been planning this trip with for literally years. Thats what you want to go with? Guilt trip? You dont even want to apologize for breaking my trust? Would it help? I dont know. Listen, James- Max started before he was interrupted by a shout. Karl was yelling back to the caravan. Form up! We have a swarm inbound. Ranged magic in the center, tanks on the outside. Pull out the stops, this is a big one. Chapter 59: I Wish I Didn鈥檛 Have to Use It Max unclipped his crossbows sling and loaded a drill-bolt. He also pulled out the other eight charged bolts. Despite the hundreds of monsters coming this way, he doubted that he would get to use all of them. It just took too long to reload. Even with practice, it took about fifteen seconds between each shot. In a battle that was an eternity. He had a hammer and circular saw hanging on his belt. Hopefully he wouldnt need them, but he wasnt going to let anyone die to protect his secret. He checked his mana. Eighteen points left after making the two pairs of gauntlets. That meant he had just enough to make one more hammer. He hated how slow his mana regenerated on the second layer. He placed a branch at his feet. He would wait until he saw what tool was needed before he used up the last of his mana. Karl had led the group over to a grove of pine trees to make their stand. The plan was to use the trees to slow the monsters down. One of the Paj had knocked the trees down in the center of the grove so they could form up and see better. He accomplished it with an oversized hammer and judicious use of his Weight stat. It was like a car ran into a tree with every strike. The monsters appeared then, dozens of them screaming in rage. Inspect told Max they were Bark Fowl. They looked like five foot tall chickens with wooden feathers and copper claws. Their red eyes locked on the armored humans and they charged forward, like clucking velociraptors. As they threaded through the pine trees, the ranged fighters were already attacking. Max shouldered his crossbow and fired. It went into and through a bark fowl, killing the one behind it as well. Other elemental attacks joined it, along with arrows and thrown trees. Four summoned monsters joined the fray. Lilys mushroomantis appeared on the edge of the crowd, focusing on delaying and distracting instead of killing. Two feathered serpents materialized in the trees and swooped down to pick off unaware bark fowl. The final blue summons was a weird plant bulb that floated in the air and spun spikes around to attack. James stood next to Max and sent everything he had. He sent dozens of glass shards into the air, spoiling their approach. Then he tossed a bottle of acid, freshly made from his blood. It shattered on the ground and burned through four nearby monsters. Gus was in the front line and used Warped Mirror before he downed his Troll Form potion. He lifted the human size hammer Max made for him yesterday. Between Maxs first and second shot, more than twenty monsters were killed. Double that were forcing their way through the trees. They seemed endless. Another dozen monsters fell before the mob crashed into the line. The charge was blunted when a long red shield appeared in front of the people. The shield broke a moment later, but the monsters momentum was gone. The front line fighters showed their worth by slicing and bashing, smashing and piercing. Dozens of yellow vines appeared, wrapping around monsters and tightening until they burst. One woman shattered every monster she touched. Gus managed to kill three of them at once by using his hammers super strike and knocking one bark fowl into two more. The swarm slowly started to slow down. Injured fighters on the front line were replaced. Max surprised himself by firing his sixth drill-bolt. Working together, the caravan had managed to hold off the swarm for a minute and a half. That was when the trees started shaking. Then they fell to the ground, revealing the monster that knocked down multiple trees with a single swipe of its claw. Maxs Insight triggered as he stared at the newcomer. Steel Roc It looked like an evolved version of the five foot chickens, but made of metal and twenty feet tall. It was like the small ones vengeful mother. The huge monster pecked at the people, like a car crash going eighty miles an hour. Two of the front line jumped out of the way, but a third held up his shield and stood his ground. A flicker of magic covered the shield an instant before the impact. Whatever magic he had used, it wasnt enough. The tank was hit and thrown backwards, ragdolling through the air until he hit the trees behind them. The steel rocs attack threw up a wave of dirt and left a large crater. All that happened in a handful of seconds. Then it reared back and did it again. And again. When it paused, the front line was decimated. Even Gus in his Troll form was knocked to the ground. He was weakly struggling to get up, but dozens of broken bones were slow to heal. Karl took a running leap, a borrowed spear in hand. The tip glowed a sickly green, bright with magic. It looked like he was going to reach the monsters head. At the last moment, the steel roc flinched back and knocked Karl away with his wing. A clang rang out as the metal wing hit the armored human. He was thrown up and over the monster, landing in the distance with a thud. Max dropped his crossbow. He knew it would be useless against something so big. It was time to bring out the big guns. He didnt know what the augmented hammer would do, but it was time to find out. The only problem was that he couldnt get close without getting killed. He didnt have the Resistance or armor to survive running up to it. He focused on pushing Levitate into the hammer. Desperation lent him focus and he shoved the stat into the metal, willing it to take. It took more time than he had hoped, but less time than it should. The stat clicked into place and Max tossed the hammer. Now that it was less than forty percent of its original weight, the hammer flew straight at the giant chicken sixty feet away. It spun end over end as the spell started to activate. The blue light around the hammers head created a tracer in the air, a looping line leading right to the monsters chest. It held up a wing to bat the hammer away. It was a second too late and the projectile hit the monsters metal covered breast. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. As the hammer impacted, the spell went off in spectacular fashion. A blue half dome smashed into the chickens chest and knocked it back. The hammer fell to the ground. Then another magic dome struck the same place. It stumbled backwards, knocked off balance by the two hits in quick succession. Another strike knocked it to the ground, and a fourth one cracked its ribs. The fifth super strike hit the same spot like all the others. This time it sent metal shards into the monsters lungs. The sixth strike sent a spray of blood into the sky. Max stared in shock. He looked around to see if everyone else had seen that insanity. Had he really killed the bane of Colonel Sanders? The world answered him with a blue box.
Major amount of essence gathered
He slowly blinked. Apparently he had killed it. The augmented version of the hammer spell created six different impacts in the same spot. Useless against a hoard of monsters, but very effective against a metal covered giant. A monster core formed above the corpse. It was a little smaller than the one from the titan on the third layer, but it was still big. Silver and gold colors covered its surface, moving about. It roiled like an out of control lava lamp. Max really wanted to grab it, but he had other priorities. The injured were all around him. He dropped his pack and pulled out his first aid kit. When he had packed it on Earth, he wondered if he was going overboard. He hadnt been here a month yet and it was already half gone. His first stop was to help Gus get into a good position for his bones to heal. His potion would be wearing off soon, but Max was pretty sure he would be healed by then. The next person he helped was a guy with shards of his spear stuck in his Belly. Max removed the spearhead and clamped down on the wound. The lack of a bad smell told him the mans bowels hadnt been punctured. By the time he was done dressing that wound, everyone else was being taken care of. From what he could tell, no one was dead either. About eight of them were heavily injured, but their health points should pull them through. The worst was past. Maxs eyes were drawn back to the corpse of the steel roc. The monster core was gone. He briefly wondered if someone had stolen it and run off, but then he saw the core. Karl was holding it. He was limping around with only one working arm, but that arm tightly clutched the monsters huge core. At this point, Max should say he didnt begrudge the leader his due. He had told them this would happen, and he had put his life on the line to fight a giant. The truth was, Max did begrudge Karl taking the core. If Max hadnt used his super awesome hammer, everyone would be dead. He should get the core, damn the useless leaders rules. Bisrat clapped her hand onto Maxs shoulder. Wow, Max. Thanks for killing the roc. I know it must have hurt to use that consumable dungeon artifact, but you saved our lives. Max resisted the urge to say what artifact. He realized what she was doing, giving him an excuse for how a newbie had such an amazing power. This way no one would expect him to do it again, and no one would want to kill him for his cards. Im glad everyone is alive. I wish I didnt have to use it. But if I had to do it again, I would use the dungeon artifact every time, Max said. Karl limped over to them as they were talking. With his enhanced senses, he had of course heard the whole conversation. Karl gave him a nod of respect and said, Thanks for doing that. I dont know if I would have been able to kill it in time before someone died. I owe you one. Max ignored the obvious lie that Karl would have ever been able to kill the steel roc. Instead, he glanced at the colorful monster core he was holding. Karl turned, oblivious to Maxs hint. He started yelling instructions to the uninjured. He got them to build travois to carry the wounded and assigned a few to butcher the giant for dinner. The caravan was moving again within a half hour. They didnt want to stay anywhere near the site of so much blood. Karl didnt lead them too far away. Once they were out of the area, he found a spot for them to camp and they stopped several hours early for the day. Max assumed that most everyone would be good to go in the morning. Mana and health points were amazing things. He also saw a few people smearing clay on their wounds so healing paste must be a thing here too. He set up his sleeping bag and covered it with a tarp to protect him from the morning rain. Gus collapsed into his bag shortly after he set it up. His troll potion had really taken it out of him. Max was tired too, but didnt feel like falling asleep just yet. Maybe someone would want to play cards again. Before he could put a game together, Yang found him. The short woman had a serious look on her face. I need to talk to you, she said. Sure. Lets go over by those bushes so the others can sleep. Max led them over to the northern side of the camp. Unlike most of the foliage in the area, these bushes werent from Earth. They were deep red, almost brown. They were made up of thick vines with long thorns. The only leaves were on top of the bushes, creating a flat layer, almost like a table. Max sat in their shade and said, Whats up? Yang looked away. I want you to know I am thankful. You have been a great leader. You saved our lives many times. I would follow you into danger any day. Thank you, he said, touched. But. I dont think you need my help as much as Lily does. She is young and impulsive. She needs a friend and a mother. I am neither, but I feel I must do what I can for her. Call it professional pride or misplaced motherly instincts, but I will be there for the young princess. Max nodded. I get what you are saying. Your goal has never been to fight monsters or gain magic. You were sent here for her and want to protect her. Yes, and it might cause you problems. If you do not make up with your friend, the party will split. She will follow James and I will follow her. Max sat back, stunned. That was a very likely scenario. He swore softly. Yang got back up. I hope that you change your mind about him, but I understand if you do not. I have not forgiven James, but I will protect Lily regardless. She walked away. Max couldnt believe he hadnt seen this one coming. His party was falling apart. James was leaving because of his own mistakes, but he was pulling Lily and Yang away with him. Gus had already threatened to leave the party if Max didnt pay him more. It was entirely possible that Bisrat would leave him when she found out. She wanted to join his party, not team up with one guy. He didnt know what he was going to do. He couldnt imagine forgiving James betrayal, but at the same time, he didnt want to lose everyone over it. He didnt know if he was being stubborn, or if he was the only sane one. Chapter 60: If I Wasn鈥檛 Sure You Were Lucky Max didnt sleep well that night. He tossed and turned, trying to decide what to do about James. He didnt trust him anymore, but years of friendship didnt disappear overnight. By the next morning, he didnt have any better idea of what he wanted to do. Most of the fighters from yesterday were healed by morning. There were only two that were still injured enough they couldnt walk. Karl organized travois for them both, and a rotating roster of who would pull them. Max had travois duty when they reached the foothills shortly before lunch. The mountains loomed above them, their final challenge before the first layer. Now that it was so close, the mandatory quest lay heavily on his shoulders. His backpack also weighed on him since he wasn''t using his belt around the strangers. He had been pushing his Levitate on the travois and couldnt spare any oomph to lighten his pack as well. He suspected he would have to level up his Levitate before that was possible. They headed west for an hour before stopping at the base of a trail. It led straight up through a mountain pass. The dirt path turned to gravel a quarter of the way up. It looked well maintained, but with the name of Donner pass, Max suspected it would be difficult. While they were eating lunch, Karl addressed everyone. We are going to push for getting over the pass today. I know that means we will arrive in the valley just before nightfall, but I want to sleep in a bed tonight. We will have to push, but we can do it. If you decide to sleep here tonight and make the hike tomorrow, just be warned that we have seen tracks of a Boar-Wolf in the area. There was general murmuring at that announcement. Unsurprisingly, no one decided to stay behind. The lightning attacks of the boar-wolves were too dangerous to consider fighting them. They set out at a steady pace, heading straight up the mountain. Max was able to keep pace with his Levitate, and suspected many of the others were doing the same. James was having problems. He didnt have magical assistance and didnt start out in great shape. The rest of the caravan started outpacing him when they were halfway up. James went from the head of the line all the way to the back while he desperately tried to keep up. Lily was trying to be encouraging, but it was hard for her too. Her short legs counteracted her general fitness. By the time James had made it to the back of the line, Max had made up his mind on what to do. James, come here for a second, Max said. When he came close, Max put his hand on James pack. James eyes widened when he realized that Max had greatly lightened his load. What did you do? When you get Levitate over six, you can lighten other things besides yourself. I can only do one thing at a time right now. Uh, thanks... I really... appreciate it. James said between huffs of breath. I dont hate you. Max said without looking at him. I know it kind of seems like I do right now, but I dont. Weve been friends for years and I know you are the same person. I want to stay your friend. But youve lost my trust. I wont fight with you anymore. I cant face monsters with someone I cant trust to do what they will say they will do. James was silent for a few minutes. Max glanced over to see a red face. He didnt know if it was strong emotions or heavy exercise. Thats fair... Can we... hang out... sometimes? Give me... a chance to regain... your trust. Max tilted his head back and forth. I wont say no. I might be up for hanging out in a few weeks. You are buying the first round if we find a bar. Deal. Max felt a little lighter. It wasnt a perfect solution, but it was the best he could come up with. During the next break, Max sat down next to Bisrat. She was laying down, all curled up. She was massaging an ointment into the underside of her tail. She was methodically ensuring each small tentacle was clean and moisturized. Ah. I bet the stone on this mountain is murder on your tail. The rock face is fine. Its the gravel that really gets to me. Its murder on my cilia. Max took a breath. Hey, listen. There is something you should know. I wont be fighting with James anymore. We might stay friends, but hes off the party. That means Lily and Yang wont be in our party anymore either. Lilys in love with him and Yang wants to protect her. I dont know if Gus will stick around either. He was talking about wanting a better share of the loot yesterday. Im telling you all this so you can decide if you want to stick around with me. I would love to have you on the team. I think your skills are invaluable. But I know it isnt the party you asked to join. Bisrat looked up at him, but didnt get up. Thats too bad about your friends, but I didnt ask to join their party. I asked to join yours. Youre the one with amazing potential, Ill be sticking with you as long as the money is flowing. She went back to rubbing her tail. Well, thanks. Glad to have you onboard. Max said. They got going again shortly after that. The caravan stretched into a longer and longer line as peoples different capabilities became apparent. No one was particularly worried about monsters. Apparently they didnt wander up this high often. The tops of the mountains were devoid of mana and the monsters didnt like that. Max almost cried when they crested the mountain. They were here. Finally safe from magic cancer after weeks of constant worry. It was like a weight was lifted off his soul. Everyone from his party stood nearby, drinking in the beautiful sight. The first layer stretched out in front of them. Rolling hills and isolated groves dotted the landscape. It was mostly plains full of multi-colored grasses. There were black dots randomly scattered about, which Max assumed were dungeons. Cities were built up around denser concentrations of dungeon towers. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. There were some flying monsters, and fewer flying machines. Or at least thats what Gus said. Max only saw specks in the sky. The curvature of the world was much more pronounced here. The first layer stretched up, narrowing towards the top of the sphere. The actual top was blocked off by endless mountains, but it was clear that the southern edge of the first layer was much longer than the northern edge. Max glanced back to the second layer. It was fascinating how different the foliage was even though the climate felt the same. What held his attention wasnt plants, it was the island floating in the air in the distance. Bespin. It would be his first stop in the search for his brother. Then Hogwarts, Gotham, and Coruscant. It might take a while to find his brother, but he had already waited years. He could be patient for another few months. Karl walked up to them and said, We are splitting up now. The higher leveled peeps are running ahead. I wanted to talk to yall since I knew you were new. Dont worry about the wild monsters around here, they are easy compared to the ones on the second layer. Mostly kobolds and knife snakes around here. Head for that city there, its the closest and they are pretty friendly. Max, thanks for landing the final blow on Bawk Bawk Senior. Ill buy you a beer the next time I see you in town. James, Ill put in a good word for you when I swing by the Silver Eagle guild hall. Make sure to check them out. Yall Stay safe. And then he was off. It was clear his group had invested in Levitate. They quickly headed down the mountain, taking bigger and bigger jumps as they did. Max decided Karl was a bit selfish. Max had saved everyone with that hammer strike and gotten Karl a huge monster core out of it. The only thing he promised in return was a beer if he saw him again. They made their way down the mountain, the six of them quickly ending up alone as the others rushed ahead. Max suggested they eat dinner on the go and push forward in the dark to reach the city. They all agreed because they wanted to sleep in a real bed tonight. Max admired the patchwork colors of the grasses in the plains below. There was green and yellow from Earth, interspersed with red from the Lunuk homeworld, and blue from the Paj homeworld. The purple grasses were probably native to the Igra world. A message appeared as they reached the base of the mountain, five of them jerking back in shock as one. Mandatory Quest complete. Essence rewarded for following the directive.
Major amount of essence gathered
Level Up
Level Up
Did you guys get two level ups as well? Max asked. No, I got three. Im level fourteen now, James replied with a wide grin. Im fourteen too. Maybe you were right on the cusp of a level up before, Max said. Gus and Lily had leveled up to fourteen as well, but Yang was stuck at thirteen. Its all that sneaking around. You need to get your sword bloody more often, Gus said. Yang scowled at him in response. Bisrat shook her head. If I wasnt sure you were lucky before, I would be now. Doesnt everyone get a level up when they complete the mandatory quest? She held up a finger. Yes, one. You got two level ups, and thats after you hit the soft cap of twelve. Gus asked, Whats the soft cap? The monsters on the first layer are easy. Too easy. After reaching level twelve, you dont get essence from killing them anymore. The only way to keep advancing is killing dungeon bosses or moving to the second layer. The caravan we joined was full of people trying to save up for the move to the second layer. Most people just stop at twelve, even the dungeon divers. I guess we are lucky, already the big dogs the day we arrive in town. Gus said and strutted forward. Except you, Yang. Youre still a little dog. Yang didnt reply, but Gus tripped and fell on his face a few moments later. He swung his hammer around himself as he got up, but he missed her as she faded into the grass. He chased after her, widening the path she took. Stay out of the blue grass, guys! Bisrat called out. Its sharp enough to cut through your clothes. The grass was chest height and thick enough to make it hard to see through. Gus and Yang both cursed and quickly returned to the path already worn through the prairie. Both were dripping blood from their pants, but the cuts werent too bad. Max still felt some sympathy for the loss of Earth pants. The sun set when the closest city was still miles away. Max pulled out a flashlight, but it had fried from the mana. Bisrat saved the day by pulling out a glowing orb on a stick. They were on guard the whole way there, but werent attacked once. The other hunters must have killed any monsters in the area. They saw the dark shapes of dungeon towers loomed in the distance, like sentinels protecting the town. The lights of civilization pulled on them, guiding them unerringly to the city. Despite the occasional hill, the curvature of the world ensured they never lost sight of their destination. The ground surrounding the city had been scoured clean, only dirt and stone remaining. The city walls were twelve feet tall, the shortest ones yet. Max couldnt tell what they were made of in the dark. Whatever it was, it wasnt wood. Ho there, travelers. Welcome to the city of Skyhold, all that are good and just! a voice atop the walls said. Max paused, wondering why that sounded familiar. Another guard said, Knock it off, Greg. I keep telling you we arent supposed to goof off on duty. He turned to them and said, Sorry about him. This is actually the city of New Pants. Max laughed, Skyhold is a way better name than New Pants. But I guess this is real life and not Dragon Age. Greg laughed. See! He gets it! Shut up, Greg. the guard said and turned to Max. Its a crescent entry fee per party. We can make change if you only have monster cores. I got it, no problem. Max said and gave him one of the coins he had won gambling. The guards opened the gates and let them in. The streetlights softly glowed, revealing a city unlike any he had seen before. The buildings werent made of wood or stone. Or maybe they were, but every surface was covered in canvas. There were different colors and patterns of canvas, but it looked like the buildings were clothed. Maybe in the same material they made pants out of. They got directions to an inn that had space and crashed out. Max slept deep and long, only waking long after the sun had risen. Or rather, after the thing blocking the sun had moved out of the way. His stomach told him it was close to lunchtime. He stumbled down cloth stairs to the inns main room. It was set up like a tavern, with a stone fireplace on one end and a bar on the other. He found Bisrat eating at one of the tables in the middle. He grabbed the chair she had shoved to the side and plunked down. So good to see you up. You are the last one. But dont worry I didnt wait long. All of us slept in today. I wanted to be here when you woke so we could talk about the future. I have some ideas of what I could help you with and we need to decide what our next steps will be. Chapter 61: The Optional Quest is a Kill Quest Max stole some of Bisrats food while his own was being prepared. It was rice and bread with lamb sauces. Or a monster that tasted lamb-like. The spices were strong but good. Max was glad he ordered the same thing. You mentioned I was the last one awake. Where is everyone else? Max asked. James, Lily, and Yang left to sign up for the Silver Eagle guild. Gus ate and went back to bed. He said he needed to rest up for the bar crawl with his new friends. He does want to talk to you about staying in the party though. Max took a bite. It hurt slightly that James had left without talking to him, but separating was his idea so he couldnt complain. Thanks for the info. You mentioned you have plans? No, I have options you can choose from. Im not going to lead you down a slick path. This road has branches and you must be the one to walk them. That was an interesting way to put it, but he knew what she meant. He needed to decide what he wanted to do next. If he just went with her suggestion, he wouldnt be motivated to follow through. Alright, lay it on me. After you take a few days off, I think selling your bespelled tools would be the easiest start. Well have to see what the local armories think, but I bet I could sell them for decent income. Even if they only want your drill arrows, we could sell enough to live on. The next option would be to use your tools for their intended purpose. Ive heard rumors of a construction boom and you could build the housing they will need. I dont have construction experience myself, but I know a few people that do. Or if you want a more laid back job, the towns are always hiring guards. It doesnt pay well, but it is rarely exciting on the first layer. Just know that we would part ways if you chose that option. The most lucrative option is dungeon climbing with me as your trap and artifact expert. The first layers economy is mostly built around selling dungeon artifacts to the other layers. There are two problems with that idea though. You need more fighters, and better armor. Armor at all, really. I cant believe I didnt die already. Indeed. I said you were lucky. But lets not rely on that luck and get you better armor, preferably Igra made. New Pants has some fantastic weavers. The town has a solution for finding party members as well. There is a bar in town, part of a chain actually, called LFG. Seriously? Looking for Group? Oh, youve heard of them? Good. We can spend a night or two auditioning party members and do a nearby run to see if we fight well together. I hadnt heard of them, actually. Its just that LFG is an Earth internet thing from online games. I understood most of that. Anyway, whats your choice? Max shook his head, There is one choice you havent mentioned. I could travel around looking for my brother. If I find him, thatll change my calculations. If your brother is anything like yourself, I would be happy to have him join the party. But that doesnt change your choices much. Finding your brother will cost money. Whether you want to travel yourself or hire someone else to search for you, you will need to earn a stable base of income before you get going. Max nodded along. That makes sense. Ive been thinking that hes probably on the second layer anyway. How long until we can move up the the second layer? It depends on your body. The second layer has more ambient mana than here and its only safe for you once your body has adjusted to it. The higher level you are and the more mana rich foods you eat, the faster that adjustment will come. I would guess somewhere between two weeks and a month before its safe to move up to the second layer. Alright, since well be here for the next month anyway, I need to make up my mind about what to do next. Max said as his lunch arrived. He moved some food over to Bisrats plate to make up for what he stole. His first instinct was to head straight to LFG and recruit a team to go dungeon climbing. That would be reckless without proper preparation though. He found himself tempted anyway. He had spent ages preparing to hop through that portal, now he had the chance to do what he had been dreaming of for years. Being a guard or a construction worker held no appeal whatsoever. He wouldnt mind spending a few weeks selling tools while he perfected his use of Citadel cards. He hadnt messed with the design of the circular saw much and he felt like there were some fun possibilities there. Max said, I want to jump right into dungeon climbing, but thats a bad idea. Lets sell my tools for a few weeks. I want to be able to properly outfit our new party. You can sell my orbs and extra cards while you are at it. You mentioned I need to find the perfect card to complete my first merge, so lets keep a look out for that. I also think it would be a good idea to visit LFG now. That way I get an idea of who is available and we can take our time over the weeks to find quality candidates. Bisrat perked up. I love this plan. LFG is only busy around dinner time and into the night. Why dont you relax for now and well meet up here in about four hours. In the meantime, do you have any samples of your tools that I can use? I want to judge the interest of the local armories. If I dont like the prices they offer, we can move to Mercy. Its a bigger city so they might pay more. Max found himself hoping that they ended up staying here. It was close to the second layer, where he thought his brother was, and there were plenty of dungeons around. It also couldnt hurt to check in on James, Lily, and Yang. He wanted to make sure they were doing ok. After lunch, he went back to his room and grabbed a hammer, saw, and drill for Bisrat to use as display models. He thought about going out to explore the town, but decided to stay in and read instead. A down day sounded like heaven right now. He had only brought one paper book along, but it was his favorite. He read Hatchet until it was time to meet up with Bisrat that evening. When he came downstairs, Gus was eating an early dinner. Max sat down next to him. Hows it going, man? Max said with an upward head nod. Happy as a pig in mud. Im going drinking tonight, and probably tomorrow night too. Depends on if someone convinces me to stop in the middle. Max chuckled even though it wasnt that funny. Whats your plan after that? I will get into dungeon climbing in a few weeks. I would love to have you in my party. You are a solid fighter, in and out of your troll form. The only thing is that loot splits will always be fair. Even though you are awesome, I wont give you better loot than everyone else. Gus stroked his beard and pretended to think. I figure I can stick with you for a little while. At least until a better offer comes around. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Thanks, man. Get yourself some good armor in the meantime. Sure thing. You know, I give you shit sometimes, but youre alright. You too. Ill see you around. Max got up and met Bisrat at the door. The thought crossed his mind that Gus should be a part of picking the new team members. That was a stupid thought. Gus should be introduced last, otherwise he would drive away good fighters. Bisrat gave him a tour of the town as they walked. It turned out the different cloth patterns covering the buildings had a purpose. Flat colors were homes, checkered patterns were businesses, and stripes were government buildings. Oh, speaking of government, do they have records of who lives here? Im wondering if there is a way to find my brother by asking all the town clerks. Yes and no. Governors appoint Lieutenants and give them some government cards. One of them is a census card. They use it to keep track of the population and make sure no one gets killed. I know that they can search for individuals somehow, because rebellion leaders always get found and killed. Always. I imagine if you paid the Lieutenant enough, they could check the town for your brother. Sounds expensive. Bribing the leadership of every little town on Spinworld could cost a fortune. It''s either that or hire someone to find him. There are hunting cards that people could use to track down your blood relation. Sorry the only ideas I have are expensive. Its fine. Ill just have to save up. Your plans for money making will come in handy. Bisrat smiled brightly and led them into the LFG bar. Max had imagined a rough and tumble tavern, but this was more like an adventurers guild. In addition to the bar, there were organized party requests broken up by role, a training area with rental weapons, a clerk that bought dungeon artifacts, even a quest board. He wasnt sure if the last one was a joke or not. The quests posted up were killing rats, picking flowers, and stopping a chicken thief. Max and Bisrat picked up a pint each and made the rounds to talk to everyone interested in joining a group. They didnt talk shop, just tried to get to know people. A few of them already knew Bisrat from when she made the rounds a few weeks ago. Now that she had the weaponsmith Max on her team, there were a few more people willing to join the party. They didnt make any commitments that evening, but they got a better idea of what they were looking for in a new party member. The next morning Max got to work right away. He tackled his belt curse for the first time in days. It was much easier than last time. Within minutes, he had used a wine glass, a hair brush, a red ribbon, a bangle bracelet, and a chicken drumstick for their intended purposes. He left the town and harvested grasses for a few hours, enough to completely fill his belt. His circular saw made it possible, but he planned on making a purpose built harvesting saw at some point. The first thing he made was something he had been putting off. Gloves. He only needed to make two more sets to finish off his Gloves card quest. The inn he was staying at had a kind old man running things. Max made him a pair of thin gloves to help him reach things on the top shelf. His second set went to the guard at the front gate with a sense of humor. Max didnt tell him about the magic spell in the gloves though. He was hoping the guy would find out in some hilariously random way. As he was walking away from the walls, the message he had been waiting for appeared. Citadel Evolution Quest Complete Use the hand spell in six materially different ways. [?] Craft a pair of gloves with a different function. [?] Create gloves to match the style of six different people. [?] You have completed all parts of your Gloves evolution quest and may now select one of the following evolutions. Handy Gloves- trade a longer recharge time for a stronger hand spell when activated Work Gloves - unlock six different glove designs for different professions Stylish Gloves - Gain an intuitive sense of what kind of gloves would fit a person Max read through the options and quickly chose the first one. The other two were ridiculously bad in comparison to having a better mage hand. He pulled up the card to double check how it changed.
Advanced Handy Gloves Citadel
Transmutes mana neutral matter within aura into magic gloves of the cardholders design.
Mana Cost: 14 Refresh: 3.7 Hours Card Level: 6
The mana cost went up a bit and the refresh more than quintupled. He was still sure it was the right choice. He immediately created a new pair of gauntlets. He wasnt sure if it would matter, but he made sure the metal plates were made of tungsten to improve the spell strength. He was back in his room by then, and decided to test it out right away. He focused on his dirty shirt on the floor. A blue hand shot out of his gauntlet and grabbed the shirt. He levitated it over to his bed and dropped it, all without moving from the spot. The hand was still active, so he grabbed a Cup with his real hand and tossed it to the mage hand. He fumbled the catch since his mage hand didnt have feeling. It cut out a moment later. A wide grin spread across his face. That spell had lasted about fifteen seconds, way longer than the three seconds it was before. He couldnt wait to test it again, hopefully it could lift heavier objects now too. Sadly, he would have to wait almost four hours to try again. While he waited, he got to work transmuting tools. He made them out of silver this time, planning on testing the relative strength of their spells with different metals. He ran out of mana almost right away and realized there was a serious downside to staying on the first layer. The mana density was much lower, so his mana pool was very slow to refill. He decided to get lunch while he was waiting on it to refill. As he walked the city streets, an illusion flickered to life on a nearby raised platform. It was the news guy. Gooooood Afternoon Spinworld. This is Ernie Pyle with another edition of Spinworld News. Coming to you live from an undisclosed location, delivering to every major city from the first layer down to the fourth. In financial news, the Igra company Colossus has suffered another setback. The company''s cash reserves were hit by a daylight robbery. Titan cores worth in excess of 6,500 white cores were stolen from their third layer vault. Experts say the market is ripe for a challenger in the mana crystal market. Weather news has a rare good day today. There are no reported active dungeon quests. Live it up people before the next mandatory quest pops up. On the fourth layer, Hunter Thib has resigned from his position in the Hunter Coalition. He cites wanting to spend more time with his family, but sources inside the coalition point to his failure to see the monster management collapse coming. His replacement has not been named, but Marcus the White seems like a likely pick. Finally, I have some Builder news. Yes, those Builders. Many have been speculating the Builders have left Spinworld. Monster population isnt being balanced anymore, dungeons have stopped changing and entrance towers have been decommissioned. However, the Builders issued a new optional quest last month, not an automated one like the mandatory dungeon quests. Thats proof that they are still here, their hands are still on the wheel. Unfortunately, they are steering us towards disaster. The optional quest is a kill quest. If you kill a titan and a governor, you are invited to meet the builders on the sixth layer. That''s right, they want you to commit murder. Those issued the quest are usually governors, but not always. It seems like the builders are manually choosing people they think have the ability to complete the quest. This quest has been in place for more than a month, which explains the uptick in wars and assassinations. It is likely that the recent unrest across Spinworld is mostly due to this quest. It also seems to be assigned to more and more people as time goes on, so we can only expect that to get worse. Tomorrow I will present an in depth study of this quest and how it will affect you, the regular viewer. Until then, stay safe everyone. Dana, please come home. Ill give you whatever you want, I just want you to be safe. Shouts of surprise, fear, and anger filled the streets. Chapter 62: Take Things Seriously One day. Max got one day of peace and quiet before hell broke loose again. The announcement of the Governor kill quest had sent the town into panic. The Builders had set up a system to protect the weak from the strong, and now they were undoing that all in one fell swoop. Mistrust rippled through society. How could farmers head out in their fields if they werent sure they would be protected? How could weapon dealers sell something that might be turned on them? Those without cards suddenly found themselves desperate to buy their own. The prices of everything skyrocketed. The Governor of New Pants made an announcement the first day that she had known about the quest the whole time and had ignored it. She had no desire to kill other leaders and expected the same to be true of the others. The Builders couldnt force chaos upon their city, no matter how many quests they issued. Her confident statement was undercut by the fact she hadnt made a public appearance in weeks. Days passed and things started to settle down. There was a general sense of mistrust in the town, but disaster failed to arrive. The new normal settled in and the economy started moving again. Other than the sudden inflation, the other major change was that guilds and hunters were much more active than before. Magic cards were more in demand now than ever. Max continued to make weapons, but he switched to titanium. The metal made the hammers and drills lighter and stronger, but greatly reduced the power of the spell. Titanium wasnt nearly as mana conductive and that affected the spells. The weapons he was selling were intentionally weaker than the ones he made for himself. Bisrat took to selling the weapons directly instead of going through the local weapon shops. She kept an eye out for Citadel cards that would be good for Max but inventory was low, even with the increased prices. A week after they arrived, Bisrat took Max to the local Igra armory. Steel Appeal was a small building, one of the few in town made of stone instead of canvas. Smoke puffed out of the chimney in regular intervals, like sending a smoke signal. Before we go in, let me tell you how this works. You pay a flat price in the beginning and they make you a custom set of armor. No two are the same. But, in order for them to get started, you have to win a game against them. If you lose, you have to come back tomorrow and try again. What? If I lose, the money is just gone? I know you said this is the best armor on this layer, but this feels like a waste of money. The Igra I have met have all been excellent at games." Its the equivalent of three white cores, it really isnt that much. As long as you can win within three days, its actually cheaper than commissioning a set from normal armorers." How long did it take you? Two tries. Im pretty good at this kind of thing. But dont worry about that. Even if it takes you six times, this armor is worth it. This is the best armor you can buy on the first layer. It''s effective against impact, slashing, and piercing. Max grumbled and walked into the store. He didnt like the idea of throwing money down the drain, but he wanted the best. He wouldnt consider dungeon climbing without it. Not after how close they came to dying the last time they did a single floor. Three Igra looked up as he and Bisrat walked in. Like all Igra, their armor completely covered them. A short Igra was working at a table, weaving strands of wire like they were thread. She was wearing a mix of steel thread and laminar plates. The one in the back working the forge was wearing mostly leather armor, with only a few plates sewn in for additional protection. An Igra in full plate hopped off his stool as he saw them come in. Welcome, welcome customers. So happy to see you both. Are you here for repairs, miss? Bisrat said, No, my set has been wonderful, we are here to get Max outfitted. Ah, a new customer. Please sit down and we will discuss our consultation fee. My name is Humers, the weaver over there is Clarser, and the grumpy guy over by the forge is Bhuinem. Remember our names, there will be a test later, Humers said with a laugh. Max laughed along, knowing the trick by now. The next time he saw these three, they would be wearing different armor and standing in different places. Now, we operate differently from human armorers. We make a unique set of armor just for you. We tailor it to your body and your soul. That requires getting to know you. The best way to do that is through games. Max nodded. Yes, Bisrat mentioned that. And I have to pay three whites every time I play. Four, actually. You have legs where she does not. It adds some complexity to the consultation. Max sucked a breath in through his teeth. That would make this whole process a lot more expensive. The Igra made a good point though, naturally Bisrats armor would be cheaper than his own. He pulled out four orbs and placed them on the stone counter between them. Humers clapped his hands. Eager to start playing, huh Max? I am happy to oblige. Lets start with an Earth game, chess. Do you know how to play? Max couldnt help but frown. His father had taught him chess and everything about that brought up bad memories. I know how to play, but I would rather not. Are there any other games we can play instead? No, no. Playing a game you dont like is an excellent way for us to learn about you. Ill let you choose the next time we play so we can balance it out. Youre that confident that youll win? Max said with a raised eyebrow. Humers shrugged, making his armor clink. We shall see, wont we? Max chose white. He opened up with the Nordic Gambit and kept the pressure on. The gambit sacrificed some pieces in the beginning, but he had good control of the board afterwards. Within ten minutes, he had evened out the piece count. While they played, Humers asked him questions about his life. Some of them seemed relevant like what weapons he used and what fighting styles he had learned. Others were bizarre, and Max was convinced they were just there to distract him from the game. Just in case, he honestly answered the questions about what books he had read and his favorite type of carpet. What really threw him was the question about ideal breast size in women. Maxs eyes betrayed him and flicked over to Bisrats chest. He immediately turned his attention back to the chess board, but he was pretty sure she had seen it. He mumbled something about grapefruit and made his next move. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. In the end, Max lost to a maneuver the Igra had been setting up all game. It was like Humers had been toying with him this whole time and only now felt like ending it. It was a tough loss, particularly since it brought up a lot of unwelcome memories of his father. Dont be sad, nobody wins the first game, Bisrat said and patted his shoulder. Max shook his head. Its not that. Its chess. I hate chess. Whys that? Max winced. He opened his mouth and closed it. He looked away and blinked furiously. Bisrats eyes softened. You look like you need a drink. Its not even dinner time yet. Why does that matter? ... You know what? I think I do need a drink. ... Im actually good at chess, for a human. Max said after his third glass of Corellian Brandy. It wasnt actually brandy, it was wheat beer made from a local farm. He gave them a pass since they named their bar the Mos Eisley Cantina. My dad always loved chess and taught me when I was young. When I was ten, I could beat my dad every time. He insisted I join the community chess club, and I beat most of the old farts that played there. He paused to sip his fourth beer. My dad loved it. He took me out to get ice cream every time I won. He entered me into our state chess contest and I took first place. He was so happy. He wanted me to make a living playing chess, to live out his dream. We went to nationals, and I lost. I lost bad. I might have been the best twelve year old in Ohio, but I was almost the worst player at the Middle School Chess Competition. The memory washed over him with hot shame. He knew now that there was nothing to be ashamed of, but his emotions didnt care. He took a big breath to shake it off. My dad was so disappointed. We never went out for ice cream again. When he died a few years later, I told everyone to bring ice cream to the funeral. I told them it was his favorite. I thought it would make me feel better, to rub it in his face at the wake. It didnt. I dont know much about human funeral customs, but I understand enough. You are hurting. The reminder of your father only serves to open that wound from childhood. I am so sorry. She reached her right arm around him and rubbed his shoulder one handed. Max moved to put his arm around her as well, brushing past her centipede-like tail as he did. Bisrat pulled away. Oop. Dont touch a Pajs tail. You are handsome and everything, but I only go for Paj when I want horizontal refreshment. It took Maxs drunk brain a few seconds to realize what she meant. No, no. I didnt mean to. I wasnt coming on to you. It was an accident. I prefer humans too. I think Ill go now. Ill see you tomorrow. Max didnt look back as he weaved through the bar. His face was hot with embarrassment. He hoped that she would forget about it by morning. It was a genuine accident. The next morning, he found that he wasnt hungover. It was a pleasant surprise. From how drunk he was, he knew that magic must have been the hangover cure. The only question was which magic. He didnt have body stats, and none of his cards made him tougher. As he thought back to it, he had been able to swing around a super dense tungsten hammer for hours yesterday too. Tougher and stronger. He asked Bisrat about it on their way to Steel Appeal. Its because you are tier 2 now. Remember how I told you that different things unlock at 12, 24 and 32? After you reach those levels, your body gets tougher and stronger. Its a slow process though. You probably wont see the full effects of your level up for another week. Max opened and closed his gauntleted hands. I could get stronger? I like the sound of that. When they walked into the armory, there were three Igra standing in the same spots as last time. The Igra in full plate metal hopped off a stool and greeted them as they walked in. Welcome, welcome customers. Are you here for another game, Max? I am. Hopefully a better game than last time. You acquitted yourself very well, one of the best human players we have seen. By the way, Max, do you remember our names? I did say there would be a test, didnt I? Max smiled. You did. Now, yesterday it was Humers in the full plate, Clarser in the woven, and Bhuinem in the leather armor. I suspect you have switched it up because you knew I was coming today. You wouldnt have put the woman in the leather armor, that would make it too obvious. I bet your name is Bhuinem, Humers is in the leather armor, and Clarser stayed in her own armor. The person in the woven armor clapped and pointed at the guy in the leather armor. I told you this one was quick. What did I say, huh? The human''s got a brain under that thick skull. The guy in full plate armor, Yeah, yeah. Im Bhuinem. Did Bisrat tip you off? She promised she wouldnt. No, Ive just met some other Igra that pulled the same trick, Max said. They lost a deck of cards and carried us fifty miles when we correctly guessed. What did I win today? You won getting to choose the game we play today, Bhuinem groused. You can pick between Hounds and Jackals, Limmek, or Stratego. I havent heard of two of those, so I guess Ill pick Stratego. Not that I expect to win. I played it twice at my grandparents house. Just enough to remember the rules. Max said and rolled four white orbs over to him. Well, that just means that Clarser gets to play you tomorrow. Shell like that. I want to get this game over as soon as possible, so set up your pieces." Max pretended to think hard as the Igra set up their side of the board. He had already decided on his strategy before he walked in. He had heard about it during his failed attempt at learning sword fighting. Master sword fighters could trounce anyone in the league, but would usually refuse to fight rank novices. When you had training to some degree, you were predictable. The master could see a twitch and counter your move before you completed it. But the unpredictable novices would flail around randomly, and get occasional hits in on masters. Maxs plan wasnt to play well, it was to be unpredictable enough to accidentally win. He quickly placed most of his bombs up front and put his flag in the back corner. Most people put their spies near the front to deal with Marshal runs, so Max put his near the flag. Completely useless if any of the other pieces attacked. He smirked as Bhuinem made the first move. Max thought he could see a confused tilt of the mans helmet, but that might have been his imagination. The questions continued as the game started up. Maxs bizarre strategy lost him a lot of pieces up front, including his Marshall. But the strangely placed bombs took out a lot of Bhuinems stronger pieces as well. His own Marshall almost found Maxs flag early on, but his spy took it out. The game turned into a battle of attrition, one that the short Igra won. Its not fun winning against someone that doesnt take things seriously, Bhuinem said and folded his arms with a screech of metal. This was me taking you seriously. You are probably a master at all of these three games, my only chance at winning was to be as confusing as possible. Max said and reached into his dimensional belt. He pulled out a hammer and said, To show you Im serious, you can have one of my hammers. Bhuinem patted Its heavy. Lead hammers arent very useful, they''re too soft. Its not lead, its tungsten. Pure tungsten, actually. I havent figured out how to do alloys yet. Clarser stopped weaving. Humers walked over from the forge and said, Did I hear that right? Tungsten? Yep. I Specialized in Citadel cards. I can make tools in a variety of different metals. Ive found Tungsten conducts mana pretty well. Yeah, its third on the list after mithril and gold. Could you make more of these? Humers said as he leaned forward. Of course. I could make you some gold hammers too. Not mithril though. Only metals that humans have discovered. Humers turned to Clarser and Bhuinem and they all nodded at each other. Good metal is hard to find. Give us a gold hammer and two tungsten hammers and well make you your suit of armor for free. I love that idea. How about I provide you hammers of whatever kind you want and you make a suit of armor for my whole party? I think we can work something out, Clarser said. Your armor will be ready tomorrow. After that, it takes about three days per person. Take as long as you need. Max said with a grin. It wasnt until after he left Steel Appeal that he realized he still needed to round out his party with two or three more members. Chapter 63: This Town Will Be Dead Max hopped out of bed. Today was the day. He couldnt wait to try on his new armor. He went to the bowl in his room and splashed water on his face. Plumbing was the only thing he really missed from home. His canvas room in the inn was bigger than his apartment back on Earth, he had magical powers, and he was comparatively rich. The only downside was the lack of running water on the first layer. At least they had a magical solution for the toilets. As he walked down the jean stairs, he heard crying coming from near the front desk. The innkeepers daughter was standing at the checkout counter, talking to two men in farmers clothes. How could they do that to us? Dont they know we needed her? she said through tears. The skinny guy awkwardly patted her shoulder. I know, Sarah, I know. Were all gonna have to move. But not today. I bet most places will last a month or two at least. Max walked up to them and said, Whats going on? They killed Edith. Buncha assassins snuck in last night and offed her. the farmer said. Thats... too bad, Max said slowly. The innkeepers daughter huffed. Edith Head was New Pants governor. She kept us all safe, and more importantly, her card is what made the town. Literally. Her card created and strengthened fabric. Max looked to the building around him. Everything was made out of cloth. Even the support beams were canvas. Does that mean the buildings are going to fall down or something? She sniffed and said, Yeah. We dont know how long itll take, at least a month, but the spell will wear off. This town will be dead within three months for sure. Damn. Im sorry. Where is everyone going to go? We dont know. We just found out today, the farmer said. Max dug into his belt and pulled out all the coins in his pocket. He placed it on the counter and said, You guys can split that up to help with moving expenses. They thanked him as he headed out. He felt bad that he didnt have to worry about money like they did. He hoped the residents of New Pants would find a new home soon. He made a mental note to ask Bisrat for advice on where they should move their home base to. After breakfast, he headed over to Steel Appeal. The Igra had already heard about the assassination and mentioned they planned on staying in town to the very end. Their stone building wasnt in danger of collapsing, and they held out hope that someone would find a solution to the weakening town. Clarser said, But enough about that. Its time for you to try on your armor. We gotcha three layers here. The bodysuit is for your comfort. The black woven metal leggings and tunic goes on top of that. It uses doped steel and will protect you from blunt force trauma. This stack of titanium plates attach onto the clips on the woven spots. Itll protect you from stabbing and slashing. Finally, there is your helmet. I know it looks thin, but its the best possible without magic. Max thanked her and took the stack of armor into the changing room. It was about forty pounds all together, lighter than he had expected. He stripped completely and donned the silky soft bodysuit. Next was the quasi-chainmail. The woven metal tightened itself on him as he slipped it on. Next, he started clipping on the plates one by one. It took him some time to figure out where each titanium plate went, but eventually he was fully suited up. He looked himself over in the mirror. The silvered mirror was slightly warped, but he could still tell that he looked fantastic. It was slim and sleek, silver with a black undercoat. Despite the near full coverage, the armor was light and flexible. He moved around and the armor didnt bind up at all. He could take full advantage of his Flow enhanced flexibility. Since his mouth wasnt completely covered, he saw himself grinning like an idiot. He looked like a cross between a roman legionnaire and a sci-fi soldier. He felt badass as he walked out of the changing room. Thank you all. This is fantastic. Its better than I could have imagined, Max said as he handed over a solid gold hammer. On Earth the gold would have been priceless, but here it was only useful for making anti magic shields. Max reminded himself to come back and get one in a few days. That night he met up with Bisrat and they headed over to LFG. They were both wearing the armor at her suggestion, it would show people they were established fighters. On the way over, Max decided to pull the trigger on the stat points he had earned. After leveling up to fourteen, he had four free points. At first he had considered further leveling up Levitate, but Bisrat had advised against it. Most of their fighting would be in a dungeon. His current abilities with Levitate were plenty when fighting somewhere with a ceiling. She advised him to put all his points into Presence so he would be a better leader. Max couldnt bring himself to do that. Presence smacked of mind control and he didn''t feel comfortable investing in it. Instead, Max put two points into Flow to control his magic better and make himself more dexterous. He threw one point into Insight so he could see magic better. Finally, he added a single point to Broaden, raising his mana pool to 54. That way he wouldnt get wiped out every time he used Augment. When he was done, he read over his stats. It looked good. The one final question still niggled at the back of his mind, but he ignored it for now.
Max Kraft (Level 14)
Insight: 7
Flow 4
Presence or Paranoia
Broaden 2
Levitate 7
Specialize: 6
?(Free Points: 0)?
Walking into the LFG bar was like walking through a portal. Outside people hurried from house to house, never staying out after dark. The symbol of the Builders, a hexagon, had been co-opted by a doomsday cult. There were rumors that the cult were sacrificing people to the Builders to convince them to spare them when the world ended. The rumors scared people, but what terrified them more was that the cult might be right about the end of the world. Everything changed when he walked inside. The atmosphere was jubilant, almost celebratory. Drinks were flowing freely and people were more friendly than ever. Max suspected mind control before he realized the real reason for the attitude change. It was a lack of empathy. The people in this bar all had magic cards and the ability to fight. They had no need to fear the loss of the New Pants governor. They could easily move to a new city. Without oversight might made right, and these people had might. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. There were two classes of people on Spinworld, those with cards and those without. The ruling class was cheery while the rest were cowering. Max almost left right then and there. Instead, he decided to give people a chance and not judge them by the others in the room. He got himself a drink while he chatted with Bisrat about their priorities. Bisrat filled the rogue role, Max was a mid range fighter, and Gus was a part time tank. They needed to add a full time tank, and someone with ranged damage. Preferably someone with strong damage. If they decided to take on a sixth member, someone with crowd control magic would be useful, but not needed. It would be nice to have a healer, since that was one of the five archetypes. Max had only heard of Cups cards creating healing potions, but he would be ecstatic to find out about a Clover card that healed or something like that. Last time they were in here, they wandered from table to table to talk to people. This time, people came to them. Nice armor you guys got there. Where can I get some? a tall thin guy said. We got it from the Igra shop in town, Steel Appeal, Max said. Bisrat suggested he do the talking since the crowd was mostly human. No shit? I heard that place was a scam. Probably because you have to win a game against them to earn your armor. People dont like the pay to play model. But if you join our party, we can arrange a suit of armor for you. The tall guy smiled. Youre in luck. Im Spinworlds best dodge tank. Go on, ask me what that is. Max shook his head. I read the book. A dodge tank keeps the monsters attention on them and dodges instead of taking hits. What cards do you have? I got me a Vampire Shrimp Pawn card, he said and demonstrated. A small crustacean appeared on the table. It reminded Max of the mantis shrimp with its weird eyes. The guy continued, This guy can take down a boss if we give him five minutes. In the meantime, I dance around the boss and keep its attention so my little guy can suck it dry. I got my Flow at six, aint nothing touching me. Max felt his attention waning. How are you against hordes of monsters? Aint nobody able to do everything. Thats why you got a party, right? True, true. Hey, listen. We gotta talk to a lot of people today. Where can I reach you when we decide on our final roster? The smile slowly dipped from his face. Im usually here. If not, just ask the bartender to leave a message for Horus. Great! Well be in touch, Horus. Max said. He kept the smile on his face until Horus walked away. Bisrat leaned close. I couldnt tell if you liked him or hated him. Hated. He is a tank that cant handle large groups of monsters. Thats ninety percent of the job. And his Pawn card works slow. The only time he would be useful is against bosses, and I think I could do a better job. Horus must have spilled the beans about the armor offer, because everyone they talked to after that already knew about it. You two looking for a Bard? a man in a large red hat said. Max had to tear his eyes away from the monstrosity atop his head to answer. We could be. Have a seat, tell us about yourself. Names Songsmith Hal. Ive been on Spinworld for a year now. Been on a few teams, and worked all the way up to level ten, he said and leaned forward with an affable smile. Glad to meet you, Hal. Im Max, level fourteen, and this is Bisrat, level twelve. What kind of cards do you have that make you a bard? Hal winked. Thats need to know stuff, but I can give you a hint. I have two Wand cards. Im the best crowd control guy youll ever see. After you give me some armor, Ill show you exactly what I can do for you. Max nodded. Theres something I like about you, Hal. I cant wait to see you in action. But were heading out soon, before the next suit of Igra armor is made. Youll have to do the first run in your regular armor. We cant do that, my good armor got stolen. Well have to wait until Im fully protected. Cant risk your most valuable team member, right? It wont take long to make the armor, right? Max suddenly felt awkward. He really didnt want to say no to the guy, but he didnt want to give away armor to people he just met. Bisrat leaned over and whispered, His Presence is very high. Examine your feelings. All goodwill he had towards Hal washed away. Max put on a fake smile and said, Sounds good. Ill get you that armor right away. But first, I gotta see you in action. The training area is right over there. How about this, I run towards you with my war hammer, and you use your bard crowd control to stop me. You can do that, right? Hal leaned forward and smiled. Actually, my powers only work on monsters. Thats the great thing, I can go all out and there is never a risk to my party. Im happy to show you the magic in action, but we need the armor first of course. I think you better keep walking. Hal. Something about your presence is setting me off. Max folded his arms. Hals smile grew brittle. Ill be around when you change your mind. Maybe when you arent with that alien gold digger. Max just shook his head and Hal walked away. Max looked down at the armor he had been so proud of before he came in here. It was good armor. Too good. Max turned to Bisrat and said, I think you undersold how in demand Igra armor is. We are getting all of the scammers and idiots trying to join our party now that they heard we were handing them out. She sighed and nodded. Its the blunt damage protection. Nothing else made on the first layer can protect you from blunt force trauma. Sorry. I should have realized this would happen. Its fine. It just means well have to be extra careful in our screening process. The rest of the evening was filled with talking. Max felt like more than half of the bar came up to them and asked to join their team. ... Gus, let me introduce you to the people interviewing for a spot on our party. This is Asta, shes been on Spinworld for five years. She will be tanking along with you. Her card is Force Reflection. Anything that hits her shield bounces off. Max said and gestured towards the Nordic woman standing to his right. Asta was a tall, blond haired woman with a severe expression. She held a metal tower shield and wore a thick breastplate. Max had already made a set of gauntlets for her with his Gloves card. Standing next to her was a short and thick guy with buzzed brown hair. He wasnt fat so much as wide. He wore a water sprayer on his back. It was clearly made here on Spinworld, but it resembled a sprayer that pest control guys used back on Earth. Our other candidate is Giovanni. He arrived on the same day we did, but hes already level eight. He has an Ice Manipulation card and will be our control mage. Gus gave them both a respectful nod and said, Gio, Asta. Its Giovanni, not Gio, the short man said and folded his arms with a frown. Gus shrugged, Sure, whatever. He turned to Max. What are you wearing? It looks like a ninja fell into a cooking store. It reminds me of a shittier version of Bistrats armor. Are you trying to get into her pants? Cus I assure you, she doesnt have any. Max shook his head. Shut up, Gus. And let me say this upfront. Dont mess with the new people. Giovanni will stab you and Asta will knock you into next week. Id like to see her try, Gus said and put his hands on his hips. Asta raised a single eyebrow but didnt move. Max was already regretting keeping Gus in his party. He was competent in a fight, but couldnt stop pissing people off. Max turned towards Asta and Giovanni, And of course this is Gus. Hes got a few different cards but the two you will be seeing today are Troll Form and Warped Mirror. Gus shook his head, Actually, I sold my Warped Mirror card. Did it the second day here. Sold most of my other cards too. What? Why? Max asked, baffled. Cus Im going all in on my Troll Form card. I bought an alchemy kit to make the potion last longer. He raised his eyebrows suggestively. When no one took the bait he continued, When I add magic plants to my blood potion, I can stay a troll for an hour. The better the plants, the longer I can last. I also bought a card to make it easier to use Troll Form. Max facepalmed and said, Whats the newest card? Message. Four of them startled as a voice sounded in their heads. Gus laughed. Its a Bell card called Message. Dont worry though, I cant hear your thoughts, I can only send a message. It works with anyone within sight range. I can even talk in my troll body. I checked. Max slowly blinked. Gus had thrown away Warped Mirror, Sonic Step, Startle, and Light Beam so he could buy an alchemy kit and a Bell card that let him talk in his troll body. The urge to strangle him was almost overwhelming. There was no way he got a good deal on that exchange. On the other hand, maybe it was for the best. Gus routinely forgot he had the other cards, even after Max reminded him to use them more often. The fighting style that came with a troll body was more Guss speed. He stood in the way and hit things hard. You probably got scammed with that trade, but whatever. You are a damn good troll, so lets put you to use. I did some research and there is a dungeon nearby that will be a good test of our teamwork. Follow me to the dungeon tower they are calling the Clockwork Catacombs. Chapter 64: I Don鈥檛 Trust You Guys Since dungeons have stopped changing, there are info brokers selling guides to the dungeons, Max said as he walked into the dungeon antechamber. I bought the guide for the Clockwork Catacombs and read it. I wont tell you everything it said though. Since this is an interview for Asta and Giovanni, Ill only intervene if I think someone is in danger. The tall Nordic woman and the short Italian guy gave him serious nods. They wore mismatched and damaged armor, clearly hoping that joining Maxs party would get them better protection. Gus gave them a smug look and downed a potion he had made. His own armor was actually worse than theirs, but it didnt come with him when he transformed so it didnt matter. Guss skin rippled and his muscles bulged. He grew to seven feet tall, now the tallest in the group. His face was hideous, but still held hints of Gus facial features. All of them were grateful that the transformation came with a loincloth. Max pulled out a pair of war hammers from his belt, a huge one for Gus, and a regular sized one for himself. He enjoyed the look of shock on Asta and Giovannis faces. He was looking forward to when they realized he had his belt completely full of tools charged with magic spells. Several of them had Augmented spells too. Gus and Asta stood at the door into the dungeon. He held the overlarge hammer and she held her tower shield and a mace. Max and Giovanni lined up behind them with Bisrat bringing up the rear. Hold up. Giovanni said. The first room is sometimes the worst. Lemme get ready. He sprayed a mist of water into the air, which quickly froze into snow. The snow then compacted into three sharp spikes that hovered near his shoulder. Max nodded with respect. That was a pretty neat trick. Gus slapped the button on the hexagon shaped door and it slid to the side. The room inside was about thirty feet wide with workbenches studded about. There were copper metal objects strewn about the place, pipes, gears, and pistons. Some of the gears were four feet thick, big enough to obstruct vision into the room. Contact left, Giovanni said and pointed as he fired his three ice spikes. The spikes sped across the room, shattering on the carapace of a four armed insect person. Stop! Max yelled and put his hand on Giovannis shoulder. He gave Max a look and said, Why? We gotta kill the bug. Cus thats our contact. I mean thats the guy that we need to talk to. While they talked, the insect person had ducked behind one of the workbenches. He grabbed a small saw and sent it spinning through the air. It hit Maxs helmet and deflected off. The padding on his armor completely absorbed the impact and he didnt even feel it. The blade stuck into the wooden ceiling. Max ducked behind a bench and motioned for everyone to join him. When they were safe, Max yelled out, Sir! We arent here to fight you. The boss sent us to clear out the jammed gears. There was a pause and then a chittering voice said, If you arent here to fight, then why did you attack? My coworkers an idiot. Giovanni protested while the insect person laughed. Max gestured for Giovanni not to take it seriously. He was trying to get the other guy to calm down with humor. It was a lot to convey since neither knew sign language, but the translation magic did the heavy lifting. Max cleared his throat. If I stand up to come talk to you, do you promise not to attack? Yes. But only you. The rest have to stay over there. I dont trust you guys. You got it, Max said and walked over. He didnt fully trust the dungeon born person, but he did trust the new Igra armor if the guy tried anything. It should fully protect him against non magical attacks, as he had just proven. As Max walked closer, the guy slowly stood up still holding sawblades in two of his hands. He was the same type of ant/lobster they had talked to in the genetic library. Max held up his hands to show he was unarmed. Words popped up over the top of his head. Clockworks Mechanic Sorry about my coworker. Ill keep him in line. I just want to get the job done. I understand you have some gears that are stuck? The ant/lobster watched him carefully as he said, Yeah, we got some stuck gears on the third floor. Sixth floor too. If the boss really sent you, he would have told you about the punctured steam tanks too. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Yep. And he said you would have the material to repair the tanks and pipes, along with grease to get the gears moving. Youll have to clear out the blockages first, but yeah, I can get you the stuff. the man said and walked over to a different workbench. He moved some of the junk out of the way and handed Max an oil can with a long nozzle, and a stack of thin metal sheets. The patch sheets have glue on the back. Just stick em on the pipe and hold them there until it stays. You got eight patches and there are at least six holes. If you find and fix all of them, the boss said you could have a reward. I hope I dont have to tell you how to use the oil can. Max smiled. I think we can figure it out. See you later, Mechanic. One more thing. There are a few beasts that wandered in from outside. They are all vulnerable to heat. Normally the steam keeps them out, but of course, everythings leaking right now. Thanks for the advice. Max said. He didnt know the thing about fire, too bad they didnt have a flamethrower. He would have to tell the information broker about it and get a discount. He tucked the can and metal sheets into his dimensional belt and walked over to the rest of the party. He explained the situation and they headed over to the next door. Giovanni said, How did you know that was a person instead of a monster? Weve been in a dungeon with an ant lobster person like that. They were very helpful. If I had to guess, every training dungeon has one. If you kill them, the dungeon is harder, if you talk to it and agree to work, the dungeon is easier, Max said. Plus, thats what the guide I read said. You couldve told me. Max shrugged. I told you I knew stuff I was withholding to make it a better interview. Now I know you have a quick trigger, but you follow commands well. Once you are a full party member, Ill tell you everything I know. They lined up to the door to the next room. Gus said something garbled, then spoke into their minds. Dont go inside after I open the door. I want to have the monsters come to us. Its easier to defend the doorway than attacks from all sides. Max shivered. He was proud of Gus for taking the initiative to explain tactics, but Bell cards gave him goosebumps. It might be a trauma response. He wondered if mana healed minds as well as it healed bodies. Gus pressed the hexagon button and the door slid to the side. Asta took a step forward and then pulled herself back. No monsters attacked at first. Gus encouraged them with a guttural roar. Two monsters came racing in, covered in matted hair, like running hairballs. Four legs poked out of the fur with each limb ending in copper hooves. They were also two feet tall. Gus moved to smash one with his hammer and Bisrat pulled out a stiletto. Asta slammed her shield forward and bounced both monsters backward. They tumbled five feet back, fowling both Gus and Bisrats attacks. Maxs Insight triggered as they rolled to a stop. Rabid Furball Level 2 Rabid Furball Level 3 Max opened his mouth to shout a warning, but Bisrat beat him to it. She shouted, Dont let them bite you, they are diseased. The Rabid Furballs got back up in a flash, seemingly unhurt. They raced forward again. This time Gus and Bisrat got the monsters before Asta could get to them. Both monsters died from a single hit. They waited for a few moments in case any other monsters attacked. Good start everyone. Asta, if you are going to bounce all of the monsters back, let us know. Otherwise try to hold them within range of our attacks. Max said. They carefully crept into the room. It was a steampunk fever dream. Copper pipes snaked up most of the walls and enormous gears were attached to shafts that pierced the ceiling. Random gauges and dials studded the pipes, all of them showing a needle in the green. The air was hot and muggy. No monsters jumped out at them as they swept the room. Max took the easy win and led them to the next room. It was a repeat of the last room. Two furballs raced out of a room full of stuck gears. Max checked for leaks or boilers he could repair, but found none. They moved on. The next room was another repeat, with three furballs instead of two. Max let everyone have a shot at taking down a monster. Gus and Bisrat were flawless, killing theirs with one blow again. Asta took three blows to kill hers, her mace skills were lacking. Giovanni was able to slow down a monster with a trio of ice spears, but had to use a hammer to finish it off. Max tried to get fancy with a golf swing, but the blood spatter was anything but refined. Max was beginning to wonder if there were any different monsters in this dungeon. The eighth room held six Rabid Furballs, but they were easily dispatched like all the others. The ninth room held something new. Nothing attacked when Gus shouted, so they carefully crept into the room. A Rabid Furball lay to their right, frost covering its fur. Bisrat threw a knife at it, but it didnt stir. A low hiss came from the right of the room, a broken steam pipe. The room was so much colder than the last, ice covered spots along the right wall. Max caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Something white was standing behind the pillars on the other side of the room. He tilted to try and see around the huge shaft. He couldnt see the whole monster, but it was enough for Inspect to trigger. Frozen Soul Level 7 It was tall and thin, made entirely of ice. It was like Slenderman had frozen solid. This monster was the main reason he chose this dungeon for the interview. He needed to see how Asta and Giovanni handled an ice monster. Frozen Soul behind that shaft, Max said and pointed. Asta, Giovanni, I want you two to come from the left and the rest of us will come from the right. I want you to try and kill it, but well jump in if you need the help. Asta looked nervous, but Giovanni gave him a curt nod and pushed her forward. They crept around gears and pipes, keeping an eye on the monster. Max and the others snuck around the other side, as quiet as possible. The temperature dropped as they drew closer. When they were fifteen feet away, the Frozen Soul burst from cover, racing towards Asta. It was six feet tall and thin as a broomstick. Its hands and eyes leaked clouds of white fog. Asta held out her shield and braced herself. The monster stopped a few feet away and slashed its claws through the air. A wave of frozen mist shot forward. Giovanni leaned out from behind the Nordic woman and attacked at the same time. Chapter 65: Have Some Professionalism Giovanni used his Ice Manipulation card to throw three ice spikes at the Frozen Soul, one after another. The first spike missed, but the second and third hit the monsters chest. The spikes stuck deep into the monster. The Frozen Soul grabbed the ice spikes and pushed them further into its body. It grew slightly. Giovanni didnt notice because he was distracted by Asta. When the ice monster sent forth its wave of freezing mist, she pushed her shield forward. Instead of the attack bouncing off, the ice magic sunk deep into the shield and caused it to sprout frost and small spikes of ice. Asta screamed as her hand was stabbed by the ice and burnt from the cold. She tried to throw off her shield, but it was frozen to her right hand. She used her left to yank it off and threw it to the floor. The Frozen Soul sliced the air, sending out another wave of freezing magic. Asta stumbled back, tripping over the shorter Giovanni. He was in the process of shooting another three ice spikes at the monster, only just realizing that it wasnt working as Asta bowled him over. Gus turned towards Max. Should I jump in? Yeah, go ahead, Max said sadly. Gus stepped forward and swung his huge war hammer. The head of the hammer hit the monsters chest and shattered it, sending bits of monster flying across the room.
Minor amount of essence gathered
The notice startled Max, because it was the first one he had seen since they entered the dungeon. The other monsters must have been too weak for him to gain essence from. He was a bit overleveled for the first floor of a first layer dungeon. Hopefully the monsters on the upper floors would be stronger. Giovanni and Asta slowly picked themselves up. Bisrat checked on Astas arm while Max went to go fix the leaking pipe. He needed the space to calm down. He wrapped the metal sheet around the copper pipe and held it there as the heat from the steam activated the glue. Neither of the newbies had reacted well to a situation where they had to change tactics. Max was considering ending the interview now and sending them home after they beat the first floor. On the other hand, people can learn, he should give them a chance to prove themselves. He walked back over to them. Alright, you guys learned some new things there. Asta, your card wont work against magic, and Giovanni, ice attacks wont work against a monster made of ice. Ill give you some time to think of some workarounds. Well get going again when you are ready, Max said, trying to be professional. The expression on Gus troll face was anything but professional, but at least he didnt Message everyone what he was thinking. They got going about ten minutes later. By then the room had warmed up a bit and one of the shafts was slowly moving. Max saw the shafts studding the room as a progress bar. When they were done with the sixth floor, all of them would be moving. They ran into their next Frozen Soul in the eleventh room. There were two ice monsters in the room, both of them level four. Max gestured for the candidates to take another shot at attacking. Asta got around her limitations by throwing her mace. It spun end over end and hit the monster in the chest. To Maxs surprise, it actually worked. The impact was enough to send deep cracks through its body. When the monster shuffled forward, the cracks widened and it shattered. Giovanni used his sword to hack at the monster. He had no technique, just wild slashes. When the Frozen Soul sent out a wave of ice magic, he used his card to disperse the attack. It took several hits, but eventually he got the monster down. There was no notification about essence gathered. Max suspected that any monster under level six wouldnt give him essence now that he was above level twelve. Max walked over and said, Good job, both of you. Giovanni, as we climb, work on getting more deadly with your sword. Asta, your weapon is perfect for shattering ice monsters, but throwing away your only weapon in combat is less than ideal. Asta nodded sheepishly, but Giovanni bristled at the directive. Max forced himself not to roll his eyes. He continued, The next room is the boss of the first layer. I think you two can take it on yourselves. Itll be the last time you fight on your own. Well work on party tactics after this. Once they were ready, Gus opened the door and stepped out of the way. Steam billowed out, leaking from pipes along the wall. There was a single monster in the room, one that attacked right away. Rabid Furball Level 8 This furball was about five feet tall and foaming at the mouth. Its steel hooves threw up sparks as it ran. Poofy hair was matted down from all the steam. It raced forward, jumping to the side to flank Asta. She hadnt walked into the room yet, so the maneuver didnt work. The monster had to redirect again and come at Asta from the front. She shield bashed the monster, sending it tumbling backwards. As it rolled to a stop, Giovanni fired his ice spikes one after another. The spikes pierced deep into the monsters fur. A few moments later the heat from the room melted the spikes enough that they slid out of the fur. They were clean, all three had been stopped by the fur before they got to the flesh. The Rabid Furball shook itself and charged again. Asta pushed her shield forward again, redirecting the force into the floor this time. The monster bounced off the shield and then the floor, its hooves comically flailing about. She swiped at the monster with her mace, but the furball rolled out of the way just in time. The mace clanged off of the metal floor. Instead of charging forward a third time, the furball carefully approached. It baited out a shield bash and then slipped around it. It bit down on her forearm and yanked backwards. Astas metal bracer came loose and the monster stumbled back, only holding the armor in its mouth. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Giovanni sprayed water on to the monsters hooves and sent forth a wave of ice magic. The furballs legs froze to the floor, trapping it in place. Asta stood there for a moment before Giovanni yelled, Attack, now! The combined efforts of Astas mace and Giovannis sword quickly dispatched the stuck boss. Not a moment too soon, as the ice quickly melted from the heat in the room.
Minor amount of essence gathered
A door in the back of the room creaked open. Max smiled and patched up the boiler that was spewing steam into the room. The rooms temperature slowly dropped down to comfortable levels. For the first time, Max walked up the stairs to the second floor. He made an effort to refocus. He had fallen into the seasoned veteran roll because Asta and Giovanni were so new. But the truth was he was still inexperienced. He needed to keep his wits about him. Gus clearly didnt feel the same way. He sauntered into the next room and Messaged them all. So, can we speed things up now that your little test is over? I want to get through this kindergarten shit. He swept out his arms as he spoke, shattering a Frozen Soul as if by accident. Bisrat didnt say anything, but sent a trio of stilettos out to kill the Rabid Furballs in the room. Less than twenty seconds after they entered the room, all four monsters were dead. Max huffed and said, Ok, yeah. It seems like this floor wont be too hard. We can speed up a bit as long as we are still careful. But as soon as the room design changes, or a new enemy appears, we slow down, ok? Gus gave him a mock salute and headed for the next door. Asta and Giovanni had to hurry to catch up. Bisrat retrieved her knives and they were on to the next room. Just like the guide said, there werent any new monsters on the second floor. Just increasing numbers of Frozen Souls and Rabid Furballs. Their party breezed through the floor, barely stopping to fight. Asta got better at deflecting charges instead of bouncing them back, and Giovanni focused on crowd control instead of getting the kill. The boss of the second floor was surprising in its banality. Despite what the guide had said, he had expected something more. Rabid Furball Level 12 This one at least was smart enough not to charge forward. It stayed put in the steam filled room where it knew it had the terrain advantage . Unfortunately for the six foot tall monster, Max had the range advantage. He pulled out his crossbow and loaded it while keeping an eye on the twitching monster. Then he shouldered and fired the weapon, activating the drill as he did so. The extra few points in flow made the entire process smoother. Not only was it easier to aim, activating the drill-bolt''s magic took much less mental effort. The yellow beam of magic led the way for the bolt, piercing deep into the monsters head before it cut out. The furball made a little gasp and fell to the floor.
Minor amount of essence gathered
Max tsked. It was still minor. He had hoped that since the monster had been level 12 that the essence gathered would be major. Maybe the system accounted for how easy it had been for him. Asta said, How many different weapons do you have in your belt of holding? Several, Max replied with a grin. Whats going on? Are you the governors kid or are you loaded? Giovanni asked. No, not rich. Not yet anyway. We just got lucky to survive the third floor and that came with some powerful cards. Bisrat nodded along and helped patch up the two leaks in the room. Max was starting to wonder if he would need more patches. Before they moved up to the next floor, Max turned to Asta and Giovanni. Before we move on, do either of you want to cut things short? We can walk downstairs and out from here. Im in for as long as you guys want to fight, Giovanni said. Me too, Asta agreed. Max smiled. He was excited to use his belt full of weapons. They climbed higher. The third floor held a new monster type and a new room layout. In addition to huge gear shafts, there were also vertical gears strewn about the room. Some were moving, others werent. The frozen gears broke up the sight lines of the room and they had to move into the room before they ran into any monsters. They were in between a pair of groaning gears when a pair of monsters attacked. A Frozen Soul attacked from the front. At the same time, a new monster attacked from behind. A white furred monster leapt atop Bisrat and started clawing at her armor. Lesser Yeti Level 4 She cried out and tried to push it off, but didnt have the strength. Her armor was holding up, but her tail wasnt. The yeti had found gaps between her tail segments and cut deep. Max jumped to help her. He didnt want to accidentally hurt Bisrat, so he didnt swing his hammer at the monster atop her. Instead, he shoved his hammer in between the two struggling combatants. He made sure the hammer head was pointing the right way and triggered its magic. A blue dome appeared and shot outward. It obliterated the monsters chest, sending a spray of blood to paint the gears. The monster fell to the ground in two pieces. A flurry of ice crystals passed through where the monster had just been. Giovanni tried to help, but he was a bit late. Max still gave him a nod of respect. Then he hurried to help Bisrat. There was a deep cut between two segments of tail, along with a dozen small scrapes along the chitin. She was twisted around to examine her tail. Max pulled out his first aid kit and rushed forward. How bad is it? Do I need to give you our healing potion? No, no. This is fine. Wont even make me move slower. Itll teach me to watch our backs better. Max nodded and unrolled a bandage then he paused. Are you ok with me touching your tail? She thought about it and nodded. Then she turned away. He cleaned and bandaged her up. She squirmed every time he touched her, which had a new meaning when he realized that touching her tail was an intimate act. He did his best to keep it brief. Once Max was sure that Bisrat was fine, they moved on. The next room looked like the first, and no monsters came running when Gus yelled out. Ok, new formation. If we are sneaking around a room, I want Gus up front and Asta guarding our rear, Max said. Are you sure? I was thinking I could guard Astas juicy rear... Dude! Have some professionalism. Im a troll, dont we get a pass or something? No. And unless you want me to kick you off the party, youll treat everyone with respect. Gus grumbled but didnt send a new Message. Asta didnt seem to care either way. She moved to the back of the group and held up her shield. This time when they were attacked from both sides, no one was injured. Max helped Asta beat the Lesser Yeti to a pulp. Afterwards, Max took out the grease can and got to work on the gears. It was harder than expected, he had to clear obstructions and clean out the old grease first. Asta and Bisrat joined him in the work and they got all the gears turning again. They moved on shortly afterwards. The boss room of the fourth floor was another boiler room, but this time ice was clogging the pipes. Four tall monsters stood up as one when the door opened. Lesser Yeti Level 6 Lesser Yeti Level 6 Frozen Soul Level 12 Frozen Soul Level 12 Maxs smile dropped. His plan of sniping the boss again wasnt going to work. All four monsters roared and charged forward. Chapter 66: Should Be Easy Max tucked the crossbow to his shoulder and snapped off a shot. The drill-bolt whistled as it spun, a yellow magic activating on its tip. The piercing magic stabbed forward, just in time to hit a Frozen Soul in the chest. The thin ice monster had time to look at its chest before the cracks spread. The Frozen Soul shattered into dozens of pieces that skittered across the floor. The other three monsters didnt pause as one of their members was cut down. Gus and Asta stepped forward to meet a monster each. Gus war hammer slammed into the nearest Lesser Yeti and deflected it into the wall. The last time he did that, the monster had died. This one was more sturdy, it rolled and hopped back up with a growl. The other Lesser Yeti leapt into the air, landing claws first onto Gus right arm. The first yeti scrambled forward and bit deep into the trolls leg. He roared in pain and started flailing. Asta slammed her shield down atop the Frozen Souls head, activating her Rebound card at the moment of impact. The strike sent the monster tumbling to the ground with a crack. Both hits opened up cracks across its head. She stepped forward to finish it off with her mace. The monster wasnt as rattled as she thought. As she stepped forward, it swiped its claws across itself. She danced back and avoided the razor sharp claws. She didnt avoid the wave of ice magic though. The magic froze her greaves and sent out tiny shards of ice. She screamed in pain. Max moved to help her while Bisrat and Giovanni took on the yetis. Max danced around the screaming tank. He swung his war hammer down, spike first. The Frozen Soul stopped the hammer strike by snatching the shaft just below the hammer. He pushed on the hammer, but the level twelve monster was stronger than he was. The Frozen Soul grinned, jagged teeth showing as it stood back up. Max tried to pull the hammer out of its grip, but it grabbed hold with its other hand and held fast. He switched strategies and twisted the hammer head around. When it was facing the monster, he activated the super strike. The blue force magic shattered the monsters head and torso, leaving Max holding a hammer with two arms attached. They cracked and shattered a few moments later. He turned to see how Gus was faring. Not well as it turned out. Gus was bleeding heavily, blood pouring from his wounds in rivulets. The Lesser Yeti were tough, and Bisrats knives didnt penetrate into their skin much, even with her Accelerate boost. Giovanni was having better luck slowing one of them down with his ice. Max jumped in, slamming his hammer down atop the slowed monsters head. The strike wasnt enough to kill it, and the monsters counter attack knocked his hammer out of his hand. It spun through the air out of reach. The Lesser Yeti slashed Max, its long claws sparking off the titanium plates of his armor. He jumped back and reached for his belt. He neednt have bothered. The moment he was out of range, Gus slammed his war hammer down on the monsters head, killing it. Max saw that the other yeti was already dead. The room was still once more. The only sounds were their heavy breathing and the hiss of a punctured boiler.
Minor amount of essence gathered
Minor amount of essence gathered
Minor amount of essence gathered
Minor amount of essence gathered
Maxs shoulders slumped. At this rate, it would take months to get another level up. Hopefully the bosses on the fifth and sixth levels would be worth more essence. Are we heading back now? Giovanni said as he watched Gus slump to the floor in a pool of blood. I wasnt planning on it. I still have a belt full of tools with spells loaded up. I figure I can take over the DPS for the team now that we are close to the end. Giovanni tilted his head and stared at him. It was like he was trying to tell if Max was full of bullshit or not. Eventually he said, Alright. But Im out of mana, I need some time to regenerate. Gus sat up. I only have a half hour left in my transformation. We cant wait long. Gus is right, we cant continue without our main tank. Youll just have to give your sword arm a workout. Max said with a shrug. Giovanni stood up. No way. Im not continuing without mana. And now that I think about it, I dont want to be in your guys party. You rush too much. A dungeon climb should take all day, not one hour. Youre gonna get yourselves killed, and I wont be there when you do. Im done. Some stupid armor isnt worth my life. Max leaned back from the vehemence in Giovannis speech. Max hadnt expected that response. He felt like they were being safe. The only injury was a minor one on Bisrats tail. Gus wounds didnt count since he would be healed in a few minutes. Alright, you can head down the stairs there. The rest of us are moving on though. Max said and glanced at Asta to make sure she was staying. She seemed nervous, but gave him a nod anyway. Wait for us in the first room where we met the Clockwork Engineer, Bisrat said. The rewards wont spawn until the rest of us get there anyway. Or we die, of course. Honestly Giovanni, that isnt going to happen. This dungeon is well within our capablities. Giovanni huffed and stomped away. Max patched the boilers, using up the last of his patches. There had been exactly eight holes that needed fixing. Good thing he hadnt messed up on any of them. When he was done, they headed up the stairs to the fifth floor. Asta shifted nervously, gripping her shield and mace tight enough that her leather gloves creaked. Max patted her backplate. Dont worry, Asta. Ive been holding back. We are going to be fine. The guide said the fifth floor isnt much harder than the fourth and Giovanni wasnt really helping much. We got this. She took a big breath and gave him a serious nod. Gus sent a chuckle through Message and slapped the open door. Ten foot tall gears studded the room, some laying down, some upright. Only a few of them were moving. A half dozen Frozen Souls dashed out from behind the gears, all of them level nine. They converged on the doorway, getting ready to send a frost attack as one. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Max pulled out a charged circular saw and stepped forward. He held onto Astas shield to make sure she didnt step forward. Then he triggered its spell. A silvery disc shot forward, growing until it was five feet wide. The magic sliced through five of the bunched monsters. The spell was spent after the fifth monster shattered, so the sixth monster survived. Gus stepped forward and shattered the last Frozen Soul with his large war hammer. Max gave Asta a wink. Told ya. He felt like a badass. Max ignored Gus when he said something about him being cringe. Total badass. Bisrat stopped Max from cleaning the gears after the fight. They had run into the first traps of the dungeon. One of the gears was set up to slam down on whoever tried to remove the blockage. He had to re-secure the enormous gear and then remove the blockage. The rest of the fifth floor was exciting. The monsters were smart enough to start setting up ambushes. Max found himself running through tool after tool to keep the spells coming. He was enormously grateful for his dimensional belt. Without it, there was no way this strategy would work. He couldnt carry hundreds of pounds of metal tools without it. Eventually, they reached the boss room of the fifth floor. Max handed Gus a pair of charged hammers and took out a pair of saws for himself. He gave Bisrat his crossbow. Gus opened the door to an unfamiliar sight. Instead of gears and steam boilers, they were looking out into an icy world that seemed to go on forever. Snow covered pine trees dotted a mountain landscape. A snowstorm raged above them. There had to be some sort of illusion magic covering the back walls. There were a trio of monsters huddling together about twenty feet away from the door. Rabid Furball 24 Lesser Yeti 12 Lesser Yeti 12 Maxs heart beat faster. The Rabid Furball was twelve feet tall and the yeti ten. If that was a Lesser Yeti, he imagined the full fledged yeti would be enormous. These three monsters were going to be tough. The level six Lesser Yetis had been a tough challenge, and these ones were twice that level. He slowly reached towards his belt to grab the emergency feedstock brick there. He might need to make a sodium hammer and toss it inside the big guy. Since the monsters didnt see them yet, Bisrat had the time to carefully aim the crossbow. She fired and a bright yellow light pierced through the snow. The light snuffed itself out inside the Rabid Furballs head. It slumped to the ground a moment later. The Lesser Yeti howled and darted forward, each attacking from a different side. They leapt into the air at the last moment, claws poised to strike. Gus wound up and smacked the yeti on his side with the hammer. Its skin resisted the hammer strike, one of the few monsters that could. But its insides couldnt handle the concussive force. It coughed and fell over dead. At the same time, Asta bounced her yeti back into the snow. The monsters mass was enough to shove Asta back as well, she stumbled back into Bisrat. The Paj caught her and helped her stand back up. Gus jumped forward and slammed the other hammer into the prone yeti. This time, the magic attack did break its skin, splattering its brains across the snow.
Medium amount of essence gathered
Minor amount of essence gathered
Minor amount of essence gathered
Maxs arms slumped. He didnt even get to use his saws, let alone make a sodium hammer. At least he got some essence from it. He wondered if he would level up after they took out the boss of the sixth floor. They walked into the snowy room, heading towards where the stairs usually were. It was weird to realize all of the snow was real as it melted on their armor. The exit door was cleverly hidden inside one of the pine trees. Max opened it and slipped inside the stairway. Before he climbed the stairs, Bisrat stopped him. Max, wait. Bisrat said and put a hand on his shoulder. The sixth floor usually has one big room. The boss or bosses will be titans. Most people skip it until they are ready to move on to the second layer and want to test themselves. He nodded, Thats what the guide said. Two bosses, a yeti and an ice colossus. Sometimes there are lesser monsters too, level twelve minions. Lets take a peek into the room and then discuss strategy. Gus opened the door and they all peeked in. They looked up, and up. The final room was at least three stories tall. No illusions this time, they could clearly see the outer walls. Rolling hills of ice and snow filled the room. Skeletal frozen trees dotted the hills. Two huge monsters wandered around different sides of the frozen landscape. Frozen Colossus Level 24 Greater Yeti Level 12 The yeti was off to their left, twenty feet tall and muscled like a hairy bodybuilder. Each claw on its hand was more than two feet long. To their right, an ice elemental stomped around. It was fifteen feet tall, and about fifteen wide. It looked similar to the Frozen Souls, but much thicker. Clouds of ice continually streamed from its hands. The squad snuck back down the staircase. Looks like we got lucky and there are no adds. Just the two big guys. Should be easy. Are you sure? I dont think I can handle a hit from either of them. Asta said, starting to breathe heavier. You are right. Stay here, Asta. Only Gus and I need to attack. Bisrat can be our overwatch and back us up if necessary. Asta looked between him and the others as Max explained the plan. She couldnt believe they werent turning back. Max handed out Augmented tools and they headed out. Asta stayed by the door while the others snuck into the room. Max made sure to keep a hill between himself and both monsters while he snuck closer to the Greater Yeti. He stopped when he could hear the yeti breathing on the other side of the hill. He moved into the shadow of a frozen tree. He tried to be quiet and waited for Gus. Gus needed to attack first, his part was the most dangerous. If the Frozen Colossus had time to attack, it could turn Gus into ice with its magic. That would probably kill him, even in his troll form. While he waited, he heard the yetis breathing change. Suddenly, it started taking in big breaths through its nose. It smelled something. It was trying to sniff him out. Max glanced behind him. He mentally yelled at Gus to hurry up. It didnt work. The yeti crunched through the snow, getting closer. He had to make up his mind, attack and mess up Gus ambush, or run and hope the monster didnt hear his steps through the snow. He took a careful step behind the skeletal tree. He was going to give Gus as much time as he could, but if the monster spotted Max, he would attack. Relief flooded through him as he heard the sound of a hammer striking ice. That was Gus, using the augmented hammer he had given him. Another five magic hammer strikes followed the first in quick succession. Each one hit the same spot on the Frozen Colossus, creating and widening cracks in the monsters frozen body. By the time the fourth super strike hit, it shattered.
Major amount of essence gathered
The Greater Yeti roared and stomped towards Gus. Max dashed out of hiding and activated his own Augmented tool. A handheld circular saw. Silver saw blades appeared one after another. They grew as they shot forward, reaching five feet wide at their biggest. The first one lopped off the yetis left leg at the knee, the second one cut its right arm off at the shoulder. Discs three through six sliced into the fallen yetis torso.
Major amount of essence gathered
Level Up
A grin spread across Maxs face. That level up felt good. He couldnt wait for another. Maybe there was something to the idea that humans were addicted to leveling up. Come on, Max. The stairs down are over here. I wanna get myself some loot! Chapter 67: I Need to Talk to You The dungeon climbing party started walking down six stories. Max hadnt stopped smiling since he sliced up that Greater Yeti. He turned to Gus and said, Good job with the Frozen Colossus. I know it must have been hard to sneak around in a trolls body but you are the only one tall enough to reach the monsters back. Gus looked behind himself. It wasnt that hard, but walking around in snow barefoot is not my idea of fun. Try having a tail in the snow. You have two feet touching the snow, I have thousands, Bisrat said as she glided down the stairs behind them. Im still cold. Ill keep that in mind when picking our next dungeon, Max said. By the way, Gus. You said you can be a troll for about an hour per potion, right? How long until you can take another potion? At least a few hours, but Id rather stick to one potion a day. It really takes a lot out of you. Max nodded. Maybe well get you a shield and you can stay human for the first few floors. That way we dont have to hurry to beat all six floors. Thats a good idea. Asta can be the main tank for the lower floors and Ill come off the bench when the going gets tough. Good plan. What do you think, Asta? I think I can speak for all of us in saying we would like you in our party. Giovanni didnt make the cut, but you got what it takes. The tall Nordic woman was quiet as they passed the third floor. Eventually she said, Thank you for the offer. I would like to accept. But maybe I can get a better weapon or some training before we climb again? You guys are on another level, I feel like I am holding you back. Thats fine. We can take it slow, no problem. You need to have a solid foundation before advancing into difficult fights, Max said calmly. Yeah, ok, you say that, but I have a feeling that you guys think the sixth floor was an easy fight, she said hesitantly. Wasnt it? We killed them both in like five minutes. It would have been faster if I could sneak in this huge body. I think you might have a warped view of whats easy, Asta said and shook her head. They arrived on the ground floor then. Giovanni was standing near a cleared workbench with a surprised look on his face. Max smirked and walked over to the table. For the first time, they got to watch as the dungeon portaled in the rewards. A small purple circle appeared a few inches above the table and eight objects plunked onto the table. Giovannis eyes widened. Max smiled. As you guessed, Giovanni, we completed the sixth floor without you. I dont think you are what we are looking for in a party member. But I wont send you away empty handed. Bisrat, Inspect our winnings and tell us which one we should give to Giovanni here. Bisrat nodded and stepped up to the hexagon workbench. She looked over the chain bracelet, rat skull, tongue scraper, blanket, glass bottle, toy Quill Cat, padlock, and rubber stamp. When she was done she said, Ok, first off, four of them are cursed to varying degrees. Anyone that touches the skull will get brittle bones. The blanket is an invisibility cloak, but it only makes itself invisible, not the wearer. The glass bottle contains a potion that changes your skin color to red. The padlock might be fun for a prank. Its an Omni-Lock. It can be opened by every kind of key. She rubbed her hands together. Now, onto the good stuff. The chain is an Anklet of Iron. It gives you iron skin in exchange for Flow. The more flow you have, the tougher your skin. The tail scraper is a cleaning item, two swipes and your whole body is clean. I want it if no one else has an objection. The Quill Cat statue is a monster lure so you can set up a trap. And finally, the stamp is configurable and inks itself. I suggest Giovanni gets that one. You good with that, Giovanni? Max asked. Giovanni said, Actually, I was hoping I could get another chance. You can keep the stamp and I get a chance to prove myself in a different dungeon. Im sorry I doubted you before. Max grabbed the stamp and handed it over, Sorry, but no. You have shown us that you will abandon your party if you think your life is at risk. I need people that will fight keep the whole party alive. Giovanni snatched the stamp out of his hands and stomped away. When he was gone, Max said, Bisrat, you can take the tail scraper. Gus, Asta, you want either of the other two? When they shook their heads he continued, Alright, we can just sell them in town. Gus changed back to human when they were in the dungeon antichamber. He said, And thats an hour, right on time. Come on, lets sell the loot and get some grub. Im starving. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Max chuckled and they headed back to New Pants. They werent far, about a half hour walk. They had earned a substantial amount of money for just two hours of work and got to spend the rest of the day relaxing. Maybe after Max found his brother, they could keep doing this kind of work. As they headed back into town, they passed a group of people arguing about a hole in a building wall. Some were yelling, others crying. It gave Max a sinking feeling in his stomach. Without a governor, this city was falling apart much faster than expected. Gus peeled off to eat at the towns most expensive restaurant, The Angry Badger. Asta split off too. She wanted to tell her friends she had gotten in. They promised to meet up tomorrow at Steel Appeal to get her fitted for a suit of armor. When it was just the two of them, Max turned to Bisrat and said, I am seriously not looking forward to visiting LFG again. That place attracts idiots. Do you have any other ideas for recruiting? Bisrat winced. Not really. We could visit another town and see what the prospects there are like. That might be the best idea. We can take it easy for a bit while we get Asta armored up and trained. Then we head out for a new town. I still have my extra magic cards and monster cores, so money isnt an issue. We dont have to climb dungeons right away. I can work with that. Ive been meaning to buy a long ranged attack card. If we are going to take it easy for a bit, I think Ill reach out to my contacts to see what they have. Maybe Ill train my new card with Asta. That way we can knock two things down with one tail swipe. The alien expression gave Max an idea. How about your friends? Any of them good fighters you would trust with your life? A few different expressions played across her face. Selamawit thinks she can fight, but she really cant. Malic hates fighting, hes the one that convinced Selamawit to sell her card. Taci is... Taci is actually a really good fighter. I would trust my life to him, but hes got a Bell card. He picked Specialize too. I know how you feel about Bell cards so I didnt bring it up. Max grimaced. Of course its a Bell card. You are right, I dont like them. But some are better than others. I have no problem with Yang, and she uses her Camouflage card all the time. His card is called Startle. Its really only good for interrupting monster charges. Yeah, Gus had that card, for a hot minute. He sold it with the others. You are right, not a lot of utility in that card. But maybe my prejudices arent as important as having a party member you can trust. If you like him, maybe the rest of us will too. How about you set up a meeting? Really? You would do that? He would need more Bell cards to be useful in a fight. Equipping him wont be cheap. Sure, and if he gets along with the party, We can do another tryout dungeon run. Provided everything goes well the party can buy him some useful Bell cards and he can pay us back with his share of the earnings. Bisrat hugged him tight, their armor clanking against each other. Thank you, thank you. You are going to love him, I just know it. An errant thought ran through Maxs head about how soft her hugs must be without all the armor. He squashed that thought and said, No problem. As long as everyone likes him and we can trust him in a fight, I would be happy to have him in the party. Bisrat left immediately to send her friends a letter. They lived in a different city, but magic made sending letters across monster infested grasslands easy. Max decided to head back to his inn and take it easy for the rest of the day. Maybe he would go out for dinner. When he got back to the inn, Max found Yang waiting for him. She stood up from the dining room table and strode over to him. Max, we need to talk. Yang, good to see you. Whats up? Its about James and Lily. Max tsked. Im not sure if Im ready to hang out with James yet. No, that isnt it, Yang said. Is there somewhere we can talk in private? Sure. I got a room upstairs. Max said. Once they were in his room, he motioned to the chair and he flopped on the bed. While they talked, he started storing away his armor in his belt. First off, good news. Lily isnt going to die from Parkinson''s. Turns out mana heals genetic disorders too. It just takes six months or so. Max jumped up and said, Really? Thats wonderful! Thats the best news Ive heard in forever. He reached out his arms for a hug, but she stayed sitting and raised a single eyebrow. Max coughed and sat back down. Yes, I was very happy for her too. It was like the crow turned white. James kept dancing around and gave her a kiss. Really? Was that their first kiss? Maybe? I dont know. The important thing is James is going to be healed too. Yang said. Max tilted his head. Healed? Oh wait, does color blindness count as something he can be healed from? Apparently. We asked an officer from our guild and he confirmed it. He promoted James to a Specialist the same day. So you all joined the Silver Eagle guild? Congratulations, I guess. Why did having a genetic disease get James promoted? Its his eyes. Remember how he can tell if something is an illusion or not? The fake stuff seems too vibrant to him since he normally sees everything in dull tones. He is the perfect weapon against someone with Illusions. Right right. Bell cards work on the mind, not light, so its easy for him to tell the difference. Wait. You said someone, not something. Thats right. The Silver Eagles Guildmaster got the Builders kill quest. Hes going to kill the Governor of New New York so he can get his wish. That governor has a high leveled Illusion card and James is the perfect counter for his card, Yang said with a frown. And James is going along with this? The towns need governors. Havent you seen whats happening to New Pants? The governor has only been dead for a few days and things are already starting to fall apart. Literally and figuratively. Do you think we are fools? Of course we know this is bad. James refused when they asked him to fight. But this morning, Lily and James were both gone. The guild says they agreed to fight, but I know they are lying. They must have abducted them so they can force them to fight for them. I need your help to rescue them. Chapter 68: That鈥檚 Hella Suspicious Max ran his hand through his shaggy brown hair. Thats not what I expected when you said you wanted to talk. Are you sure that they were kidnapped? It seems weird that the Silver Eagle guild would abduct their own guild members and force them to kill a governor. Yang nodded once. I am sure. They gave me a message, supposedly from Lily, that proved they are lying to me. Read it for yourself. Max took the letter and read through it. It didnt seem quite like Lily, but Max wasnt sure if he was just primed to be suspicious. The last paragraph of the letter made up his mind. Tell Max I forgive him for lying to me. If he joins the guild, we can be friends again. Ok, yeah. Thats hella suspicious. I never lied to Lily and we are on good terms. Max sighed and sat back. Shes asking you and me to rescue them from the guild. Yes. Im not imagining things. We must save her, Yang said and leaned forward. She said you should join the guild. I think maybe they are still here, in the guild halls holding cell. Alright, yeah, sure. Lily needs help. James is just lucky I still like her. I wouldnt get involved if it was only him. Max said and folded his arms. Dont pretend to be an angry goat. We both know you are a tamed sheep. You must help your friend. They cant keep them alive after using them like this. You wont let James die if you know you can prevent it. Max groaned and put his head in his hands. Despite her weird Filipino expressions, she was right. No guild would let people know that they sometimes abducted people and forced them to fight for them. Max wouldnt be able to live with himself if he let James die. Fine. Ill help you. But this changes nothing. Getting himself kidnapped doesnt make me like him all of a sudden. What is with you, Max? Why is this such a big thing for you? James made one little mistake, you want to cut him out of your life. Your brother almost killed you, but you love him. Why? Max shook his head, Familys different. Is it though? Is family the people you share blood with, or is it people you love? What does family mean to you? she said softly. Max clenched his teeth. He shook his head without looking up. Yang got up and walked to the door. We gotta break them out soon, I dont know when they plan on leaving for New New York. I need to buy some new toys. Can you get Gus and Bisrat to meet us here in a bit? You know, the two people you trust despite only knowing them for a few days? Ill ask them. Ill be back here soon, Max said. He met Bisrat as she was leaving the dungeon artifact shop. She immediately agreed to join the rescue effort. Max felt his heart warm as she agreed. She was a good person, willing to help people she barely knew. Finding Gus was just as easy. He was already at the Mos Eisley bar getting drunk. Max explained the issue quickly and stood up to go. Gus didnt get up. Ehh, sorry. I think I better stay. Im already drunk. Dude. It hasnt been an hour since we got back from dungeon climbing. You cant be that drunk yet. Besides, you''ll sober up on the way. Come on. Gus tsked. Im sorry, I really am. But you want to risk your life for James, and I just dont like that little shit that much. Im not gonna start a fight against an entire guild when we dont have to. Max stood still and blinked his eyes. Seriously? You are going to chicken out, after all weve been through? Gus shook his head. Im no coward. I just dont want to risk my life for him. I dont even really want to risk my life for you either. We arent friends, we just work together. And dont give me any bullshit about us being friends. You dont pay attention to me at all. What the hell are you talking about? Of course I pay attention to you. You are impossible to ignore. Oh yeah? How come you never asked me about how my Troll card works? First time I used it, I tore up my clothes and shoes. Today when I used it, all of my clothes disappeared. You never noticed the difference, let alone asked me about it. You think of me as the dumb muscle, you dont care about me as a person. Max opened and closed his mouth as he realized Gus had a point. Eventually he said, Ill admit I should have asked about that. Ill try to be better in the future. But dont make this about yourself. James and Lily saved your life dozens of times on the way here, you owe it to them to help them now. Gus swore at him and said, Dont try to guilt me into your rescue mission. This whole thing happened because you pushed him away. Why do you want to save him anyway after what he did? Max could tell this was going nowhere. He stomped out of the bar. Gus was an unrepentant asshole. Max should have known better. This is who Gus was, he hadn''t ever hid that. Max had ignored the facts because Gus was a good fighter. No more. Even after this, Max wasn''t going to party with that jerk anymore. As he walked back to the inn, he felt rage and worry pass through him in waves. He tried to put into words why he wanted to save James now when he had pushed him away earlier. Yangs questions swirled in his head too. Why hadnt he forgiven James earlier? The Listen card was a violation of his privacy, but it wasnt actually that big of a deal. If James had asked to listen to all his surface thoughts, Max probably would have said ok. It was the lying that got his blood boiling. He hated lying, ever since what happened with his parents, he couldnt stand it. Then it hit him. He wasnt mad at James. Max was mad at his own father. ... You seem awfully confident they wont kill you, Bisrat said. Max took off his belt and handed it over. They wont see me as a threat, trust me. Karl knows all about my cards, he knows I cant hurt him without transmuting something first. Still, walking in there without armor and protection, seems like you are asking them to murder you and throw your body in a ditch. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Max looked her in the eyes. I appreciate your concern, I really do. Thats why Yang will be my shadow. If anything happens to both of us, then Im glad to have you out here as plan C. She looked away. See you soon, one way or another. Max hurried across the street to the Silver Eagle guild building to start plan A. Yang was right behind him, using Camouflage to stay invisible. She would have snuck into the building on her own, but they knew that people with Inspect could still spot her mana. With Max as a cover, she could get past the guards up front and find the jail in the back. Meanwhile, Max would distract Karl by talking about joining up, so he would have an excuse for entering the building. Plan B was if Max got thrown in jail along with Lily and James. He would wait a few hours until his belt reappeared on his waist. Then he would use his belt full of weapons to break everyone out. Bisrat would enact plan C if they ran into an obstacle they couldnt overcome, like magic blockers or mind control. She would hire mercenaries to storm the guild hall. Hopefully, none of those plans would be needed. Max did his best to be optimistic plan A would work. He walked into the building, passing by two bored guards. He stopped at the front desk and asked about Karl. Sergeant Karl? Hes in the training room. Just down that hall. He found Karl supervising two people locked in magical combat. The two combatants were both using green magic. One threw exploding balls that sizzled in the sand when they hit, the other held a shield and sword made of energy. Max waited to approach because he didnt want to distract the one in charge of safety. The training room had dummies, wooden weapons, exercise equipment and a sand pit in the middle of the room. The room had seen better days. There were multiple spots across the back wall that had holes. A few spots looked like they had been burned. It was another sign that the building wasnt being maintained by the governor anymore. Eventually the fight ended with one of them extending his sword mid swing and cutting deep into the other mans arm. Karl tossed over a healing salve and the combatants headed off to the baths. Max walked up and said, Hey Karl, good to see you again. Hey, I know you. Max, right? You are the Citadel guy with the once a day attack. Thats me. Hey, is there somewhere we can talk in private? I was actually about to head home. Its getting late and I got this thing in the morning. You wanna catch up in a few days? Itll be quick, I promise. Alright. Real quick. My office is this way. As they walked, Max said, This place is nice. You have a good guild here. Karl sat down at his desk and gestured towards the other seat. You thinking of joining? Good decision. This guild is moving up in the world. Or down as the case may be. We might be moving to the second layer soon. I am thinking of joining. Lily invited me to join up for the mission they were on. She didnt mention what the mission was, but Id like to fight with her and James. Ill have to talk to that girl about operational security. Sure, you can join, but are you sure you want to? I thought you and James were fighting. That was a minor tiff. We have been friends for years and I need to be by his side to protect him. I dont want him to lose his head over something stupid. Youre a good guy, Max. James and Lily arent here right now, but when they get back, Ill assign you to their squad, I promise. Max shook his head. Im worried about their current mission. Cant I join that? Karl shook his head. No, they are more than forty miles away, sorry. Dont worry though. This mission is a walk in the park. You can see them when they get back in a few days. Max couldnt help the frown that spread across his face. That sucks. You sure there is no way to get there before the mission? Nah, man. This isnt Earth. No roads, no cars. But dont stress about it. Theyll be fine. I promise. Max stood up. Alright, man. Thanks. Ill talk to you in a few days when they get back. No need to wait. You can start training tomorrow. Come on by and well get you properly outfitted and have you swear your oath. Thanks, I might. Im just worried about James and Lily right now. Thanks for everything. Ill talk to you later. Karl led him out of the building and they parted ways. Less than a block later, he met up with Bisrat. He stretched out his hand and she gave him his belt back. No luck? According to Karl, both of them are already out on mission, Max said and buckled the belt back on. Even if Lily is locked up in the Guild building, I bet James is already in New New York. We need to figure out a way to get there fast. Apparently the assassination is planned for soon. Yang stepped out from behind a nearby corner. Her natural color faded back in as she spoke. Lily isnt in the guild hall. Almost no one is. The place is deserted. They must have almost everyone in New New York. Dammit. We are right back where we started. We need some wheels, Max said. Bisrat slid forward. I cant get you wheels, but I know someone who can get us there fast. It wont be cheap though. We can afford it. Saving our friends and the town is worth it. Lets get going then. Let''s see if we can convince the pirate to take us. Pirate? Youll see. Bisrat led them to a small house on the edge of the city. It was made of wood, unlike most of the cloth buildings around it. Max thought it looked a little like a boat had been repurposed into a house. Maybe thats why they called him the pirate. She crawled up to the front door and knocked with both hands. Max thought it was a weird way to knock, then he thought he was the weird one for thinking an alien with a centipede tail would do anything like a human would. A chubby guy in a leather trench coat answered the door. Go away. Im done for the day. Well pay, Bisrat shot back. Not interested. I got an early morning tomorrow. Some people actually schedule their travel. Two white cores. One now, one on arrival. ... damn. You got me. Ill do it for that. Meet me outside the city gates. I gotta get my engines first, the chubby young man said. They found their transport just outside the city walls. It was an abomination. It looked like a jet, a bus, and a snowmobile had an orgy and this was the malformed child that resulted. Four sets of skis held up a metal airplane body with rows of canvas seats. The contraption was open topped with harpoon guns mounted on the sides. The pirate boarded after them and mounted a row of small devices on the stern. It was something Max recognized. They were impellers, the same kind of device the Igra had given him. He sold it in Twelve Meditations for a good price. This engineering horror was expensive. Once everyone was situated, the impellers wound up and shot them forward across the grasslands. They slid over the dark fields, like pirates sailing out to pillage. The shocks on the skis werent up to the task though, Max felt every little bump. By the time they slowed down an hour and a half later, night was only an hour away. They stopped a few yards away from the front gate to New New York. Max had a burning desire never to board that abomination ever again. Everyone hopped off the contraption and Bisrat paid the driver a second white core. Max paid the entry fee at the front gate and entered the city of New New York. The name had him expecting something out of Futurama, but the city was fairly normal. It was mostly single story buildings constructed of wood and brick. The residents were bustling around, well dressed but not nearly as fashionable as those in New Pants. So, Yang. How are we going to find James and Lily in a city of thousands? I imagine the Silver Eagle guild is trying to hide as well, Max asked. Yang shrugged. I dont know. Thats your job. You are the leader, right? Max groaned and threw his head back. Why do you guys always defer to me? I dont know what I am doing any more than you do. He shook his head. Fine. Lets split up and search the city. If they are attacking tonight, the guildies will be one of the only people still up. Well meet up at city hall just before nightfall. Even if we dont know where the guild is hiding now, we know where they will be. They are trying to kill the illusionist governor, if we stick with him, they will come to us. See you two in an hour. Chapter 69: Not Another Step Max kept his eyes peeled as he walked through the city. He slowly realized there was no way he was going to find James or the other members of the Silver Guild. Despite being a small town, there were still thousands of residents. This was worse than looking for a needle in a haystack, but it was the only idea he had. He kicked himself for riding to the rescue without a solid plan. This was Max acting like a white knight all over again. At least part two of his plan was better. He knew exactly where the guild would be soon, attacking the governor. If he warned the governor and joined forces, he might be able to save the city and his friends at the same time. It was a stretch, but better chances than- Max? a voice called out. He turned around, looking for who called his name. He didnt see him at first, but then he saw James in a darkened doorway. He was waving Max into a quaint little house. There were shutters on the windows and dead plants in the flowerbeds. Normally, Max would be a bit wary of walking into a strange building when he knew a fight was brewing. But he had his Igra armor on and this was James. He trusted his friend. As long as James knew they were friends again. Maybe he should lead with that. As soon as Max entered the shadowed hallway, James whisper-yelled, What the hell are you doing here? Looking for you. I cant believe I actually found you, Max said. A huge guy appeared from deeper within the house. His hair brushed the ceiling and his shoulders almost touched both walls in the corridor. He said, Who is this James? Hes a friend. Dont worry. Ill make sure he doesnt endanger the mission, James said and made placating motions. The giant growled. Hes an unknown, why shouldnt I just off him now? Because you need me. I say hes cool, so hes cool, alright? James said and put his hands on his hips. I dont report to you. Just because Im on your protection detail doesnt mean you get to boss me around. This man aint leaving without the corporals say so. Yeah, yeah, James said. He turned to Max. Follow me. We can talk in the sitting room. Sorry there are no lights, we dont want to draw attention to ourselves right now. Dont ask me why, I cant tell you. By the way, I have the Listen card slotted right now. Do you want me to take it out so we can talk? No, its fine. It doesnt bother me when I know you have it in. I already know why you are here. We can talk about that in a bit, Max said and sunk into a soft chair embroidered with flowers. First though, I wanna say sorry. Sorry? Yeah, Im sorry for treating you like that. I forgive you. Youre my friend. Weve been friends for years. You didnt stop being my friend when I started dating Erin, I shouldnt have stopped being your friend over one little thing. Didnt seem like a little thing to you a week ago. James said with a raised eyebrow. I deserve that. Im sorry for freaking out on you. No, thats not what I meant. What I did was wrong. I should have asked for the card instead of taking it, and it was seriously creepy of me to listen in on peoples thoughts without permission. I have my excuses, but thats all they are, excuses, James said. What Im saying is why forgive me now? What changed? I finally realized why Ive been so mad at you. Lily forgave you the same day, Yang didnt have to like you to fight with you, and Gus was furious, but forgot about it right away. Bisrat didnt even care, she just thought it was rude. I felt like I was going crazy for holding a grudge. James started to say something but Max held up a hand and said, Let me finish. I was pissed at you for being a shithead, but thats not the real reason I blew up. I realized today that I wasnt really mad at you, I was mad at my dad. Hes the one that broke my trust and orphaned me. I was so mad at him, so mad. I thought I got over it years ago, but apparently not. You got some issues man. I know you dont like to talk about it, but you cant blame him for dying. Accidents happen. Max tilted his head. Have I seriously never told you? Im not mad at him for dying. Well, I kind of am, but like you said, it was a car accident. I blame him for what led up to that. A few days after I turned seventeen, my dad got fired. He lied and pretended he still had a job. He left every day, did jack squat and returned home, pretending to be exhausted. He drained my college fund to pay the bills. But that wasnt enough. Then he racked up credit card debt, thousands and thousands. He even got a few grand from a loan shark. When that wasnt enough, he knew he had to come clean. But instead of telling the truth, he kept lying. He took me and mom out for a fancy dinner and got drunk. I think mom suspected something, because she got even drunker. I offered to drive everyone home, but dad lied and said he was good to drive. You know about the wreck that killed them, of course. I sometimes wonder if dad drifted across the lanes on purpose, cus he knew he couldnt lie anymore. Not that it matters now. When I healed up and came to live with you, thats when I found out I had no inheritance, no employee life insurance, no college fund. That lie killed my parents and my future. James sat back. Damn. I had no idea. I knew you didnt like talking about the accident, and you blamed your dad. I thought it was because he was drunk, not because of everything else. Damn. I mean, shit. I didnt want to talk about it because it was painful. And embarrassing, I guess? I never suspected a thing. It really messed me up. Anyway, the point is Im very sensitive about lying now. If you can promise never to lie to me again, I would like to be friends again, Max said. Max wasnt looking his way, so he was taken by surprise when James bowled him over with a hug. He knocked him out of the chair and onto the floor. His armor clanked on the wooden floor. Max laughed with relief. James said, Of course I want to be friends again. I promise Ill never lie again. Promise promise. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Max smiled and then said, Glad to have you back, buddy. But that wasnt the only reason I came here. Listen carefully. With a bit of concentration, Max continued talking in his mind. I know you are being forced to fight for the Silver Eagles. I bet they have Lily locked up somewhere, right? Let me help you rescue her. I have Bisrat and Yang in town too. Between the four of us, we should be able to break her out. James shook his head sadly. Dont bother trying to whisper. It wont work. My bodyguard, Simon, maxed out his Sight stat. He can hear a mouse fart in the next room. Ok, shit. I can talk to you but you cant talk to me. Is that right? Max mused. Yep. His ears are well tuned. His card isnt too impressive, just a Whirlwind card. Not like the guild leader. That man, hes something else. I wont tell you what he has, but he has an intimidating presence. Presence? Does the guild leader have maxed out Presence? You can fight against that, you know. It just makes you like him more. James looked at him like he was an idiot. Anyway, presence is unimportant. Thanks for saying you forgive me. It means a lot to me. Presence is unimportant? Then why the hell did you mention it? James widened his eyes and tilted his head. Ok fine. You were trying to say something else. Wait, intimidate or Intimidate? Does he have a bullshit Bell card? Can he intimidate you to do whatever he wants? At least I think that is half right. Is there any other reason you came here? Half right? So he can intimidate you, but it has some limitations? James quickly nodded. I was hoping I could help you out. That Simon fellow said I couldnt leave without his say so, but I dont want to leave. I can stay here and fight by your side, Max said and glanced at the shuttered windows. I mean that literally. I can kill this Simon guy if you want me to. My belt is full of charged up tools. James shook his head. I dont know if thats necessary. My job is to see through the illusions, both literally and with my Listen card. Then I hit them with Decay so they are weak enough for the others to finish the job. I dont think you are needed here. Maybe you should talk to the lieutenant when he swings by. Maybe go with him? You dont want me to save you? Im guessing that means you think I can find and free Lily if I go with the Lieutenant? James smiled and nodded. Alright, I can do that, Max said. Should I leave my belt with you? Itll teleport itself onto my waist in a few hours. Yeah, good idea. James replied. Simon growled and said, You two are acting weird. Max turned to see Simon leaning up against the doorway into the room. Apparently he had been listening in on them. Good thing James had the Listen card and Simon hadnt heard half of the conversation. James nonchalantly said, So what? We are old friends. We can act weird if we want to. If you cant be weird with your friends, who can you be weird with? Max said with a lopsided grin. Simon grumbled and turned away. Max chuckled and kept talking with James. He told him about what he had been up to over the last week, and the dungeon they had climbed. Max unbuckled his belt and handed it over to James while they talked. He thought about putting his armor into the belt too, but that was a hassle. About a half hour after he arrived, the Silver Eagle lieutenant came by. He was a skinny guy with short black hair. Simon met him out front and they had a whispered conversation. Max couldnt see him through the shuttered windows so he walked into the hallway leading to the front door. He needed to ask the lieutenant if he could go with him after Simon gave his report. He stood there for a bit before he was yanked back into the sitting room. James shoved the belt into Maxs hands, his eyes wide. He must have read something concerning from their minds. James mouthed a message to Max. He didnt catch every word, but he understood kill and you. Max hurriedly clipped the belt back on. Hey, Max, Simon called. Can we talk to you in the backyard? The lieutenant wants to ask you some questions. Just a formality before we let you into the mission. Sure thing, Max happily called out. Simon continued. James, you can stay here, keep a watch out. The governor should be passing by any minute. Will do, James said. They were trying to lure Max into the backyard so it was easier to kill him. He reached his hand into his belt and pulled out a charged circular saw. He glanced over to James. He wanted to make sure he wasnt misinterpreting the message. He pointed to the saw and then to where Simon was standing out of sight. James nodded firmly. Max nodded back. He had hoped that he was wrong, but it looked like he was going to get into a fight. He took out a second saw and palmed them both. The tools were too big to fully hide, but he could walk out there without them realizing he was armed now. With a swift walk, Max headed towards the backyard. His best bet was to attack first and kill one before the second realized he was on to them. He opened the door and saw the lieutenant walking up from the left. Where was Simon? The man answered that question right away. A gust of wind hit Max square in the back, strong enough to knock him off his feet and halfway across the yard. Max stretched his Flow to the limit, turning his fall into a roll. He was hit with something as he rolled, his thigh armor clanging from the impact. Max rolled to his feet, stumbling slightly as he realized his leg was hurt. For now he ignored it and stretched out his hands. Simon was barreling towards him, arms outstretched to take him down. The lieutenant had pulled a sword out of nowhere, the tip coated in blood. With a mental flex, Max activated both saws. Silver discs shot out, expanding as they spun. The one on the left didnt even finish expanding before it impacted Simon. The magic cut him in half at the waist. The two halves tumbled and rolled forward with residual inertia. The second silver disc spun forward, aimed at bisecting the lieutenant as well. At the last moment, he twitched his sword up and shattered the spell. Bits of silver shards dissolved into nothingness in the air. The lieutenant jumped back in case there was a follow up attack. When none came, he smirked and said, Youll have to do better than that. Between them, Simon groaned and flopped his hand around. He hadnt died instantly, and it was taking a bit for him to bleed out. The sight left Max devoid of the urge to banter. Instead, he dropped both saws and reached into his belt. The lieutenant dashed forward, trying to attack while Max was rearming. He wasnt quite fast enough. Max pulled out a tungsten hammer and deflected the sword strike with its haft. The impact knocked the hammer head down and almost yanked it out of his hand. Desperately, Max activated the hammers super strike. The blast of blue magic knocked the lieutenant backwards and sent his sword spinning off into the air. He scrabbled to his feet and reached for a bottle at his waist. I guess Ill have to start taking you seriously now, the lieutenant said and downed the potion bottle. His skin rippled and he started changing. Into what, Max never found out. While the lieutenant was monologuing, Max had pulled out another saw and shot a silvery disc. The magic caught him mid-transformation and cut him hip to shoulder. He died as he fell to the ground. Max checked for anyone else, but there were no reinforcements. He slowly caught his breath as he stared at the bodies. This might complicate things. Sad Update I have some bad news. This story is good, but not great. It needs a rewrite. Every time I start a new project, I try to do something better than last time. This time I focused on characterization. I feel like I did a better job bringing James, Lily, Yang, and Gus to life. But I left out the most important character. Max. Max is a blank slate in this story. That can be good, some people really like self-insert stories. It was not my intention though, and I feel like this story is really lacking a major component. Max needs a personality, interpersonal connections, a better goal than just seeing his brother again, and interesting flaws. In addition to that, almost all the evolution quests ended up at the end of the book and they should have been spread out throughout the book, to make the final skill merge more satisfying. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Fixing everything will require a major rewrite. Every decision that the better Max would make would be different and that would mean I would have to basically start over from scratch. Im sorry to say, Im not going to do that right now, if ever. Of all my stories I have written, this one is the least popular. I am going to write something else for a while. Hopefully its one that people (particularly me) will like better. I will be working on 9 to 5 Monster Hunter from here on out. It will probably be a while before I start posting it here, Im going to make sure I dont make the same mistakes for this story. I''ll post all the chapters I have already written tomorrow. It''s the final arc of the story and an ending that needs work.