《New System, Who Dis?》 Chapter 0 + Prologue March 26th, 2069 ¡°We¡¯re here with Abbas, the last survivor of the Sayyad Guild¡¯s main attack force,¡± Fleece, the news anchor introduced, as he sat across from a very dour but well kept Arab man. After the man gave a nod, Fleece asked a question, the one which I¡¯d been waiting for since the segment started on my line-mate¡¯s tablet. ¡°What happened in there Abbas? Sayyad is one of the top Guilds in the World. What did you find? What attacked you?¡± Abbas looked off camera for a moment, before it panned out and revealed a second man sitting beside him. Eva, my beautiful companion in holding our places in line, saw my confusion and simply whispered, ¡°It¡¯s a translator, Brodie,¡± even as the other man leaned into Abbas¡¯ ear. Abbas then turned to the camera and responded in English, surprising me. I guessed that the translator was only there to make sure Abbas fully understood the question. ¡°My Guild was mighty, yes. What we found in the Dungeon in Qatar was nothing Sayyad could have expected.¡± The translator leaned into Abbas¡¯ ear again, and I began to think that Eva was wrong in her assessment. Public Relationship Manager maybe? Abbas continued once the man leaned away. ¡°The rank of the Portal was only B-rank and we didn¡¯t send our main attack force. What we ran into was certainly a creature of at least A-rank, if not higher. What me and my fellow Hunters fought was a creature of Myth and Legends. Something that the Faris quested to root out from our World in those Legends. We fought a Dragon!¡± I sucked in a breath of air, even as Eva beside me did the same. I was a second year Portal Management and Materials major, and while I still had a lot to learn, I felt like Dragons should have been the first thing teachers mentioned. Surely that would get a class''s attention, but only if they knew they actually existed I guessed. ¡°You¡¯re saying that Dragons actually exist, Abbas?¡± Fleece asked, leaning forward in his seat, mirroring my own thoughts. ¡°Yes, Flek, they exist, and they guard treasure beyond your wildest dreams.¡± The translator or PR Manager leaned in and Abbas¡¯ excitement seemed to dry up, even as his mouth turned down inside of his bushy black beard. ¡°My team died fighting it, but their sacrifice wasn¡¯t for nothing.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if I could hear the forced enthusiasm or if it was my imagination. Still, in Abbas¡¯ eyes I could see the pain of losing his friends and Guildmates. So, false or not, he likely wanted to give them a legacy. There probably was an amazing weapon or Monster Core that came from the encounter. Something that might one day¡ª ¡°Are the rumors true then?¡± Fleece asked, in a dramatic stage whisper. ¡°Did your team uncover the first permanent B-ranked Portal, Abbas?¡± I blinked. Unable to control myself I exclaimed, ¡°They what?¡± Eva jumped from my volume above her shoulder, and then slapped at me playfully. ¡°Don¡¯t scare me like that, Brodie!¡± Her giggle made my unintentional jump-scare somehow okay. Still, a Permanent Portal of that rank could be a blessing or a curse for the world. To Eva I said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but what happens if that Portal Breaks?¡± Eva had already paused the news story, and her giggling cut off as she went deathly silent. Her tanned face was at least two shades paler when she spun to look at me with a forced smile. ¡°Surely that¡¯s far enough from us here in Canada to not worry. Right?¡± ¡°He said there was a Dragon, Eva,¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Those things can fly.¡± Her unblemished skin grew even paler before she grunted and slapped me on the arm. ¡°Stop trying to scare me!¡± I could only nod with my own forced smile. B-rank wasn¡¯t something that usually would be considered a catastrophe waiting to happen, but the fact that Monster Fields and the containment around them existed for lower ranked Permanent Portals¡ªdidn¡¯t seem to provide much hope for this thing not having a Break someday. ¡°Maybe they¡¯re wrong and they¡¯ll find a way to close it?¡± I said, truly hoping that might be the case. While a permanent B-ranked Portal would provide ample Monster Cores and limited Resources to the World¡ªit was like a ticking time bomb. Eva nodded, even as she visibly swallowed. I could tell she shared the sentiment. * * * Prologue If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. (Not the MC) Saturday, March 30th, 2069 Morgan Hallsbrad pulled out a pen from his breast pocket, opened a small notebook using the fabric bookmark, and crossed out an entry about midway down the page. The thin sheet of paper held a simple list, each line of the list didn¡¯t even fill up more than half the small page. As he lifted his pen, Morgan breathed heavily out through his nose¡ªthe ink was black, and yet there was a red smear glinting freshly above the entry. Turning over his gloved hand he found a small smear of sticky red on one of his knuckles. That was the culprit of untidiness. He licked his teeth and then peeled off his two gloves, turning them inside out before stowing them in an outer pocket of a practically brand-new jacket. Inhaling deeply, he examined the page one more time¡ªat least the stain was above the crossed-out line of the page. The next, not crossed-out line read ¡®Tara Isand¡¯, but the one before it, the recently crossed-out entry, was for a ¡®Craig Chaput¡¯. Morgan looked down at Craig. Another of the far too abundant single Skill Awakened. One of the unchosen, unlike him. He shook his head. The young man lay on the ground, face as white as the paper in Morgan¡¯s book¡ªhis eyes wide but unseeing. Atop the corpse, right above its heart was a small blue sphere, and Morgan put on a fresh pair of gloves, pulled from a different pocket of an entirely different interior jacket before picking it up. In a practiced motion, he turned this pair of gloves inside out as well, with the small blue sphere inside of them, and then placed those into a plastic bag before sealing it. Morgan took one slower look around the dimly lit alley, seeing nothing but the corpse as ¡®proof or witness¡¯ he had been there, he spun on a toe and strode away. As soon as he got out of the alleyway, he pulled out a cigarette from the breast pocket of his more internal, thinner spring coat. He lit up and exchanged his lighter for his cell phone before sending a quick text one-handed. The text simply read ¡®complete,¡¯ and went from sent to ¡®read¡¯ before his first drag on the cigarette ended. He was holding his breath and savoring the taste of the pull when his lowering hand felt the phone begin buzzing. Reversing his elbow¡¯s direction, Morgan glanced at the phone and was surprised to find that he was receiving a phone call and not simply a reply. He glanced back across the street he just crossed, toward the alley he just exited and deemed the distance to be insufficient to answer and hit the do not accept red button, sending his contact to his inactivated voicemail. People were much more likely to make note of a man talking on a phone than one just passing by. Just as he finished his cigarette and was preparing to flick it into a road a few blocks away, the phone buzzed again. Morgan hadn¡¯t bothered putting it back in a pocket, knowing that the broker on the other end would be calling back. This time, however, he was several streets away and could talk, so he answered. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± he said by way of greeting. ¡°You know I don¡¯t like that particular idiom, Mr. Hallsbrad.¡± The line on the other end said dryly even through the voice changer, but then continued as if he hadn¡¯t just scolded Morgan. ¡°I¡¯ve got a high-priority target for you.¡± Morgan simply waited to allow the silence to stretch. He wasn¡¯t exactly a huge fan of the anonymous person on the other end of the phone. He always corrected Morgan¡¯s word choices and had a snobbish way of speaking that the voice modulator couldn¡¯t hide. If he knew who the asshole was, he would probably at the very least punch him in the face. Although, it was only at the other man¡¯s ¡®teachings¡¯ that he¡¯d gotten this good at his job. Yet, he debated if the teaching, constant information, and money were actually good enough to save Mr. Anonymous from Morgan¡¯s wrath if they ever met. Morgan actually believed he¡¯d met the anonymous caller in the past, but had somehow forgotten the interaction. He didn¡¯t know why he got that feeling¡ªbut he had a new Skill that would likely prevent something like that from ever happening again! He lit up another cigarette and let the silence stretch. ¡°Alonzo Mars,¡± the voice on the other end of the line finally gave in. ¡°That¡¯s just his SwiftGram alias, his real name is Brodie Flacarada. He has a high-demand Skill that I can flip for hundreds of millions.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Morgan answered simply. ¡°Before you hang up, make sure you don¡¯t use any Skills or siphon Mana from him. Understood?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Morgan responded even as he rolled his eyes. The fact that the person on the other end said stuff like that, didn¡¯t support his theory that they¡¯d met. That just wasn¡¯t how his Skill worked! ¡°Can I go now?¡± ¡°Mr. Hallsbrad, I can¡¯t stress enough¡ª¡± Morgan hit the end button, not happy with the tone and the way it paired with the usage of his name. Does this husker think he¡¯s my mother or something? He asked the air. ¡°Well, he certainly knows he¡¯s smarter than you,¡± a somewhat squeaky voice said from the awning of a late-night pizza shop. Morgan glared at the gargoyle-like creature but continued to walk past the building before turning into the alleyway that ran behind it and many other shops in the area. He saw what he was looking for immediately and adjusted his path to move directly toward the dumpster. A third pair of gloves slipped onto his hands, and he stripped out of his second jacket, tearaway pants, and even his shoes. He slid into a pair of crocs that seemed to be placed there just for him¡ªbecause they had been, and he had done the placing. Afterward, he continued down the alley after balling up everything and depositing them into a corner of the half-full container. ¡°You know I don¡¯t like it when you speak without me addressing you, shit-stain,¡± he said over his shoulder. The large gargoyle, which no one else but him could see, floated there, not even using his wings to stay aloft. Morgan hated that he couldn¡¯t hurt the creature that came with his Skill¡ªbut this had been his life for over twenty years now. Well, the Demon had grown a bit, since Mr. Anonymous helped him figure out how to best use his Skill. At least he and the Gorilla-sized demon had a bit of an understanding, now. As he walked toward the other exit of the alley, he pulled back out his notebook and flipped to a new unused page before writing, ¡®Alonzo Mars¡¯ and then Brodie Flacarada under it. He circled both and even added a star next to the name. 001 Thursday, March 27th, 2069 ¡°Take down another button,¡± the photographer stated. Two assistants came by and helped me get the white silk to sit right even as I clumsily got the button undone on the shirt. A cool breeze from the overworked air conditioning made my skin prickle as it swept through the now larger gap, and over my mildly muscled chest. This wasn¡¯t something I did on the regular. It wasn¡¯t like I was some sort of A-list celebrity. No, this was a photoshoot that could lead to something fantastic. Something I wanted desperately. Even now it was a competition of sorts.. To remind myself, I scanned my gaze over the room, seeing the line of other hopefuls who had paid for the SwiftGram photographer¡¯s photoshoot today. Just like I had done, the next person in line was going through a fitting as another assistant¡ªthis one a very stylish gay man, held up different blouses, and short skirt combos assessing them against the Egyptian woman¡¯s skin tone. With only her bra and panties on, there was a lot of skin to contrast the garments against. How did I know she was Egyptian? Well, we¡¯d spent about forty-eight hours waiting in line for this. On and off, of course, as our families held our place. ¡°Tease me, make me want it. Better! Now lean forward slightly,¡± the photographer directed me, and I complied. This was Arnando Moreza, and he had millions of followers online. If I could impress him or have the best shot of the day, he might post about it. That would ensure an increase in my follower count, and jump-start my hopeful career as a Mana Bank. ¡°Good, Mister Mars, that young look to you is going to be irresistible. Now run your tongue over the right incisor and give me your best bedroom look.¡± That was something I¡¯d heard my entire life to date. I looked young for my age. Being twenty-one and in my second year of college, but looking like a teenager was annoying, but others seemed to envy it. I morphed my smile, turning it seductive in the best way I knew how, and placed my tongue as instructed. It wasn¡¯t like I was some sort of expert, but I had been watching online MeTube documentaries. The photographer grinned back at me, and a few women and men nearby tilted their heads in appreciation. A flush of heat ran up my back to my neck and then over the crown of my head, leaving goosebumps in its wake at the response I was getting. Maybe all my hard work would finally pay off¡­ ¡°That¡¯s fantastic, Alonzo. Flex a bit. Not that much. Dial it back a bit,¡± Arnando instructed. ¡°No. Not quite it, I think. We need something more. Bring in the Magic Staff!¡± ¡°Which one?¡± someone shouted. I looked for the speaker but there were too many racks of clothing and armor around to find them from such a short exchange. ¡°Blue, to compliment his eyes,¡± Arnando commanded. Almost instantly I got handed a rod of black metal with a sapphire triangular prism glinting from its top. I was pretty confident this was a prop and not true magical equipment, since the latter was so damn expensive. Still, feeling good from the reactions I was getting, I put the rod over my shoulders and draped my wrists over both sides, attempting to play to the camera. Arnando¡¯s smile grew, and the shutter speed increased, telling me I might have managed something special. Muttering broke out from the line and the attendants. Some in appreciation, but most in discontent. Everyone wanted the same thing I supposed, and my success could mean their failure. I¡¯d shared a few mutters of grievance myself with Eva, the Egyptian woman, while waiting in line. So, I understood the feeling all too well. ¡°That was fantastic, Alonzo.¡± Arnando flipped open a compartment on his camera, took out a small disk, and traded it with an empty one from an assistant beside him. ¡°Morena here will do the editing and transfer the pictures to your Dropdisk. I wish you luck. Next!¡± My flush of excitement slithered and morphed into a wiggling mass in the pit of my stomach. That was my fifteen minutes with Arnando, and he was moving on to Eva. I swallowed the lump that began climbing my throat and followed Morena. She made her way to a Pad-desk and placed the small ScanDisk atop it. The top of the table instantly became a folder filled with photos. Due to the size of the table, each picture was large enough for me to make out. Morena began clicking on thumbnails, and I followed her finger. Each photo she touched was of me blinking, licking my lips, rounding my shoulders, or committing some other ¡®travesty¡¯. She dragged them all to the trash, and I felt a flush creep up my neck when I saw a hundred and fifteen pop up in a bubble before she cleared them. I wasn¡¯t exactly an expert model or anything like that. But I had been working on it. I just wanted to form a Mana Bank pairing so badly! That was my only real chance to not have to follow my parents'' wishes of becoming an office worker. And perhaps re-Awaken a secondary Skill! Next, Morena touched the bottom of the desk nearest her and navigated various menus. With each finger tap, the pictures changed. Filters being applied and blemishes smoothed by an AI program she expertly managed. She paused in her tapping and looked up at me. ¡°Hmmm. I don¡¯t want to wash you out with light colors. How about a beach background?¡± I blinked, not realizing that she was asking me a question until the silence stretched long enough that it highlighted her pause. ¡°Oh umm, sure.¡± She smiled and nodded, clicking some more buttons which effectively turned the green background of each picture into something different. No two pictures were the same, but each one was now taken on a beach or a boat. The pose with the staff over my shoulders was on the deck of a frigate now, with a huge hovering aquamarine Portal contrasting the dark blue of the water below. The silver of the ship and the military fatigues of milling people told me this was a shot of me ¡®in the field¡¯. I could almost recognize the shot. It was eerily similar to one of the first images the public had seen of a Portal after the Advent on December 14th, 2045. Highschool classes had driven the image into my brain as we¡¯d studied and examined the days leading up to its appearance and the days after. Still, this wasn¡¯t exactly the same picture and if I was honest, I barely recognized the ¡®teenager¡¯ standing on the Frigate. My twisting stomach got worse. While I could still tell it was me in the pictures, I also could tell it wasn¡¯t. I looked at myself in the mirror every day and knew my blemishes like old friends. To see these ¡®doctored¡¯ pictures was like a strange fantasy I never wished for. A look I wouldn¡¯t achieve even with the best makeup. Morena finished up a few heartbeats later, even as I studied the changes she was making. Somehow, the pictures became even crisper in appearance. ¡°Alright, anything else you think I should do?¡± I scratched the back of my head, feeling the coarse shaved hair there as I considered her question. I couldn¡¯t tell her to replace some blemishes to humanize me, right? Surely, they were the experts, that¡¯s why I¡¯d asked my mom and dad to save up and send me in here, not to mention drive me. Sucking in a deep breath, I shook my head. ¡°No, they look excellent.¡± Morena frowned for the briefest of moments before she shrugged ever so slightly. Then she made a motion above the table. Holding her open hand above it she made a fist and then positioned it above the ScanDisk. All the pictures vanished, and she picked up the small disk. ¡°Okay, if you¡¯re satisfied, head over to the receptionist and she¡¯ll handle your final payment. The disk is encrypted, so don¡¯t even think about trying to pocket it and walk out. You¡¯ll never get the pictures that way and just lose your fifteen-hundred-dollar deposit.¡± I held out my hand, and she dropped the ScanDisk into it. She held the small disk and her fingers in my palm and met my eyes. ¡°I hope you find yourself a good, selfless young man.¡± Thanks to her endearing look and smile, I recognized she didn¡¯t mean the comment as an insult. She was likely in her mid-thirties and was using a compliment that had morphed into something snide since. Plastering on a smile, I responded with enthusiasm, ¡°Anything but a Greed!¡± ¡°To the best partners,¡± she said and let go of the disk. I held my smile until I turned away. I knew she hadn¡¯t meant to imply that I was a simp, but being reminded of the different ¡®categories¡¯ of Mana Bank partners was always a bit depressing, regardless of intent. Sighing, I made my way to the receptionist. ¡°Fifteen-hundred-dollars more for the pictures. Five hundred if you plan to keep the outfit,¡± the bored-looking receptionist said flatly as I approached. I looked down at the white silk shirt and the off-white dress shorts before flinching. I¡¯d forgotten all about them. Making a face I excused myself and immediately changed into my ripped jeans, black t-shirt, and ¡®vintage¡¯ jacket I¡¯d worn to the shoot. I wish I could say that they were old by design, but they were thrift store purchases. Then returning, I paid the other half of the money my parents had given me. The receptionist took the disk and placed it into a slot beside the register before handing it back. ¡°All good. You have full access. Have a wonderful day!¡± I put the disk in my pocket and then turned to watch Eva pose. The designer had chosen to dress her in a turquoise blouse and a peach-colored skirt. The choice made her skin tone pop in a way that accentuated her stunning beauty even more. Arnando barked orders and Eva smoothly moved to follow. I hoped I looked as good as she did up there. There was a moment where I considered waiting for her, but I was tired and had her contact information. Plus, I¡¯d spent the last two days chatting with her and was now competing against her for the picture of the day¡ªwhich might make the conversation after the session awkward. Instead, I turned on my heels and left. The shoot was on the fifth floor of the Merceda Sports Center in Toronto, and as I made my way down the stairs, I studied the tents and campers that filled the entire car park. Arnando probably had another ten to fifteen days of people lined up outside, and I couldn¡¯t help the new sigh that escaped unbidden. Sometimes this life felt like a rat race, an endless, self-defeating, pointless pursuit. All these people were competing for the same thing, to become a Mana Bank to a Hunter or the Stars¡ªand I was one of them¡­ Growling, I started jogging down the stairs. I knew better than to think like that. Mindfulness and finish-line thinking was the way to win in the end. I just needed to believe I would come out on top, and I would. Or at least that¡¯s what my school guidance counselor had said. I jogged out of the door at the bottom, keeping my thoughts positive and a smile on my face. It felt good to be walking the opposite way of the long snaking line¡ªlike I had accomplished something that had meaning. My eyes were fixed on that long lineup when something¡ªno, someone ran into my chest. Stolen novel; please report. Even as I registered the discomfort the collision had caused me, a waft of stale alcohol hit me in the face. At a glance I could tell that the guy was drunk. On closer inspection, his yellowing skin and eyes suggested that he might be someone who operated in a constant state of drunkenness. I was no medical expert, but thought there was a name for the condition. Something to do with the liver. The man¡¯s face started to go red as he looked around. Clearly, still trying to process what had happened, but already stoked to anger. I decided to leave¡ªnot wanting to deal with an unreasonable drunken man. I glanced back just to make sure he wasn¡¯t seriously hurt, and found him trying to throttle a kid in line, while shouting. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t have to go back and help, since security was already rushing over. Sighing, I doubled my pace, and focused my eyes in front of me, not wanting the accident to happen again. It didn¡¯t take me long before I reached Uncle Jarred¡¯s old borrowed tow-camper. My parents were in chairs under the awning. My mother, Clara, stood up at my approach. ¡°How did it go?!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you see for yourself?¡± I answered, mirroring her excitement and fishing in my pocket for the ScanDisk. I handed it off to her, and she touched it to her phone. A moment later, she was flipping her finger over the screen and wearing a proud mothering smile. My dad, Gary, stood up after a time and looked over her shoulder. He wore a strained smile, which told me how he truly felt about my current pursuit, but at least he didn¡¯t voice his feelings again. ¡°So, which one is your favorite?¡± he asked instead. ¡°Which one will have my son becoming a Mana Battery to the Stars?¡± I could hear the forced enthusiasm in his tone, but only because I knew him so well. I appreciated his attempt. ¡°The accepted term is ¡®Mana Bank¡¯, sweetie, Mana Battery is for Monster Cores turned into Mana Pools,¡± my mom corrected for me. ¡°You know the ones the Specialists use at work.¡± ¡°The one on the boat in front of the Gate. With the Sapphire Staff over my shoulder,¡± I answered, cutting off their sidebar, I didn¡¯t have to feign the genuine excitement in my voice. It took a few minutes of flipping for my mom, but I could tell when she found the photo I was talking about, because her face lit up and her eyes widened. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fantastic. You look so good!¡± ¡°Are you sure that won¡¯t confuse the Hero Awakened?¡± my dad asked as he studied the picture over her shoulder. He looked up at me, his eyes conveying the earnestness of his question. I knew what he was asking and hadn¡¯t looked at it from that perspective yet. Magic equipment was only used by ¡®Heroes¡¯, otherwise known as Hunters, so he was asking if a picture of me holding the ¡®fake¡¯ gear would make me seem like one. ¡°That¡¯s a good point,¡± I answered, feeling my smile slip, even as my hand came up toward my mouth. My mother placed her hand on mine, helping me to remember not to bite my nails. ¡°It¡¯s a great picture!¡± My dad said quickly after receiving an elbow from my mother¡¯s other arm. Clara mildly shook her head and flipped backward through the photos. ¡°If you¡¯re that worried, then I¡¯d suggest this one,¡± she said and turned her phone around. The display held a picture of me looking genuinely happy. I nodded, and she flicked a finger which sent the photo to her phone. ¡°In fact, I might just hang this on a wall at home.¡± Smiling shyly, I took back the ScanDisk and started thinking about which photo I should post to SwiftGram first. I owed my small following an update, and would this photo be a good option for that post? It had been a few days since I told them about this shoot, but I¡¯d definitely like to sit down and think about what I wanted to convey to them now. Most books I¡¯d read agreed that as a small business, which was what I was trying to become, you needed to brand yourself. The four-hour drive home to Windsor would give me the time to think I needed¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here,¡± I said as I motioned to the old Ford Escort in front of the trailer. We¡¯d been here for two days already, and I had school on Monday morning, so my rush didn¡¯t seem to offend anyone. That or they were as eager to get home as I was. I helped load up the chairs and grill, even as my mind whirled. What should my approach be for my upcoming post? Usually, I went for the eager and earnest approach, but my five hundred followers may be proof that it wasn¡¯t working. That or I had no hope because of my F-rank¡ª ¡°Stop it!¡± I scolded myself under my breath. My followers didn¡¯t even know that the UNMH had scanned me as an F-rank. I climbed into the back of the car and buckled in. Then I began creating a post on SwiftGram. I hadn¡¯t even uploaded the picture when a notification for a new message came in. I clicked the button and found a name I¡¯d been seeing everywhere for the last two days. I probably should have just blocked him after the flame war we had in the comments of a different post¡ªbut I figured one more follower wasn¡¯t a bad thing. With a sigh, I clicked in, expecting the worst.
The Shop: Hey, be honest what would it cost for a one-time mana-connection?
I shook my head. This was not only a common request and considered beyond rude, but it had also been the exact topic I had been fighting with him over in the comments. I clicked over to ¡®The Shops¡¯ profile and found what I remembered. A relatively new account, with low followers, no pictures, and a heavy number of follows. I reported the message and was about to flip back to my profile when another message came in.
The Shop: You must have a pretty high-ranked Skill if you¡¯re hoping for a selfless lifetime bond.
My jaw clenched as I read. He was taking my profile introduction, twisting it, insulting me, and using it to poke at me for a response. Unlike the receptionist, he clearly was calling me a simp or sub. My profile simply read I was looking for a lifetime bond to grow with. A true partnership bond¡­ which many believed was something of a fairy-tale. Before I could click the more actions button and block the asshat, he sent another message.
The Shop: All you stuck-up morons are the same. You all think you¡¯re hot shit, that you¡¯ll find a prince or princess charming out there for you! News flash, you¡¯ll probably get husked.
My eyes widened. Husking was the greatest fear of a Mana Pool Awakened like me. Essentially, the threat of losing your Gift and becoming an unAwakened. A husk of your former self. Most people who lost their gift committed suicide shortly after because they felt out of place in a world full of ¡®gifted.¡¯ Even if ninety percent of those gifted only had an unused Mana Pool¡­ Scientists theorized that having a Gift gave people a deeper connection with the current world. Like somehow it was an anchor¡ªand while humans survived for thousands of years before the Awakening. Now everyone had a Skill or Gift. That first pull from a Mana Pool always carried with it the greatest risk. So, everyone wanted someone who was going to be careful¡ªgoing to take it slow and have the restraint to stop before permanent injury came to their Bank. Essentially, someone who either knew what they were doing already or at least had trained in the theory of it. The phenomenon of Husking was still pretty common, and a term of ¡®Greeds¡¯ got coined to describe the people who became Mana Drunk upon the first pull. Thus, why one-time pulls were relatively rare, you just never knew what type of person you would get. I knew I should let it go and just move on, but the comment hit a bit too close to home because it called my dream into question. Reiterated my fairy tale aspirations. Personally, I knew my desire to be a someone was a long shot. My urge to contribute to the fight against the Monsters wasn¡¯t probable, but I didn¡¯t want to be a ¡®normie¡¯ either. One of the seven billion, and then some, who had a Mana Pool and just let it go to waste. His comments cut extra deep because I was not even a high ranked Mana Pool talent. No, I was an-F-rank, according to my assessment. This guy was a piece of shit! Plain and simple. Probably someone ¡®lucky¡¯ who Awakened with a Skill but no Pool¡ªand thus thought himself above people like me. Growling, I clicked the response box.
What¡¯s your problem? Are you so ugly that no one wants to let you touch them? You¡¯re likely a Greed that doesn¡¯t know how to control his pull, and so anyone who has worked with you can¡¯t work with you anymore. So, instead, you come on here and pray to find a one-time Bank. Just to feel that rush of power again. Have you ever thought of the Banks you¡¯ve hurt along the way? People like you disgust me.
I hit send hard, and the anger seemed to drain out of me a bit as I re-read my response. Admittedly, it wasn¡¯t my best work. Insulting, yes, but this person was likely in a similar situation as I was. Everyone Awakened on their eighteenth birthday. The issue for me and people like The Shop, was that on the extreme average people Awakened with one Skill. I¡¯m talking about one in hundreds of thousands awakened with dual Gifts. Meaning that most of the world only had a single one. There were rumors of people having a single Skill that didn¡¯t need Mana, but those were rumors. As far as I knew each gift required Mana to use, and only if you Awakened with a Mana Pool and a secondary Skill could you be totally self-sufficient. The only other way was to put yourself in situations of extreme stress. Usually within Portals, and ¡®reAwaken¡¯ another Skill. But those two situations were beyond rare¡­ like more rare than Awakening two gifts to begin with. Except people could compound the odds in the re-Awakening by going into Portals over and over again. There were still further complication too. Even if you got a good Skill, getting into a good Hunter University to train yourself on the usage of it, wasn¡¯t a guarantee. All in all, that¡¯s probably what happened to this Shop character¡­ Lucky enough to Awaken with a Skill other than a Mana Pool, but never properly trained. The fact that ninety-nine percent of the population Awakened with a single Gift was also why people like me who Awakened with only a Mana Pool and no secondary Skill to use it were in high demand. The second situation of re-Awakening was why so many of us Pools wanted to be a Bank. It might be rare¡ªbut it did happen. It was the real reason I was getting pictures taken today and attempting to make a name for myself. Sure, I didn¡¯t have the biggest Mana Pool to start, but rumor said it could grow with the right partner. With someone that would be cautious and not husk me. After a few years, and slow growth I could make a great living as a Bank. Or, hopefully I would be one of the lucky few and Awaken a new Skill. It was that, or get a degree and work, which I was also pursuing¡ªreluctantly. I glanced at my parents in the front seat. They were the ones who insisted I get a degree. They were both ¡®normie¡¯s¡¯ otherwise known as people who had a mostly untouched Mana Pool. So, while they supported me in my dream, they didn¡¯t really understand it. Gary, who was driving, smiled back at me in the mirror, which effectively took the edge off any of my remaining anger. They truly cared for me, and while I knew that the chances of becoming a Bank to a Hunter or a Star was slim, they wanted me to realize my dream. Gary just insisted I have a backup plan, which was why I was in my second year of Monster Material Management at Phoenix Academy. My mother noticed my father and I smiling, and joined us with a wide, brilliant grin. Then she pointed to the traffic we were joining on our way out of the stadium. ¡°Glad we got here so early, or you¡¯d never have made it to the first day of summer semester on Monday!¡± That was a very nice way of her saying that they both took vacation to sit in a parking lot with me for the last three days. Even then, being here three days early hadn¡¯t made us anywhere near first in line. ¡°No kidding,¡± I said and then added, ¡°thank you both.¡± In a much quieter voice. I knew they both heard me, but they chose not to acknowledge it. Instead, Gary reached out and clasped Clara¡¯s hand. She squeezed back, and I returned to my phone to give them privacy. A new message made my heart clench in my chest.
The Shop: I¡¯ll see you around Brodie Flacarada.
My name on this account was Alonzo Mars. Brodie was my given name by my parents, but I¡¯d decided long ago not to use it online. There were a multitude of reasons, but primarily amongst them were people finding me or my family through it. I hurriedly reported The Shop again and then blocked and banned the account. How had he found my real name? Cold sweat ran down my back. Trying to be conspicuous, I looked through my eyelashes at my parents. Should I tell them? I shook my head. I was an adult now and just because the person found my real name didn¡¯t mean anything. Right? After checking all my privacy settings and account information to ensure it was private, I calmed down a little. Surely, this ¡®Shop¡¯ was just trying to scare me, or something. Maybe it was even an old highschool classmate, just trying to husk with me. Either way, I wouldn¡¯t let them. I moved back to my profile and finished my post, consulting an app I had for trending tags. 002 Monday, April 1st, 2069 ¡°Good morning, students,¡± Miss Chavez said from the front of the auditorium style classroom. No one returned the greeting, and I wasn¡¯t the only one who took a sip of coffee. Chavez was my teacher for Portal Materials and Common Uses II, and she always had a habit of being a bit too high energy. Since this was a late night class and my final one of the day, I was just hoping to get through it¡ªhence the extra-large cup of caffeine. My only response, other than the sip of coffee, was a sigh. At least, she wasn¡¯t making a poor attempt at April Fools'' humor, like my morning teachers. I didn¡¯t think of Miss Chavez as particularly attractive but was clearly in the minority in that opinion. This class was required for my Bachelor but was a common elective for many others. Thus, it only took a quick glance around the room to highlight the male to female ratio of the class''s attendance and correlate just how many males enjoyed the bubbly Chavez¡¯s appearance. I guess I could see the appeal. She wasn¡¯t hard to look at but was a bit too short for my tastes. Not that a tall, too-young looking guy, with a single Awakened Skill and living at home with his parents really had room for tastes¡­ I shook myself off my tangent and took another gulp of coffee. When I realized Chavez had continued speaking. I tuned back in as she said, ¡°¡ª the course curriculum is listed on the outline. If you didn¡¯t get an outline, they were available on my desk on your way in. If you lose yours, or prefer to save paper, you can download another one from your WhiteBoard Portal.¡± A hand shot into the air, and Chavez turned a withering stare at the offending student. ¡°If you don¡¯t have access to your WhiteBoard, then you might want to drop this second-year course, since you clearly shouldn¡¯t be here.¡± The hand dropped faster than it went up and Chavez smiled sadly for just a moment and noted something on her clipboard. My gut twisted for the owner of that hand. I guess Chavez was done babying us, like she had in our first year. Still, it wasn¡¯t like getting access to your WhiteBoard Portal was anything difficult. ¡°Last year, we focused on two things. The logistics of collecting Crystals, Ores, Flora, and Corpses commonly found in low-ranked Portals. And¡­?¡± she let the question hang in the air. A student in the first row put their hand up into the air, and Chavez nodded at one of the few women in the room. ¡°We also discussed the rarity of certain goods based on the Gifts or Skills needed to acquire them.¡± ¡°Correct,¡± Miss Chavez said. ¡°Can you remind the class of what that means?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± the front-row student answered and then with a deep inhalation continued. ¡°It means that certain adults Awakened with Gifts unsuited for combat.¡± The student emphasized ¡®adults¡¯ to further convey a point that everyone on Earth knew. Everyone eighteen or older Awakened. She continued, after a brief pause to collect her thoughts since Chavez put her on the spot, ¡°They like the Hunters that fight on the front lines are rare. Even rarer if they Awakened a Mana Pool and a Gathering Skill. If they have no Pool, and only a single Gift, then they too need to use Mana Banks or Batteries to perform services, which ?increases the rarity of goods they collect.¡± I silently snorted a breath out of my nose. That wasn''t the whole story. No self respecting Mana Bank had chosen to work with common Gatherers in nearly fifteen years. Once a Gatherer with a proven Skill came about, some Banks did form partnerships for the money, but that was still less common. Mostly because to date not a single Mana Bank had ever re-Awakened a second Skill working with Gatherers. Re-Awakening was the primary reason people wanted to risk their lives and become Mana Banks. Well, that was what I assumed¡ªbecause that was what I wanted. ¡°Can anyone tell me what we call these individuals, and what percentage of the population Awakened as Gatherers?¡± Miss. Chavez asked and then pointed out a new student even as they began to raise a hand. ¡°We call them Specialists, usually. If ten percent of humanity Awakened with a Combat Gift then another ten percent awakened with Gathering Gifts. However, it¡¯s far more common, at nearly double the amount, for Gatherers to have also gotten a Mana Pool.¡± The student almost stopped speaking then, but after scratching his chin he added, ¡°The UNMH is still conducting research into the why of that phenomenon. This number was further skewed because of something else though¡­¡± the student faded off, clearly not remembering one of the exam answers from first year. ¡°Because some Awakened who feared the Monsters inside Portals chose to use Combat Skills for Gathering Skills,¡± Miss Chavez said. She nodded even as the student she¡¯d called on nodded, seeming to recall that part of last year''s lessons with the simple reminder. I wanted to sigh¡ªsince those numbers were heavily contested and likely inaccurate. Well, maybe they were accurate, but the Read-it forums, which I often perused, told a less biased tale¡ªor I guess I believed they might tell something closer to the truth. People on Read-it claimed only ten percent of the population total, Awakened with Gifts that weren¡¯t Mana Pools¡ªleaving ninety percent like me. People that often were referred to as Normie¡¯s. ¡°The first student alluded to it, but what skews the number of Gatherers that work in Portals further, which does also help lower the rarity and cost of goods?¡± Miss Chavez asked and then pointed me out as I raised my hand. ¡°Many Mana Pool Awakened,¡± I began using the more acceptable term for ¡®Normie¡¯s.¡¯ ¡°¡ªalso enter Portals as part of Gathering Teams and Mine, Garden or Clean with regular gear or become Specialists with Enchanted Gear. Specialists can also use Mana Batteries more easily than Combat Hunters, because they have less to fear from the Batteries running out mid-combat or breaking if overused.¡± ¡°Correct!¡± Miss Chavez said, gracing me with her beaming smile. ¡°You did forget about the Lumberjacks, but they rarely work with other Gatherers, so I guess that¡¯s a pretty common mistake¡± ¡°What was the reason Hunter¡¯s and Specialists can¡¯t just pull Mana from the Mana Crystals?!¡± Someone from behind me asked their neighbor. I could tell it was meant to be a whisper, but unfortunately for them, an auditorium was meant to carry sounds, not muffle them. Miss Chavez smiled at someone above me in the tiered seating and I turned around in my seat trying to find the culprit of the ¡®whispered¡¯ question. Surely, the idiot shouldn¡¯t have made it to the second semester. A group of five guys sat close together, one of them extremely red in the face. Two others gave him looks that threatened some good natured ribbing for making them the center of attention. One even gave the offending boy a Charlie Horse. Seeing that she wasn¡¯t likely to get an answer from the young men, Miss Chavez opened the question up to the class, by saying, ¡°Anyone?¡± She didn¡¯t bother repeating the question, since if she¡¯d heard it, it was likely they all had. No hand shot up, and I sighed. Come on. The faster we got this over with, the faster we got out of the first late-night class. Everyone knew that first classes were just an introduction! I was about to raise my hand when another student beat me to it. The same girl in the front row who had answered Chavez¡¯s first question. Once indicated, the girl said, ¡°The Mana is different than personalized Mana from within your pool. It¡¯s theorized that there may be a way to harness it, but currently all humans can do to extract Wild Mana is burn the Crystals, and convert the intense heat to energy.¡± ¡°Good!¡± Miss Chavez said with a beaming smile. ¡°What¡¯s the difference in Crystal grades to energy output?¡± Another young man, a single row in front of me, raised his hand. ¡°It¡¯s unknown for some of the highest ranks of Crystals, but a single B-rank Crystal is something akin to a Fusion Reactor. C-rank would be a Nuclear Reactor, I think. Then D and E rank are essentially Electric Dams of varying sizes. F-ranks are just Gas Powered Generators for a single intact Crystal.¡± ¡°With those levels of Power contained in a single Crystal, why do Guilds not always mine low rank Crystals whole?¡± Miss Chavez asked. This time, no one raised a hand, and so I did. She motioned at me again, giving the same appreciative look she¡¯d given the girl in the front row. The only other person to answer multiple times so far. ¡°Sharding is done for time efficiency, as well as demand. Just like you don¡¯t need Jet Fuel in a car¡ªsome engines can only handle Sharded Crystals of F-D rank. However, the more prevalent reason is the time efficiency for the Guilds. Each Guild only has so many Hunters that they can field. When Gatherers enter a Portal¡ªthose Hunters are often required to be present to protect them. So, instead of wasting too much time harvesting Full Crystals of low rank, they¡¯d rather get what Ores and Crystal Shards they can and move on to the next Portal.¡± ¡°Excellent, once again!¡± Miss Chavez said. ¡°Anything else you¡¯d all like me to go over?¡± She paused for a moment, then seeing no questions or further hands in the air, sighed and held up a piece of paper which had been one of a larger stack that was on her desk. Most students had grabbed one on their way in, and I was among them. ¡°As you can see from the Course Outline, we¡¯ll be moving onto the actual resources and how to recognize them this semester. We¡¯ll start each lesson with ways to identify the items and spot fakes before we move onto quality-grading tips and tricks. Finally, we¡¯ll discuss uses and Economic implications of availability and large purchases of said material. Understood?¡± The student that had put his hand up earlier to ask about WhiteBoard access grumbled something I couldn¡¯t hear from my spot, but thankfully Chavez was the type of teacher that didn¡¯t like interruptions. ¡°A bit louder for the class, Mister Hessir.¡± There was a long pause before the clearly embarrassed student grumpily called out, ¡°What¡¯s the point of learning how to identify material if someone the System gifted an Eye Skill to can just look at them and tell?¡± ¡°Does anyone want to tell Frank here what¡¯s wrong with that assumption?¡± No hands went up, and so I eventually put mine up again, wanting desperately for the class to move along. Ms. Chavez didn¡¯t take her amused but also scolding look off of Frank, but still indicated in my general direction. ¡°The existence of a System is still largely unproven, and people who Awakened with Eye Skills with the ability to Identify Items, Weapons, Enchants and Portal Materials are exceptionally rare. It¡¯s why the UNMH Awakening Assessment is done by machines that are far from accurate.¡± ¡°Exactly Mister Flacarada,¡± Ms. Chavez confirmed. ¡°If people like that were common, then there would certainly be no need for this class, but since they aren¡¯t, and all of these wonderful people are here¡ªI think we can assume that this Class has some value, is that not correct, Mister Hessir?¡± Frank Hessir didn¡¯t respond, and even from here I could see his head hanging down in embarrassment at his muttered complaint from the moment before. I felt slightly bad for the part I played in his scolding, but thankfully Ms. Chavez did get the class back on track, thanks to me volunteering again. ¡°Everyone understands the curriculum for this class?¡± Chavez took the late night classes¡¯ silence as agreement and moved on. ¡°Normally, today would just be that recap and an introduction to each other before I let you go, but I can¡¯t think of a better beginning to our lesson than watching the news segment from last night.¡± She clicked around on her desk in a professionally practiced manner before the screens behind her changed from black ¡®chalkboard¡¯ to uniform blue and then resolved into a picture. It was clearly a news segment from the UNMH, and I leaned forward in my seat. The video was labeled, ¡°With the New Permanent Portal in Qatar: Is Hero Retirement a Pipedream?¡± I looked around to see if other people were as lost as I was. Most of my news came from Swiftgram or SmileBook, which often clipped videos such as this into smaller sections, highlighting points that may or may not be contextual. Still, I didn¡¯t think I had seen anything from this video yet. That was probably because Chavez claimed it was aired last night. Someone would have had to have been quick on the editing to have it up in under twenty-four hours, plus after ¡®The Shop¡¯s¡¯ scare a few days ago I was kind of avoiding social media, until I figured out how my name leaked. Or if the account belonged to a highschool ¡®friend.¡¯ Well, other than responding to comments on my post from a few nights ago. Okay, and I¡¯d also checked who got the picture of the day for the last five days. The victor for my photoshoot had been none other than the gorgeous Eva who had been right after me in line. I wanted to hate her, but instead had sent a quick congratulatory message. Normally I would have studied the picture appreciating her curves and the way she worked them for the camera but knowing that she got the chance I coveted, it was hard to keep my internal dialogue polite and positive. I¡¯d tried hard before distracting myself with how many new likes and followers I¡¯d received from my own results. Seventy-five likes and five new followers. It wasn¡¯t anything to brag about, but growth was growth. Chavez had been talking again, and I missed it as I ruminated on my last few days of freedom before school restarted. I should probably start hitting the gym right before this class if I wanted to pay attention till nine pm. The news segment jingle was what snapped me out of my own daydreaming and tuned me back into the video as it started playing. ¡°For years Mana Crystals have been the safe investment for Heroes, but a sudden spike in Mid-Rank Crystals availability may have changed everything,¡± the host of the segment stated as an opening call to action. I knew it was a shock and awe tactic, but still felt my gut clench at the statement. ¡°Could this be the next Gold crash? Let¡¯s go to Echo in the field for more.¡± The LED lighting of the studio changed to the turquoise glow of high-grade Light Stones. Echo, a relatively well-known retired hero, was center-frame of the shot. Echo was tall with silver hair and looked to be in his thirties despite being at a bare minimum¡ªeighty. His eyes were a vibrant green and he was clearly wearing make-up to accentuate them and his cheekbones. A constant discordant clanking could be heard from the video and I immediately recognized the sounds of Miners doing their work. ¡°That¡¯s right, Fleece. We may be looking at a drastic market shift as supply of Mid-Quality Mana Crystals flood the market. If you look behind me, you¡¯ll notice I¡¯m in the newest permanent Portal in Qatar. What you hear is of course, the sound of Miner¡¯s Picks and tools. What isn¡¯t immediately apparent from your sneak peek is that this is the fifth day of continuous Mining.¡± The camera panned over dirt covered Miners as they worked. Everyone, whether they were male or female, was well muscled and sweating profusely. A few people in the class made noises that indicated disgust. I pursed my lips and lightly shook my head. Mining was considered a high paying, low-brow job that required no intelligence to perform. For some reason, this meant that Mana Pool Awakened Miners were looked down on by people who considered themselves intelligent. My thoughts on the matter were that the real smart ones were the ones doing what they needed to do to take care of their family and responsibilities. Gary¡ªmy dad, was a Miner, and while he often came home bone weary, with just enough energy for a meal, shower and to crawl into bed, it paid extremely well. By the continued sounds of mockery, I was in the minority of people who considered Mining a respectable job¡­ The camera returned to Echo who was now walking through the Mining cavern. The camera had panned out to show nearly his entire body. He was wearing a silver suit that matched his hair, with a vibrant blue undershirt. ¡°Right now, I bet you''re thinking, ¡®But Echo, they can¡¯t have mined continuously for five straight days. Everyone knows that Permanent Portals don¡¯t reset resources.¡¯ You¡¯re right and until a few days ago, that was a known fact, but not only have the Draconic Kobolds that inhabit this place respawned overnight, so have the Crystal Deposits!¡± ¡°Wait!¡± a student near the front exclaimed. ¡°Draconic Kobolds? Is this the Permanent B-ranked Portal?¡± Chavez paused the video, giving the young girl a stern look that rebuked her for not raising a hand. Still, after only a moment to get the point across, she waggled her brows and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s exactly it! It turns out that fighting a Dragon truly yields amazing results!¡± The class gasped in unison. I couldn¡¯t speak for the rest of my peers, but my gasp was because I was not only terrified of the B-rank Portal having a Break but also imagining the value of such a Portal. That would be like having a money tree in your backyard. The other student had hit the nail on the head. Each B-rank Crystal was like a Fusion Reactor! I wondered if this was owned by the United Nations Monster Hunters, UNMH for short, or by the Sayyad Guild in Qatar¡­ This Portal was becoming more and more of a goldmine, and if it was owned by Sayyad and not the UNMH, I worried that they might not protect it well enough against Monster Breaks. I could further see the already war-ridden middle east breaking into far larger conflict over the thing! My mind raced with the terrifying possibilities and the amazing benefits of this new Permanent Portal. Permanent Portals were already rare at less than one percent of found Portals. Likely less than point one percent, since the world had hundreds of thousands of Portals covering its surface¡ªmany of which were too far outside of Civilized areas to be explored in the twenty-four years since the Advent. That was its own larger issue that I wouldn¡¯t get to think about, since Ms. Chavez restarted the video. ¡°While this sounds great, Specialists are immensely worried. A permanent source of Crystals of this grade could create a Bear Market. This, of course, means that ¡®safe¡¯ investments into Crystals or companies that deal in Mana Technologies could go belly up, Fleece.¡± The screen became a dual video as Fleece came back onto the left side. ¡°Echo, I think what most of our viewers want to know isn''t about the Bear Market¡ªbut about whether this Permanent Portal is safe?¡± ¡°Good question, and something that has been talked about a great deal in the last week, Fleece. As our loyal viewership might already know, this portal is owned by Sayyad, but the UNMH stepped in a few days ago to ensure that proper practices of creating Monster Fields around Permanent Portals would be maintained.¡± Fleece nodded along and as soon as Echo finished speaking he followed up with a new clearly rehearsed question. ¡°So, what measures is the Sayyad Guild taking, Echo?¡± My mind drifted back to the PR Manager that had sat with Abbas. Surely he was working overtime lately. ¡°The Sayyad Guild is sparing no expense, Fleece. Last time I was outside, trucks were arriving hourly with A-Ranked Portal Metals and Building Supplies. This Field is going to be the largest and strongest ever created.¡± I noticed that they didn¡¯t show the outside of the Portal to the viewer, which could mean nothing, but did make me slightly suspicious about the clearly contrived dialogue between the Anchor and the Reporter. ¡°That¡¯s all the new information on the Field and Portal, Fleece. Let¡¯s head on over to Admin and see what the Hunter Association Leader has to say on this subject.¡± Echo said, segwaying back into the story about the Crystals. The screen changed from split to full screen Fleece for a transition. ¡°Thank you, Echo. I know I¡¯m not the only one who wishes that Portal popped up in my backyard, am I right?¡± Fleece said, mirroring my earlier thoughts about its immense value but adding a tone of humor to play to the audience and diffuse the tension from a moment ago. He chuckled to himself, and the class chuckled along with him. I didn¡¯t join them. The rank alone was terrifying, but the fact that the UNMH showed up to ensure anything meant that this portal was beyond unique. Even more so than before, I worried over the state of the countries and Guilds in the Middle East. Surely, this Portal could cause a war. So, thinking of it popping up in my backyard made me shiver. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Fleece continued, ¡°This next clip is from a press conference in which Admin answered concerns over this new permanent Mana Crystal supply.¡± The camera shifted again, showing a press conference underway. We didn¡¯t hear the question, but Admin was sitting at the center of a long table near the front of a full room. Behind him was a blue screen that cycled through numerous logos and companies that were clearly sponsors or partners of the UNMH. Admin was what had been repeatedly described as a ¡®grandfather on steroids¡¯. The few ladies in the classroom made noises of appreciation, reminding me of his other nickname. GILF, or Grandfather I¡¯d Like to Husk. ¡°Concerns of market crashes are premature. UNMH is carefully watching the Stock Exchange and the ZMU price point. It has risen eight points over the last week, showing an increase despite what ¡®experts¡¯ have been saying. I caution Hunters and Citizens from jumping to conclusions based on rumors surrounding Mana Crystals. A mass sale of stock will certainly lower the value of current Mana Crystal stock, but our experts here at UNMH believe that a more consistent stock of mid-grade Crystals is something the world desperately needs. This is a simple issue of supply and demand economics. As the price point lowers, access to Mana Crystals will become more available to a wider audience. This greater access will lead to a boom in innovation and quality of life across the globe as more people gain access to resources. This is not D-day, it¡¯s Independence day¡ªa time for celebration.¡± The screen turned off and all eyes in the room turned to Chavez, who was raising a finger from the stop button on her Holodesk. ¡°There¡¯s more to the story, and I encourage you to watch it on your own. Still for the purposes of our discussion today, that¡¯s about all we need. My question to you is from a Portal Material and Economic standpoint, what do you all think?¡± There was a moment of hesitation as people took in her meaning. Clearly she didn¡¯t want the discussion to get sidetracked and focused on Portals, and the danger or wealth it might represent. After the gears of the student¡¯s brains finished turning, a few hands went up. Chavez called on a girl from earlier. The one sitting near the front of the class. ¡°I think Admin is blowing smoke up the country''s ass. The UNMH is in full damage control mode, trying to avert a panic. He practically said everything but ''fake news'' up there.¡± The class chuckled, and Chavez smiled before responding. ¡°Very astute, but what¡¯s the core of the issue?¡± I raised my hand after a few moments where no one else did. Chavez indicated me with a point. People in the class turned to look at me for the third time, which made me a bit uncomfortable, but I gave my answer all the same. ¡°The market on Portal Materials is volatile and can change drastically based on current economic factors.¡± Chavez raised an eyebrow, holding up the textbook. ¡°Thank you, Doctor Beast,¡± she said as she pointed to the author¡¯s name of the book. I flushed, and she chuckled. ¡°That is the textbook wording of the problem, but what does it mean, Mister?¡± I coughed sheepishly and cleared my throat. ¡°Flacarada,¡± I answered her final question with my last name and then continued, ¡°to me it means that a new Dungeon opening can change the value of Materials. Since we can¡¯t predict Dungeons¡ª¡± ¡°Portals are the proper term, Mister Flacarada, and I expect you to use proper terminology in my classroom,¡± Chavez interjected, looking around to include all the students in that rebuke. I nodded. ¡°Right, sorry Portals. Since we can¡¯t predict Portal openings, we can¡¯t forecast expected values of the materials inside of the Portals. We can¡¯t create the necessary logistics ahead of time for capitalizing on the newly arrived Portals, either. Add to that how many Portals are outside of human reach? Well, we basically just have to have workers on hand that can travel to any given reasonable location and establish the necessary outposts, roads, and other infrastructure. None of this accounts for the geo-political issues of Portals showing up in locations that are politically problematic. No one needs more cartel or blood-diamond equivalents. Plus, the ¡®Magical Market¡¯ and its Commerce have only been around for twenty years, so we likely haven¡¯t even discovered everything of value.¡± ¡°Good enough!¡± Chavez stated. ¡°Thank you, Brodie!¡± she clearly had consulted her class list to get my first name, since I hadn¡¯t interacted with her overly much last year. ¡°Homework¡ª" she began and then cut off as the entire class groaned. ¡°¡ªor I can keep you here for the allotted class time?¡± Rustling was suddenly audible as everyone including me went into bags and pulled out Tablets, Computers, Phones, or other scheduling devices. In moments Chavez had everyone¡¯s full attention again. ¡°I figured,¡± she continued with clear humor in her voice. ¡°For the next class I want a single page assessment of a Portal Material that is commonly found and used in industry. Then I want a quick forecast of what could increase its value or decrease it. Dismissed!¡± Chavez clicked a few buttons on her Holodesk and the black of the ¡®chalkboards¡¯ returned. Students started to stand, and many rushed out of the room. A small number went to introduce themselves to Chavez and I labeled them mentally in my head as the try-hards as I walked by and out into the hallway. This was my last class today, and since it ended a whole two and a half hours early, I had some decisions to make. Knowing that this was a possibility, I hadn¡¯t packed a dinner, and instead planned to grab something with friends on campus. I pulled out my phone and messaged Dave, my closest friend who stayed in residence:
Class is done. You still in yours?
Dave Disaster: Nah, didn¡¯t bother. I just printed the Outline from Whiteboard. Want to come by the dorms? I¡¯m making my famous iron Grilled Cheeze with Amazing Bread and American Singles.
His response was almost instant, and I smiled as I hurriedly typed out my own. I would love a Grilled Cheeze, who wouldn¡¯t? I also confirmed he was still in the same dormitory as the previous year. Turns out he was now on the third floor since the first and second were for first years. I began making my way to room three-hundred and five of the dormitory. I took a shortcut between the Quad and Cafeteria, as I opened up SwiftGram to see if I had any more followers or likes. There weren¡¯t many people on the path, and I assumed that was because this was more of an alley, which contained dumpsters. Still, it was by far the fastest way to the dorms. Only if it was winter would I take the paths through the buildings. Since the snow had recently melted, the path was wet and the night air chill, but not unbearable. Even with the climate shift after the Portals began arriving, Canada still suffered from short summers and long winters. Far milder in winter if you listened to the old folks complain and the news channels boasting, but still long. At least in comparison to other countries. The climate shift wasn¡¯t anything huge, in the grand scheme of the planet. Not like the Global Warming scare history said it should have been. In essence, the Advent made hot areas slightly cooler and cold areas slightly warmer. That change did melt the ice caps for example, but the fear that the land masses would flood was somehow diverted. The why of that was unclear, since according to all science it should have happened. It just didn¡¯t. Shaking off that first grade history lesson, I registered as a guest at the security desk and made my way up the stairs to Dave¡¯s room. It was already propped open with the deadbolt and so I entered with a knock to at least warn him. ¡°If you¡¯re rocking out with your cock out, I¡¯m reserving the right to take pics,¡± I called out loudly as I pushed the door open. ¡°I just got done doing a shoot with the best in the business. I¡¯m basically a professional now, so you don¡¯t need to be shy.¡± Room three-o-five was an exact duplicate of Dave¡¯s room from first year. Or at least the shared kitchen and common area with four doors off it was. From behind one of those doors¡ªthe one that had led to a shared bathroom last year Dave shouted, ¡°I knew you only wanted me for my body. Taking a shit, be right out.¡± ¡°Maybe slip into something a little more comfortable while you''re in there,¡± I yawned. ¡°Don¡¯t make me come over here and leave with nothing.¡± My only reply was an impressively loud improvised fart that I could hear from across the entire apartment. Touch¨¦. I rolled my eyes and made my way over to the couch. The TV was on and displaying the homescreen of a XStation Next. I debated about starting up a game of Monster Piece Z or something but grabbed the remote and changed it over to MeTube. Once there, I searched for the news segment title we¡¯d watched in Miss Chavez¡¯ class. Once the results returned, I moved the selector over the first entry and hit play. The time of nearly sixty minutes on the video let me know that I¡¯d selected the full segment and not just the piece about Mana Crystals, but I didn¡¯t bother exiting back to the search results. I was a bit behind on current topics thanks to the photoshoot and now I was having to play a bit of catch up on current events. Of course, as videos tend to do on MeTube, I was forced to watch an Ad. The screen showed clips of well known S-Ranked Hunters battling Monsters, and then one in particular known as Mr. America woke up in bed. The commercial cut quickly away to him coming down the stairs with his shirt still off, and moving about his kitchen. ¡°Even heroes need help waking up in the morning. Get Vitamin SSS today, it¡¯s what the pros trust!¡± Mr. America tilted his head back and presumably took one of the Vitamins and a swig of a liquid in a coffee cup. He then looked into the camera with his ocean blue eyes and smiled. ¡°Who knows, with Vitamin SSS you might just Awaken a power like mine!¡± Corny commercials like these were the new norm, since the Advent and Marketing shifts. Thankfully, it was short or I might have thrown the remote at Mr. America. Awakening a combat Skill was already rare, but to try to sell a Vitamin with the notion of it helping Awakening an S-rank skill was beyond frustrating. The chances of S-ranked Skills awakening was a miniscule percent of a percent. I managed to unclench my fists from around the remote, and thanks to the news segment starting, I lowered it from behind my head. Huskin¡¯ stupid marketing if you asked me. Vitamin SSS¡ªmore like Vitamin Mana Pool, here we come. It probably wasn¡¯t even made with Portal Materials¡­ ¡°Good Evening and welcome to global News at six,¡± the anchor, Fleece, said. ¡°Top News today is once again focused on New UNMH Satellites helping estimate how many Portals remain undiscovered.¡± A corner of the screen showed the new Satellites that were made from Portal Materials or at least a rendition of them behind Fleece. The man continued giving a bit of context to the report. ¡°Current UNMH estimates are even more optimistic about the Portals that seemed to have opened beneath the Oceans. Currently, less than one percent of the hundreds of thousands of Portal Signatures the satellite discovered shows living Monsters escaping. It is believed by UNMH Researchers that only a few Portal Monsters are suited for life under the Sea.¡± ¡°And yet, as more and more Portal Signatures light up the specialized cameras on the Satellites, Scientists finally have to admit that there is far more of our World that humans never conquered than we¡¯d like to have believed. Now with the estimate of nearly two hundred thousand unreachable and undiscovered Portals, the UNMH must concede that we, as a species, can only lay claim to about one-third of the planet.¡± I listened to Fleece with half an ear. This wasn¡¯t truly news since the estimates on Portals were constantly shifting. As were the theories as to why the unreachable Portals that were in the ocean weren¡¯t overwhelming us with Monsters already. It was a long held theory that most Monsters drowned during breaks, or were crushed by the Water Pressure. The next few pieces were kept somewhat local¡ªmeaning the Greater Toronto Area, which Windsor was only tremulously considered a part of. Each segment spoke about the graduating classes of highschool students. Or, the kids who¡¯d just turned eighteen! Each piece focused on those adults that had the highest potential to move on to Hunter Academies. The fact that high potentials were anyone from D-ranked awakened up to a single A-ranked, showed the truth of my earlier thoughts on Mr. America¡¯s commercial. The Greater Toronto Area was home to nearly ten million people, and not a single eighteen-year-old Awakened with an S-rank skill. In truth, news like this was very common and seemed somewhat boring by comparison to the first undiscovered Portal estimates Fleece made and the small clip of a permanent Portal in class. I continued to listen with half an ear, while simultaneously going through Chavez¡¯ course syllabus on my phone''s Whiteboard App. It was probably about fifteen minutes before I heard the toilet flush and not even five seconds after that Dave exited the bathroom in his boxers¡ªnot even having pretended to turn on the tap to wash his hands. ¡°Sup Bro-deez,¡± Dave said by way of greeting. ¡°Whatcha watching?¡± ¡°Local news,¡± I answered. ¡°We¡¯ve already got homework from Chavez.¡± ¡°Husk dude, that blows. Well not the Chavez part¡ªI¡¯d let her husk me, if you know what I mean. Literally break my Mana Pool if I got to be that close to her.¡± I must have made a face because he gave me a raised eyebrow look. ¡°What? She not looking as good as last year?¡± ¡°She¡¯s as bubbly as ever¡­¡± ¡°And as perky?¡± Dave asked, his emphasis followed by waggling his eyebrows suggestively. I rolled my eyes before shrugging noncommittally. He took that as an affirmative. ¡°Dude, you know you wouldn¡¯t say no to some after school ¡®tutoring¡¯! I wish I had her for my electives!¡± ¡°Good thing it¡¯s required for my course, because from the queue to get into the class I needed that priority registering thanks to people who share your way of thinking.¡± ¡°See, total smoke show, the mob agrees with me, and if there¡¯s one thing I¡¯ve learned in my long years on this earth, it¡¯s that when shit goes down you always want to be on the side of the mob.¡± Dave had only let his butt touch the other couch cushion for a second before he hopped back to his feet. ¡°Right Grilled Cheezies!¡± he said excitedly. ¡°Wash your hands,¡± I said pointedly, and then chuckled when I saw his cheeks flush slightly red. He made his way to the sink and used the dish soap there to lather up. ¡°I just moved in, and don¡¯t even have a roommate yet, so like I don¡¯t got no soap in the bathroom yet, k?¡± he said as an excuse. I just let him have that one and instead focused on the other side of his comment. ¡°No roommate? You think you¡¯ll have this whole place to yourself then?¡± I asked, feeling pretty jealous of the dude¡¯s family wealth, and by extension, his freedom. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m guessing that there¡¯ll be some shifting going on after the first week. Remember last year when Wayne Bruce moved out of my room because he didn¡¯t like how many people I had over?¡± ¡°Oh right. Whatever happened to Man Bat?¡± I asked, recalling the nickname we had for the rather prudish individual. ¡°He dropped out, I think?¡± Dave said as he got out the bread, cheese, and iron to start making us food. ¡°¡ªlet¡¯s go to reporter Skulk in the field to find out more about this grizzly murder.¡± The TV cut off Daves and my conversation. Well, it didn¡¯t exactly cut us off, but the mention of murder had us both turning to the screen with interest. ¡°If you¡¯ve been following along, this marks the fifth murder attributed to the same killer here in New York. The police have yet to release the information on the victim but have confirmed that the M.O. of the killer fits with several other bodies found in similar conditions.¡± Skulk wore a black suit and even had a black half-mask covering his face all the way up to the bridge of his nose. He likely wouldn¡¯t have made a great reporter if it wasn¡¯t for his soft menacing voice. It sounded like a whisper from a dark figure right behind you, and just fit with this kind of horror story. ¡°This man found in an alleyway is the fifth in a string of murders that span back over the last few months. Police warn citizens in the area to stay inside after dark, whenever possible, and urge anyone who might have information on the perpetrator or victims of the previous crimes to come forward. ¡°This suspect has a particularly grizzly and chilling calling card, leaving his victims Husked or Skill less, physically beaten and heartless without a single incision on the body. Police believe that the individual is using a Skill and powering it with the victims Mana Pool¡¯s since each one was a relatively high leveled single-gift Awakened.¡± ¡°That¡¯s code for common Mana Pool gifts in the mid C ranks,¡± Dave commented, adding context that I already parsed together. I just nodded and kept listening intently. ¡°There are some similar cases in other states that make local authorities worry that this killer may be on the move. The trail stretches south through Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina, making authorities worry that he may have already exited New York. They also warn that his timeline is progressively speeding up, and urge all citizens in the area to be vigilant and aware, but also want to reassure citizens that their special Hunter task-force is on the case.¡± ¡°Good thing that¡¯s happening so far from us,¡± Dave chimed in as the news segment ended with a wide-view shot of a dark alleyway between two buildings that could have been anywhere in the world. Dave¡¯s eerily timed comment paired with such a shot made me shiver. Sure, the events on the news happened in New York which was nearly the entire province of Ontario and country line away, but that shot of the alley could have been the same one I walked through to get here. Or close enough. I looked to Dave who was now busily making grilled cheese, and said, ¡°You don¡¯t think he could keep coming north, then?¡± ¡°What? You think a murderer¡¯s going to chance crossing a border?¡± Dave asked distractedly. I nodded and felt the goosebumps my internal thoughts raised stop prickling. Dave was right, and I was just probably thinking too hard on it. Probably because of how creepy Skulks¡¯ voice made the news sound like the killer would be right behind me as soon as I walked outside. The news continued speaking of more world events. I only got a chance to listen with half an ear because Dave said, ¡°Still, I can¡¯t believe you want to risk your Skill man. Getting husked is a real possibility, even with a good partner.¡± ¡°I know that, man, but like if you don¡¯t take the risk¡ªhow the hell are you ever going to become a Hunter?¡± I retorted playfully. This was a common argument between us. Mostly because Dave did want to become a Hunter but was too scared to take the risk I was. Those first uses of Mana Pools just ended in Skill breakage or damage far too often. Dave stopped making the grilled cheese, and took a deep breath, which let me know that this time he wanted a more serious conversation on the subject. ¡°Brodie, I know you¡¯re determined to become a Bank, but do you remember the day you turned eighteen?¡± Of course I did. The moment a light illuminated from within my chest, and I suddenly felt it. I closed my eyes remembering that moment, remembering the euphoria of receiving a Skill. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s clich¨¦ but how can anyone forget the moment they can finally see.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I mean, Bro. I know that it¡¯s now just something we all intrinsically understand, and are used to¡ªthat connection to something more. I just¡ª¡± Dave floundered for a moment, clearly lost for words. With a sigh he spoke plainly. ¡°Why risk losing that? To use your own analogy¡ªwhy go up to a guy with a laser, and minimal training to improve your eyesight, when he might make you blind?¡± It wasn¡¯t Dave¡¯s finest metaphor, but I did understand it. This was a conversation I¡¯d had many times with my parents. It was why they had ¡®untouched¡¯ Mana Pools. It was why most of the world did. How could you risk losing that connection? How could you return to being a ¡®true¡¯ Normie again. Smiling sadly I shrugged at Dave. Softly I asked, ¡°Do you know of another way to re-Awaken?¡± Dave went silent after that, and I turned back in to the MeTube news video. After a bit more talk from the anchor, on the last video¨Cabout Wildlife Evolutions, the familiar start to the segment I watched in Chavez¡¯s class sounded out and I truly tuned fully back into the TV while pulling out my tablet to make a few notes. Dave joined me about midway through the piece, and handed over a plate with a sandwich and a healthy glob of ketchup. I could tell by his sheepish smile he was somewhat apologizing for his earlier question. ¡°Man, this Portal is husking crazy, right?¡± Dave said quickly when he saw an opportunity to fully change the subject. He used his bitten grilled cheese to indicate the screen. ¡°Can you imagine how much the Sayyad Guild will make owning that thing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m more worried about whether a Monster Field can even contain it!¡± I interjected, thankful for the return to our normal banter. I paused the video. ¡°Good point, but the UNMH being onsite means they¡¯ll take it away if Sayyad doesn¡¯t meet the criteria.¡± ¡°Sure, but like didn¡¯t Abbas say they fought a husking Dragon, dude?¡± Dave shivered, and shook his head. ¡°It could have been an anomaly or something. The UNMH rarely gets a reading that wrong, right?¡± ¡°No clue, I¡¯ve never been in a Portal before.¡± ¡°Me either,¡± Dave said around a bite of his grilled cheese. Other than his continued interruptions to voice his desire for a Portal like the one in Qatar to pop up in his parent¡¯s estate, he watched along quietly with me. The rest of the piece I hadn¡¯t seen yet, spoke to two ¡®experts¡¯ in economics, who both claimed that this could be the start of the end¡ªor similar apocalyptic statements. I noted their names when the segment ended, so I could look them up later and then paused the remainder of the video to give my sandwich my full attention. Soon Dave and I were playing Monster Piece Z, an online MMORPG where you could join parties and quest as a powerful Hunter. Its setting was present day Earth and allowed Mana Pool Awakened like us to fictitiously live out our dreams. Before I knew it my watch read nine pm and I groaned. ¡°My parents will be expecting me to be getting on a bus. I gotta get going!¡± ¡°Dude, why don¡¯t you just crash here tonight?¡± Dave said and pointed to the right-most of the three doors that used to lead to bedrooms in his old room. I assumed they still did here. ¡°Husk, if I¡¯d known I would have packed a change of clothes and a toothbrush,¡± I answered, truly meaning the words. ¡°Tomorrow?¡± ¡°As long as no one moves in. Or you know, if a girl wants the old Dave Disaster special.¡± ¡°Yeah, how many girls did you have over last year so you could ¡®give ¡®er the D¡¯?¡± I asked pointedly. ¡°Too many to count, Bro.¡± ¡°So, none?¡± ¡°Well, Rebecca came for dinner that one time,¡± Dave countered. ¡°So, still none staying the night?¡± Dave¡¯s red face was answer enough, and I chuckled as I patted his shoulder. ¡°It ain¡¯t like I¡¯m any better,¡± I added to assuage his hurt ego. ¡°Yeah, but you live at home and the girls are still all over you,¡± Dave said sulkily. ¡°No, they aren¡¯t!¡± ¡°Man, now I know you¡¯re delusional. Get out of my room before I punch you.¡± I laughed good-naturedly even though I still disagreed with my friend¡¯s assessment. Then I made my exit giving him a bro hug, which was slightly uncomfortable since he was still bare chested and in his boxers. ¡°Send me a text with your schedule,¡± I said as I opened the door. ¡°I¡¯ll check if we have any classes together on my limo ride home.¡± ¡°Yeah, enjoy your extra-wide, extra-tall, earthquake-simulating stretch limo, bro!¡± Dave scoffed, even as I heard him resume playing Monster Piece Z. I made my way back downstairs and then thanks in large part to the news segment and Skulk¡¯s creepy voice, decided to take the long way through the buildings toward the bus stop. It only added maybe five minutes and before I knew it, I was looking across the street toward the under-tunnel of the bus stop. I was just making my way across the campus crosswalk when a shadow separated itself from a nearby wall. I spun to face the man who was wearing a far too thick black jacket for this time of year. Eyes trained on the man, I spun again, head now canted over a shoulder and increased my pace. I made it another two steps before the guy pulled a terrifyingly familiar-shaped object from a holster or pocket near his waist. He kept the object close to his side, but its outline was still clear. ¡°Brodie Flacarada, we told you we¡¯d be seeing you,¡± he said as he adjusted the pistol at his side, pointing it in my direction. I froze. The matte steel of the gun had little to reflect against the backdrop of the dark-garbed man. My breath hitched in my throat, my heart hammered in reply as my eyes dilated at the sight of the muzzle tucked in close to this black jacket trained on me. The gaping opening of the barrel put all of the surrounding darkness to shame. It was the blackness of death. I wanted to run, but my legs felt numb. I might have managed to escape if I hadn''t been looking over my shoulder and seen the weapon. Maybe, even if given a few more seconds, I would have built up the courage to try and sprint away, but soon enough the man reached me and drew in close, pressing the gun discreetly into my side. It was only then that the man¡¯s words caught up to me. He said my name. My real, full name. Terror crept into the edges of my vision. My fear morphed when the sensation of the hard metal pistol dug into my abdomen just below my ribs. The man didn¡¯t even bother speaking again as he draped an arm around my back and latched onto my other arm¡¯s bicep effectively trapping my right arm between his body and mine and my left with his grip. He then steered me away from the bus stop¡¯s tunnel and back across the street. My brain attempted to find a means of escape, but the painful sensation of steel under my ribs continuously reminded me I was a finger twitch away from being bullet ridden. As if the man sped up or time skipped throughout the campus, soon enough the very alley I cut through earlier today came into view. We were heading directly toward it. My usually active thoughts were nothing but loud static. 003 Monday, April 1st, 2069 ¡°Why me?¡± I asked stupidly, my voice trembling in a way I didn¡¯t like but wasn¡¯t in control of. I felt a surge of pride that I got words out but immediately brow beat myself for that feeling. My life was at risk, and I needed a way to escape, not useless questions. ¡°I already told you twice now. Did you think you''re special? That you get to skate through life without consequences? Maybe the third time¡¯s the charm. We told you we¡¯d be seeing you soon, Brodie Flacarada. Well,¡± the black garbed man responded, jamming the gun deeper into my ribs, forcing out a grunt of pain, ¡°here we are.¡±. His voice was colder than the receding chill of the Canadian winter. ¡°I pissed you off? That¡¯s what this is about?¡± I answered and then realized what he must be referring to. This was ¡®The Shop¡¯ from SwiftGram. I blinked a few times trying to decide if that was a good thing. Thanks to the news article, I had feared this was the serial killer, but surely a disgruntled Swiftie was better to deal with, right? My brain couldn¡¯t truly decide and ¡®The Shop¡¯ didn¡¯t respond to my squeaked question. I was left floundering with my own stupid mental back and forth. Surely, I should be thinking about more pressing concerns, like the gun currently dug into my side. We entered the alley, and soon took a turn I didn¡¯t know existed, moving further off the already less frequented shortcut and into the deeper recesses of the backs of the school buildings. I tried to stiffen up and drag my feet, but The Shop simply walked a bit more purposefully, half dragging and half carrying me. ¡°Come on man, you don¡¯t want to do this!¡± I shouted over the sound of my rubber soles scraping on asphalt. The pressure of the gun in my side withdrew and for a split second I thought I¡¯d gotten through to the man with my simple plea, but then something hard and sharp smashed into the back of my head. My world spun, and I lurched forward as he released his hold on my arm. Thanks to the hit and without the support he was giving me, I took three stumbling steps before crashing face first into the wet alley asphalt, gracelessly. I fought to stay conscious, and either won against the intrusive darkness or hadn¡¯t been hit hard enough to succumb, because I managed to spin around and begin crab walking in the same direction of my fall. I somehow managed to keep a good awareness of my directions because I was in fact gaining some space between myself and my attacker. Right up until my back bumped into a wall. ¡°No shouting,¡± the man said with a wave of his pistol, ¡°and no trying to escape, or I put a few holes in you and then Husk you.¡± My body froze up again, as my mind helpfully tried to decide which of his threats was worse. Losing my connection to the world from becoming Skill-less which would lead to a slow agonizing death in a downward suicidal spiral, which might be survivable¡ªor bullet ridden? To say that I was less than impressed with my body¡¯s current response to danger was an understatement, and I used that surge of negative emotion at myself to get my feet under me and stand up. ¡°Easy there, big guy,¡± The Shop said as he trained the muzzle of his weapon back to the center of my chest. I could tell he was being highly sarcastic¡ªbut it did highlight that I was physically larger than he was. Not that it mattered if he had an Awakened Skill and stats but I doubted that. The Shop continued, ¡°We don¡¯t want any mishaps. Look, there¡¯s no guarantee that me using your Mana will hurt you. I just need a bit to activate my Skill and then I¡¯ll let you on your way, deal?¡± My eyes narrowed as they took in his gloves, tearaway pants, and boots. He looked more like a murderer than someone who was assaulting me for a bit of Mana. We¡¯d been told how to spot Mana addicts, people who may attack you to steal your Mana. People who didn¡¯t think of the consequences of their actions and often left broken Skill-less people in their wakes, from what they viewed as something ¡®harmless.¡¯ This guy didn¡¯t have a single one of those signs I¡¯d been taught to look for. ¡°You don¡¯t look like a person who¡¯s out here for a quick Skill activation,¡± I said, surprised that my voice came out so calm. ¡°You dare compare me to those filth. I¡¯m not some useless single-Skilled Awakened. I¡¯m a Paragon, one of the chosen few. Someone that is already above ninety-nine percent of humanity. I¡¯m the one who can make other Paragons and will one day stand atop this world! Now, did you know that a Mana Pool¡¯s ¡®gift¡¯ is still active after death?¡± the man retorted with a bored wave of his gun. I felt faint instantly. That psychotic monologue conveyed so much more than I ever wanted to know. It did more than simply suggest that this ¡®Shop¡¯ had killed someone and taken their Mana from them afterward. It also conveyed that he was likely one of those beyond rare people who had multiple Skills Awakened. I¡¯d never heard the term Paragon before, but through context, I figured it was something he was using to make himself feel superior. That thought was even more terrible. He was thinking of me as some sort of ant, below his notice. The fact that he got two or more Skills without a Mana Pool was devastating. Comparing him to ¡®Mana Addict¡¯ was unfair to the addicts¡­ Somehow, this final injection of fear spawned something primal and ferocious in me. I growled as I felt a wave of heat rush outward from my chest. I wasn¡¯t going to let this guy have his way. ¡°Then why haven¡¯t you shot me already?¡± His eyes, the only part of his face I could see glinted with amusement and I could just tell my question had made him want to smile. The wave of heat grew, and I didn¡¯t even shiver looking into that frosty gaze. ¡°Look at you, being observant,¡± he said, and I could hear the smile in his words. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you a secret; the Mana starts to fade quickly in death. It puts me on a timer, and I need something of a more permanent connection to activate my Skills.¡± Even with the growing strange heat, I shivered. The man moved then, seeming to close the few steps to me in a blink. I realized then that his left glove had the palm cut out of it as he grabbed my wrist. ¡°Plus, since I¡¯m being honest, I need to draw from you while you¡¯re alive to fulfill the conditions of my Skill.¡± I opened my mouth to scream but a jab of his other hand still holding the gun penetrated into my stomach, effectively driving the air out of my lungs and silencing my intended shout. My teeth clicked together, and I almost bit my tongue as I tried to double over. Now that he was closer, I could smell the greasy sweat and even see a bit of it on his forehead and the bridge of his nose that was just visible inside of his hood. He was definitely a Mana Addict¡­ One of those who desperately needed to feel their Skills activate just one more time. If Dave¡¯s earlier analogy about ¡®seeing¡¯ could be used¡ªthen Skill activation was said to be the next level of bliss. My shaky inhalation through my nose brought with it a horrible stench and I wondered if I had wet myself, or if someone had used this part of the alley as a restroom recently. If it was the latter, I hoped another individual might do the same, and soon. I prayed desperately just for such an event. Then my brain blanked. That part of me in my chest. The piece that changed on my eighteenth birthday shuddered, as the Shop mentally seized it. I felt the moment he formed a connection between his Skills and my Pool. It was like an electrical circuit being completed. I felt the connection but blinked as nothing happened. This was how it felt when someone accessed your Mana Pool? Had I been concerned for nothing? I¡¯d always assumed there would be danger or pain involved with someone accessing your pool. You know with the risk of it breaking and leaving you husked¡ª Then the switch was flipped, and the pain began. It was the exact opposite of my eighteenth birthday. I felt the moment that my Pool began to crack. I could tell in that moment that the Shop was attempting to pull all of my Mana out in a single go. The fracturing pieces of my pool shook, and I heard what I could only describe as a low humming growl. Instantly, I knew it came from inside of my chest. Was it the sound of my Skill shattering? Was I going to be one of the Skill-less? An awareness wrapped around the ¡®conduit,¡¯ the fracturing Pool, and my ¡®chest.¡¯ Like a fist, it squeezed, creating a pressure that closed the cracks in my Mana Pool. In that moment I thought I understood what activating a Skill felt like. Was this just by association, because the Shop was activating his Skills? ¡°Ten Mana, that¡¯s it? How is this a ¡®highly-valua¡¯¡ª" The Shop¡¯s words cut off abruptly while simultaneously the force from the pistol pushing into my stomach lessened. The two in conjunction made my eyes fly wide. They were still filled with water from the earlier pain and so I wasn¡¯t surprised to see stars. Yet the stars I saw didn¡¯t behave like I would have expected. They acted like real lights hovering atop the black-clad man¡¯s jacket. I saw three orbs overlaying his chest. One was fist sized and orange. It looked like a small sun, and the other two were marble planets orbiting around it. They glowed gray and green. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. As I blinked, all three spheres seemed to be gripped by the invisible pressure that I was still exuding. The smaller stars collapsed into the sun, before shooting toward me. I might have flinched if I didn¡¯t think I was imagining it. The gun¡¯s muzzle, which was still pressed against my stomach, slipped further even as The Shop¡¯s mouth dropped open and his face paled. The slipping continued even as the pressure let up. Was he distracted enough that I could disarm him? I took Muay Thai, was physically larger than him and went to the gym to maintain my physical appearance, so surely, I could use that¡ªright? His eyes seemed to spin, even as what little of his face I could see, paled further. Multi-Skilled attacker or not, I needed to move. Now! In a quick motion, I grabbed the gun¡¯s muzzle and shoved it out to the side of my stomach even as I sucked in my abdomen as much as I could. The Shop¡¯s muscles tensed spasmodically, but thankfully the man¡¯s finger had slipped out of the trigger guard. So, the gun didn¡¯t fire. I brought up a free knee to ram it up between his legs. I felt the impact that resonated through my own body. His mouth had been opening to shout something at me, but instead, a crying groan of pain escaped. I used my bracing leg to hop, and brought my grounded leg¡¯s knee up, even as my other leg returned toward the asphalt. Either I was more Skilled at Muay Thai than I thought, or I got lucky. The Shop was in the process of curling up around his injured groin, which meant he was dropping his head. My knee drove up into his falling face, meeting the softness of his nose before colliding with the skull behind it. There was a moment of resistance from the skull before it gave in as well. Any tension in the disgusting man¡¯s arms drained away, as his body went limp. He fell to the ground like a dropped stuffed animal. The gun slipped through his fingers, remaining in mine. I flipped it around and pointed it at the down man. I could still feel the strange pressure, and hear the low humming growl. Had this man broken my Skill? My stomach lurched, but I bore down against the nausea with everything I had. I would not throw up. Not right now, at least! My hands shook violently, making the muzzle of the weapon jitter onto and off his unmoving form. A part of me wanted to pull the trigger. To shoot him for what he might have done. Another part wanted to rush off to a UNMH assessment centre, and find out if I was indeed Skill-less Instead, something else took the reins of my actions, whatever was growling cut off all my other thoughts. As if I was watching someone else in control of my body, I watched as the gun instantaneously stopped shaking, and one hand removed itself from the grip. Somehow, I¡¯d adopted a shooting stance that I only recognized from movies that had won awards for their high level of technical proficiency on-screen. The freed hand calmly reached into the pocket of my jeans, pulled out my cell phone, bringing it up to my face to efficiently unlock and dialed one-nine-nine. ¡°One-nine-nine, what¡¯s your emergency?¡± ¡°I¡ªI,¡± My voice, unlike my cold and detached body, didn¡¯t seem to be capable of stringing together words, let alone explaining that I had just been held up at gunpoint for a Mana-connection. ¡°Calm down, miss,¡± the operator on the line said. ¡°Can you tell me your location?¡± Miss? Was my voice that high pitched? It startled me enough that she got a response. ¡°Phoenix Academy.¡± ¡°Good, good. Can you try to explain what¡¯s happened?¡± the operator coaxed. I opened my mouth, but my throat seemed to have inherited the earlier shaking of my hands. I felt my vocal chords constrict and relax in rapid sequences as I began to try to explain. ¡°I¡ªheld at gunpoint¡ªMana Addict¡ªbetween class and dorms.¡± I managed to get out. ¡°Okay, sir. Can you give me your exact location? We¡¯ve already got units on campus.¡± At least I was back to sir. I took that as a win, even as I thought how strange it was to focus on that in a situation like this. ¡°Alley¡ªQuad and Cafe¡­¡± I stuttered out. ¡°Okay, stay on the phone with me. Officers are on-route.¡± She kept asking questions of me, and I attempted to give responses, but eventually I broke down into nervous sobs. What if I was husked? Skill-less? It was a strange thought considering I felt even more connected to the World currently. Still, it felt like I was watching my body from outside of it, and so I couldn¡¯t be sure. It reacted and I just watched. Whatever was going on, I didn¡¯t even manage to form two coherent or logical thoughts together before I heard booted feet approaching, followed by a shout. ¡°Put the weapon down!¡± With a snap, my out of body experience ended. I found two cops holding hands at the entrance to the alley. The lead cop¡¯s hand glowed with blue light in a threatening manner. It looked like a magic Skill, and it was pointing right at me. I dropped the gun and the phone, placing my hands immediately high above my head. ¡°I called you! I called you,¡± I shouted repeatedly. Again, I must have lost track of time because I suddenly felt a hand on one of my arms. I jumped and pulled away, the memory of the greasy Shop¡¯s hands on my wrist, too fresh in my mind. The grip grew harder as I tried to pull away and then wrenched my hand behind my back. I fought it, until I realized that it was the cop. Then I let him move both arms behind my back without a fight. I heard clicks as something tightened around my wrist. The officer helped me to a nearby wall and sat me gently against it. He looked me in the eyes and gave me a weak smile. ¡°Just a precaution,¡± he said gently. ¡°Just so you don¡¯t accidentally hurt me or my partner, okay?¡± His eyes were a light brown that held a real warmth to them. I nodded once, and then a second time in quick succession. His partner knelt beside The Shop and had two fingers on his neck. She grabbed a radio from her chest and clicked the button. ¡°9L31. Suspect down. Pulse reedy. Request Ambulance.¡± ¡°9L31, 10-4. Ambulance en-route.¡± ¡°9L30, 10-4,¡± this time the officer nearest to me responded. He looked me in the eyes again after he released the button. ¡°Are you going to be okay here for a moment as I lock this alley down?¡± I swallowed audibly but then looked at the female officer kneeling above The Shop. I was safe if he was being watched, right? After a moment I nodded. I stared blankly at the nearby wall, losing track of time once again as I tried to piece together my scattered thoughts. The darkness of the alley suddenly bloomed into a bright red and blue light show as cop cars and first responders drove cars into the space. The alley was necessarily wide to allow garbage trucks to get in and out to access the campus trash cans, so it wasn¡¯t a problem for the many emergency responders to pack into the space. The next indeterminate amount of time became a blur of flashing red and blue. Officers put caution tape at each entrance to the alley and blocked them simultaneously with diagonally parked vehicles. More and more bodies in uniform seemed to appear out of nowhere. First responders carefully turned The Shop over before getting him situated and locked in on a stretcher. They strapped his body in place and put something over his neck and face to either keep him from escaping or protect him from further damage. I didn¡¯t know which, but watched dully from my seated position against the wall. A few officers tried to come talk to me throughout the process, but for some reason I couldn¡¯t make sense of their words anymore. I stared at the speakers, trying to put meaning to the sounds they made, but failed time and time again to hear them over the increasing sounds of growling in my ears. Eventually, the original officer came over and together with his partner helped me to my feet. Then they escorted me to a cop car near an entrance to the alley. The words ¡®police interceptor¡¯ stood out in stark relief across the passenger side door. What a weird name for a car. Were police really ¡®intercepting¡¯ so many things that it needed to be written across the car? ¡°I¡¯m going to cover your head with my jacket,¡± the woman cop said. It was the first clear words I¡¯d heard in some time, but the sudden absence of the growling made me doubt my hearing. Cover my head? It wasn¡¯t even raining outside.. Suddenly, a small jacket was covering my head, neck and back leaving a small opening around my face. ¡°So the other students don¡¯t start snapping your picture.¡± A bit of force between my shoulders bent me forward and under something as they continued escorting me. ¡°Brodie! Brodie, is that you?¡± I heard a shout nearby. It sounded like Dave, but turning my head didn¡¯t move the jacket. The cops must have noticed my reaction though because they stopped for a moment. ¡°Do you know him?¡± the male officer asked. ¡°Umm, I think so. Brodie was on his way home after hanging out with me,¡± Dave¡¯s voice responded. ¡°Do you mind coming with us?¡± the officer asked. ¡°We haven¡¯t been able to get anything out of him. Do you have any contact information for his parents or guardians by chance?¡± ¡°Yeah, Clara and Gary. That¡¯s his mum and dad. Is everything okay? Is he okay?¡± Dave responded quickly. ¡°We¡¯ll explain in the car. Get in.¡± The officer lifted the ¡®Police Line Do Not Cross¡¯ tape, letting Dave, or at least his legs duck underneath and move toward a police car. It wasn¡¯t long before the female officer put a hand atop my head, and with a bit of force guided me into a cushioned seat of a different car. The smell of urine changed, morphing to urine mixed with a sterile car¡¯s interior. At least that told me that I had in fact peed my pants. That fact somehow fit right in with all the other things that had happened to me over the past¡­ however long it had been. The seat thankfully had some sort of plastic coating over it that my hands behind my back stuck onto. I felt the strap of the seatbelt get put around me gently, even as the cuffs got removed. ¡°We¡¯re going to get going very soon. We just need to fill out some paperwork with the help of your buddy, Dave. Okay?¡± I nodded, the jacket moving with my head. She didn¡¯t take the item back, thankfully. The confinement steadied me somehow. When had the growling stopped? When had words started making sense again? I could recall this officer speaking with Dave. Maybe her words to me about the jacket? I leaned forward after I heard the door close, pressing my forehead against the cool plexiglass dividing the front and back seats and allowing the small jacket to shade me even further. My all-consuming thought now that I was left alone? I didn¡¯t want people to know it was me in this car. I didn¡¯t want people to know I¡¯d been held at gunpoint by a Mana Addict. There was a deep shame in my heart, and somehow people knowing that I had been even targeted as a victim here, would destroy me. 004 Monday, April 1st, 2069 Steel chairs bolted to the floor weren¡¯t comfortable. Even worse when they were directly in front of a matching steel table that confined my personal space. The officers had at least taken off the cuffs they¡¯d reapplied for the jaunt between the car and the station, which allowed me to stand up and pace in the room whenever I grew too claustrophobic, which¡ªgiven the accommodations, was often. Somehow, I felt fully in control of myself again¡ªno that wasn¡¯t completely true. Oddly, I felt better than I had even before¡­ I left that thought unfinished. Surely, I¡¯d know if my gift had been drained and broken, right? If I had been Husked? I figured that my newly found emotional control was probably a good thing. Sure, I still felt victimized by the Shop¡¯s attempted robbery, but no longer was I embarrassed. Instead, I felt angry and exhilarated. I¡¯d been here for over an hour, or at least that¡¯s what it felt like. I was strangely confident in my time-keeping, given that I¡¯d ¡®lost the show¡¯ after the¡­ incident when time had become more of what I imagine Doctor What meant when he called it ¡®wibbly-wobbly¡¯. At first, I thought perhaps I was still running high on Adrenaline, the hormone masking my Skill-less situation,, but surely this feeling was lasting too long for bio-chemics to be the answer. Forcing myself to sit down, I examined the feeling. It felt familiar, almost like when that¡ªcreep connected a conduit to my Mana Pool. Like I was filled with energy from a source outside myself. Was I just proud that I had stood up for myself? Doped up on endorphins that I¡¯d won a fight with a man with a gun? All those things were certainly true, but I didn¡¯t feel any wavering in my seemingly unending energy levels as I picked up and examined my actions. That was enough sitting, I decided and stood up to pace again. Just as I spun on my heel to change directions at the first wall, I heard the handle of the door rattle. The first person in the door was my mother, Clara. I could tell that she wasn¡¯t supposed to be the first person to come in by the sounds of protest from the people behind her. She rushed over and gave me a hug anyway. It felt good but highlighted, at least for me, that my body was vibrating. She held on for a long moment before pushing me to arm¡¯s length to look at me. Tears openly flowed down her cheeks, but she didn¡¯t sob. She wore an expression of such depth of emotion that I couldn¡¯t even try to unravel it. Her eyes lingered on the orange pants that the officers had changed me into, and another emotion I couldn¡¯t recognize crossed her face, joining the others. By the time I managed to look away my father was closing in, which turned my mother¡¯s scrutiny into a family hug. I closed my eyes and tried to sink into the love they had always provided. I failed as that energy deep inside my body hummed¡ªno, growled? Either way, it felt like I physically vibrated. Thankfully, a polite cough forced Gary and Clara to let go before I felt compelled to push them away. ¡°How are you feeling, Brodie?¡± a man in a suit asked. I didn¡¯t recognize him at a casual glance. Nor did I recognize the smaller Spanish man who was sitting down with a folder in front of him. He was in a suit as well, and the two almost matched. They must have sensed my hesitation because the first taller man added, ¡°I¡¯m Detective Flair, and this is Detective Volt. We were in charge of the crime scene and we¡¯ve been speaking to your parents outside.¡± ¡°I¡¯m feeling better,¡± I responded hesitantly as my parents subtly guided me back to the bank of metal chairs. They sat me between them protectively. ¡°That¡¯s fantastic news. Let¡¯s ask you again, since you seem responsive now, can we get you anything? Coffee, water, something to eat?¡± Detective Volt asked as Flair stayed standing. I twitched in my chair from the exhilarating energy and shook my head in response. The last thing I needed was more energy. ¡°On second thought,¡± I said as I saw my parents glance concernedly at each other. ¡°I could go for some water.¡± Surely water would help, right? Flair moved back out of the door and was back before the silence became awkward. The door didn¡¯t even fully shut, which made me think they had a table of refreshments just outside the room. I looked around, trying to decide for the fifth time if this was an interrogation room, or just a space meant for casual discussions. Sure, it looked a lot like many Hollywood depictions of interrogation rooms, but it had two clear windows. One beside the door with its blinds mostly pulled and one on the left wall, which seemed to show a hallway. Still the bolted furniture¡ª ¡°This isn¡¯t an interrogation,¡± Flair said, as he placed a plastic water bottle in front of me,, before taking his seat. ¡°We just need to have a quick chat with you surrounding the circumstances of the altercation tonight.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I responded dumbly. I wasn¡¯t exactly keen on rehashing the moment ¡®The Shop¡¯ found me and guided me into that alley. However, with my current nearly bouncing-out-of-my-seat energy, I was willing to blaze through a retelling. ¡°How did you know¡ª¡± Volt checked the folder¡¯s first page, ¡°¡ªMorgan Hallsbrad?¡± ¡°Who?¡± I asked, looking first at both Detectives, for a clue and then my parents. ¡°He may have had a few other aliases,¡± Flair hurriedly added. ¡°What were they again, Volt?¡± ¡°Let me see here,¡± Volt answered the other detective as he scanned through pages in the folder. I tried to get a look inside and read them, but it was upside down and on sheets that were clearly streamlined for the purposes of people who understood them. I did see multiple pictures though. They all seemed to be of a building, but the front of it kept changing. First it was a ¡®Comic Stop,¡¯ and then a ¡®Comic Library.¡¯ The more Volt flipped, the more names the building took on. I hadn¡¯t bothered to count at first but knew that the building had at least twenty different names by the time it reached one that made my skin prickle with goosebumps despite the heat of the room. ¡°The Shop.¡± The backs of my knees collided with the metal chair, painfully, as I stood up. The feeling of energy morphed inside of me, and I recognized it finally. It was a muted feeling of when that Greed Pig began using my Mana. My parents both stood beside me and placed a hand on my shoulders, even as the detectives looked first at me and then at the folder. Volt reached the conclusion first. ¡°I think that was the name of a Business Account on Swiftgram. Can you confirm he was using it? Do you recognize it?¡± I closed my eyes and swallowed a lump that was forming in my throat. With my parents'' support, I returned from my crouching stand back into my seat before nodding. ¡°Someone with that name contacted me on SwiftGram almost a week ago. I reported him, blocked, and banned him from my page.¡± ¡°You had no other interactions with ¡®the Shop¡¯?¡± Detective Flair asked. I made a face which clearly told the answer they already knew. ¡°I also had a disagreement with him in the comments of a post on Mana Banks a day or two before that.¡± They both nodded, confirming that they already knew. ¡°That¡¯s the only contact you¡¯ve had with Morgan Hallsbrad?¡± Flair asked as he noted something down on a small ringed notepad. This note I could read since it was just two letters, ¡®SG.¡¯ ¡°Well, umm, assuming that you mean Morgan Hallsbrad is ¡®The Shop¡¯, then¡­ yeah?¡± I answered. I¡¯d made that same connection in the alley, so figured it fit. Then in the silence that followed, I felt the urgent desire to explain the situation to my mother and father as they squeezed my shoulders in support. ¡°He sent me a message asking about getting the price of a one-time Mana Connection¡ª¡± my mother gasped and I looked at her, hurrying on. ¡°¡ªI didn¡¯t even respond. I just reported him on the spot!¡± I glanced at my father on my other side as my mother¡¯s mouth firmed into a hard line. ¡°I swear dad, I didn¡¯t respond until he started insulting me, and then, yeah, I sort of told him to screw off. It seems like he didn¡¯t appreciate me standing up for myself.¡± My dad¡¯s eyes widened even as he squeezed my shoulder again. A hand on the other side grabbed mine and threaded smaller fingers into my own. Since I¡¯d already started I finished telling the story, even admitting the fact that ¡®The Shop¡¯ knew my actual name. I didn¡¯t go into the events of today. I told myself it was because the Detectives didn¡¯t ask for that. However, the moment of silence after I finished my admission made me question my own reasoning. Was I still scared of the man? ¡°Would you mind if we took a look through your phone, and saw those messages?¡± Volt asked. At my nod of approval, Flair stood up and exited the room. ¡°We have a suspicion that Morgan used a third-party app to gain access to some of your personal information after you responded to him on Swift.¡± Uncomfortable silence followed this statement, and for some reason I couldn¡¯t meet the eyes of anyone present. I should¡¯ve told someone about the interaction. This was all my fault. The only thing that stopped me from wallowing in that thought was the energy humming in my Mana Pool. It was heady¡ªa feeling I didn¡¯t know I was missing my whole life. I studied that feeling as my parents squeezed my hand and shoulder. I wasn¡¯t even sure myself what had happened in that alleyway. What had those orbs of light been? Flair came back in with my phone. He slid it across the table, and I unlocked it, before going to SwiftGram and pulling up the deleted messages from the trash bin. ¡®The Shop¡¯s¡¯ messages would have likely removed themselves in about a day more if I understood the social media¡¯s protocols on deleted messages correctly. ¡°May I?¡± Volt requested and I passed him the phone. He read it quickly and then passed it to Flair before looking at me. ¡°Can we take a screen capture of the conversation?¡± I nodded and watched as Flair held two buttons down. He then clearly sent a text, email or e-dropped the picture to himself. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said before turning to the second detective. ¡°Make a note of every app he has on there. We¡¯ll want to see if any of them have any suspicious connections with e-crimes later. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. My fingers itched to get the phone back, but the detective continued before I had a chance to ask for it. ¡°If you think you¡¯re up for it, can you describe the events from tonight?¡± It took what felt like hours but with some prodding and a great deal of support from my parents I got the story out. In the end the two Detectives pulled my parents outside and spoke to them in view of the window while I waited in my chair. The energy that helped sustain me through this ¡®not-interrogation¡¯ was slowly drying up, and I wondered if I would ever feel my Mana Pool again. The thought struck me as strange. Surely I wouldn¡¯t want to go through something like this ever again and yet, the thought came unbidden. I wanted this powerful feeling to not¡ªno, to never stop¡­ Flair handed my phone to Gary, and then Volt stuck his head in the door. ¡°Your parents are going to take you home, okay?¡± I nodded and practically jumped up from the metal seat. The drive to the house was eerily silent. I kept debating about asking my dad for my phone but then chickening out at the last instance. He was driving and I shouldn¡¯t distract him, right? My mom kept looking at me and attempting a smile that looked hollow. Was she disappointed in me? When we made it home, she finally broke the silence. ¡°Want me to order your favorite?¡± I shook my head, my stomach too knotted to think of eating. ¡°I think I just want to go to bed.¡± Without my phone, I couldn¡¯t check the time, but it certainly felt well past midnight. ¡°You¡¯ve got to eat¡ª¡± my mom began before my father cut her off with a hand on her shoulder. He shook his head ever so slightly. ¡°Do you want us to come check on you at all? Maybe order something for you if you wake up hungry?¡± he asked in her place. I felt a sob try to escape my throat as I nodded my head. For the first time I saw my parents bumping head-first into a problem without answers, and it hurt. It broke something deep inside of me. I rushed up the stairs instead of voicing my reply. I practically dove onto my bed and under the covers. It took about thirty seconds before I realized I wasn¡¯t going to be able to just fall asleep. I grabbed my pillow and screamed into it. The husk happened today? Surely, I would wake up in a moment to realize it was a dream. Surely. The clarity of my thoughts dissuaded me of that delusion. I was sweating thanks to my Mana Pool still seeming to ¡®supply¡¯ me with a trickle of something. I needed a shower. I stripped out of the orange pants that made me look like a criminal and glimpsed myself in the mirror. Despite the events of the day, I still looked pretty put together, thanks in large part to how much work I¡¯d done in the morning to style my hair and choose an outfit. I felt completely disgusted with myself in that moment. Was my attempt to be useful as a Mana Bank the cause of all of this? I just hadn¡¯t wanted to be a nobody. At least that¡¯s what I had told myself, but I had an F-ranked Mana Pool and at that thought I knew I was just trying to foist myself onto some Hunter. My highest goal was to become a charity case, thinking it was something I could be proud of. My family circumstances screamed at me to stay a nobody, but I reached for more. I tried to use my looks and social media to find a good-hearted partner talented enough to raise my station. To maybe even awaken another Skill¡­ What the husk was I thinking? I turned the water on and stepped under the stream while it was still bitterly cold. The sensation was soothing against my skin¡ªagainst my mood of hot rage. Just as the water warmed, and then became hot my steady stream of energy seemed to completely vanish. My legs wobbled and my knees grew soft. I could have steadied them but instead I allowed myself to semi-collapse onto the old-tiled floor of the standing shower. I fell out of the hot stream in doing so, and quickly slid myself back until I was under it again. I let the water flow over me as I studied the patterns the drips made as they fell from my gelled hair. I watched them join the stream and circle the drain. As I looked on, the water first wet and then puddled atop the aged grout of the tiles. I might have imagined it but I swore I could see greasy oil mixed with the water swirls. The image made me shiver. I considered berating myself some more for my fault in all this, but held it off. Was the situation that bad? I thought to myself. Tomorrow I could go back to school and pretend none of this had happened. What really had happened? ¡°A piece of shit attacked me, and I kicked his ass,¡± I said to myself, my voice a low growl. ¡°I defended myself against a man¡ªno, a Multi-Skilled Awakened with a gun. That¡¯s a husking good thing!¡± I was staring at the shower tiles and allowing water to fall down the sides of my face. I jerked involuntarily when my vision went a vivid blue¡ªsimilar to the color of the chalkboards earlier that night as they shifted to video. A blink later and the sudden shift in my vision returned to the dark gray and black tiles. I swallowed hard, against that resurgence of my earlier fear but felt my saliva catch in my throat as it happened again.
Skill Copy Canceled¡­ Full Skill Acquisition Requirements Met Low A-Rank Mental Fortitude Skill Transferred Mid C-Rank Recovery Skill Transferred Ex-Demonic Vault Skill Transferred Error Insufficient Contribution for acquisition of Demonic Vault Rank Downgrading¡­
What in the hell was going on? The screen flickered and changed colors going from vibrant blue to an amber tone.
Checking current Operating System OS-6.1.4 Corrupted. Downgrading OS-5.0.18 Corrupted. Downgrading OS-4.3.4 Corrupted. Downgrading OS-3.2 Corrupted. Downgrading OS-2.0.0.1 Corrupted. Downgrading OS-1 Default (Downloadable) Downloading¡­
This time the screen changed tone with each line from amber through various tones of orange before arriving at red. I watched in fascination as the three dots after downloading continuously reset to zero before growing to three and starting over. It probably only took, at most, ten seconds, because I held my breath through the entire scrolling message until a new red screen popped up. Was I somehow Awakening new Skills? And not just one!
Skills transferring¡­ Low A-Rank Mental Fortitude, Mid C-Rank Recovery, High E-Rank Demonic Vault, Transferred.
I felt a weight settle onto my chest and then spread out from there, making my body go cold and lethargic despite the heat of the shower. When my eyelids suddenly felt like they each were holding up a twenty-pound weight I knew I needed to get into bed or fall asleep right there in the shower. ¡°Why are you wet, and sitting on the stone floor naked?¡± A screechy voice asked, and I realized how tired I must be if my internal voice suddenly didn¡¯t even sound like my own. I got to my feet and stumbled my way out of the standing shower. I didn¡¯t bother with a towel and managed a few more steps before aiming my inevitable fall at my unmade bed. I felt my face collide with the comforter before the battle with my twenty pound eyelids was lost. * * * Greb-shak blinked from a spot above the strange naked human that was half sprawled but mostly collapsed onto a soft massive cushion, covered by more such soft garb. He didn¡¯t understand how he had arrived here. As far as he knew, he should still be training on Crendalar Five to become the guide of the second Demonic Vault Skill his Sect was making. He looked down on himself, having known that he wouldn¡¯t come across the Divide in his Felguard-esque body, but not having expected to arrive as a full-fledged skin-sagging imp. He wanted to bite and claw at something but had enough training to know that he wasn¡¯t truly in this plane and thus couldn¡¯t interact with it. He scratched behind his own pointed, saggy ears, hating his current appearance. How weak was this child to have Summoned him into this stupid body? Even as a ¡®weak¡¯ researcher, he was twelve feet tall, muscled, and capable of fighting all but the strongest entities on his planet. Still, none of that answered why he was here, wherever here was. The System had jammed some information into his head. Like the name of this planet; Earth, and the race of the pale weak looking creature¡ªGreb-Shak amended that thought slightly. Right now the Human was larger and stronger looking than he. His question of where here was¡ªmeant on this planet in general. It certainly didn¡¯t feel like he had appeared in a stronghold. Not with these flimsy, almost cardboard walls. He moved about, traveling through walls and checking out the building he had appeared in. Two other inhabitants were in another pillow-like bed on the top floor like the naked boy, but they weren¡¯t asleep and instead laid there talking about someone they called ¡®Brodie¡¯. It was an easy assumption to arrive at; Brodie was the naked boy. Greb-shak flew on trying to find something of value in the domicile. After a scan of each room, he decided he would try moving outside. He did so but barely made it past the next house before he felt a strange tug and somehow popped back into the room with the naked, sprawled child. He remembered then that he had a tether to his Summoner, one that wouldn¡¯t let him move further than a hundred yards, if he recalled correctly. After a few moments, he remembered his notifications and checked on them. He read the last three lines.
Your Master, Morgan Hallsbrad has died.
You will be returned to Crendalar Five.
ERROR: Compatible Tether recognized. Transferring your Mastery to Brodie Flacarada.
¡°Huh?¡± Greb-shak said. ¡°But, I haven¡¯t had a master before?¡± However, his notifications claimed he had, and if there was one thing he was sure about, it was that the System¡ªthe same System that had conquered his entire planet¡ªno, all five of their planets¡ªcouldn¡¯t lie. Was this naked child his new Summoner then? Had he truly come that close to destruction? He swallowed. The creation of the first Demonic Vault Skill had cost his Sect almost everything¡ªand despite him and the other researchers cutting corners and costs, if the Skill was destroyed upon death¡ªthen they could lose all that wealth and sacrifice just as fast! Greb-shak needed to be careful. 005 Tuesday, April 2nd, 2069 Waking up the next morning, I was cold and had the distinct urge to just pull my covers over my head and return to the safety that sleep offered. Yet, a very sensible voice in my head told me that would only make the situation worse. While this voice was certainly right, it didn¡¯t make me hate it any less. Plus, why was the sensible part of my brain so loud today? Like it somehow had center stage when it used to be a relegated voice of discontent¡­ I flipped the covers off of me and got up before I¡¯d fully examined my new-found clarity of thought. I picked up my phone, which my dad must have put in my room while I was in the shower, and clicked the button which changed the phone from Sleep mode to active. I¡¯d also tied that into my room¡¯s lighting which immediately caused me to squint as the lights flared. ¡°Moogle, lights to ten percent.¡± They dimmed, allowing my watering eyes to begin clearing, but not before I saw a shadow of a bat on the wall. The shape immediately reminded me of my fevered vision of the bat-demon thing in the middle of the night, when I¡¯d woken up to find myself not under the covers and in desperate need of a pee. Last night I was tired enough to ignore it. Now the shadow was still there, but with the muted lights it was far less dark, and so I tried to tell myself to ignore it. That too-sensible voice in my head scolded me for cowardice, and I turned my head. Why was I listening to it? ¡°Husk,¡± I cursed, as the ugly foot-tall bat-gremlin came into focus. It was watching me from the right headboard post of my queen-size bed. Our eyes met, and the dark pools of its gaze made me shiver again. I internally cursed the part of my brain that peer-pressured me into looking. It calmly explained that not seeing the creature would be worse than confirming it was there¡­ probably. That last inkling of misgiving wasn¡¯t doing my blood pressure any favors. ¡°Husk? That¡¯s all you got to say? I guess a mental fortress doesn¡¯t help if what it¡¯s protecting is slop from the get-go,¡± the creature said, its voice whiny and lispy at the same time. It took me a second more to realize it just called me stupid. ¡°Hey, what the husk?! Not only is there a Monster in my room, but it can talk, and the first thing it does is insult me?¡± I asked, moving to point at it accusingly but then thinking better of it. It wasn¡¯t attacking me, at this exact moment, and it hadn¡¯t done so in my sleep either, but that didn¡¯t mean it wouldn¡¯t. It just meant that it wanted something. ¡°You really need to work on your vocabulary,¡± it responded and pointed a long thin finger with a talon at its end at me. I narrowed my eyes at the gesture. It was the same one I wanted to use a moment before. This was certainly surreal. I kept my eyes on it, as I backed up, feeling behind me with my hands for my desk or desk chair. I eventually bumped my hands onto the corner of the desk and felt around it until I arrived at my chair. At first the chair fled my grip, very much like I was trying to flee the terrifying winged death machine. Eventually I got a grip and turned it, before lowering myself down. I kept my eyes pinned to the Gremlin with wings. My hands remained clenched on the armrests, ready to use the thing as a weapon if it came to that. Its spindly arms looked like they were bone and skin without enough muscles to even move the extremities. So, maybe I could take it. While I could see some hints of red in its black skin, it was more like seeing a red light glinting off something dark than it was a true skin tone. Its wings looked ratty and dry; almost ready to tear. The bat-thing in turn watched me with its black pupil-less eyes. Perhaps I was getting better at reading its expression because I saw a great deal of derision in its tight-lipped smirk. To my surprise ,I calmed once I felt the chair under my bare ass. That didn¡¯t mean I released my death grip on my improvised chair-weapon, but that same strange clarity upon waking returned, seeming to allow my brain to stop whirring and focus. I assessed my situation. I was disturbed that I¡¯d gone to bed naked and was still naked in front of a Monster, but calm. Yet, why was I only equally worried about my state of undress, being interrupted, and the husking Monster in my room? While I¡¯m sure my parents would have questions if they walked into my room and found me naked and staring at a Monster, how was my brain able to calmly assess the chances of that happening, while simultaneously preparing a self-defense plan if it lunged at me? On top of that, a corner of my mind was assessing if this creature was simply a figment of my imagination. Dissecting the situation, interactions so far, the monster¡¯s actions, and the fact that since the talons of the bat-demon weren¡¯t attempting to rip out my jugular¡ªthat part of my brain was oddly leaning towards the conclusion that I was, quite possibly insane. So, maybe my parents would only have questioned my nakedness if they walked in. I crossed my legs protectively over my manhood. ¡°So, have I gone insane?¡± I asked the creature, and by extension¡ªmyself. ¡°Doubt it. With what you just got in there,¡± the creature gestured vaguely toward my head. ¡°I really do want to know what could make someone like you go insane, though. Can we test it out?¡± ¡°With what I ¡®just got¡¯?¡± I asked, scanning the room for something that didn¡¯t belong, while simultaneously not taking my eyes off the sharp-toothed Gremlin. It wasn¡¯t very effective, and I didn¡¯t find anything out of place. Other than my far too calm brain cataloging each item in the room. ¡°It isn¡¯t a physical object. Just check your Skill Cards,¡± the thing said. With an eyebrow raised I slowly turned back to it. ¡°My Skill Cards?¡± Then of course I recalled the strange windows from yesterday in the shower. Was that what this thing was referring to? Still it began answering my question, confusing me further. ¡°Yeah, surely you have a Mid-Rank spent Mana Crystal around here somewhere, I don¡¯t think you can pull them from your Heart Deck anymore? But honestly, I¡¯m too new here to know,¡± the Demonic thing said as it gestured around the room but included the whole house. ¡°Maybe not, since I couldn¡¯t find anything through the night¡­¡± it drawled. ¡°What sort of shit Summoner did I get bonded to?¡± ¡°Bonded? Summoner? Can you start making sense?¡± I spat, and then realized that if I was losing my mind as I was becoming more and more convinced that I was, it likely wasn¡¯t going to get better. Still, how could I pull back up that strange red window¡ªfrom my ¡®Heart Deck¡¯? ¡°Hmmm?¡± the creature said as it tapped its thin purple lips. It seemed to notice something either on its talon or in its teeth because it began using one of the two deadly implements to clean the other. I just watched, fascinated at the scene. It was a morbid inspection, because I was beginning to understand that the trauma from the attempted Mana Theft yesterday had somehow broken me. I probably hadn¡¯t even seen the red hovering window in the first place. Yet somehow my head felt clearer than it had in a long while¡ªmy emotions calmer. Normally, I would have a million questions racing around in my head. Even on my best days, that was something I battled with, but now? Now it almost felt like my brain was filtering those questions and prioritizing them based on this imaginary creature¡¯s responses, and what I needed most in this moment. Right here, right now. Perhaps that was why I asked another question before it even formulated a response. ¡°Let¡¯s start with this, then. Are you real and how did you get here?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m real, at least¡ªfor values of ¡®real¡¯. Only you can see me,¡± the creature said, its voice indignant. ¡°As for the second part of the question¡ªI don¡¯t really know. I was Summoned using a Skill Card, but it was by a guy named Morgan Hallsbrad, according to my logs.¡± I blinked. My body reacted to the Demon¡¯s words by starting to curl in on itself. The Shop?! I stopped the physical flinch even as my fingers attempted to release my makeshift weapon. Why was I flinching? Wait! Surely, I should feel fear or anger toward the man he was talking about, but I wasn¡¯t afraid nor angry. My brain was chugging along and telling me I had nothing left to fear from a man in police custody. Unless he¡¯d sent this Demon. Somehow used his Skill the previous night and this Demon assassin was the result?¡ªeven then though why hadn¡¯t it done the deed already? If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°So, he sent you to kill me?¡± I followed-up with a head tilt. I could feel my body attempt to tense even as my far too calm brain urged it to remain calm. Only with a calm mind could I react to the possible incoming attack! That was the best way I would be ready to defend myself if the creature leaped at me. The Demon scratched a long-pointed ear and tilted its head. ¡°Nope. If I¡¯m being honest, I can¡¯t even recall that guy. According to the log, he¡¯s very dead now, though. So, no orders to try to kill you. Not that I could kill anything anyway.¡± He swiped at the lamp on my nightstand, and I tensed briefly, readying myself to catch it before it hit the floor and alerted my parents. The creature¡¯s taloned hand passed right through it. I stared at the claw, and the lamp, interested and confused by the scene. Yet, after its little demonstration, I was finally able to untense. Relax, and breathe slightly easier. Then the doorbell for my house rang, and I flinched again even as my brain scolded the physical reaction. What in the actual husk was going on? Why was my own mind scolding me? My phone buzzed in my hand, and I checked the doorbell camera to find a snapshot of the two detectives, Volt and Flair, from the previous night. I looked between the Demon and the recording doorbell camera. If this thing was telling the truth they were likely here to inform me of The Shop¡¯s death. Shouldn¡¯t I feel a certain¡­ something about that? My brain remained calm, however. They¡¯d already assessed the case as self-defense, right? So, what would change if the asshole died, except perhaps the degree of me coming to my own defense? As if I wanted an answer to that question, my far too-calm mind pulled it out of thin air. The severity of the case would increase and they would have to make sure that I didn¡¯t use excessive force for the situation. Or something like that. Did this mean I could be charged with manslaughter? Still unperturbed, I clicked into the camera to listen as I heard one of my parents answer the door. ¡°Hello detectives,¡± my mother Clara greeted, her voice shaky and confused. ¡°Is there anything I can do for you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid the possibility we discussed last night has happened, and we need to take Brodie back in for follow-up questioning.¡± My mother gasped in surprise, but then didn¡¯t follow up with a response. Surely, I should be even more worried than her, but I was calmly going over the situation. There was surely no way I could be charged with anything since the asshole had a gun, and I was unarmed. I had hit him two times, once in the groin and once in the face, to put him down. I tapped my lip. It wasn¡¯t like I¡¯d beaten him repeatedly once he was incapacitated or anything. A good lawyer would immediately be able to have this case assessed as self-defense. Because that¡¯s what it had been. Right? I stood up from my chair, thinking I should change out of my ¡®birthday suit¡¯ before I was forced to go with them. A small cough reminded me of my crazy Demonic-delusion on my bedpost. ¡°Since you claim to be real, can you stay here while I handle this?¡± ¡°No can do. I cannot get further than a hundred yards from you. However, because I¡¯m a Skill Summon with no combat capability, I¡¯m kind of between phases of reality. As I said, I doubt anyone can see me.¡± The Demon said before tapping a tooth with a claw. ¡°Well, they can see me if they have high-level Space Skills, or maybe there¡¯s a way I can make myself visible?¡± ¡°What happens if you get more than a hundred yards from me?¡± I asked, ignoring the question he seemed to be asking himself, as I hurried to my closet. I quickly found underwear, socks, jeans, and a t-shirt. ¡°If I was physically in this dimension, we¡¯d both likely experience severe pain at any significant separation. Since I¡¯m not a combat Summons, I just get sucked through space back to your side. At least I think that¡¯s what happened last night when I tried it.¡± Having a conversation with what could be a figment of my imagination while dressing myself calmly so I could go speak to two detectives about a possible manslaughter charge should have felt off, but it didn¡¯t. I blinked twice in quick succession, which was my only reaction to the current situation, as the Demon described it. ¡°Do you know how to pull up that red window or what you called my ¡®Heart Deck¡¯ from last night?¡± I asked, even as I snorted some air from my nose and pulled my shirt over my head. ¡°Red window? That¡¯s not your Heart Deck! You shouldn¡¯t have been able to see The Shop yet?¡± the Demon imp said, and I just blinked at it, trying to make sense of the words it just spewed. ¡°Well, you just supply the Demonic Vault Skill with Mana¡­¡± The Demon, which I realized I was getting tired of calling ¡®the creature and Demon¡¯, made that action sound extremely easy. I tried to mentally command my Mana to supply the ¡®Demonic Vault¡¯ Skill and nothing happened. Rolling my eyes at my own insanity, I dismissed the nonsensical ¡®coaching¡¯ and moved on.There were two detectives waiting downstairs, so I grabbed a pair of socks and handled my other annoyance with the illusory creature. ¡°Okay¡ª¡° I said, stretching out the word. ¡°¡ªwell it seems like I¡¯m stuck with you¡ªso we¡¯ll talk about the Mana thing later. Now, what should I be calling you?¡± I asked. ¡°Pick a name. I won¡¯t be giving you mine. Names have power, and you already have more over me than I care for.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I responded dryly. Then realized that if he wanted to play a stupid game, he¡¯d win a stupid prize. I could at the bare minimum give him a fitting name. ¡°Okay, you¡¯ll be Smegma.¡± I almost felt bad as Smegma grinned at the name. Clearly it had no idea of its derogatory nature. Still, it had chosen to not tell me its name, and it hadn¡¯t exactly had a great attitude so far. In fact, it had been the exact opposite of helpful, so, what little guilt I felt was easy to push aside. Plus, if Smegma was just a figment of my imagination, I didn¡¯t particularly like that it existed in the first place and I was only insulting myself. After I was fully dressed, to my surprise Smegma didn¡¯t follow me out of the room or down the stairs. I wasn¡¯t too concerned though since, if it was telling the truth¡ªwait¡ªWhy was I so sure it was telling the truth? Whatever. If it was telling the truth, I couldn¡¯t possibly get a hundred yards away from Smegma while in my parents small two-bedroom rent-controlled house. It was with that thought that I turned the corner on the stairway landing to find my parents hugging each other in the center of the living room, while the two detectives sat on the couch. Still, it was the image of Smegma¡¯s head phasing through the ceiling and staring into the room that my eyes were glued to. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, before transferring them to the detectives. ¡°Good morning,¡± I said to the room, attempting to add a bit of enthusiasm to my voice. I failed. My parents released each other and looked at me. Their faces were twisted into pitiful masks of such a mix of emotions that I couldn¡¯t even begin to unravel them. However, right at the forefront for both was sadness, pity or worry. Maybe even all three. ¡°Good morning,¡± Detective Flair said as he stood up. ¡°You don¡¯t seem surprised by me and my partner in your living room.¡± ¡°I saw you on the doorbell camera,¡± I answered. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure why you¡¯re here, but if you don¡¯t mind my saying so, you being here at all doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s a good thing.¡± I lied even as I pointed to my parents. Both now had tears silently running down their faces. My new calmness morphed when I saw those tears. Twisting in my gut. Surely I was supposed to be reacting more than this. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the case has become a bit more complicated,¡± Detective Volt stated, which caused my mother to begin sobbing openly. My dad reached out and pulled her into a one-armed hug, even as he took the liberty of explaining. ¡°The guy who¡ªthe guy¡­¡± he faded off for a moment, seeming to try to find a way to continue without talking about the events from yesterday. After a pause, he simply whispered, ¡°he died.¡± A part of me wanted to glare up at Smegma, because I was sure that the reaction I had upstairs would have been more fitting at this moment. Instead of my muscles going limp, or even my face changing, I stood there staring at Volt. He blinked first, seeming to be waiting for something before his eyes narrowed. ¡°You don¡¯t seem surprised by that news.¡± ¡°I told you that I saw you on the doorbell cam. The wonder of technology that it is¡ªthe thing has audio, too. I heard what you said to my mom. It wasn¡¯t hard to piece together what ¡®that possibility that we discussed, happened¡¯ means. There are only a few things it could mean, given the situation¡ªand my mother and father¡¯s reactions confirmed my speculation,¡± I bold-face lied. Somehow, instead of being flustered in that moment my brain had pieced together a near perfect fib. One that was entirely plausible. After my pronouncement, silence stretched as my mother¡¯s sobs intensified. Volt¡¯s eyes narrowed further, making me think that the lie wasn¡¯t as perfect as I¡¯d believed. ¡°Well, that does make sense, but you aren¡¯t showing a hint of remorse,¡± Flair said, his voice not full blown skeptical but close. The only response I could give the man in my current state was a blink. After which I moved further into the room and closer to my parents. My dad extended an arm and I moved into it accepting the hug. Tears did come then, but upon examination, I realized that they weren¡¯t in response to the death of Morgan Hallsbrad, but because of what this situation was doing to my mother, to my father. The detectives waited patiently as my family clung to each other. I would never know what they were thinking about, but their faces looked less suspicious now that they were seeing a reaction from me. After a few minutes Flair stood up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to do this, but you¡¯ll have to come to the station with us, Brodie.¡± ¡°If you have a lawyer, I suggest you call them,¡± Volt said to my parents before pulling his cuffs from his waistband. ¡°Brodie, you¡¯re under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used¡ª¡± I tuned out the rest of what he was saying as I allowed him to maneuver my hands behind my back for the third time in two days. I stared up at the ceiling, watching as Smegma slowly phased fully through the stuccoed drywall. I followed him as he began hovering ever lower. I held my breath as he got level with the officer¡¯s heads. No one reacted. My dad was already on the phone with someone, and my mom was staring at the detectives with a mixture of murderous rage, and deep sadness written upon her face. I wanted nothing more than to give her a hug. Thankfully, she rushed to me and wrapped me up in a tight embrace. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your dad is calling the Miner¡¯s Union. They¡¯ll get a lawyer assigned through his insurance. We¡¯ll meet you at the station!¡± She said the last so fiercely it surprised her, I think, because she hurriedly softened her tone to add, ¡°I love you!¡± I leaned into her hug, unable to use my hands to squeeze her back. The officers thankfully let us have our moment before I felt a gentle tug on my arm. A glance over my shoulder found Volt with an uncomfortable smile on his face. ¡°Sorry, we need to take him now, Mrs. Flacarada.¡± I was escorted to the unmarked cruiser parked at the curb. It was early enough that no one was on the cul-de-sac, which my supernaturally calm mental state assessed as a good thing. Still, that didn¡¯t bar out people watching from windows. I took a slow glance around as my brain categorized everything I saw. I didn¡¯t see anyone as the detectives guided me into the back seat. Perhaps that would help my parents or me from rumors spreading. 006 Tuesday, April 2nd, 2069 ¡°What did Morgan Hallsbrad say to you in the alleyway?¡± Flair asked again, his voice slightly aggressive. I opened my mouth to immediately answer before realizing that I should check with my lawyer first. I turned to Ms. Stovall who sat right beside me, and she nodded¡ªconfirming that this question was fine to answer. Ms. Stovall looked like a typical female lawyer, in that she wore a white expensive looking blouse, and a black knee-length skirt. She had blonde hair, dark blue eyes and wore glasses. I thought of her as short, but that could have only been because I was so tall. ¡°What would happen if you claimed you weren¡¯t even there?¡± Smegma said offhandedly, and I pointedly ignored him. He was perched on the top of an empty chair on ¡®our¡¯ side of the table. This wasn¡¯t the first question so far or Smegma¡¯s first interruption. Still, after a quick ¡®one on one¡¯ with Ms. Stovall she¡¯d deemed that I didn¡¯t need any coaching in answering questions but that I should check with her to let her object to certain lines of questioning. I¡¯d forgotten to check with her early on, and she had placed a hand on my elbow in a quiet but friendly reminder, twice already. ¡°He told me I pissed him off,¡± I began. ¡°Then he told me that he just needed a ¡®bit of Mana¡¯ ¡¯ to use his Skill before sending me on my way. His gun was pointed at me the whole time. Although, something was off with the way he said send me on my way. Like he was meaning something different than what those words typically meant.¡± I shivered and paused for a second as the hair on my arms rose at the memory. I hadn¡¯t realized it at that moment but in retrospect I thought I could see the insinuation. He just needed to use his Skill to send me on my way¡ªto the afterlife. I shook off that tangent with relative ease, as my mind focussed me back on the question. ¡°He also claimed that he could still connect to my Mana Pool even if I died¡ªwhich really creeped me out. Umm¡ªI think that¡¯s pretty much it¡­¡± ¡°How did you manage to distract him before you attacked him?¡± Volt asked the follow up with the same nonchalance, but a hand on my elbow told me that Ms. Stovall would be answering this question. ¡°So let me get this straight. Even though he was attacking you, you can get in trouble for attacking him back?¡± Smegma asked incredulously before Ms. Stovall could interject. ¡°I would like it noted that my client defended himself against a C-ranked Awakened with a gun and did not attack, but merely defended himself from an ongoing assault in the form of Mana-theft, which¡ªI will remind you, is a felony. You both have likely seen husked individuals after similar thefts. The situation justifies any level of reprisal from an unarmed victim.¡± I gave Smegma a quick warning glance, hoping he would get the hint and shut the husk up. ¡°Our apologies, how did you distract your attacker as you defended yourself?¡± Flair clarified, with a nod at Ms. Stovall and a curious glance to the chair I just looked at. A quick glance toward my lawyer got me a nod and I told an abridged version of how Morgan got ¡®distracted¡¯ once he connected to my Mana. ¡°He must have been surprised when his Skill activated,¡± I finished. ¡°Bullshit,¡± Smegma said, and I tried not to react but might have failed. Flair and Volt looked at each other skeptically before making notes. Still looking down at his papers, Flair asked, ¡°What rank were you assessed at again?¡± ¡°My client was Assessed as an F-rank,¡± Ms. Stovall answered on my behalf. ¡°As you can see, he was outranked, threatened, and held at gunpoint¡ª¡± a sudden scramble behind the door made her stop mid-sentence as both the detectives turned in their seats. The door flew open and a third detective who was breathing hard and practically sweating made a motion for the two sitting in the room to join him outside. ¡°If this interruption pertains to the case, I¡¯ll remind you of my client¡¯s right to know,¡± Ms. Stovall said with a raised eyebrow. The detective in the hallway gave her a distasteful look and simply waited for the two detectives to stand and join him in the hall. The door of the interrogation room closed behind them, and I sucked in a large lungful of air. It felt stiflingly-hot in here. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Ms. Stovall stood up and moved to the door before opening it and grabbing two water bottles from the cart I¡¯d seen on my way in. She passed me the first, and I realized I¡¯d already finished the one I¡¯d been given when she first arrived. I scanned this room, and immediately knew that the detectives had told the truth that the room I was in last night was not an interrogation room. While they looked similar, this one was smaller and had no windows to the hallway or workspace. It had a camera in each of the four corners of the room and markedly bad lighting from two lamps that either needed new bulbs or better placement. It did also have a piece of one way glass that looked window-like. ¡°That was definitely strange,¡± Ms. Stovall commented offhandedly as she drank from her bottle. ¡°Normally, they will avoid interrupting detectives that are mid-interrogation.¡± She looked at me and blinked, before changing tones. ¡°Nothing for you to worry about, I¡¯m sure. You¡¯re doing great.¡± ¡°Do they really think I attacked The Shop?¡± I asked, a little lost. I felt off balance now that the questioning had let up for a moment. It was truly strange to be questioned in such a manner. ¡°This is just their jobs,¡± Ms. Stovall answered. ¡°I can tell that they know that it was self-defense, but I think they¡¯re both feeling like something in the case is off. Something doesn¡¯t add up for them, or you wouldn¡¯t be here.¡± Smegma phased back through the mirrored glass, with his dark black eyes wide. ¡°They¡¯re talking back here,¡± he said, as he half phased back into the window. ¡°According to them, Morgan Hallsbrad may be a ¡®cereal-killer¡¯¡ªsomething called a ¡®Snatcher¡¯. He had a book in a pocket with a list of names. Your name was in it, but all the names crossed out have now been proven to belong to victims all along the eastern ¡®United States¡¯¡ªwhatever that means.¡± I wanted to ask Smegma what a Snatcher was, but I couldn¡¯t really say anything to the Demon imp with Ms. Stovall in the room. Or with the cameras I supposed. Also, with the way he said the word, I didn''t think that he knew what it was either. All indications seemed to point that Smegman didn¡¯t even come from this world. What I did realize though, is that this may prove if the creature was real or not. I certainly had no way of hearing what was going on behind that glass¡ªso if the Imp¡¯s words proved true, like this morning, surely that would be confirmation, right? ¡°Flair is still claiming that something is off with you,¡± Smegma continued. ¡°Volt agrees and says even more so if Morgan was a cereal ¡®Snatcher¡¯.¡± There was that word again. ¡°They¡¯re both looking at you through the glass. The third detective, too.¡± Smegma glanced in my direction and then chuckled. ¡°Yeah, now I see why they¡¯re bringing it up; you¡¯re staring at the mirror¡ªright at them. Even the well-dressed chick next to you is giving you an odd look.¡± I blinked and shook my head to stop myself from continuing to stare at Smegma intently. Instead, I looked at Ms. Stovall. ¡°What do you think is going on?¡± I asked to cover up my momentary distraction. ¡°If it pertains to this case, we should know soon enough,¡± Ms. Stovall said, even as the door opened again to admit Flair and Volt. They sat back down, and I realized that they were now carrying a folder they didn¡¯t have on them the first time. Ms. Stovall gave it a cursory look before she retook her seat beside me. ¡°Some new information has come to light in the case,¡± Volt said as he sat down. Ms. Stovall immediately held up her hand to stop any questions that might have followed that statement. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I would like to have some time to go over the new facts in private before we go any further.¡± ¡°As you wish,¡± Volt said with a tight-lipped smile. He then slid the folder over to Ms. Stovall. ¡°These are the facts that your client is privy to. Please read them over, and then we¡¯ll continue.¡± The two detectives stood up and left the room again. A moment later the window became see-through, and the small red lights on the cameras blinked off. I looked around in confusion even as Ms. Stovall flipped open the first page of the folder. She appeared to begin reading, but at the speed she was flipping through pages, I wondered if she was skimming. Smegma hovered over her shoulder, his wings not even flapping before giving me a look. ¡°I can¡¯t read your language yet,¡± he said flatly after a moment. ¡°So, if you want to know what this says, get over here or start asking questions.¡± I realized this wasn¡¯t the time to laugh and so morphed my chuckle into a cough. The fact that I could laugh in a situation like this at all startled me a bit. I really wanted to ask the damn thing how it could speak English, but not read it, but still, I took Smegma¡¯s advice, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s it say?¡± ¡°It says that Morgan Hallsbrad is suspected of being a Snatcher-for-hire. That he is suspected of targeting you in a manner similar to his other victims through a phishing app on your phone, and initiated contact through SwiftGram. This says that you¡¯re without a doubt the only surviving victim of a terrifying individual, which just turned this entire line of questioning into a farce.¡± She snorted. ¡°Excessive force? Against a serial killer?¡± Ms. Stovall stood up, eyes hard, and glanced at me. Then in a firm, calm voice she said, ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Smegma rubbed his hands together and followed her through the door, leaving me totally alone. A moment later, he popped back into a space beside me looking chagrined. ¡°Dammit, I really wanted to see that. She looked like she was going to tear the detectives a new asshole. Why couldn¡¯t she be my Summoner¡­¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m right here!¡± I said, while silently agreeing with Smegma¡¯s assessment of the fiery woman. She definitely was a badass and he felt lucky to have her on his side. 007 Tuesday, April 2nd, 2069 ¡°Would you like your parents here for this?¡± Ms. Stovall asked. She had come back to the interrogation room and immediately had me transferred back to the far friendlier meeting room I¡¯d been in the night before. Afterward, she¡¯d explained that I was no longer being held for questioning, and that she would be right back. She had just re-entered the room after a brief discussion with my parents. In fact, I could see them both in the lobby through the window. They were holding hands, while staring into the room, right at me. In truth, I wasn¡¯t sure I wanted them here for this. If Morgan Hallsbrad had been a serial killer, I didn¡¯t think my parents were going to take that news well. It meant that the threat last night was not only to my Mana Pool¡ªthat what happened wasn¡¯t just attempted Mana Theft. Plus I still didn¡¯t know what a ¡®Snatcher¡¯ was, but was starting to think it might be even worse than a serial murderer., which couldn¡¯t be ¡®good.¡¯ The tone of my lawyer conveyed what might be expected in this situation under normal circumstances, though. So, I nodded, and she motioned them to come inside. They nearly jumped toward the door, before entering and sitting down beside me. Ms. Stovall smiled at me and them. It was a reassuring look that seemed to bode well. ¡°First off, let me assure you the actions taken by Flair and Volt are going to be highly scrutinized. While it was just protocol to bring you to the station to answer some follow-up questions. It certainly wasn¡¯t protocol to treat you as a criminal. ¡°The good news is that Brodie is free to go. From the evidence at the scene and Brodie¡¯s retelling of events, the Police believe that it was self-defense. They have now dotted all of their I¡¯s, or rather¡ªI¡¯ve dotted them for them and this will surely be dismissed in the pre-trial before it goes to court. They will not be permitted to take you in for further questioning without extenuating circumstances.¡± Her voice was hard at times, like she was displeased with the police force for their handling of the case so far. She also emphasized certain words, making it very clear that the police would be toeing a line from now on in this case, but also that the forecast she predicted wasn¡¯t set in stone. It was a strange study in contrasts¡ªso sure and confident while simultaneously hedging her bet. Perhaps it was a lawyer thing. Nothing was true until it was proven to be. She flipped a few pages in her folder and pointed to a line I doubted anyone but her could read. ¡°Morgan Hallsbrad was assessed as a C-rank Awakened and is suspected to have been even higher than that. He never retook the assessment due to his criminal ties¡ª¡± ¡°Criminal ties?¡± Gary asked, cutting off Ms. Stovall with the startled question. ¡°Morgan Hallsbrad is suspected of as many as forty murders, with possible others yet undiscovered or linked. Have you two heard of the Heartless Killer?¡± she asked, as their faces started to pale. ¡°The guy on the news, from New York?¡± my dad asked, his voice hoarse. ¡°That¡¯s correct. According to evidence found in Morgan¡¯s jacket pocket¡ªhe is linked to every name of the known murder victims and many more besides. The police believe he might have been a Snatcher.¡± I saw my opportunity and took it. ¡°A Snatcher?¡± My parents looked at me before each one placed a hand on a shoulder in near unison. They then looked to Ms. Stovall for an answer as well. ¡°Yes, it isn¡¯t exactly a well-known term. The media is told to steer clear of it¡ªso as not to raise a panic. Perhaps it should be more surprising that they actually do what they¡¯re told.¡± She paused for a moment and then sighed. ¡°There are two classifications of Awakened Skills that are not widely publicized. They are Cannibal and Snatcher. The first of the two means that the individual can consume and then use a Skill from an individual after they die. They do this with their own Skill. This usually results in a single very powerful Hunter¡ªbut most of these Cannibalistic Skills have drawbacks, Limits or other parameters to them. Like a maximum capacity for how many¡ªor perhaps, how powerful of Skills they can ¡®take¡¯. ¡°The second type of Skill is usually far more dangerous. That¡¯s the Snatcher. They can literally create a vessel that holds the stolen Skill, which will then allow them to transfer it to someone else. Again they can have a great deal of Limits and Parameters, but since the person doesn¡¯t have to take the Skill for themselves¡ªthe Limit is instantly removed, making them far more dangerous. They usually sell them through black market back channels. Interpol and the FBI monitor these back door deals and usually catch Snatchers when they move to sell off the Skills.¡± I swallowed hard. It was somewhat easy to forget that Ms. Stovall was talking about murder, and not just stolen property. Stealing someone''s Skill was nightmarish. It was like condemning the person to a literal Hell where they lost a connection to the world around them¡ªbecoming husked, what some people described as a Zombie. Dead but still animated. Yet, the prices of a secondary Skill would be astronomical, right? It was so rare to Awaken with more than one, but to be able to purchase a Skill of ¡®your¡¯ choice. The cost was unimaginable and could motivate a person who possessed such a Skill. ¡°So, why was Morgan Hallsbrad not caught before he assaulted our son?¡± my mother asked, her voice hiding tears and anger in equal measure. ¡°The Police have handed that investigation off to Interpol, and they are looking into it. As of yet they can only speculate, but believe that Morgan may have been collecting the Skills as personal trophies without selling them at all.¡± ¡°Or using the same buyer,¡± the newly analytical part of my brain pointed out and I spoke almost without realizing it. Ms. Stovall raised an eyebrow. ¡°That is quite possible as well. It would drastically limit his exposure and is likely one of the first lines of inquiry the investigators will look into.¡± She turned back toward my parents. ¡°I understand your anger Mrs. Flacarada, Mr. Flacarada, but I can only convey that I am not a part of the investigation into Morgan Hallsbrad. I am simply here to defend Brodie, and will continue to do so. With this recent evidence and suspicions, Brodie¡¯s case should never see a courtroom.¡± She looked from my mother to my father and then to me. ¡°With that in mind, do you have any questions for me about Brodie¡¯s case?¡± My parents had plenty. All of which were about what we would have to do from here. Ms. Stovall was confident in her answers, which all seemed to say we just had to wait for the pre-trial court date to be scheduled and then she would have it dismissed. There was one question they didn¡¯t ask, but my overly calm mind didn¡¯t want to let go. ¡°Would anything change if I was no longer F-ranked?¡± I asked. All heads turned to me and three sets of eyebrows were raised. Ms. Stovall was the first to recover and ask, ¡°What do you mean?¡± I kept my eyes on her despite wanting to turn my head to the back of the chair beside her. The chair that Smegma was perched on. He looked bored. Thankfully he had remained mostly quiet throughout the rest of the interview. I could feel his eyes on me, and somehow felt his warning before he spoke it. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t tell her about me, if I were you,¡± Smegma stated. ¡°First, it¡¯s not going to help your case, and second, people with Demonic Summons aren¡¯t exactly viewed favorably, not on most worlds. I doubt yours is any different, at least not based on what I¡¯ve been trying to read.¡± The demonic bat motioned over to a police force¡¯s cork board. It had a ton of wanted posters hanging on it that I couldn¡¯t read from where I was seated. Not that the illiterate Demon could either, but the warning was probably a good one. I might have rolled my eyes in any other circumstance¡ªnot believing the Imp¡ªbut instead I calmly sat regarding Ms. Stovall. She wore an expression of confusion, so I decided to clarify. ¡°I felt a surge of something after¡ª¡± I cut off and swallowed deliberately before continuing quickly as if I hadn¡¯t. ¡°¡ªafter the attempted theft. It was like I was filled with some sort of power.¡± Why was I intentionally acting nervous about the attack yesterday? Well, my mind insisted that I act as expected of me in this situation. I¡¯d already drawn enough attention to have Volt and Flair suspicious of me. I frowned at my own calm thinking. Something was definitely off, and I once again considered if the Mana Connection had broken me in some way. Was I that Zombie? Ms. Stovall smiled and lowered her eyebrows. ¡°Oh. Not to worry. Re-Awakenings are beyond rare. Even more so when outside of a Portal. So, there is less than a one percent chance that you re-Awakened. Not to mention the flash of light that you couldn¡¯t miss. It always accompanies a re-Awakening. The feel of power was just a response to your Mana being used. It¡¯s extremely common. It¡¯s kind of like an adrenaline high and likely helped you build up the courage to save yourself.¡± My parent¡¯s looks of concern changed to that of comprehension, and I let the question drop. ¡°Ahh, yeah¡ªI¡¯ve had it a few times when Mana Leeches get a bite in,¡± my dad said in an understanding way. Had there been a flash of light in the shower? It was possible, but I recalled what happened on my eighteenth birthday. Ms. Stovall was right, it was impossible to miss. Another point in the column of my insanity. Before he grew too concerned with my faraway loook, I gave my father a hurried nod and a small, forced smile. If what Smegma said was real, then I knew it wasn¡¯t just my Mana Pool but it wasn¡¯t like I even understood how Smegma had got here. The strange messages I had seen indicated that something more had happened. I didn¡¯t yet know exactly what, or what the other two Skills I got were. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Still, after hours of sitting in the interrogation room by myself waiting for the lawyer, I was pretty sure that I¡¯d somehow inherited Morgan¡¯s Skills. I now also knew how he could have gotten such high-leveled Skills, even if he was C-ranked on his original assessment. He was a Snatcher¡ªI shivered at the realization that he had likely been after me for my Mana Pool. If only he knew I had an F-ranked Pool¡ªhe probably wouldn¡¯t have even bothered. Still, now I had a Pool and multiple Skills! I really needed to see what Smegma could do. He¡¯d already claimed multiple times he wasn¡¯t a combat Summons. So what exactly was he then? I tuned back into the conversation as Ms. Stovall stood up and said she¡¯d bring in the detectives. Volt and Flair followed her back in a few moments later, and after they both apologized, she took control of the conversation in a very firm but professional manner. ¡°I know you¡¯re both veterans at this job and therefore must be well aware of the facts of this case.¡± She placed a hand on the closed folder. ¡°Since my client isn¡¯t a flight risk or guilty of anything save self-defense which led to a Justifiable Homicide. I request that Brodie Flacarada be released into Clara and Gary Flacarada¡¯s care, until the pre-trial where the Judge can rule on his risk if required.¡± Volt and Flair looked at each other and nodded before Flair turned to Ms. Stovall. ¡°That¡¯s acceptable. However, your client must be made available for further questioning if the need arises. He will have twenty-four hours to bring himself to the station once contacted. Agreed?¡± Ms. Stovall glared at the detectives, but eventually transferred a much softer look to my parents. They nodded, at the unspoken question. They would ensure I made it here in a timely manner. ¡°I want it noted that any request for further questioning be directed to me, and I will pass it on to the Flacarada¡¯s. Understood? Any contact outside of me as an intermediary will be identified as and prosecuted for harassment.¡± Ms. Stovall said, with more than a hint of a threat in her voice. The two detectives nodded with sour looks on their faces. I raised my hand and the two detectives turned to look at me with mild amusement written on their less than happy faces. Ms. Stovall explained the smirks as she said, ¡°No need to raise your hand Brodie. This isn¡¯t a classroom. What do you want to ask?¡± ¡°Can I still attend school?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯d suggest you¡ª¡± ¡°We have no problems with you returning to your day-to-day life, Brodie,¡± Volt responded. cutting off Ms. Stovall. There was a hint of something in his voice. It felt ominous. ¡°It¡¯s a trap,¡± Smegma said scornfully, as he made faces at Volt and Flair. ¡°They want to see if you¡¯ll just return to your life like nothing happened. It would indicate something missing in your head or the like.¡± I¡¯m not sure that line of thinking made any sense, as it seemed to me that anyone in a similar situation would want a return to normalcy in their life, however, I nodded to Volt and discreetly included Smegma for the astute warning. I turned to Ms. Stovall instead and offered an explanation. ¡°I¡¯m just worried about failing due to extended absence, or wasting the money my parents and I spent on tuition.¡± Ms. Stovall smiled at me and my parents before turning her gaze on the officers. ¡°Very considerate, Brodie. Probably a good idea to have the officers here write something up to explain your absence. Your parents or you can probably go see the Dean of your program with that.¡± The meeting went on for another hour, but it became less talking and more filling out paperwork. Once everything was done the detectives shook my parent¡¯s hands and the lawyer¡¯s, but left the room before shaking mine. It was strange but easy to dismiss. Ms. Stovall gave my mother and father a hug before fixing me in place with a look. I was halfway standing from the metal chair when I saw it and debated about lowering myself back down. I chose to continue to push myself to my feet instead while meeting her eyes. ¡°I suggest,¡± she began before finding me calmly meeting her gaze. She stuttered slightly as her mouth firmed. Then she coughed before continuing as if nothing had happened. ¡°Take some time. While you seem to be handling the attack well, it has only been a day. Your father¡¯s union benefits will cover a psychiatrist. ¡°I strongly suggest you have a few sessions with one of them before you make a final decision on returning to school or not. Otherwise, wait for a call from me, or the police. With a case like this, we should get a pre-court date within the month.¡± Her look paired with her words let me know that she, like the police detectives, was sensing something off with me. I also heard what she left unsaid. There was no guarantee that my current calm wasn¡¯t numbness or the like. Something that would and could suddenly vanish. To everyone else the attempted theft¡ªno, murder, was a huge deal. ¡°I think she¡¯s also thinking that attending sessions with the psycho-person will help you look normal¡­¡± Smegma offered, giving me something else entirely to think about. He probably wasn¡¯t wrong, but what if this was just an illusory calm? Then I may find myself angry, scared or depressed in short order. That of course could make me unpredictable. So, I should see a psychiatrist to help me dig deeper into my current state¡ªwhat Ms. Stovall seemed to be implying was only a coping mechanism. Was it? I had a few suspicions that it might be one of the Skills I¡¯d gotten along with Demonic Vault, but I had no idea what each one did. Plus didn¡¯t skills require Mana to work? Just how many times today alone had I already questioned my sanity? I nodded and sidestepped away from the bolted table and chair. Something landed on my shoulder. While it wasn¡¯t heavy, I was still surprised that Smegma had any weight to him at all since he was able to phase through any object he wanted. Then again, he did stand on chairs and bed posts. How did that even work, anyway? I didn¡¯t look at him, and instead made my way to the door. My parents gushed a series of thanks and appreciative comments toward Ms. Stovall, and she fended off their praises magnanimously, claiming she was only doing her job. When I opened the door, my parents excused themselves and rushed to join me. Ms. Stovall gave me a relieved look, like I had just saved her from something she found particularly distasteful. I gave her a tight-lipped smile and exited the room. I really needed some time to myself to figure out what in the Demonic hell was going on. I turned my head to Smegma even as I walked out into the hallway. Someone led me and my parents out of the station, and we got into the family Ford Escort. The trip home was mostly silent. From time to time my mother would bring up how blessed we were to have Ms. Stovall on our side, and my dad and I would make noises of agreement, but otherwise no one spoke. The only break from the silent ride was a bit of levity in the form of Smegma phasing his head through the rear window of the Escort as we drove down the highway. The demon¡¯s mouth was opened, tongue flicking in and out between his fangs, as his head spun from side to side, taking in the sights. I realized that the magical tether he had to me meant that he was unable to explore the entirely new world he¡¯d found himself in.How would I feel if I were placed in the same position? Certainly not good, but I kind of was in a whole new world myself. A day ago I would never have thought I¡¯d be in and out of a police station after an assault¡ªwith a winged Demon-Imp as perpetual company. The realization reinforced my desire to get a grip on the changes that occurred and what the benefits, drawbacks, and limitations were. I needed to figure things out soon. * * * ¡°Okay, without bringing up checking my Skill Cards or Skills with a Crystal again, which I don¡¯t have and can¡¯t afford. What the hell do you do¡ªother than annoy me?!¡± I asked Smegma as soon as I sat back in my office chair inside my room. I kept my voice to a whisper, not wanting my parents to think I was talking to myself. I¡¯m sure they were both stressed enough with everything, and the last thing they needed to cap off recent events was to see their son talking to himself. Especially since I had just finally escaped their over doting and awkward silences. ¡°I¡¯m a Demonic Trader. I can connect you to my Sect on Candelar Five. You can purchase things with Mana, or Mana Crystals,¡± he answered plainly. ¡°Okay,¡± I answered slowly, trying to understand what that might entail. It wasn¡¯t like I couldn¡¯t buy things at the local mall using Mana Crystals. Sure, the dollar was still more widely used, but Mana Crystals were accepted worldwide. ¡°What are the Skills Recovery and Mental Fortitude then?¡± ¡°Oh, so you''re aware that you got both of those? With your response earlier, I wasn¡¯t sure. You probably would have been a real mess today if you didn¡¯t have that combination...¡± I gasped. Not only had I reawakened and gotten this Demonic Vault, but Smegma just confirmed that the two other messages in the red window were in fact two other Skills. I shivered as I recalled Morgan¡¯s words about being a ¡®chosen one,¡¯ a ¡®Paragon.¡¯ The goosebumps rising because that implied statement somehow now applied to me. Four Skills, if I included my Mana Pool. Wait¡ªthe combination of Recovery and Mental Fortitude was doing what? Was that why I felt so calm, so clear headed? I wanted to be upset with Smegma but thanks in large part to that feeling of clarity, I didn¡¯t feel the need to. In fact, my mind simply acknowledged his statement as true and then wanted to move on, I took a deep breath at that realization. While I was glad that I could examine the events from yesterday with a mostly calm detachment, I still felt small twinges of anger. Yet to not feel haunted by the assault¡­ It wasn¡¯t natural¡ªwasn¡¯t normal. No wonder I had been getting such strange looks. It wasn¡¯t as though I felt like it hadn¡¯t happened¡ªmore like it had definitely happened and I had somehow gone through all the stages of healing from overcoming the possible husking and risk of imminent death? It was only that the time required for that healing had been condensed down to hours instead of requiring a more ¡®normal¡¯ time frame of days, weeks, or even years. My brain seemed impatient with wanting me to ¡®move on¡¯ from this subject¡ªalmost seeming to say ¡®get over it and pay attention to what¡¯s important¡¯. What was important? Well, my calm, rational mind pointed that out for me, too. It was along the same line of thinking that had made the comparison between the Demon''s words and shopping at the local mall from a moment ago that suddenly stood out in stark relief. ¡°Wait. Can I buy Skills from your world?¡± ¡°Skill Cards, Yes. I¡¯m a Demonic Trader. And no before you ask, I don¡¯t think Demonic Vault can turn someone into a Snatcher.¡± ¡°Then how did Morgan take Skills?¡± I asked, thinking it odd that if I inherited his Skills when he died that I didn¡¯t have one that fit that particular criteria. Then again, the fact that I took his Skills might mean I was¡ªwhat had Ms. Stovall called it? A Cannibal¡­ I felt like throwing up at that thought, and decided, if I was somehow a Cannibal, that I wouldn¡¯t be taking any other Skills from people. Never again. The thought of purchasing Skills from Demonic Vault sat better with me so I asked, ¡°Can you show me what you have to offer?¡± ¡°Do you even have any Mana Crystals to convert and spend?¡± Smegma asked pointedly. I didn¡¯t respond and eventually he sighed. ¡°You¡¯ll need to provide me with Mana, so I can manifest the Inventory Pages.¡± My eyes opened and closed, and then picked up in pace as I blinked rapidly. I needed to provide him with Mana. Did that mean he was going to connect with my Pool like Morgan had? My disgust must have been apparent because Smegma held up both of his three fingered taloned hands. ¡°Don¡¯t get all worked up. I don¡¯t take the Mana from you, you give it to my Skill Card. I don¡¯t fully exist on this plane from a certain metaphysical perspective and can¡¯t force a connection to your Mana,¡± Smegma explained. ¡°Okay, so how do I do that?¡± Thus began my first extremely frustrating lesson from a small wisecracking imp Demon named Smegma. 008 Wednesday, April 3rd, 2069 ¡°You said that you¡¯d be better after a night¡¯s sleep,¡± Smegma accused, as I attempted to glare at him through blurry, crusted eyes. We¡¯d stayed up far too late last night with Smegma attempting to teach me how to infuse Mana into the Demonic Vault Skill. The slight narrowing of my already squinted eyes didn¡¯t seem to affect the rude little Imp, and so I gave up and blinked. ¡°Why did you decide that six AM was a good time to wake me up?¡± I countered, my voice filled with as much whispered heat as I could muster this early in the morning. ¡°Your body had released all the hormones required for your biological wellbeing and repaired any damaged or cenessent cells. Additionally, you were at peak energy efficiency,¡± Smegma answered and I blinked, not having expected such clear biological terms as a response. I truly had thought the Demon was just being a little shit. ¡°Well, first of all, let¡¯s get one thing straight; It¡¯s not me that¡¯s the shitty student here¡ªit¡¯s you who¡¯s a shitty teacher. How am I supposed to ¡®feel¡¯ the magic when I don¡¯t know what it feels like?! It¡¯s like saying ¡®just see the color Demonic Red¡¯. How do you expect me to sense something I¡¯ve never experienced before simply by telling me to do it?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll know it once you find it. As for Demonic Red, only the most profound of our race ever found it,,¡± Smegma said, his voice sounding sagely. ¡°Really?¡± I asked, wondering if I had somehow accidentally guessed a color from the Demon¡¯s world. ¡°No, that¡¯s the stupidest name for a color ever, plus why do you Humans have different names for all these colors? That¡¯s green, and that¡¯s a light green with some blue. Husking moronic race.¡± I wanted nothing more than to punt him out my window. With a growl, I tried to search inside myself as instructed. I had tried meditation once before in my life, and this felt a lot like that. Similar to when I¡¯d dabbled in meditation, my thoughts raced around in my head¡ªmost of them accusatory and belittling. I will admit that this process was better than the meditation, but that was only because the racing thoughts included somewhat helpful suggestions, probably thanks in large part to my new Mental Fortitude Skill¡­ Still, it isn¡¯t very helpful when the thoughts were directing you toward a feeling you had when your Mana was forcibly taken from you, reminding you of the risk of husking and simultaneously highlighting how calm and rationally I could examine that experience. It felt like I had a car. That car worked fine and I had maintained it with oil changes, fed it gas when it was sucking fumes and generally knew the ins and outs of the vehicle like a best friend. Sure, the car was older, like the family¡¯s Ford Escort or maybe even my mom¡¯s rust bucket, but it worked and I was used to it. Then out of the blue I went out to my driveway, got into that car and discovered that all the parts had been replaced with that of a Formula one race car. The exterior looked the same, but everything under the hood wasn¡¯t. It was as if this ¡®car¡¯ was mocking how terrible my old one was just with its presence. I couldn¡¯t even feel weirded out by the change, thanks to the engine and premium fuel chugging along¡ªtaking me to my destination while cruising over a smooth road that should be pockmarked or at least covered in occasional speed bumps. Even when I thought of the risk of the Mana Theft, my anger wasn¡¯t because of Morgan Hallsbrad and his actions in particular. No, my frustration was due to my own failing. Despite the instructions of Smegma and my own internal direction, I couldn¡¯t latch onto my Mana Pool. I knew it was there, my body could intrinsically feel its presence, and Smegma was even able to direct me to its location inside of me, but I felt like a toddler trying to catch air. My ¡®hands¡¯ swiped through the space feeling resistance but phasing right through it. I tried waving my mental awareness back and forth through the area and felt the Mana Pool like thick smoke¡ªpresent but ephemeral. Frustrated, I tried flicking it like I would an object with my index finger. As though a church bell began ringing from a few feet away, I felt my body vibrate. I did it again, and again, enjoying the strange sensation because it felt like progress. After the tenth to twentieth flick, I opened my eyes in frustration. While the mental poking was getting a new response, it wasn¡¯t advancing me toward my goal. ¡°How the husk am I supposed to supply you with Mana when I can¡¯t access my Pool?¡± I complain-asked. Somehow, I was more frustrated now that I found something new about the strange well of power inside of me, but it turned into another failure. ¡°I¡¯m starting to question the intelligence of your entire race. It looked like you were causing ripples there in the Mana. So, you were close. Try creating a conduit between the two areas where your Skills and your Mana reside. Honestly, if this is the best you ¡®humans¡¯ can do, your race is doomed.¡± I gave Smegma a withering side-eye¡ªtrying to convey my disdain for his race of ¡®bat-Demons¡¯ in turn. His dark eyes simply regarded me, before letting out a loud fart. The staring contest continued, and eventually my brain¡¯s insistence to move on won¡ªand so I blinked and shook myself. Okay! I let my ¡®supercar¡¯ of a brain guide my thoughts. This wasn¡¯t his first time speaking about the topic of impending doom. Each time he did it sounded like he was forecasting the inevitable. Like he was a history teacher claiming that everything always repeated itself. Cataloging it as a question to ask him later, I returned to mentally ¡®ringing the bell¡¯ that was my Mana Pool. ¡°A conduit,¡± I whispered to myself. ¡°So, like electrical wires, piping or¡­¡± I faded off as I attempted to visualize the examples I was naming. Then a simpler example struck me. ¡°A straw!¡± I emphasized, and as if the area of my Mana Pool was a KapiSun I jabbed the sharpened end of my mental straw into it. Instantly I got a reaction, but not the one I was expecting. My mental hands holding the stray felt the tip pass into the layer of ephemeral Mana. However, a building resistance grew, and I frowned. It felt like I was fighting a marshmallow. Suddenly that counter force buckled and then popped, like a membrane of a balloon. Thankfully, something that felt like a piece of rubber sealed around the circular straw. But a straw has a hole at the other end, and I quickly realized that the contents of my Mana Pool were under some sort of pressure. I felt the Mana from my Pool rush down the interior and spill out the other side, flooding my body with energy. For a moment it felt good, right until that euphoria morphed into nausea. Mentally, I plugged the end of the straw with a ¡®thumb¡¯ as I fumbled somewhat drunkenly to find the place where I intrinsically knew my Skill for Summoning the Demonic Vault resided. I finally located the tiny area that seemed to resonate with the feeling of the Skill I was searching for. The straw¡¯s end with my mental finger plugging it passed through a slight resistance at the location, my mind was telling me the Skill was located, multiple times, but it was such a small area that the straw moved into and out of it again in mere fractions of inches. he nausea and energy shakes my body was going through slowly calmed down and that helped me guide the mental straw to the right spot. It wasn¡¯t simply that the rampant, spilled energy disappeared, but that Demonic Vault or something else seemed to slowly suck the energy moving through my body into itself. Finally, my ¡®thumb¡¯ found the spot and released the second end of the straw. It fixed itself in place, and I watched as two stars seemed to blink into existence behind my closed eyelids. On closer inspection, however, one appeared to be a galaxy with about eight blue dots circling around it. Then there was a hollow tube that led from the edge of the galaxy to a red blinking, growing sun in the distance. It reminded me of the sun and stars that had been pulled from Morgan Hallsbrad, collapsed and then were seemingly transferred into me¡ªsomehow. Still, I only had a galaxy of small dots and a distant sun¡ªso, it wasn¡¯t exactly the same. Once I examined them both thoroughly, I opened my eyes. Smegma was flapping his wings and looking at his three taloned hands. I wondered why he was so still and quiet after my success, and then I saw it. The wrinkles that made him look like one of those hairless skin-cats, Sphinx¡¯s I think, were slowly firming themselves. It was like watching a filter move through a Swiftgram picture but in this case Smegma started to look more healthily terrifying with each blink of my eyes. I shuddered as I watched the gremlin grow a foot taller and as well as taking on the appearance of a verifiable killing machine. I hoped he was still unable to interact with much of the physical plane, and if not¡ªwell, my body might be in for a rude shredding. That definitely wouldn¡¯t be a fun way to die¡­ ¡°That¡¯s it?!¡± Smegma shouted, once the ¡®transformation¡¯ ended. He was clearly upset, verging on angry, and my eyebrow raised unbidden in question. Smegma stared at me before closing his eyes. I felt a presence in the space I had just exited and closed my eyes to watch what was happening. The red star sent a strand of ¡®hair¡¯ down the straw toward the Galaxy. The red string attempted to enter my Mana Pool but that very membrane I punctured earlier with the sharpened straw¡¯s end seemed to somehow exist inside the straw as well. It rebuffed the hair-thin red strand back toward the Sun. ¡°Hey, you said you can¡¯t connect to my Mana,¡± I accused. With a growl Smegma asked, ¡°I¡¯m not taking Mana you moron. Just trying to figure out why I look like this. How large is your Mana Pool?¡± ¡°Umm. Ten points, assuming that bastard told the truth back in the alleyway,¡± I responded with the number that Morgan Hallsbrad seemed surprised about. I was still watching as the red strand attempted to find a way past the membrane to the Galaxy of blue stars behind it. A ninth star popped into place, and I realized that my Mana Pool was also reabsorbing some of the spilled Mana in my body. The star''s reappearance also indicated that the blue, far smaller, suns circling around the black void in this Galaxy were points of Mana. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense,¡± Smegma complained. ¡°Are you mentally blocking me from examining your Pool?¡± I opened my eyes to find Smegma still standing on my bed with his eyes closed. I didn¡¯t think I was blocking him but then again, I wasn¡¯t sure why he wanted to examine my Pool. I didn¡¯t quite believe his reason and felt it was far more like that he was trying to take it for himself, like Morgan had! I raised a skeptical eyebrow toward the Demon. ¡°You just watched me flail around to establish a link that you yourself said was so easy that you started questioning the intelligence and survivability of my entire race and yet now you think I have enough control over whatever this is to actively manipulate it and ¡®block you¡¯? So which one is it, smarty pants? Am I too dumb to breathe or so amazing that I¡¯m somehow better at this than you are?¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. With a growl, his eyes shot open, and he flinched to discover me staring at him. His frustration seemed to drain from his face, and he began tapping a talon on his sharp teeth. A gesture I¡¯d come to recognize as him thinking. ¡°No, you¡¯re definitely right that on the scale you mentioned, you¡¯re much closer to ¡®too dumb to breathe¡¯ than the other end of the spectrum. There¡¯s no way you can be blocking me from a simple examination while not concentrating on doing so. Still, it can¡¯t be a higher ranked Skill than Demonic Vault with just ten points of Mana. You sure about the ten points?¡± ¡°Well, not really. The Shop seemed surprised and said something about ¡®ten points, that¡¯s it¡¯, or something like that when he connected to it.¡± More talon on tooth tapping followed. After a few seconds Smegma threw his hands above his head. ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯m stuck like this,¡± he gestured at himself, ¡°until you die! Husk it. Send a drop of Mana across and I¡¯ll display the windows.¡± The exclamation surprised me for a second before I remembered the straw and the whole point of connecting the two Skills. I mentally shot one of the glowing stars down the straw and saw a red screen pop up in front of Smegma. ¡°What in the husk is this?¡± Smegma shouted. ¡°These are all the F and E ranked trash!¡± ¡°What?¡± I asked dumbly. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± I distinctly remembered the Mental Fortitude Skill being ranked A on the weird message window as well as the Recovery Skill being ranked C. ¡°Show me!¡± His tiny fists clenched into balls and his face scrunched up, but he did wave a hand, which seemed to force the screen to rush to a place in front of me. When I realized that I couldn¡¯t read it and why, I rolled my eyes and said, ¡°Can you flip it around?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, whatever. This is total bullshit anyway,¡± Smegma complained even as he complied.
Demonic Vault 1.0 Crendalar Five ¨C Abyss Sect¡¯s Wares Consumables Weapons Armor Miscellaneous Currency: 2 mC (Mana Coins)
The first thing I noticed was that it was obvious he hadn¡¯t been talking about my Skill ranks earlier. I was hoping that he¡¯d found a way to show me some sort of Video Game recap page on myself. One that I could examine. The second thing I saw was that I had two ¡®coins¡¯ which was unexpected. I looked away from the screen to Smegma and asked, ¡°Do I just provide Mana to the Skill to build up currency?¡± ¡°Like it matters. It will take you forever to get anything good with only ten Mana. Plus, all the good shit that I¡¯ve been training to sell isn¡¯t even there! I¡¯ve spent a good portion of my husking life preparing for this!¡± Smegma answered, well¡ªcomplained was more like it. I felt slightly bad for him, but couldn¡¯t find too much empathy for the little shit. I had been dreaming of being a Hunter my whole life but Awakened with a single Skill, and it was not only the most common, but the lowest ranked Skill at that¡­ Between the two of us I think I had it worse. I realized he kind of gave me an answer and so started mentally clicking into the options, starting with Skills. I instantly discovered why Smegma was upset. The list of Skills were things I didn¡¯t even know could exist. Things like Aid, Alarm, Alter, Animal Messenger, Arcane Armor, and Augury were listed. I clicked into a few that seemed interesting and grew even more discouraged when I saw the price.
Aid Skill Card Low-F-Rank Aid (1) Evolvable Magically apply first aid to an injured individual. This Skill will remove some status ailments such as bleeding or burning. It will also aid in recovery of the injured person, increasing their rate of healing by 1%. Cost: 1,000,000 mC
Not only were the effects lackluster, but the cost was astronomical. Another issue popped into my head, and I turned away from the screen to look at Smegma. ¡°Is there a limit to how many Skills a person can have?¡± I asked reluctantly, recalling the conversation about Cannibals. I didn¡¯t really want to know the answer if there was a limit but needed to. ¡°There is and it¡¯s based on Soul and Magic Capacity. So, a wastrel like you will probably only be able to have ten.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± I complained and saw Smegma¡¯s face scrunch up slightly. He didn¡¯t apologize for his derogatory choice of words to describe me though, and I frowned. I asked my next question instead of dwelling on it. ¡°What does the number one beside the Skill mean?¡± ¡°Skill level. You can level up a Skill the more you use it. Something like Aid will just have its healing rate increase as it levels, until you can Evolve it.¡± ¡°Evolve it?¡± I asked, immediately excited. Didn¡¯t that mean my Mana Pool would grow the more I used it? ¡°Evolution is a very complicated process. Skills Evolve based on the use and desired direction of use of the owner of the Skill. For example, Aid can become First Aid, Minor Heal or even something like Bind.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I answered, trying to understand how a ¡®healing¡¯ Skill could become Bind. Then it struck me. The bandage tying could possibly be used to tie someone up, I supposed. That seemed like a good enough deduction for now, so I asked the much more pressing question. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean my Mana Pool can grow?¡± With a sigh, Smegma manipulated the screen in front of me.
Mana Pool Skill Card Mana Pool (1) Evolveable Will create a well of Mana inside of the owner. This well can be used to power Skills and Spells. Only one Mana Pool can exist inside an individual. The Mana Pool¡¯s ranking determines its size and it cannot grow. Recharge rate increased by 1%. F rank ¨C random assignment of 1-10 Mana ¨C 2,000,000 mC Low-E rank ¨C random assignment of 11-50 Mana ¨C 20,000,000 mC
I sighed. But then realized that just because this Skill description didn¡¯t seem to allow the Pool to grow didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t Evolve the Skill to grow. I was pretty sure some famous Swiftgrammers showed that they had grown their Mana capacity. ¡°So what if I Evolve the Skill?¡± ¡°Sure, but if you really have an F-rank Skill to begin with then it will be difficult to grow. Plus, it will be limited in Evolutions. Not to mention the difficulty involved in coming across a method to Evolve the Skill.¡± While Smegma¡¯s words were discouraging, they didn¡¯t completely remove the small bud of hope that seemed to be growing in my chest. Plus with the Demonic Vault, couldn¡¯t I just replace my low rank Pool for a higher one? ¡°So, can I buy a higher-grade card and replace the one I have?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, but you¡¯ll lose the levels in the Skill you have. Plus, how¡¯s a dumb-dumb like you going to get twenty million Mana Coins?¡± ¡°Even a dummy like me knows there has to be another way to increase my coins. Right?¡± With a scoff, Smegma gestured around the room. ¡°I¡¯ve already told you. Mana Crystals! Do you have a Mana Crystal safe I wasn¡¯t able to find?¡± ¡°Nope, but I might know where to get some.¡± Of course, I was thinking about my father¡¯s Mining job. I¡¯d helped part-time over the summer and carted out bags of mined Crystal Shards. Surely, I could sneak one or two, right? As it always seemed to happen, it was then I saw the man who loaded the bags in a new light. He¡¯d marked each Bag of Holding with a number and the porter, which I had previously worked with, would double-check at the truck with a scale that I dropped the bag onto. So, then I would have to be a Miner to pocket a few? There was no chance of becoming a loader, those people were paid extremely well and often friends of the owner. ¡°You know where there¡¯s an unattended Portal?¡± Smegma asked, sounding excited for the first time. ¡°No. I was just thinking I could get hired as a Miner and sneak a few crystals to The Shop,¡± I responded. Smegma went back to tapping a talon on his tooth. Then the screen in front of me changed.
Miscellaneous Professions Gear Miner¡¯s Pick (1) Low-F-Rank Durability: Unlimited Damage: 1-3 (x100% to Mineable minerals) This Miner¡¯s pick will use the Mana run-off the Crystals to repair and strengthen itself, making it unbreakable. It will also store excess Mana to intermittently create a Mana Crystal of appropriate rank. Current progress to Mana Crystal: 0 of 1,000 Mana Cost: 10,000 mC
¡°Why is this so much cheaper?¡± I asked, having read over the description with growing excitement. ¡°Because it¡¯s a Miner¡¯s Pick?!¡± Smegma said incredulously, like that was answer enough. I supposed it was. I guessed that Demon¡¯s looked down on professions like Miners as well. I continued to scan through the Miscellaneous section and discovered numerous other Profession Tools. Skinning Knives, Alchemy Lab, Engineering Toolbox, and Tailoring Kit being a few among them. What I discovered was that certain tools were vastly more expensive than others. Like the Enchanter¡¯s Kit or an Alchemy Lab. ¡°Do the prices on these reflect how large the physical size of the purchase is?¡± I asked, staring at the multiple million-coin price tag on the Lab and Kit. ¡°Somewhat for the Lab, sure. But nope on the Kit. Do you not have Potions and Enchanted Jewelry and Gear on this world?¡± Smegma asked. I gave him a look that questioned his intelligence, and he got the message. ¡°Well then you know how expensive those things are. Thus, the price tag, idiot.¡± I ran a hand over my patchy stubble. ¡°Who sets the prices?¡± ¡°My sect did, obviously.¡± A smile came over my face. So, the prices were based off what the Abyss Sect thought was valuable. Since they likely had far more experience with the value of magical and perhaps even mundane materials than Earth, they were probably pretty accurate. However, that disconnect could be exploited if I discovered instances of things on Earth that were relatively common or easily accessible¡ªhopefully both, and that the Abyss Sect valued highly. ¡°Can I sell items for Mana Coins or credit?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, but we¡¯ll only give you about half the value,¡± Smegma answered. I nodded in understanding and started scanning the lists of weapons, armor, Skills, miscellaneous and consumables. As I searched, I funneled the remaining eight points of Mana to the Skill. A new star popped up about ten minutes later and I sent it across too, arriving at Eleven Mana Coins. This would be a good test to see how fast my Mana regenerated as well. As I combed through The Shop, I began cataloging items I found interesting, trying to arrive at what my first goal should be. Right this moment, I was leaning toward an E-ranked Mana Pool Card, but to make the necessary twenty million Mana Coins, I would need a Miner¡¯s Pick and to join my father on a job. Could I convince him to bring me with him? It would be tough. He was the prime factor in me attending University because he didn¡¯t want his son to be a Miner like him or god-forbid a low ranked Hunter with a gun against the threats out there with powerful Skills. My mother, who worked as a secretary for the same company as him, wanted me to attend school as well, but with a bit less vehemence. So, the real question was how do I convince my father? I realized then that my supercar analogy from earlier wasn¡¯t accurate. It wasn¡¯t like my intelligence had increased. More like the engine was a more efficient model. Something like a hybrid or maybe even a Mana Crystal converter. I was able to think logically without much distraction, but that didn¡¯t make it so I could solve problems I couldn¡¯t before. Or in this instance¡ªthe insurmountable problem of a way to convince my father to join him in the Portal mines¡­ I looked at Smegma pleadingly and he shook his head derisively. Under his breath the Demon muttered, ¡°All the guile of a husking Mirror Fish, this one.¡± 009 Wednesday, April 3rd, 2069 ¡°Like we practiced, moron!¡± Smegma coached, despite his body sticking out halfway through the ceiling. I really wished he could understand social cues, particularly ones around when his presence would be a distraction. My parents were both teary eyed, and my father, the man who needed convincing, looked so crestfallen that I wanted nothing more than to give him a hug and renege on my request. Still, despite my low assessment on Awakening, I hadn¡¯t given up on my dream of becoming a part of a Hunter¡¯s team. Now with the chance at my fingertips to better myself and my future prospects, I was going to chase it like a dog with a bone.Despite my parents clearly thinking that my mindset and future were headed down a toilet like spiral if I joined the Miners. I could see in their eyes the disappointment of wanting a better life for me than they had for themselves. Asking to join the Mining team was clearly to them, an admission that they had failed a fundamental part of their goals in raising me. ¡°It¡¯s only for a semester,¡± I said again. ¡°I¡¯m going to need to take time off until pre- trial anyway, and if I go back a month behind, my grades will suffer!¡± ¡°All of your teachers already told me that they¡¯ll accommodate you, Brodie,¡± my mother countered. ¡°It isn¡¯t the same, and you know it. Sure, I can read and even watch the lessons online, but if I¡¯m supposed to be taking a break like Ms. Stovall said, then shouldn¡¯t I not be reminded of the place where the assault happened? I shouldn¡¯t constantly have the thought of returning to already underway classes hanging over my head.¡± I knew that this was a low blow, considering I wasn¡¯t too shaken up about the whole thing. I assumed the reason I was okay with using it in such a way was also because of the High-Grade Mental Fortitude Skill that I¡¯d received. That and Smegma. Wait¡ªWhy couldn¡¯t I find the thing in my mindscape-universe-thing? I figured it would have turned up when I was looking for Demonic Vault earlier, but I realized now that I hadn¡¯t seen any indication of it while I had been searching around. I made a mental note to try to look for it later. My mother opened and closed her mouth a few times, before looking at my father. ¡°You could let him work with you until the first appointment with the psychiatrist. It would get you back to work and you could¡ª¡± she cut off and glanced at me. I could tell she had been about to say something along the lines of, ¡®keep an eye on Brodie,¡¯ and thought better of it. I just hoped that my father would agree, and not keep ¡®too close¡¯ of an eye on me. ¡°When¡¯s his first appointment?¡± Gary asked my mother. ¡°Next Monday, so five days from now,¡± my mother answered. ¡°Okay son, you can join the crew for four days. As you know we don¡¯t work Sundays usually. You¡¯ll work as my assistant which won¡¯t pay well but will start teaching you about the mine and how to do the job. Then whatever the therapist says, we¡¯ll follow, deal?¡± I could tell he was banking on the therapist telling me I should continue with my schoolwork from home but wasn¡¯t too worried about that. Even if that was the conclusion, I figured I¡¯d have accomplished my first goal. Or at least hoped I¡¯d have done so by then. Smegma had claimed that F-ranked Mana Crystals were worth anywhere from sixty to just over a hundred points¡ªdepending on clarity and size. So, in theory I would only have to ¡®sneak¡¯ away about two hundred of those to get the Mining Pick. If my dad¡¯s crew happened to be Mining in a higher ranked mine, then I¡¯d need even less. I doubted the last but I could hope. It would be beyond rare for Mana Pool Miners to end up in high ranked mines. Mostly because higher ranked mines were so rare. At least, if I understood what my dad did correctly. It all came down to the fact that even in High Ranked Portals you often found Low-Ranked Mines. The opposite of High-Ranked Mines in Low-Rank Portals? Forget about it. I nodded enthusiastically and rushed upstairs. I¡¯d felt my Mana Pool fill in the middle of the discussion and hadn¡¯t wanted to close my eyes to will the points to the Demonic Vault Skill. Once in my room I closed my eyes and entered my Mental Universe. I found my Mana Pool with twelve stars surrounding the black void. My eyes couldn¡¯t open fast enough. I found and then glared at Smegma. ¡°You said Mana Pool¡¯s didn¡¯t grow before they Evolved.¡± ¡°I said nothing of the sort. I showed you the Mana Pool Skill Card.¡± ¡°Semantics, asshole!¡± I harshly whispered. ¡°Regardless. Low ranked ones usually don¡¯t grow. Why? Do you have more than ten Mana points now?¡± ¡°Twelve!¡± I said excitedly. ¡°And you think some shitty Snatchers initial reading was one hundred percent accurate?¡± Smegma answered leadingly. I got his message and closed my eyes again to gain my twelve Mana Coins. ¡°No, I trust my own ¡®eyes¡¯, asshole. I saw nine mana in my little galaxy thing and had already spilled one to the Demonic Vault accidentally. Now there¡¯s twelve! Now, how long has it been since I drained all my Mana?¡± I said absently as I began looking for a space within the Universe that the Mental Fortitude Skill might reside. ¡°Probably about ten minutes of worthwhile conversation and another two plus hours of worthless emotion.¡± Smegma sneered and shivered like his body was covered in ick. I rolled my eyes. Two hours to fill twelve points of Mana. I began doing some quick Math. When I realized it would be well over a hundred days till I reached the ten thousand Mana Coins for the Mining Pick I groaned. So, stealing Mana Crystals it was¡­ ¡°You know I can feel the way you¡¯re justifying the theft, right?¡± Smegma said casually. It was my turn to shiver like I had ick on me. ¡°You can read my mind?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± Smegma said with a back-and-forth motion of one his three taloned hands. ¡°I can hear you when you¡¯re mentally talking to yourself, though. It¡¯s actually how you can talk to me, without speaking aloud.¡± ¡°So, are you saying you have a problem with my reasoning?¡± I asked, trying to cut off my habit of internally debating things in my head. ¡°I have no problem with theft to begin with. I just find it odd that you¡¯re justifying it at all. Not to mention claiming that it might help you become a Hunter which in turn will help the world, is a bit thin, in my opinion..¡± I mentally thought, [Then I¡¯ll just pay back the value later¡ªwhen I can.] ¡°Why bother?¡± Smegma laughed. His laugh was anything but pleasant. He sounded like an evil character high on helium. ¡°I don¡¯t even live in this world, but I know enough about greed to understand what the likely outcome of a valuable resource appearing in a random location is. It means that the closest power with the biggest fist is going to gain control of that resource. The chances of that powerful group or individual being a ¡®good guy¡¯, are practically nil. So what do you care even if you took every scrap of value from under their nose? You¡¯re not stealing from a poor innocent soul here, you¡¯re likely stealing from a blood drenched warlord out there somewhere in the world who¡¯s using the most socially or lawfully appropriate form of slavery they can manage to leech every drop of materials they can get.¡± I frowned at the Demon. That was a very dark outlook to have, and not wholly accurate. Still, it probably wasn¡¯t far off. The guy who owned my father¡¯s company was certainly well off, when compared to Gary and Clara, right? Definitely not blood-drenched, right? Eventually I shrugged. I didn¡¯t have to justify my reasons to Smegma anyway. I would pay back what I stole¡­ I returned to searching my Mental Universe for Mental Fortitude. By the time I had recovered five points of Mana I still hadn¡¯t found it or the Recovery Skill. I converted the Mana to coins and gave up. Five points would roughly mean an hour went by and if I hadn¡¯t found either Skill¡ªso Mental Fortitude was better hidden than I thought. So was Recovery for that matter. Opening my eyes I asked, ¡°Does Mental Fortitude and Recovery work without Mana?¡± ¡°Of course, they do. Otherwise, you¡¯d have to activate it. They¡¯re called passive Skills for a reason, stupid.¡± ¡°Thanks for that. What I meant to say is¡ªis that common?¡± I asked as my face flushed. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Then maybe you should have been clearer. There are probably more passive Skills than there are active ones. However, I never took the time to count.¡± ¡°Some merchant you turned out to be.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Smegma glared. ¡°I am a merchant and a researcher. You¡¯re thinking of a scholar.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying, merchants should know their wares,¡± I countered, feeling pleased that I was getting a reaction out of Smegma. He¡¯d called me a few names today, and while it didn¡¯t bother me, I wanted to return some of the razzing. ¡°Yeah, sure, whatever, I spent most of my time as a researcher by the way,¡± Smegma mumbled, as his reddish cheeks seemed to gain a shade or two. I thought he might have rolled his eyes too due to the movements of his eyelids, but because his entire eyeball was pitch black it was tough to tell. I celebrated the ¡®victory¡¯ all the same, and realized I did so through mentally talking to myself when Smegma glared at me. That was something I was going to need to work on. I spent the rest of the day scanning through screens and writing down Skills that I thought I could use to become a Hunter. Thanks to my excitement about the end-goal of my actions, the day quickly turned into night. I grabbed my phone and made a Swiftgram and then a Smilebook post before setting a two-hour timer. I figured I would wake up and dump my Mana into Demonic Vault before restarting my timer and going back to bed. Closing my eyes, I got ready to do just that. I paused as I counted the stars, feeling that something was off. Sure, enough there were thirteen now. ¡°I gained another point of Mana,¡± I said to Smegma, who had switched places with me and was on the back of my office chair. Shaking his head, Smegma said, ¡°No you didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking at my Pool right now. There are thirteen points!¡± ¡°Then it wasn¡¯t full earlier!¡± ¡°I know it was! I felt it!¡± ¡°Yeah, the idiot who found his Pool this morning is suddenly the expert!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to punt you out the window. I¡¯m telling you it increased¡ªtwice, now.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m telling you I¡¯ve never heard of a Skill that starts the Pool capacity in the F-ranks that has the capability of that kind of growth, and if it existed I assure you that I¡¯d have heard of it.¡± ¡°What the husk?! Like you ¡®heard¡¯ about the number of passive Skills in your own damned shop? I think you¡¯ve already clearly demonstrated that you don¡¯t know and haven¡¯t seen as much as you¡¯d like me to believe. I¡¯m literally looking at it¡ª¡± I cut off as my door opened. I realized I had raised my voice more than I had intended. ¡°Everything okay in here?¡± My father asked, his face pale. ¡°Sorry, I was just getting ready for bed, but was having trouble falling asleep.¡± My dad came into the room and sat on the bed beside me. ¡°Your mother and I were talking downstairs. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re going to get out of the house with me. I know I argued against it, but your mom made me see how good it will be for you. We both just want you to know that you can always talk to us. We promise to hear you out, no matter what it is.¡± He took a long pause and then looked me straight in the eyes. His own were glassy with unshed tears. ¡°I can¡¯t help but think this is our fault, somehow.¡± I reached out and hugged him. I felt my own tears threaten to come then. It was strange. While I wasn¡¯t dwelling on the assault, my parents were. ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault,¡± I soothed, hugging him tighter. ¡°It isn¡¯t anyone¡¯s fault but that assholes¡¯. You heard Ms. Stovall. He was a Snatcher and a murderer¡­¡± My dad tensed as I reminded him of the less than pleasant terms used in the Police Station, but then gripped me harder. ¡°Just know that you can tell us about things like what happened on that Instantgram thing.¡± I chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s SwiftGram dad,¡± I said in a mock annoyed voice. ¡°Instantgram would be a stupid name. And don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be more careful.¡± My mom came in and joined the hug soon after. I consoled them both, trying my best to convey that I was okay. I could tell that it wasn¡¯t effective, but in time they¡¯d probably understand. It didn¡¯t help that they both had the Mana Pool Skill but had never truly tapped into it. So, they could only imagine what it had felt like to have it used forcefully against my will. That of course muddied my feelings on it as well. Without Mental Fortitude, would I be a complete wreck? Certainly, a Mana Pull against a person¡¯s wishes was a serious crime, and even now I never wanted to have anyone touch my Mana Pool again, but was it that bad? I had no reference point to use because I was simply over it. Or at least I was coping with it far better than even I thought I should be. By the time my parents left my room to let me sleep, the only conclusion I had was that I understood why certain individuals with Mana Pools actively lent their Mana to anyone. Even now, as my Mana was neither refilling nor being used, I could feel the energy¡ªno, the power that was literally sitting inside me. I could see how that rush could be addictive. As soon as the door closed, I mentally said, [Are there no low-ranked Mana Pools that can grow?] ¡°Not that I, nor my entire race was aware of when I started training to become a Trader,¡± Smegma answered. He spoke aloud since no one could hear him anyway. [You mentioned a way to check my Skills this morning, do you sell anything that can do that? Or can you just look at mine for me if I let you?] ¡°No, I can¡¯t tell you, even if you let me¡ªor I would have already asked you to let me see, moron. On the other side, yes my Sect sells Spent Mana Crystals of all ranks. I¡¯m pretty sure that the low-rank Spent Mana Crystal will be a waste of money. It¡¯s just going to show you that you have a low E-rank Mana Pool.¡± [Is that how you identified Skills back on your planet?] I mentally asked. To my surprise, Smegma didn¡¯t instantly respond, making me search around for the Imp. I found him staring out my window. I couldn¡¯t tell what he was looking at and mentally prodded him. The Imp started and then turned the dark black orbs of its eyes on me. ¡°No, we could simply pull the cards from our chests and examine them. I¡¯m not sure how I know that Spent Mana Crystals can read the Mana Signature of a person¡ªand create explanation cards¡ªI just do!¡± I frowned at his tone. It was clearly a bit lost. Like Smegma was admitting to having forgotten something. Or possibly scarier¡ªfinding knowledge stuffed into his head, by something else. I shivered at that thought. Still, if any spent Mana Crystal could read Mana Signatures.. [Why are you distinguishing a Low Rank Mana Crystal if all Crystals can read Mana Signatures?] ¡°The higher the rank the more sensitive it is,¡± Smegma answered, his voice hollow, causing me to grab my biceps as goosebumps rose. ¡°Spent F-rank and E-rank can handle up to C-rank skills. D and C up to low A, and so on. If you try to force it to identify higher ranked Skills, it will shatter.¡± By the end his voice sounded more natural, almost returning to his haughty know it all tone. He made a gesture with his hands, and a screen popped up.
Low Rank Spent Mana Crystal Consumable High-F-Rank: Mana-drained (Previously High-F Rank Mana Crystal) This Mana Crystal can identify the Skills of the holder up to C rank. To use, infuse your Mana into the Spent Crystal for five minutes. This will allow the frequency of your skills to reverberate and be identified. The Crystal will then create Cards that identify the user''s Skills. Cost: 100 mC
¡°Smegma¡­¡± I drew the Imp¡¯s name out with a faux-arrogant lilt. ¡°Turns out I now know something you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Lies,¡± the Imp snorted. ¡°No, for real. I know how the Mana Crystals¡¯ identify Skills.¡± I gestured at the prompt in front of my face that he, for obvious reasons¡ªcouldn¡¯t see. Smegma glared at me, clearly refusing to ask me to give him the information. I stared back. This standoff went far longer than I¡¯m comfortable admitting before I started to feel guilty about holding back information with the firehose of knowledge the Imp was giving me. I cleared my throat. ¡°It looks like a person¡¯s Mana has a sort of ¡®fingerprint¡¯, or as the System prompt calls it¡ªa frequency that, when injected into a Spent Mana Crystal, allows the System to interact with the information inside of the Mana to ¡®identify¡¯ its inherent properties.¡± Smegma blinked. ¡°That¡­ makes total sense, actually.¡± For just a moment he looked like he might thank me, then he smiled wickedly... ¡°I can probably sell that information to dumb humans like you after I take over this planet and become your intangible, unknowable God-King.¡± I choked on my spit a bit, thinking about a demon who wouldn¡¯t even be able to prove to a group of amateur ghost-hunters that he even existed, taking over the world. After a moment, I turned back to the prompt, frowning. I really wanted to know what my ¡®Skill Cards¡¯ looked like. Sighing, I mentally closed the information window¡­ Since I couldn¡¯t even afford the hundred Mana Coins, I reset my two-hour timer, and funneled the thirteen Mana points over to Demonic Vault. I now had thirty-nine mC, which meant I¡¯d be able to purchase a Spent Crystal sometime tomorrow. ¡°When I use a Crystal to gain Mana-Coins, does it become a spent Crystal after?¡± I asked, realizing that I probably would be at the mine by the time I managed to save enough coins. Which¡ªif I was right, perhaps I wouldn¡¯t need to spend any Coins at all, and get to have my cake and eat it, too¡­ ¡°Yes, but if there¡¯s too many flaws in the Crystal, it might break when you try to use it to identify your Skills once all the naturally present Mana¡¯s been drained from it,¡± Smegma stated, his voice still not quite losing the deep melancholy that had been present since he began talking about his world. I tried to dismiss the uncomfortableness of the last few questions and answers. That the System or something could shove information into the Demon¡¯s head, disturbed me. No matter how much I rubbed my arms the goosebumps and shivering wouldn¡¯t recede. My mind asked me a pertinent question that I hoped the Demon didn¡¯t hear. ¡®Is the Demon even real, or part of a System Skill? For example how can a Skill he sells have knowledge of Earth, that he doesn¡¯t?¡¯¡¯ The latter point made me think he might just be a System creation. That didn¡¯t exactly make me more comfortable with the notion of knowledge being inserted into what appeared to be a creature with its own thoughts and personality but it did help. I managed to get my shuddering to abate by telling myself that the System couldn¡¯t do that to me. Right? I pulled my blankets over myself a little too quickly and said, ¡°Moogle, lights off.¡± 010 Thursday, April 4th, 2069 ¡°Why are we passing all of these Mana signatures?¡± Smegma asked, sounding aghast. ¡°It¡¯s really inefficient to drive by Portals.¡± Since it was practically pre-dawn, I wasn¡¯t really in the mood for much conversation, and neither was my father, as evidenced by his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. After a long pull on my coffee, I blearily checked where we were in the city by gazing out the window. Mid-town? Blinking, the buildings came more into focus and I found the Steel Stadium sitting in a mostly abandoned section of the city. Smegma was staring at it and then at me, waiting for an answer. [It¡¯s a Monster Field,] I answered, my mental voice sounding half asleep even to me. ¡°What in the actual husk is a Monster Field, dumb-dumb,¡± Smegma retorted instantly. The question woke me up. I was operating under the assumption that Smegma was Summoned here from a planet that was at least somewhat similar to Earth. Seeing that Smegma¡¯s knowledge and even what his Sect sold was leagues ahead of Earth, I¡¯d also assumed that his planet was further along in the process then we were. Whenever I brought up Crendalar Five, Smegma changed the subject though, so it was tough to be sure. How though, would he not know what a Monster Field was then? [A Monster Field is an area that surrounds a Portal that has no clear conditions¡ª] I began. ¡°Every Portal has a clear condition for closing. I¡¯m starting to think that calling you stupid is unfair to the human race¡­¡± Smegma stated over the top of my explanation. ¡°It¡¯s looking like the problem is genetic and generalized to your entire species, if this is ¡®common knowledge¡¯ among your kind.¡± [Shall I finish?] I asked. Smegma spun a taloned finger in a gesture that likely meant ¡®keep going¡¯. [When we¡¯ve conquered a Portal¡¯s boss multiple times and it still won¡¯t close, we erect a Monster Field, also more simply known as a ¡®Field¡¯ around it. Then when the Portal begins allowing the monsters to come out, they are contained. Fields then allows Hunters to enter and capture monsters. Hunters are paid bounties for each monster killed, and they can sell the corpses or materials on site, as well.] ¡°While that sounds sensible. You know that Portals grow stronger the longer they stay open, right?¡± Smegma asked, but more told me. I looked at the Steel Stadium and nodded. [We¡¯re aware that the creatures are going up in strength, yes. But I don¡¯t think they¡¯ve ranked up?] ¡°They will in time. Even just knowing that they¡¯re getting stronger is a bad sign. Your race is fine with that?¡± Smegma asked incredulously. [I already told you we haven¡¯t found a way to close those Portals yet and Permanent Portals are pretty rare¡­] I scanned the other direction to the Detroit River. It was behind a few houses, and a massive ten-meter-thick wall, but I wasn¡¯t really looking at it. I was looking behind it to the city of Detroit. It was one of the largest ¡®Fields¡¯ on the planet. In truth, it had likely been at least five years since someone had entered the Mid-Rank Portal that started the field. Maybe longer. I was pretty sure a few more permanent Portals had even sprung up since¡­That or some new Portals have had breaks because of Humanity¡¯s limited access. Smegma followed my gaze and his dark black eyes widened. ¡°There¡¯s multiple Dungeons in that direction. Are you telling me that you idiots left them all to grow?¡± I didn¡¯t bother responding. The massive ten-meter-high wall should be answer enough. Plus, Smegma¡¯s tone was curdling the milk I¡¯d drank this morning in my stomach. I took another sip of my black coffee, hoping it would beat the grumble into submission. It wasn¡¯t like I made the decision or even had a say in things of that magnitude. Still, maybe with¡ª My dad made a left turn which surprised me. Startled, I asked, ¡°Wait, are we going to the Field of Detroit?¡± ¡°Yes, we¡¯re meeting the teams at the wall and then convoying to one of three cleared Dungeons,¡± my father answered sleepily. He yawned, and a moment later I did too. He smiled at me when I did so, likely finding the contagiousness of yawns amusing. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re being escorted by the Snowbird and Lynx Guilds.¡± My eyes widened at the names of Windsor''s two largest Guilds. Still, in the time it took for him to answer, the Wall had already grown larger. Smegma was eyeing my father with a suspicious narrowing of his eyes. ¡°Is he trying to reassure you, or himself?¡± he asked after a moment. [Both,] I responded. [He always says there¡¯s a reason Miners get danger pay.] ¡°And the other Miners only have a Mana Pool too? No other Skills to go along with it?¡± Smegma asked cautiously. [That¡¯s the most common Awakening gift, yes, but a few of them could have a different Skill and no Mana Pool beside it.] ¡°It seems that the System is acting differently upon your world than it did on mine in more ways than just the cards,¡± Smegma said as he jumped onto the dash and phased his head through the windshield for a better view of the Wall. [On Crendalar Five you mean?] I asked mentally hoping he might be willing to share more this time. After a few moments of silence, I realized he was acting as though he couldn¡¯t hear me with his head outside of the car. I wasn¡¯t exactly a hundred percent sure that wasn¡¯t how mental communication worked, but I was somewhat confident that he¡¯d heard the question. My father pulled into a parking lot that I hadn¡¯t noticed, but should have. While a parking lot was nothing to make note of, the massive military vehicles inside of it were. It wasn¡¯t like I hadn¡¯t seen the things before, at least on television, but to see this many together and with my own eyes, should have immediately gotten my attention. In high school we had a history class that covered the World Wars and advancement of military technology. Still, the jump the technology made since the Advent of the Portals, Monsters and Mana was more akin to a quantum leap than a steadily achieved advancement. The wheels alone on the vehicles were easily four times the size of my dad¡¯s Ford Escort. Four times bigger than the entire car, not bigger than our car''s tires. They also were made from Monster Materials that would help to prevent punctures and promote traction over almost all terrains. That was just the start when it came to the new technologies. The ¡®metal¡¯ or ¡®rock¡¯ on the exterior didn¡¯t gleam or shine in the rising morning sun. No, it actively seemed to take the sunlight and convert it into shadows which wreathed the vehicle in a seemingly dark cloud. My first-year class on Portal Materials with Miss Chavez discussed a few of the extraterrestrial metals, and I guessed that this one I was seeing was Necrograph, a ¡®metal¡¯ whose composition was more similar to diamond and coal than it was to metals from the periodic table. Some argued it wasn¡¯t even a metal at all and that it was more of a rock, but regardless, someone had discovered how to shape it and it was now used as armoring and protection for vehicles. No Hunters used the stuff for armor though. It was simply too heavy and dense. Though, considering the nature and ranks of Skills, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if someone out there, like Gamonji, had the sheer passive Strength to lug around armor made from the stuff. That got me thinking about what Smegma had said about Passive Skills being more abundant than active ones as well as his comment on how the ¡®System¡¯ worked differently on our planet. I immediately understood that his people probably didn¡¯t merely get only one Skill Card, or that they had some way of easily accessing more¡ªperhaps through this Shop of theirs. Regardless, since humans rarely Awakened with more than one Skill, it made me think that, at least initially, the best possible first Skill for a single Skilled-human, as things stood¡ªwould be to gain a passive Skill. It completely bypassed the problem of either needing a Mana Pool to activate an active Skill, or needing a secondary active Skill to utilize the Mana inside your ownMana Pools. Were there more people out there with such Skills, given that Smegma said they were more common, or were they merely more common for Demons than they were for humans? I couldn¡¯t help coming back to the thought of some Superheroesque jacked physique of a man with a high-ranked passive Skill increasing his Strength Stat just walking through a hail of bullets, wrapped head to toe in Necrograph. I returned to studying the vehicles with a childish smile at my daydream. The varying densities along with the new properties of these new ¡®metals¡¯ was another reason for our planet¡¯s technological leap, however this one was in Engines. Fossil fuels were still used by common people like my family, but Mana Engines that could run off Mana Crystals were the height of wealth and power. These monstrous military vehicles could only be powered by one of them. Nothing else could move the several hundred tons of military-grade, mobile destruction. Smegma landed on my shoulder as I exited the Ford¡¯s passenger seat. It was strange, because despite knowing the Demonic Imp was there, this time I didn¡¯t feel a shift in weight. I wondered if Smegma could just stand on the air if he chose to and just hadn¡¯t ¡®chosen¡¯ too a few times in the past. My dad moved to the trunk and, after I took a quick count of the Military ATV¡¯s, I joined him. Sixty-five of the huge vehicles idled in the shadow of the Wall. ¡°I don¡¯t have a set of protective gear for you with me, or a pick. We¡¯ll have to get you a loaner set from Mitch.¡± My dad¡¯s voice was muffled as he pulled on an old highly worn leather chest piece. If I remembered correctly, it was made from Kobold hide, but thanks to massive dust and dirt build-up I couldn¡¯t even make out the small scales I¡¯d recalled that made up its surface. After the chest, he strapped on thigh guards, stepped into knee pads, and tucked a pair of shin guards into his socks and under his stretchy jeans. He then reached back into the trunk and placed two small elbow guards into a helmet, grabbed his terribly worn pickaxe and hung the helmet strap over the spike. He motioned to a large cooler with his free hand. ¡°Mind grabbing our lunches, Bro?¡± This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Sure, bro.¡± I rolled my eyes but couldn¡¯t stop the chuckle that escaped my throat. My dad used to always call me Bro, until I grew old enough to hate it in elementary school. Mostly because I met a kid that called everyone bro, and the way that kid had made it sound was douchey, at best. Still, after many years of maturation, I found I didn¡¯t mind it as much, since it also doubled as a short form for my name. I grabbed the cooler, and my dad used his free hand to close the hatchback. We walked in the general direction of the ATVs as my father pulled out his cellphone and checked something. ¡°ATV Forty-One is my crew¡¯s transport. Mitch should be checking people in.¡± We walked side by side as more cars came into the parking lot behind us. My father waved back to a few people that I didn¡¯t know as we passed ATVs, crews, and administrative workers. The air was filled with the buzz of half a dozen ongoing conversations, all of which were too far away to make out more than a word from. I studied each ATV and the groups that were forming up beside them. [Those are the Cleaners,] I mentally said to Smegma. He was staring at the same people I was, and I figured he might want an explanation. ¡°Cleaners?¡± Smegma asked. [They butcher what¡¯s left of the Monster Corpses for meats, skins, components, and reagents.] ¡°What about them?¡± Smegma asked while pointing a talon at a group of what looked like beekeepers. I frowned, unsure myself. I pointed them out to my father, and asked, ¡°What do they do?¡± ¡°Ahh, the Herbalists or Gardeners. You wouldn¡¯t have seen the new uniforms, I guess. Remember a year ago I told you about that guy who died from a Dungeon insect bite?¡± At my nod my father continued. ¡°Well, the insects only attack if you disturb them, and the only places the ones with stingers seem to congregate is in flora rich areas. So, using Widow silk the herbalists have created protective suits to prevent further casualties.¡± ¡°That clothing has to have about zero resistance against any Monster attacks,¡± Smegma commented in response. I nodded to my father first, conveying that I had been listening to him. Mentally to Smegma I said, [The Monsters, other than the boss are supposed to already be dead. Plus, Hunters go in with the collection teams to make sure no mishaps occur.] Smegma pointed at another group with an eye-roll at my answer. The people he pointed at made my steps hitch. The air suddenly felt a bit colder as I examined the group. They all wore smiles and conversed jovially, but every single one gave off a palpable aura of something dangerous. [Those are the Hunters from Lynx and their Mana Banks.] I mentally acknowledged. ¡°Those are the famous Hunters?¡± Smegma responded, sounding disappointed. I glanced at my shoulder where he rested and then back to the Hunters that all had a white stylized cat somewhere on their armor. I found them beyond impressive, but Smegma made it sound like they were barely worth his notice. [Why are you frowning? What¡¯s wrong with them?] ¡°Half of them don¡¯t even have Mana Pools!¡± Smegma said, disgust clear in his voice. I turned back to study the group. The two to three people surrounding nearly each of the dangerous looking Hunters had kind of faded into the background on first inspection. Mana Banks. They were the ones with Mana Pools that those with powerful Skills could draw from in order to use their abilities. I knew that they were there, and until the incident with Morgan, I wanted nothing more than to be one of them. Now, with Smegma¡¯s trade options? I wasn¡¯t sure what my future goals would be. First things first, I needed to see if Mining with my father was a reliable source for Mana Coins. My father made a small adjustment to our path, and I followed along, scanning in front of me to see the reason. Sure enough, a piece of bristle board was nailed onto plywood and staked into the ground. It read ¡®forty-two¡¯. We still had a few hundred meters of walking, so I asked a question of Smegma. [How exactly do you expect them to gain a Mana Pool? They Awakened with what they got and are making the most of it.] ¡°What? Monsters drop Card Shards. Portals reward full Cards on clears. Not to mention simply killing others with Powers and pulling the Skills from their chest?¡± Smegma retorted. He was using a voice that I associated with an owner speaking with a pet. I didn¡¯t like the condescension that came with his words. [We get Monster Cores as monster drops, and after a Portal closes there is a Portal Core,] I responded mentally matching his tone. [The part about pulling Skills from other human¡¯s sounds exactly like what Morgan was doing and I just heard of the existence of these ¡®Snatchers¡¯ because he attacked me¡ªso I don¡¯t think it¡¯s exactly common!] Smegma¡¯s earlier comments, as well as his confusion toward humanities¡¯ issue of Awakening with only a singular Skill and never gaining more were beginning to make sense. His people didn¡¯t necessarily start with multiple Skills¡ªtheir Portals gave them access to them. No wonder they could build a whole economy on the buying and selling of those Skill Cards. Smegma jumped off my shoulder and then hovered right in front of me with flapping wings to stare me in my eyes. ¡°What?! I just assumed a pathetic moral compass was the only thing stopping you from killing someone and taking their Skill and Morgan Hallsbrad had risen above it,¡± he said incredulously. ¡°Show me one of these ¡®Cores¡¯.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me?¡± I said aloud, and immediately realized my mistake. My father turned to regard me as we kept moving and I pointed to a woman on the edge of the group. ¡°Sorry, I haven¡¯t seen Aunt Willa in ages. Mind if I go say hi?¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± my dad said with a huge smile. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Mitch and get you a loaner set of gear for the week. After that you should have enough wages to buy one if you aren¡¯t going back to school.¡± His tone said that I would be going back to school, but I appreciated him at least allowing for the possibility of me choosing not to. I nodded and rushed off. As I jogged, I responded to Smegma hotly, [There¡¯s no way someone like me would have a Core! Do you think I moonlight as a Monster killer in my down time?] ¡°Okay, but we¡¯re about to enter a Dungeon with Monster corpses, right? Is there not a way you can get close to one, even for a moment. I want to see these Cores,¡± Smegma countered. [I said the Cleaners butcher what¡¯s left of the Monsters. The Cores have so much value that the Hunters rip them out on the spot!] ¡°Valuable how?¡± Smegma asked, sounding sincere. That tracked, what with him being a merchant and all. [Well from my understanding, crafters use them to create weapons and armors with Skills or effects built into them. With proper Enchantments some can even be used as Mana Batteries, but good quality ones are very rare and Hunters won¡¯t use bad quality ones in case they break. Umm, there¡¯s probably more things you can do with them, but I¡¯ve never really looked heavily into it. In any case a Core of an F-rank monster starts at twenty-five hundred dollars.] ¡°So, the Cores impart Skills to the crafted gear or weapons?¡± Smegma said while tapping a talon on his fangs. ¡°It sounds like they are similar to the Cards of my world¡­¡± ¡°There is no way that be, Brodie!¡± Willa shouted as she first stopped and assessed, then recognized me jogging toward her. I hadn¡¯t seen her in about five years, and so wasn¡¯t surprised that it took her a minute to recognize me. However, I looked enough like my father at this point that it probably wasn¡¯t too hard to piece together. ¡°I heard you were joinin¡¯ us mole rats today, kid. How are you feelin¡¯?¡± Willa said as she pulled me into a very tight embrace. Willa was muscular even if compared to any man present. She had dark olive skin, with black hair and brown eyes. She used to come over to my house for dinners but since she now had small children of her own, she hadn¡¯t made the trip in a long while. Still her tone conveyed that my father was still very close with her. Close enough to disclose the circumstances around my presence today. I smiled at her concern and then said, ¡°My dad has probably made it out to be worse than it is. I¡¯m spending more time consoling my mom and him than I am about worrying over myself. I¡¯m sure, I¡¯m not one hundred percent over it, but I¡¯m feeling better than people think I should. If that makes sense.¡± She pulled me into another hug, and whispered, ¡°We all handle stuff like this in our own ways. It¡¯s like a roller coaster, though, and just because you¡¯re okay right now doesn''t mean you will be tomorrow. If it gets bad, just make sure you talk to Gary or Clara. Obviously your parents care about you. You can even call me. Don¡¯t think that I didn¡¯t notice that ain¡¯t callin¡¯ anymore.¡± I pushed her off with a smile, as she tried to kiss my cheek affectionately. ¡°Eww gross!¡± I mocked even as she tried a bit harder to land a third kiss. She was stronger than me and managed to shower me with at least ten kisses before I fended her off. ¡°You used to love Aunty Willa kisses, kid,¡± she jested, as she lightly punched my arm. I made a show of wiping the slobber from my cheeks. She made a hurt face and the attack resumed. It felt good to laugh with someone who took me at my word. While it had only been a day of my parents walking on eggshells around me, it was already getting old. My laughter died as Smegma made a wet raspberry sound while ¡®kissing¡¯ my cheek. I froze and stared at the Demon-Imp, wide-eyed. [What the husk, dude?] ¡°Ahh, sorry I couldn¡¯t figure out the significance or humor of the action. Plus are the noises necessary?¡± Smegma asked as he eyed Willa skeptically. Willa in turn was looking at me. I realized I must look like I was staring off into empty air. With a shocked expression, I pointed at the Hunters. They were a little off from my field of vision, but I was sure that would be hard to discern for Willa. ¡°Are those the Lynx¡¯s?¡± ¡°You know damn well they are,¡± Smegma shouted. ¡°Yep, they had an excellent draft year!¡± Willa answered, pointing out a few individuals that looked like they were either in newer armor or better kept ones. ¡°That¡¯s Zerker and that there is Flash. From the rumors, they¡¯ll likely be A-ranks once the first-year assessments are finished.¡± ¡°What, really?¡± I said, not having to feign my interest. ¡°I shit you not. They¡¯re one of the reasons that the Lynx Guild is tacklin¡¯ the Detroit Field again. Supposed to be that both of them Awakened with two or more Skills.¡± ¡°Why would she ¡®shit¡¯ you, to begin with?¡± Smegma asked, looking confused. Then he looked over to the two hunters Willa was indicating. ¡°They don¡¯t look like much and they have those stupid Banks with them,¡± Smegma said, and then flew off in their direction. I hoped he was just going for a closer look. Still, he soon popped back into a position beside me. I glanced at him but tried not to stare, due to Willa. ¡°They¡¯re farther than a hundred yards,¡± Smegma explained sheepishly. I almost burst out laughing at the shame in his voice. My dad walking over while carrying a rucksack with a Mining pick attached allowed my chuckling to go mostly unnoticed. Willa still gave me a side-eyed look, but I ignored it. ¡°Get this on and load up,¡± my dad said. He held the bag out to me, and I quickly pulled out the ancient looking armor within. Clouds of dust formed above the bag as dust fell off each piece. Smegma sneezed a few times as he tried to get a closer look inside the bag. I wondered how dust could affect him but not things like walls or physics, but then dismissed it. It wasn¡¯t like it mattered. My dad and Willa helped me put on the patched gear, working together to understand straps that seemed to have been done away with on newer iterations. It only took a few minutes before I had everything but the helmet and elbow guards on. By the time they were done, the dust had mixed with my sweat and began coating my skin. ¡°Good you¡¯ll fit in better with a bit of mud on your face,¡± Willa stated with a wide smile. ¡°Maybe a bit more will help,¡± my dad added, and then reached back into the bag before blowing on his hand. He didn¡¯t direct the dust toward me, but instead emphasized just how much there was. ¡°We¡¯re storing bags and lunches in the fifth bulkhead,¡± my dad added with a gesture toward our lunches and the large, opened storage bin on the side of the ATV. ¡°You ready for this, squirt?¡± Willa asked, grabbing the dust filled bag and her own far smaller lunchbox. I shook my head as I followed her and my dad up the drop ramp. ¡°Probably not, but it¡¯s what I signed up for, right?¡± She punched me in the arm with a bright smile. ¡°There¡¯s the spirit.¡± The ramp lifted up as the last of the Mining crew and protective detail boarded the massive vehicle, eventually cutting off the sunlight and the view of the remaining battle-ready Hunters outside. 011 Thursday, April 4th, 2069 ¡°Is¡ªit¡ªalways¡ª¡± I began, my teeth rattling around in my mouth at the jarring impacts of the huge moving vehicle. My dad shushed me without making a sound. Instead, he placed his finger over his lips in a universal sign that was understood worldwide, but was also somewhat infuriating. I felt like a child being scolded and that mood clearly shone through my expression. ¡°While these are pretty sound proofed and probably make more noise than we could speakin¡¯,¡± Willa whispered from her seat on my other side. She even went as far as to lean to my shoulder to keep her voice down. ¡°For some reason words attract them more than crick-cracks, and ATV noise.¡± Despite the constant jarring ups and downs of the ATV, she seemed to be completely unaffected, both in her whispered words and in general. I tried to mimic her, my father, and the other experienced Miners. I could tell they were somewhat bracing with their legs and the lower half of their bodies to act as shock absorbers. A closer examination showed me that most were even hovering their butts above the seat. I gave it a try and felt my legs burning after just a few minutes. I collapsed back to the chair, and saw my dad give me a smirk. Rolling my eyes, I mentally asked Smegma, [You don¡¯t happen to sell a body-strengthening Skill for cheap?] Smegma was hovering near the roof and scoffed at my question. ¡°We have plenty, but they¡¯re all higher than E rank, which is all a wastrel like you has access to.¡± My mouth twisted and I looked up through my eyebrows at the Demon-Imp. I had been trying to lighten the mood, but then realized that it was getting close to time to dump my Mana for Mana Coins. Plus, I had a timer set on my phone, which I should probably turn off, if my father¡¯s shushing was any indication of proper Miner-etiquette. I did that first, accessing my phone and first silencing it, before finding my timer. The silencing was likely wholly unnecessary since I had no reception, but you never know¡­ I closed my eyes and entered my Mental Universe before willing the Mana stars toward Demonic Vault. As the first point moved across my mental bridging straw, I frowned. I still had thirteen points, but I couldn¡¯t help but question if I had been ¡®full¡¯, or if it was just my imagination that I could have possibly gotten another point. The thirteen points did bring my Mana Coin total over a hundred, though, which made me consider purchasing a Low Grade Spent Mana Crystal but since I was about to mine a bunch of unspent ones, I figured I¡¯d wait. [Wait¡ªhow come I¡¯ve never seen ¡®spent Mana Crystals¡¯ for sale on Earth?] I asked, realizing for the first time that they should be readily available on almost every street corner with how much we relied on Mana Crystals for energy. Smegma narrowed his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s a good question. They said this thing runs on Mana Crystals, right? Be right back.¡± Smegma flew off and phased through the door that led to the cockpit, or whatever the cab of an ATV was called. He returned a moment later, ¡°How the husk is your race even still alive?¡± Because of his incredulous tone I almost responded aloud before thinking better of it. [What¡¯s wrong?] ¡°That ¡®engine¡¯,¡± he enunciated the word, clearly showing his distaste. ¡°Is literally burning Mana Crystal shards.¡± [How else would we get the energy out of them?] ¡°Oh, god¡¯s no. Please tell me that you¡¯ve heard of Ritual Circles, Mana Circuits and the like?¡± Smegma asked, his face earnest despite his aghast tone. [I¡¯ve got a feeling this is going to upset you, but I¡¯ve never heard of them. That doesn¡¯t mean they don¡¯t exist.] I added the last hurriedly when thunderclouds seemed to roll over the Imp¡¯s small face. No response came for an awkwardly long time. Finally, I prodded Smegma mentally and he twitched. I gave him a look with both my eyebrows raised, hoping he¡¯d take the hint and explain. He did but his tone was beyond frustrated. ¡°I¡¯ve been sent to the ass end of the universe. I literally would have been better off with the drug-dealing Llamas than on this backward ass rock!¡± It wasn¡¯t really an explanation, and it brought up a great deal of questions, not the least of which was¡ªdrug-dealing-Llamas?¡ªbut I got the message loud and clear. Smegma was upset about Earth¡¯s lack of strength, technology, and progress. He was probably seeing this as a useless waste of time. I wasn¡¯t going to disabuse him of that notion. On one hand, if he took it into his head that we were stupid and could be ¡®fleeced¡¯ in trade, it would become infinitely more difficult for me to increase my Mana Pool Skill rank or purchase an offensive Skill to become a Hunter. On the other hand, his bias could work in my favor¡­ The distinctive sound of air brakes firing perked me as well as everyone riding in our ATV up. The group of ten Lynx members and their Mana Banks closest to the drop ramp began tightening straps on their gear, and adjusting weapon straps for use. The scene made my heart stutter for a moment. Were we stopping because we were at the Portal or because a monster was outside? My father tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to the green light near the door. Beside it was a red and an amber light. I assumed green was ¡®good¡¯, which meant we¡¯d likely simply arrived at the destination Portal. The drop ramp soon cracked its seal with an audible hiss, before it began lowering on its massive hydraulics. I could tell that the ATV was still moving, but coasting to a controlled stop. The Lynx Hunters unclipped from their seats and stood up in near unison. They braced with a forward lean toward the drop gate just as the ATV jerked to a stop with a particularly loud screech of the air brakes.Only then did the Banks stand up to join the Hunters. In fascination, I watched as the opening widened, but that fascination soon morphed into something else. I was certainly captivated by what the ¡®window¡¯ to the outside world revealed, but it had shifted into something that was more morbid. Disturbingly shocking, actually. No wonder the ATV was jumping all over the place. It looked like an industrial dump or landfill. Maybe the site of a recent demolition before cleaning up? Concrete, rebar, glass, brick, wood and so much more littered the area in various states of destruction. Planks of wood were reduced to long sharp splinters. Some windows were whole while others were square shards seeming to be in the process of returning to sand. Concrete dust surrounded concrete blocks and even walls, and structural bones of what used to be sky-rises. [Is this where Hollyhood gets its scenery for Apocalypse movies?] I thought. I didn¡¯t mean to send it to Smegma, but my thoughts weren¡¯t really private anymore thanks to the shitty imp. ¡°What the husk is a Hollyhood?¡± Like with the question about ¡®shitting not¡¯, I just shook my head and continued to stare at the ever-enlarging scene. I felt like I could stand here and study the small amount I could see for days and still find new horrors that would give me nightmares. The view had layers. Starting with what was nearest the door, I could be shocked by the state that a city could be reduced to, or I could scan into the distance and never sleep again. It felt like pictures I¡¯d seen from ships at sea, with water in every direction but up. It felt isolating. It felt like there was no end, that what we had left behind no longer existed. I couldn¡¯t see the walls in the distance that contained the Field. I couldn¡¯t see any structure that would indicate an intact human civilization. Instead, no matter where I looked, I found signs of human ingenuity in ruins. Then the smell hit. The air we¡¯d traveled with, or perhaps due to the ATV¡¯s air filters, had neutralized the smell. However, with the ramp down, it washed into the space, displacing the ¡®clean¡¯ air. It was a scent I couldn¡¯t place, but it ¡®tasted¡¯ awful. It reminded me of a landfill, swamp, dying forest, and slum all at the same time. I began breathing through my mouth to avoid the nauseating experience. It remained in my memory, and I imagined the ¡®taste¡¯ still with each breath. Was this a glimpse of what was to come? ¡°If your race doesn¡¯t start figuring some shit out, then yes,¡± Smegma answered gravely, despite me not meaning to ask the question to him. His answer only made me more anxious. My watch beeped a warning at me, and I looked at it to see that my heart-rate was at about one-eighty. Since I was sitting down, and had been for the last half hour, that wasn¡¯t a good thing. My dad squeezed the back of my neck. Willa saw this and squeezed my shoulder nearest her. She whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, monsters usually steer clear of the ATVs when they be stopped. Any that might still be alive, in any case. Pull up your face-guard.¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. She deliberately pulled her dust covered face-guard up from around her neck and I looked down to find a similar, dirt-filled one attached to the chest piece I wore. I pulled it up and felt my breathing grow easier. The smell changed to that of old dry earth, which allowed my inhalation to return to my nose if I chose. A hint of the decay still came through, but it was tolerable. They both misinterpreted the reasoning for my anxiety. Sure, monsters were a worry, but Smegma was making me question the methods and future of our entire race. Still, I tried to use their comforting gestures to remind myself that I wasn¡¯t alone and I was in a rather remarkable piece of human ingenuity. My heart did at least begin coming under control with that line of thinking. The Lynx members rushed down the ramp and their well-armored Mana Banks were right on their heels. I focused on their actions as they swept the immediate surroundings near the bottom of the ramp. It further helped and I managed to unclip my seatbelt with slightly trembling fingers. My legs protested standing after the bumpy trip, but soon recalled what they were meant to do. I waited for the others onboard to gather their gear and prepare. The experienced Cleaners, Miners, and Gardeners all shuffled to the top of the ramp before waiting. No one spoke, and I took my cue from them thanks in large part to Willa¡¯s warning on the trip. Moments later, a short but intense beep sounded. It came from two small speakers on each side of the door. It was clearly a signal because the leaders nearest the door jogged down the ramp. Each subsequent line of people took a moment to react, but the group moved like a sluggish military formation, which honestly surprised me. ¡°So, you¡¯re Mining in a Sective Agora Portal,¡± Smegma said, and my brow furrowed. A what? I had just made it to the side of the ATV and looked at him, which brought the large shimmering green Portal into my peripherals. He was staring at it. Why was it green? All Portals were blue, weren¡¯t they? ¡°Sective Agora Portals are much better for medicinal herbs and other fauna than it is for minerals or Crystals. I wouldn¡¯t expect anything other than Low Grade Mana Crystals.¡± I wanted nothing more than to ask questions but decided to wait. Even Smegma¡¯s minor distraction had made me fall a step or two out of line with my father and Willa. I quickened my steps and focused on staying in the formation. Something told me that a group of civilian workers acting this way were doing so because it was important. The people in the front of the line began entering the Portal, creating ripples in the energy, as if it was a pool of green water that sat on a vertical plane. It was strange that it took me until this moment to realize that this would be my first time inside a Portal. As a porter in the past, I¡¯d remained outside and carted the boxes to the transport vehicles. Just as the verdant water grew to take up my entire field of vision, I made another realization without even having to look around. We had no porters, at least not in the way I had performed the duty, today¡­ A chill seeped through my armor, feeling at first bearable and then like a cold dip in a near frozen lake. My skin under the armor prickled with goosebumps as a humid heat wafted over my chest, even as the intense cold froze my head, and back. My nose and face suddenly flushed as it too entered the Dungeon. ¡°A god damn rainforest Dungeon,¡± my father said even as he stepped out beside me. Willa groaned from my other side, and I couldn¡¯t help but marvel at their casual banter after having walked through a Portal. I guessed that was because the Monsters were all dead except for the boss¡­Or they were just used to this mind altering moment! [Is this the Agrano whatever Portal you mentioned?] I asked mentally, trying to distract myself from reminiscing on the strangeness of the sensations I¡¯d just gone through. It was surprisingly easy, probably thanks to Mental Fortitude.. ¡°Sective Agora. That¡¯s what the locals call this planet, yes.¡± Smegma casually inspected the trees, forest floor and then seemed to bolt up into the canopy. I stared up at him, which luckily wasn¡¯t too strange since the trees were huge, and captivating. Had he just insinuated that the Portal took us to another planet? [We¡¯re on another planet?] I thought pointedly at him. I saw Smegma look down at me and then decide to fly further up, before disappearing and poofing back into existence at my shoulder. ¡°Humans have never run into one of the locals?¡± Smegma asked just as pointedly as I had. I slowly shook my head, then wondered if I had missed a news article about intelligent creatures being inside the Portals. After a moment I shook my head more firmly. Making his thinking face, which consisted of a face scrunch and a talon tapping on a tooth, Smegma mumbled, ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°All Miners to Jeral, all Cleaners with team three, and all Gardeners spread out in the immediate vicinity. You can begin harvesting anything you find. No one is to go more than two kilometers north, as that¡¯s the location of the boss. Understood?¡± a new Hunter I hadn¡¯t seen upon entering shouted from gaps between the bodies in front of me. I shifted from foot to foot to get a better view and almost gasped when I did recognize the speaker and even the name of the one we Miners were assigned to suddenly clicked. Beastmode, the B-ranked Hunter, was standing not more than twenty feet from me, and we, the Miners, were supposed to ignore him and find Sturdy Jeral, a B-ranked tank? ¡°Let¡¯s go son,¡± my father said, placing a guiding hand on my back. I gaped at him. ¡°Close your mouth,¡± Smegma said. ¡°The air isn¡¯t edible.¡± My mouth did close, but only so my jaw could clench tightly. Mentally I shouted, [But that¡¯s Beastmode and Sturdy Jeral!] ¡°They can¡¯t be stronger than C-ranked surely.¡± Smegma moved to Beastmode and hovered inches in front of his face studying the man. Was something clenching my heart in my chest? My feet hit a root and I would have fallen if my father¡¯s second hand didn¡¯t steady me. ¡°I know it¡¯s your first time in a Dungeon, but surely you can walk, right?¡± he laughed, as I transferred my earlier frustrations with Smegma to him with a scowl. ¡°That¡¯s better. The Hunters are just doing their job, and extraterrestrial scenes like this become everyday things once you¡¯ve been through enough. Just keep your head on straight, okay?¡± His laugh allowed my scowl to turn into a smirk. Willa held out a Mining pick, and I realized I had forgotten to grab mine before departing the ATV. I opened my mouth to thank her, but she chuckled and punched my arm. ¡°We all started where you are now, kid. Don¡¯t worry about it. Your father did the same for me.¡± ¡°What was that a hundred years ago?¡± I teased. ¡°Ya little shit!¡± Willa said and punched me harder, making it very clear that she had held back last time. I rubbed the spot she hit and then stumbled on a root again when Sturdy Jeral in full armor, minus his helm, came into view leaning on his door shield. He smiled at the group and my body reacted with an awkward wave before I could stop it. My father and Willa facepalmed on both sides of me, but Jeral¡¯s grin widened. Unfortunately, Smegma was hovering nearby. ¡°Oh, are you smitten? I didn¡¯t know your tastes lay in this direction.¡± [I like women, Smegma,] I mentally corrected the Demon even as my cheeks flushed. Admittedly, Jeral had a very rugged charm to him and thanks to Smegma¡¯s comment I momentarily considered him as an ¡®option.¡¯ Jeral pointed to me and included Willa and my father in the gesture. ¡°First time?¡± he asked. ¡°Yep. This here is my son, Jer.¡± My dad added a slap to my back and wore a look that contrasted his long years of pushing me to attend school. He was clearly proud to introduce me. Jeral stepped around his shield and stepped toward me. Maybe it was all of the new experiences today, but I suddenly felt faint as Jeral extended a hand to shake. Smegma flying to examine the man¡¯s standing shield helped shake me out of my stupor. Hesitantly I extended my hand and jumped a bit when the mitt of the much larger man seemed to envelop mine. From this distance I had to look up to him, which was rare for me because I was taller than most men. Is this how people felt when they met me? ¡°You are smitten!¡± Smegma crowed from his perch atop the shield. [Shut up!] ¡°Introduce yourself,¡± my dad encouraged with a chuckle, which emphasized that we were standing there in awkward silence. Or I supposed I was. ¡°Hi! I¡¯m Brodie!¡± I said with far too much enthusiasm. Jeral took it in stride. ¡°I¡¯m assuming by the look on your face that my reputation precedes me, but I¡¯m Jeral. I¡¯ve worked with Gary many times. He¡¯s a good man, but looking at your frame, you might be even stronger than him one day, no?¡± Jeral added the last bit to Gary while reaching out a hand to grip my bicep. My dad¡¯s face broke into grins usually reserved for my mother, and me when something wonderful happened. I of course smiled wider. ¡°He¡¯s just on a hiatus from University, but he certainly got the best of mine and Clara¡¯s genes!¡± my father answered, his voice filled with paternal pride. I felt my face heat up and knew I was flushing. Jeral released my hand, shook my fathers and then Willa¡¯s before he made an apologetic face and excused himself. He clearly wanted to chat more but also was supposed to be taking charge of the group that was slowly accumulating around us. He was only a few steps away when I turned to my father and hissed, ¡°You never told me you knew Sturdy Jeral!¡± ¡°Want him to set you up on a blind date?¡± Smegma teased. I ignored the obnoxious Demon. ¡°More than just him, my boy,¡± my dad said even as his smile slowly fell. ¡°I didn¡¯t want you dreaming of joining me as a Miner¡­¡± he explained softly. ¡°You should be joining them in a different, more managerial role. Or their personal salesman!¡± Willa reached behind me and lightly tapped my dad¡¯s shoulder in an imitation of her earlier friendly assault of me. ¡°Yeah, cause kids dream of vacations like this or of bein¡¯ a personal salesman, Gar!¡± she said before looking me in the eyes with firm resolve. ¡°There¡¯s nothin¡¯ wrong with Minin¡¯, kid, but your da just wants more for you. That¡¯s all.¡± My dad socked her back in the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t go putting words in my mouth.¡± Since Beastmode had given his directions, a low hum of conversation had been constant for the Miners, but now it died down in slow spurts. My father and Willa looked around and their eyes along with mine landed on Jeral who had a raised hand. Silence fell. In the hush only interrupted by steady breathing, I finally realized that my mask had fallen when my mouth had dropped open at Beastmode¡¯s appearance, and that my nose was delighted in the surroundings. The air felt fresher and more vibrant than anything I had ever experienced. Like I had been smelling imitation candles or colognes my whole life but was surrounded by a real forest. Because that was the only way to describe the earthy richness of the aroma. ¡°The cave with the minerals and Crystals is a kilometer east. It was filled with nature slimes and may still have some hiding. So, do not leave my sight as we descend. Everyone good to go?¡± Jeral announced from behind his shield. I nodded and others must have as well because Jeral heaved up his shield which made a sucking sound as another foot of it exited was must have been semi-soft ground. I tapped a foot under me and found the ground to be far harder than ¡®semi-soft¡¯. Just how strong was Jeral? Armor clanking, the man in question spun the shield onto his back like it weighed nothing, before turning and leading the way between trees to the intended destination. I noticed that no Mana Banks seemed to be following close behind him. 012 Thursday, April 4th, 2069 [Unleash hell!] I don¡¯t know how others would act in my current situation, following behind the massive wall of a shield, but I couldn¡¯t help picturing myself as a Hunter. Imagining myself following a tank like Sturdy Jeral as we conquered this Rainforest Portal. My eyes only left the large shield on the man¡¯s back to marvel at the changing scenery for a few moments before they coasted back to it, and my daydream. It wasn¡¯t hard to picture the Monsters that could be attacking us in my imagination. I¡¯d seen pictures and byproducts of the creatures my whole life and even played with action figures the way my parents supposedly played with Barbeh¡¯s and G.A. John¡¯s. In my imagination I wasn¡¯t afraid, but I will admit that in my heart I questioned whether I was simply lying to myself. Then again maybe the Mental Fortitude Skill would make it true? Regardless, at that moment, it felt like my father was more than just downplaying his job as a Miner. ¡°I can hear your increased heart-rate from here!¡± Smegma commented. ¡°You want to be a Hunter but you can¡¯t even hike a mile in Miner¡¯s gear. It¡¯s kind of pathetic.¡± [Stop being a dick!] I said to my Demon companion. ¡°Stop broadcasting your thoughts like some sort of reality love story!¡± Smegma countered. ¡°He¡¯s just a man, and a rather weak one at that. If he¡¯s a B rank, then his abilities and Stats are on the lowest end I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± [Stats?] I asked, wondering what he meant. Sure, I knew that certain Skills awoke a ¡®Stat¡¯¡ªand you could increase how much power that Skill could use by increasing it¡ªbut unless you had multiple Skills¡ªwait¡ªwas that¡ª ¡°See dat over there,¡± Willa commented from slightly behind me, stopping me from mentally questioning Smegma. I followed her finger and saw a massive mountain that looked wrong. It was like someone had turned on a sepia, black and white filter changing the mountain into a painting or some artistic masterpiece. My head tilted involuntarily as I tried to understand what I was looking at. ¡°It¡¯s what is called Scenery in the Portals,¡± Willa explained. ¡°There¡¯s a kind of film¡ª¡± ¡°Barrier,¡± my father corrected, and Willa gave him a look that both thanked but threatened him. I noticed he made a face that seemed to suggest he feared interrupting Willa again. ¡°I call it film, because it kinda looks like we¡¯re inside of a bubble of soap when you¡¯re near it. It looks like a casual poke should destroy the thing, but it only gives a few inches, before it becomes impossible to move. That and everythin¡¯ on the other side looks like it ain¡¯t real. Almost like it''s frozen in place, under water, or just drenched in black soap, oil or stuff like that. No wind blows the leaves. No, sound reaches your ears. It¡¯s real disturbin¡¯.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t usually go near it,¡± my father added. ¡°Only if our Mining spot happens to border it.¡± I nodded along but had my eyes on Smegma and the black and white landscape his eyes were glued to. [What¡¯s up?] I asked mentally wanting to know what the Demon was so intently focused on. Smegma looked up, scanned the area above him and then looked at me, his expression conveying his confusion. ¡°Up? I have no idea. I don¡¯t know what the locals of Sective Agora called their sun or sky.¡± he answered, his tone also confused. [No,] I mentally said while avoiding a physical sign of exasperation. I failed because my father and Willa both looked at me. ¡°What? You don¡¯t believe us?¡± my dad said. ¡°I¡¯m tellin¡¯ you kid, you don¡¯t want to go near the Film,¡± Willa said, her voice filled with both humor and performance to try to make the warning seem more profound. I laughed. ¡°I believe you. I just can¡¯t believe how different yet similar it is in here.¡± I answered them. Then sent, [What¡¯s up, just means ¡®what¡¯s wrong¡¯, or what are you thinking so hard about,] to Smegma. ¡°That¡¯s an oddly specific idiom for this particular situation,¡± Smegma answered while giving me a piercing look. [Idioms are kind of our thing, it feels like we have one for every occasion¡ªokay? So what¡¯s going on?] I responded to him but realized I needed another response to Willa and my father. They were both looking at me funny. ¡°I¡¯m just overwhelmed.¡± They both shrugged, as if they shared the same mind and then even nodded to themselves, like they were deep in their own thoughts and memories of their first time in a Portal. I let them stew there so I could hopefully get a response from Smegma. However, the DemonIimp was gone when I looked back to find him. I scanned my immediate area under the guise of taking in more of the scenery but couldn¡¯t see him. For a moment I worried that something had gotten him, or he was somehow un-Summoned, or something like that. But a quick check in my Mental Universe, showed me a connection from the Demonic Vault Skill existed. Where it led, I couldn¡¯t discern, but Smegma was certainly with me still, but hiding. [I¡¯m going to remember the question,] I mentally sent. [You can¡¯t avoid me forever.] No response came, but my scanning for a sign of the Imp allowed me to find the likely site of our Mining before my dad or Willa. I pointed to the rocks that seemed out of place in the rainforest. The two snapped out of their introspection and followed my finger. Sure, enough the large black structure only grew the closer we got, right up until the entrance to a cave became apparent. From a distance the darkness of the entrance could be mistaken for the dark rock that surrounded it, but the sun gleamed off the stone in a dappling pattern, suggesting that the stone itself might have a metallic quality to it. The entrance, however, was more like what covered the ATV, and consumed what light filtered through the canopy. A few Miners pulled out Cores of some variety upon seeing the darkness of the cave¡ªmy father and Willa amongst them. ¡°Just stay close to us for today,¡± my dad responded to my scrutiny of the item. ¡°These are Light Stones. Mine¡¯s cheap and only lasts a few hours, but Willa¡¯s is better and can usually last for a few days. They always pair people with someone who has a good Light Stone like hers, so we¡¯ll probably get one or two more Miners assigned to work with us. I¡¯ll only use mine for entering and exiting.¡± My frown must have conveyed my confusion to Willa because she explained further. ¡°This Light Stone isn¡¯t ¡®mine¡¯, per s¨¦, it¡¯s ours, Gary. Your kid is goin¡¯ to think you¡¯re leechin¡¯ off me if you say it like dat.¡± ¡°Well, I mean, I kind of am. Half the days I forget to take my stone out of my gear so it recharges¡ªor I¡¯ll forget it in the car. You have our stone because I can always count on you to bring it. Plus, have you ever taken a sick day?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather get paid out for unused sick days than take ¡®em,¡± Willa whispered to me. ¡°Plus, once you Awaken do you really get sick?¡± she added with a smile. It was true. Sick days were kind of a hangover from before the Advent of Portals on Earth. Not to say that they didn¡¯t still have value, but the name probably was due for a change. Most illnesses were entirely eliminated from the planet with the Awakenings¡ªso sick, might be better as injury or mental health days. Since I didn¡¯t have a lot of experience with work, I shrugged, and dismissed the conjecture. Someone smarter than me should be revamping that stuff. However, there was a caveat. Now when people were sick, it was always serious. So, forget about taking a few days off and getting paid. If someone had an illness or disease, it meant an emergency trip to a hospital and fighting for one¡¯s life. Some illnesses even required a certain ranked Healer to treat them. I¡¯d read plenty of articles on SmileBook about that change to the health industry. Most of the articles were complaints about the massive cost those trips entailed. Since my family still lived in the borders of Canada, the people who took those hospital trips and were now in massive debt, simply from getting ¡®sick¡¯ complained loud, and often. One of those, ¡®back in my day, healthcare was free,¡¯ sort of deals. However, most survivors were only alive because a sufficiently ranked Awakened gifted with a healing Skill was at the hospital the day they were rushed in. So, the question was, would it be better to be alive and working off a debt that insurance couldn¡¯t cover or¡­ the alternative. That was also why if you were Awakened with a healing gift, it pretty much meant you were set for life¡­ Sturdy Jeral didn¡¯t even hesitate and neither did the Mana Bank group that followed him into the dark cave.To my surprise the Miner¡¯s didn¡¯t even have a hit in their steps either¡ªunlike me. Illumination sprang from people¡¯s Light Stones as they activated them at the threshold. From my place only a few rows back, it looked almost like auras around the people in front of me. Curious, I watched as Willa pressed on an embossed circle on the core of hers. I didn¡¯t catch my father engaging his, but noticed a similar circle as I quickly panned my gaze over. It would seem these Light Stones, made from Monster Cores, stored internal Mana and could be activated by anyone, which likely made them more expensive than ones that needed a Mana Pool. Still, the difference in price between one that ran off internal Mana, or recharged and used its own wasn¡¯t important to someone like me who didn¡¯t have the funds to consider either option. They transferred the stones to a pre-prepared slot on their leather chest guards, which allowed their hands to be free. It did block the light at about a hundred and eighty degrees, and I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how this light would work when we started Mining. However, that thought was dismissed when I saw the light reflecting off the numerous clusters of Mana Crystals that seemed to spring out of the stone walls, ceilings and floor like weeds. I pointed them out, unsure why we weren¡¯t collecting them. My father chuckled. ¡°This isn¡¯t a low ranked Portal, it might be a low Ranked Mine, but that doesn¡¯t mean it won¡¯t be huge. So, these dregs at the front aren¡¯t worth the effort my boy. Just wait¡­¡± I frowned but tried to follow his words and remain patient. I was only successful because I used the time to try another attempt to find my missing Demon Trader. I failed and assumed he was somehow phased through the walls. The tunnel was too small for him to be elsewhere. It didn¡¯t take long before the lights from the stones of people in front of us indicated a widening in the tunnel. My eyes grew larger as the light appeared to change color, first becoming the blue of Mana Crystals, and then changing to refracted rainbows. A moment later I thought the orbs might eject from their sockets. The group in front entered the room and moved to the side. I had a moment to wonder why they ¡®stopped¡¯ but soon found out. The floor was almost entirely covered in the sharp relief of Mana Crystals. The walls and corners of the room looked like bladed carpets of the Crystals, only broken up by veins of varying shades of metal. I looked first to Willa and then my dad, and finally at the other Miners. We were supposed to get through this entire room, today? Jeral returned across the cavern, a group of other Hunter¡¯s and their Banks towed behind him. He coughed politely and then said, ¡°Four teams here, the rest follow me to the next cavern.¡± ¡°There¡¯s more than this?¡± I said in utter shock. Then added, ¡°we have what? Forty Miners?¡± My dad smiled. ¡°Just me and Willa could likely clear this room if we spent the day. Those four teams will be done in three hours at the most. Watch where you step now though, son. These crystals can cut through the sides of your work boots if you aren¡¯t careful. The soles are reinforced with ET41, so you can step directly on the crystals or in an empty spot but watch out for diagonal jags.¡± ¡°How about I follow your lead today?¡± I suggested. ¡°We might have to carry you out on a stretcher if you do dat. Your da¡¯ is the clumsiest guy in here. But he¡¯s also the only one near your height, dat has canoes for feet. So, I guess that works,¡± Willa teased and received a light punch in the arm from my father. ¡°Willa often tries to get lost, so she doesn¡¯t have to work. That¡¯s the real reason I gave her the Light Stone,¡± my father retorted, and Willa returned the shot to his arm, along with a hurt face. ¡°I would never try to get lost,¡± she said, before laughing. ¡°Except if we have ta¡¯ mine Palentine. Husk that noise.¡± ¡°People don¡¯t really use that saying anymore,¡± I said, trying to coach her out of using the old slang of ¡®husk that noise.¡¯ ¡°Na, I literally mean the noise it makes. It feels like your eardrums are goin¡¯ to shatter if you¡¯re in the same cave system when someone¡¯s pickaxe collides with da stuff.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I said stupidly, while blushing. She jostled my shoulder letting me know she accepted my ¡®apology.¡¯ Our group was left in the next cavern which looked a hell of a lot like the last one, just a quarter of the size, and obviously deeper in. Sure, some of the metals were smaller or larger, and different shades, but it had the same density of Crystals poking out all over the place. Willa transferred her Light Stone into a metal cage, and then pulled something out of her pants pocket. With a click, it extended up into an eight-foot staff that looked dangerous. She hung the Light Stone on it, and my father turned his off, but left it in the slot on his chest. With a grunt, Willa drove the point on the staff into a gap between crystals. The metal scraped audibly before thumping into the rock or loose dirt below. Willa wiggled the staff a few times, before wedging it into a place she was satisfied with. She then looked up and behind me. ¡°Miquel.Fat Gary, good to have you with us. This is Brodie¡¯s first time, so why don¡¯t you two work on that side to avoid Crystal shards hitting ya. He mines like he¡¯s tryin¡¯ to pay back the Crystals with all the ills in the world.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± I hissed. ¡°You¡¯ve never seen me mine.¡± Willa smiled at me then whispered back, ¡°Trust me, you ain¡¯t going to be a savan¡¯, kid.¡± The way she said ¡®savant¡¯ confused me for long enough that I didn¡¯t respond in an appropriate amount of time. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The two men nodded seriously, Fat Gary not seeming to take offense to the nickname. I guessed it was because he wasn¡¯t fat, just wider, and more muscular than even my father, who was taller and more lithe. Both were muscled far beyond my teenage frame though. Without a word of acknowledgement, the two spun and moved to the edges of the light the stone gave off. They un-shouldered their pickaxes and swung almost in step with their arrival. ¡°They¡¯re like robots,¡± Smegma said from beside my right ear. I jumped. ¡°Don¡¯t worry you¡¯ll get used ta¡¯ the noise,¡± Willa said and pointed to the nearest wall. ¡°The ones on the wall are a better place to start. So, try your hand there. Your father and I will be over there,¡± she pointed to an area opposite Fat Gary and Miguel. ¡°The only tip I have is don¡¯t hit yaself with the pointy end, okay kid?¡± I snorted out an exhale in amusement through my nose. That would be a shitty way to get injured. My dad gave me a look that told me I shouldn¡¯t find that thought amusing, and instead very possible. ¡°Son, I don¡¯t care how slow you work today. But don¡¯t get cocky and try to do too much. That¡¯s how newbies get carted out of here with a pickaxe in a foot or leg.¡± I gulped, and he nodded like that response satisfied him more. Carefully, I started to move to the wall, but my father held up a quick hand. ¡°Oops, forgot you don¡¯t even know the basics. Let me clear out the spot you can stand.¡± Willa moved off to begin working on her area, and I scanned back to Miguel and Fat Gary, who had moved into the area they had just been ¡®attacking¡¯ with their picks. I could see a pile of shards from the Crystals surrounding them. Smegma hovered closer to my father as he began chipping out Crystals in a small circle clearly intended for me to stand in. Smegma scoffed and then with outrage in his voice stated, ¡°Your dad and all these Miners are just shattering the Crystals with no care for quality maintenance!¡± [What do you mean?] I asked. My father had been at this for nearly twenty years. So, if anyone knew what they were doing, it was him. ¡°The first couple are fine, but now that he has a clear avenue to the stems, he shouldn¡¯t be Sharding a perfectly good F-rank crystal.¡± Smegma responded. [Maybe, it¡¯s just for the clearing of a standing spot?] I suggested but Smegma made another noise of disgust. ¡°Nah, the ones in the other chamber and over there,¡± he pointed to Fat Gary and Miguel, ¡°are only marginally doing better after clearing a spot to stand.¡± My father finished which forced me to hold onto my response to Smegma¡¯s outrage. ¡°Alright, so stand here and clear off as much of the wall as you can. Call me when you¡¯re finished, and I¡¯ll show you again how to clear a new area to stand like I just did.¡± ¡°Nope, I¡¯ll be the one showing you things,¡± Smegma said as he hovered back to me with crossed arms. Nodding to my father, I fought to keep a neutral and serious face, thanks to Smegma¡¯s condescension. I needed to show my dad Iunderstood his instructions. He thankfully seemed to interpret my nod the way I wanted him to because he patted my shoulder and seemed to consider saying something more before pulling me into a quick hug. The moment was over quickly, and he moved to join Willa in the area she was still clearing. I transferred a glare to Smegma. [Don¡¯t think I forgot about you leaving my question earlier unanswered! Also, you¡¯re trying to tell me you, a Trader, are a more knowledgeable Miner than my dad¡ªwho mines for a living?] ¡°Admittedly I¡¯ve never mined before, but I¡¯ve read about the way to do it properly, and if this is a discussion on whether or not your people or mine were better Miners? If the quality comparison is similar between your Hunters and ours, then yes¡ªI, as a proxy for my people, know vastly more about how to Mine than your vocational Miner of a father. I could shit all over everything I¡¯ve seen of your race, but I¡¯m trying to be generous. How long have you had the System in your world? One? Two Decades? You think you know more than a civilization that¡¯s had it for thousands of years? How about you open up your ears and just maybe you can learn something and start making some real changes and advancements for your entire race. With my help, of course.¡± Smegma almost stopped there, ending his rather imperious speech arrogantly as he normally did but I saw the moment he thought of something more to add. He pointed a talon at me. ¡°Also husk-off with that shit about answering all your questions, I¡¯m certainly allowed some time to myself. Not to mention, if you haven¡¯t forgotten. I¡¯m still a merchant. I don¡¯t owe you anything. You want to know things I haven¡¯t voluntarily offered?¡± He held out a hand, rubbing his fingers together. ¡°Everything has value, and information has more value than most things in the wide universe.¡± I sensed discomfort in his voice at first, which he tried to cover up with the sales pitch. I quickly turned my mental teasing tone off. [Is the reason you needed time something bad?] Smegma rubbed his face with his hands as though considering whether to answer. After a moment, he straightened, clearing his throat. ¡°Crendalar Five has completely fallen to the System¡¯s Portal Invasion. My people are barely surviving underground, and it¡¯s been nearly a generation since a new Portal formed on our planet. So no one has seen a Time Bubble like the one Willa was pointing out earlier in centuries. At least not from this side¡ªIt hasn¡¯t exactly brought back good memories¡­¡± Smegma explained softly. [Okay, let¡¯s just take a big step back here for a second.] My mind was spinning. I subtly gestured toward the ¡®Bubble¡¯ distorting the skies in the distance. [Willa called this thing a ¡®bubble¡¯, sure¡ªbut you¡¯re calling it a ¡®Time Bubble¡¯ with the kind of emphasis that makes it seem pretty damned significant. What exactly is a Time Bubble, and how does it work?¡±] Smegma froze at my question, slowly turning towards me, shock and exasperation written across his features. ¡°Are you trying to tell me that you¡¯ve had the System for two decades and you don¡¯t know how Portals work?¡± I chose not to correct the Imp and add the additional four years he was missing. Instead I took a quick look around to make sure the other Miner¡¯s weren¡¯t watching me, and noticing my distinct lack of work. They weren¡¯t so I figured I had a bit more time to get to the bottom of this. I did make a show of studying my Pick and the Sharded Crystals my father worked on as we continued talking. [If by ¡®you¡¯, you mean me, Brodie Flacarada, then yes.] I nodded, pointing at myself. [If you¡¯re talking about all of humanity, then I have no idea how much we know about Portals, collectively. This is my first time inside one, and I don¡¯t work in that scholastic field, so I¡¯m not aware of everything we may or may not understand.] ¡°Brodie,¡± Smegma shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve been here long enough to learn about the existence of schools. I¡¯d be stupid not to, since you¡¯re a student. Basically, what you¡¯ve just told me is that your world¡¯s education system is in as bad a shape as the rest of what I¡¯ve seen.¡± [Yeah, yeah,] I clenched my fists, unable to make too much of a scene, despite my frustration with the Demon''s constant negative comments about humanity in general. I also wasn¡¯t sure how to explain to Smegma that humanity was somewhat still stuck in the past, fixated on lessons about important topics that happened or were discovered before the Advent. Frustrated with my lack of a path forward that wouldn¡¯t lead to more arguing and not get me an answer to my original question, I sarcastically added, [We¡¯re all dumb and your race is the best, smartest, and greatest. Now, I¡¯ve stroked your ego, can you please tell me about the Time Bubble and how it applies to Portals?] Smegma sighed. ¡°Fine. Basically, a Time Bubble is where the Portal leads. Always. No matter what Portal you go through, or to what World you will always be within A Time Bubble.¡± The Demon stared off toward the shimmering barrier. ¡°Think of a Portal as a connection between your world and a portion of another planet that has been sectioned off by a System created Time Bubble. In this Dungeon¡¯s case, the connection is between Earth and this portion of Sective Agora.¡± [That¡¯s it?] I frowned. There was no way that was all it did. ¡°Of course not, but don¡¯t give me that look. Even if that was all it did, it would still be pretty badass. Spatial manipulation across the vast reaches of the Universe? Connecting one planet to another? That¡¯s mind boggling on its own. But you¡¯re right. There¡¯s more.¡¯ [I¡¯m guessing it''s not called a Time Bubble, for no reason, for example.] ¡°No. It¡¯s called a Time Bubble, because time works differently inside of Portals than in the world¡¯s beyond their barriers. The Worlds that connect to yours are all failures. They have rampaging Monsters upon their surface and struggling races desperate to survive.¡± [That¡¯s why you were surprised Humanity hadn¡¯t met any locals?] ¡°Yes, now stop interrupting. Fat Gary and Miguel have looked over twice. I¡¯ll give you the abridged version. It¡¯s called a Time Bubble because it freezes time inside itself, and opens four about four hours a day to re-establish its connection to the world it''s on. In those four hours the System resets something so the Time Bubble stays strong. In some cases it resets the things inside as well. Needless to say it¡¯s a Time and Space Bubble. Good enough?¡± [Come on that can¡¯t be¡ª] ¡°Enough with the bullshit. We¡¯ve got work to do. Swing here!¡± Smegma cut me off and pointed at the base of a Crystal. I frowned, unsure whether to be upset or thrilled that conversation was finished. If I was honest with myself, I didn''t want to delve any further into the topic. Time and Space were concepts far too complicated for my mind to wrap itself around¡ªMental Fortitude or not. I let my aforementioned Skill pull me back to the more straightforward task of Mining. I looked at the wall where he¡¯d gestured. Wasn¡¯t he pointing to the tiny speck of black stone wall visible between the Crystals? I looked at the point of the pickaxe and then at the small opening there. It would have to be a perfect swing. Smegma noticed my scrutiny and likely heard my internal thoughts. ¡°This one is the hardest. It¡¯ll be good practice, so just give it your best shot. You can¡¯t do worse than these other imbeciles.¡± I hefted the pickaxe and wedged the point into the indicated gap between Crystals before pulling it up and to the side of my head. I swung it down and somewhat found the opening. My aim was remarkably good, but the point jumped on contact with the stone and cracked the bottom of the Crystal. ¡°Not great,¡± Smegma commented. ¡°However, it still lost less Mana than if you shattered it. Quite a bit less. I thought your people were dumber than a box of rocks for burning Crystals like they were logs, but it¡¯s becoming clear to me that everyone on this planet is woefully ignorant and unprepared for what¡¯s coming. You can change that.¡± He turned away with a sigh, but not before I heard a ¡®you¡¯re going to have to¡¯, in a tone that made my skin go cold from the unsaid ¡®or else¡¯ I could hear in his defeated voice. Smegma turned back toward me, rubbing his forehead as though he had a headache. ¡°Go again but use your body more, and don¡¯t raise the pick to the side. Choke up closer to the business end of the pick. It¡¯ll give you more accuracy at the cost of power, but in this business¡ªaccuracy is power. You don¡¯t actually want to smash everything apart as hard as you can, get me? The best sculptors on my planet will often talk about how stone speaks to them. When they carve¡ªthey say they just remove the pieces of stone that don¡¯t belong and free the sculpture from its entrapment within the stone. What you want to do here is similar. Your goal is to free the Crystals from their prison, not execute them for their crimes.¡± I chuckled at that last bit and followed his instructions¡­ and missed the opening entirely. Another Crystal deflected the point of the pick by contacting the long, thinning metal a few inches from the point, which turned the blow. Luckily it turned it toward my target, but instead of hitting the same crack I already made with the pickaxe, it broke the large Crystal in two. With the second blow though, the original crack opened up, which made the two halves of the Blue Mana Crystal fall off the wall and to the floor atop others. Smegma made a disappointed noise but then pointed to a much wider area of stone. ¡°Not bad for the first one. This gives us some needed room. Now target here.¡± This time I managed to dig the tip of my pickaxe into the stone wall. However, the sound it made was vastly different from my first swing. This time, instead of a twang of metal on reinforced glass, the pickaxe made a dull crunch as it bit into the wall. A spark even formed and the pungent scent of ozone quickly burned my nostrils. The change in tone made my father pause and look over from the corner of my vision. He watched as I levered back and forth on the pick to free it. ¡°Oh, my mistake, Brodie,¡± he called. ¡°These are just going to be used in Mana Engines, and since it¡¯s easier to carry out shardsl, that¡¯s what we¡¯re aiming for. Don¡¯t bother keeping them in full¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him. Sharding the crystals is wasting over ninety percent of the stored Mana.¡± Smegma said over my father. ¡°¡ªleave the shards on the floor and someone from Lynx or Snowbirds with a Storage item or Skill will eventually come by to collect ¡®em.¡± I missed some of the middle of his speech but hoped I¡¯d gotten the gist of it. I nodded and gave Smegma a look with a single raised eyebrow. [See, they have their reasons!] ¡°Yeah, but those ¡®reasons¡¯ are frankly stupid. They¡¯re degrading a perfectly good F-rank crystal, and not just one.¡± He gestured at all the shattered Crystal around the Miners. ¡°Think about it. Over ninety-percent of the value of everything you see here is just¡­ gone. It¡¯s not ninety percent easier to carry, as in¡ªit¡¯s certainly not worth destroying the value of this sort of resource. You¡¯re dad¡¯s a nice guy and all, but he¡¯s dead wrong here Bro. Think about it like this¡ªwould you rather get one or two Mana Coins from each sharded quarter or fifty to a hundred from a full Crystal?¡± I knew the answer but couldn¡¯t figure out how I was supposed to mine as instructed without my father hearing the difference and coming over to scold me. [I don¡¯t think I have a choice,] I answered and Smegma looked over to my father. After a moment he pointed to the base of the Crystal. ¡°Nicking the Crystals on the edges here is about the best you can do and not make it obvious that you¡¯re not listening to your dad¡¯s advice. It¡¯ll sound normal to them but you won''t have to completely shatter everything. It will likely halve the efficacy of the Crystals but that¡¯s better than ten percent you¡¯d be getting otherwise. I¡¯m almost wondering if it¡¯s worth ignoring your dad¡¯s advice even though, yeah¡ªhe¡¯s your dad, but right now you have some leeway, being new and can ¡®discover¡¯ how much more Mana undamaged Crystals have and then maybe we can convince the others to do away with this whole process of just smashing everything to bits entirely.¡± Smegma was clearly not understanding the power a single human voice carried. I wondered for an instant if things like this changed drastically on his planet all because one person said so. Surely that was impossible. Was the Demon naive because he was a researcher? Naive or not, I still wanted more mC rather than less¡­ With Smegma¡¯s direction I began again. This time I targeted the very base of the Crystals where they exited the wall. I missed multiple times, cracking many Crystals in half, completely sharding others, and even hitting only air once or twice, but with each swing I started to get marginally better. Finally, I managed to knock a large Crystal off the wall in two swings and in one solid piece. ¡°That¡¯s better. Put your hand on that piece and I¡¯ll tell you the sale price,¡± Smegma directed. My fingertips barely touched it when Smegma said, ¡°Thirty-five mC. Shit that¡¯s horrible. Likely only a third of the actual value.¡± [What happens to the Crystal after sale?] I asked. ¡°Normally it becomes clear and this quality would maybe make a Low Grade Spent Mana Crystal. However, this particular one will just become clear, and useless because you¡¯ve damaged it slightly. Plus since you likely don¡¯t want evidence of tampering, I¡¯ll port the Spent Crystal, damaged or not, back to my Sect in Crendalar Five. I won¡¯t even charge you a disposal fee.¡± Smegma said this all in a very uninterested manner. I stood back up and kept Mining for now, not wanting a huge break in noise. Not after the long chat we¡¯d had at the start. ¡°What are you doing?¡± [Thinking,] I answered. It wasn¡¯t like I could just sell every Crystal and get away with it . The question was how many I could get away with. So far, I had struck down around ten from the wall. But even as I swung my pick at the next Crystal, I saw a problem. Each fallen Crystal left behind a small blue part of itself embedded into the wall. So someone could easily count those marks and know how many Crystals should be on the ground, especially with the full Crystals Smegma wanted. However, I was supposed to be sharding the things¡ª which would make a count impossible, right? I changed my next swing, copying what my father had done, and hitting the dead center of the Mana Crystal I was aiming for. It shattered off some pieces and I raised my pickaxe to do it again. Smegma flew into my path and said, ¡°What the husk are you doing?¡± Smiling, I swung the pick right through him, even as I responded, [Covering my tracks.] Smegma didn¡¯t react to the pickaxe going through his skull, which was disappointing. He looked at the floor, with its blue pieces and the shards falling to it, then the wall, and scowled. ¡°I guess the Crystal roots are a bit too obvious but what a husking waste,¡± he said with a dejected sigh. It was another fifteen minutes before I was willing to try for another Crystal. This time because my father, Miguel and Willa had moved farther away, I followed Smegma¡¯s direction and aimed for the rock wall. When the Miner¡¯s pick hit I glanced toward my father and Willa, smiling when they were indeed too far away to notice. It took three swings before I felt and heard the Crystal being released from the surrounding rock, like the snap of a shattering Prince Rupert¡¯s drop¡ªand then the Crystal simply fell from the wall. I hurriedly bent down to place a hand on it. ¡°One hundred mC, with the Crystal intact,¡± Smegma said, excitedly. ¡°This one is good enough to become a Low Ranked Spent Mana Crystal once the Mana inside it is sold off as well.¡± Suddenly, it started to feel like we were making progress. Slower progress than my Demon companion would like, but progress! 013 Thursday, April 4th, 2069 [What would happen if I tried to sell you a Crystal still in the wall?] I asked Smegma, as I bit into a sandwichI¡¯d prepared this morning. We had just taken a break for lunch. The Mining team was still in the cavern that we began in this morning, but it was nearly entirely cleared of Mana Crystals. My contribution was lackluster, mostly consisting of a space cleared about the size of a large master bathroom. No one was giving me a hard time over it though, which was likely either because they remembered their first times, or because my father and Willa were here. Those two were responsible for the two largest cleared portions. Still, if my relation to them was protecting me¡ªwell it surely wasn¡¯t by physical proximity. My father was eating his sandwich while examining a golden colored vein in a nearby wall. Looking around I realized that the metallic ore veins were the only reason we were still ¡®working¡¯ this cavern. Willa was also studying something near one of the two tunnels leading off our cavern. From here it looked like a massive crack in the wall but could easily be a dark metallic ore. Miguel and Fat Gary sat nearby quietly eating. I was just glad that they weren¡¯t engaging me in a conversation which allowed me to study the Demonic Vault¡¯s red screen. Specifically, I was staring at my number of Mana Coins. For every fifteen Crystals I sharded, I had been attempting to mine one that I would sell to Smegma. Thanks to that, and me moving to Mining full Crystals, as my father moved away, my mC total had climbed to three thousand and forty, but my hopes for purchasing a Mining Pick by the end of the day were drying up, fast. Maybe I could speed up a bit in the afternoon, though. My nerves at getting caught in the morning hadn¡¯t let me go particularly quickly or take as many Crystals as I might have otherwise. Although when the porter came by and started taking the shards, he hadn¡¯t seemed to notice anything amiss. This could really work, it seemed. Still I doubted I would get to ten thousand by the end of the day. That was due to the second, far sadder reason why my attempts to collect enough mC were currently below my expectation. Mining was far more difficult than I expected. The first hour was relatively manageable, but each hour afterward saw me slowing down considerably. I stared at the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, squished between my numb fingers. Squished because I¡¯d dropped my first one onto the cave floor, thinking I was gripping it sufficiently. I didn¡¯t even know that repeated jarring impacts on the object held in your hands could cause this sort of malalignment. No matter what, I had a new appreciation for what my father did. Smegma phased through the floor, before floating back to me. ¡°You can try to drain them while they¡¯re in the walls, but then you¡¯d be leaving the ¡®evidence¡¯ of spent Mana Crystals in the walls. Since I could only theoretically buy the Mana inside and not the actual Crystals themselves. I even doubt that would work because they¡®re kind of living things, but sure, give it a shot.¡± The imp said in answer to my mentally thought question from a few moments ago. Smegma¡¯s tone wasn¡¯t what I would call encouraging. He sounded disinterested, almost angry. He¡¯d gotten more and more like that somewhat slowly over the course of this morning¡¯s four hours of Mining. At first, he¡¯d been slightly excited, but my dwindling efficacy with each hour also seemed to drain something from the Demon Trader. It took me a moment to fully register his words but when I did I nearly choked. [They¡¯re what?] I said, thankful it was a mental communication, or I might have swallowed a piece of sandwich into my lungs. ¡°Crystals are essentially Flora. Don¡¯t ask me how that works, because no one knows. They essentially absorb Mana like Sunshine and Gas and grow. They don¡¯t have cells or biological living tissue as the Demon race knew it,¡± Smegma answered with a shrug. Then he saw the peanut butter and jelly sandwich on top of the bag and covered in dirt. ¡°What happened?¡± I took another bite and smeared the raspberry jam and peanut butter around in my mouth, allowing the sugar to wake me up a bit. [I don¡¯t want to talk about it, my hands are numb.] I responded before changing the subject. [The Mining pick says that it absorbs and stores Mana though right? So won¡¯t it take more when I¡¯m sharding? The excess Mana lost from sharding doesn¡¯t just disappear, right? Do you think the pick could absorb all that extra waste and form whole Crystals out of it?] I said as I studied the screen for the item in question.
Miscellaneous Professions Gear Miner¡¯s Pick (1) Durability: Unlimited Damage: 1-3 (x100% to Mineable minerals) This miner¡¯s pick will use the Mana run off of the minerals to repair and strengthen itself making it unbreakable. It will also store excess Mana to intermittently create a Mana Crystal of appropriate rank. Current progress to Mana Crystal: 0 of 1,000 Mana Cost: 10,000 mC
¡°You need the Miner¡¯s Pick first,¡± Smegma said with such boredom in his tone that I wanted to kick him. I definitely would have if I could, and my two lunch companions could think what they will. Since Smegma was such a bore, I turned my attention to Fat Gary and Miguel. ¡°What¡¯s the usual plan for after lunch?¡± ¡°After lunch?¡± Fat Gary asked, looking up and meeting my eyes with a bit of skepticism. ¡°It¡¯s already impressive as hell that you made it to lunch, kid!¡± He pointed to the first peanut butter and jelly sandwich. ¡°How can you even feel your hands?¡± I blinked and looked at my numb hands. Even as I held them in front of me, I thought I felt some feeling return to them. I was working under the impression that after lunch they¡¯d be fine again. I looked between Fat Gary and Miguel a bit lost. Miguel smiled at me but went back to eating. I furrowed my brow at his seemingly strange response to Fat Gary¡¯s shock and my pleading look. ¡°Miguel¡¯s English is poor. He only speaks after he¡¯s known you for a little. Still, are you being serious? Are you really going to try to keep working after lunch?¡± I nodded, and watched as Fat Gary¡¯s face became defeated. He reached into a pants pocket and pulled out his wallet before handing a twenty to Miguel. He said something in Spanish to the man, and Miguel¡¯s smile grew even bigger. ¡°Miguel bet me you¡¯d keep going, but I thought it was easy money. Most new workers only Mine for the first quarter of an hour.¡± Fat Gary clicked his tongue as I watched the two with raised eyebrows. I hadn¡¯t thought about just how physically demanding Mining would be. Surely they were right, nothing I¡¯d done in my life to date would lend itself to this kind of work. Not my gym sessions, or my Muay Thai. It didn¡¯t take a rocket scientist to figure out what was going on. ¡°Your Recovery Skill,¡± Smegma said, finishing my thought for me, just before Fat Gary got over his frustration at losing a bet and turned back to me. ¡°Usually after lunch break, we go back to work, but in this case, we¡¯ll likely head to another Cavern, and leave the mineral deposits to those two, or the Specialists.¡± ¡°Specialists?¡± I asked, not having seen anything to distinguish Miner¡¯s apart. Fat Gary raised an eyebrow and then pointed in the direction that my father had been when I last saw him. For a moment I thought my father was considered a Specialist, but that quick glance showed someone speaking to my dad. Fat Gary gave some context a moment later. ¡°That¡¯s Bruce. He Awakened with two Skills. Mana Pool and something to do with Mining, or at least it¡¯s useful in Mining. He¡¯s one of our teams¡¯ Specialists.¡± The man looked like any other Miner I¡¯d seen on the way out here. In fact, I thought I could recall him in the ATV and from just inside the Portal. He was smaller than Willa even but had corded muscles that seemed to be trying to escape his tight skin. My father was gesturing to the Golden colored vein, and Bruce was nodding. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Either Fat Gary sensed my confusion at the situation or just felt the need to explain further. ¡°That could be the magical equivalent of Fool¡¯s Gold or True Gold. Right now, your father is asking Bruce his opinion. True Gold is rare and exceptionally valuable, but if mined improperly, useless.¡± Without looking back, I asked the obvious. ¡°So, why wouldn¡¯t Bruce just mine the vein just to be sure?¡± ¡°He¡¯s got an F-ranked Mana Pool. Sure, it¡¯s growing but he still can¡¯t handle too many ore deposits in a single day. Same goes for our other Specialist. So, if they use their Skills to mine something useless, they¡¯ll be done for the next five hours. Normally, we catalog all the potential minerals first, and have the Specialists work on the most profitable.¡± Something bothered me about that. My father had been with this Mining crew for my entire life. ¡°Why don¡¯t they try to hire a Bank or why haven¡¯t the Specialist¡¯s Pools Evolved if they are using them everyday?¡± Miguel looked up, startled¡ªsaw my genuine confusion on the matter and chuckled to himself. Fat Gary also responded with clear amusement in his voice. ¡°It isn¡¯t that easy to just hire a Bank. Most willing want Hunters¡ªand those willing to settle on Miners want well off Specialists. So here at P-Cubed when Specialists get better, they head for greener pastures. If they manage to find a Bank they¡¯ll get bought out all the faster. No one would choose to stay either. Like why would you stay with a crew of normies when you can join one with mostly Specialists and get higher pay from bonuses?¡± ¡°The company can¡¯t provide them with Mana Batteries?¡± I asked, thinking of the Cores that could be turned into Mana Storage devices. Surely, they¡¯d get a great deal of use out of those, and I always thought they were more common in Mining and other Professions, cause if they broke they wouldn¡¯t cause too big of a problem. Fat Gary smiled. ¡°Have you met Jagger? Guy¡¯s cheaper than a Wandering Hunter¡ªat least Wandering Hunters realize they need to take care of their teams. Jagger makes his money when the Specialists move on, though¡ªI¡¯m pretty sure of that.¡± My lips firmed. That made a great deal of sense¡ªif Jagger had the contracts then he could sell his ¡®trained up¡¯ Specialists to others for an immediate profit. Then the new company could get that Specialist set up with Batteries or Banks. Well at least we had some Specialists while they trained up their Skills. Then another thought hit me. ¡°Why can¡¯t we just camp out inside the Portal and work until everything in here is stripped?¡± I asked the question that had been sitting at the tip of my tongue. Fat Gary and Miguel both hissed from beside me, which drew my full attention back to them. To watch them go from amused to terrified made me snap out of the lethargy I currently felt. Miguel was making a gesture which crossed himself in the religious way that Catholics did, and Fat Gary was clutching a ring on his left index finger tight enough to cause the appendage to whiten from lack of blood. ¡°Kid, Portals ain¡¯t safe at night. If the area within is big enough, sometimes entire clearance teams and sometimes, even Mining teams are forced to camp for the night, but our team has strict contracts that state we won¡¯t ever do that. Too many teams and Hunters have died in Portals when they camp overnight.¡± If the two hadn¡¯t both reacted so vehemently, I might have suspected that they were hazing the new guy with ¡®ghost stories¡¯, but both still looked shaken by my casual question. ¡°How come I¡¯ve never heard about this on the news?¡± ¡°You have,¡± Miguel said, speaking for the first time. He had a very heavy accent that I couldn¡¯t place. ¡°Every tragedy in Portals on da news is overnight campders.¡± I blinked. What? But the news never mentioned anything like that, how come? ¡°It¡¯s the Time Bubble.¡± Smegma cut in. ¡°I told you this earlier. For four hours at night, Dungeons are synced with the planet¡¯s geography. The process takes down the Time Bubble, which you can think of as the ¡®fence¡¯ separating the Portal from the rest of this world. With the Bubble down, creatures from the planet that weren¡¯t originally part of the Portal can enter the area until the System re-establishes the Bubble. You have to remember Brodie that these planets are ones that failed and were overrun by Portals and Monsters. Monsters are not like you Humans or Demons like me. They don¡¯t need Mana to keep growing stronger. It helps sure, but they¡¯ll grow regardless. So, it comes down to luck after that. In some cases, nothing enters. And in the worst cases, a creature far exceeding the zone rank finds its way inside,¡± Smegma explained, and I transferred my look of shock from Miguel to the Demon Trader. ¡°It¡¯s all over the Read-it forums and I don¡¯t think the United Nations Monster Hunters Association wants the public to know about it, so of course it won¡¯t be in the news,¡± Fat Gary said, seeing me seem to have an epiphany. To him it must look like I was staring into empty space with wide eyes when pieces of a puzzle came together or something. I was, of course, still paying attention and instantly recalled the Snatcher and Cannibal criminal distinctions. Just how much was the UNMH keeping from us? With an effort of will I looked away from Smegma and that knowledge bombshell he just casually dropped. Somehow the look of the empty cavern and the smell of wet stone was far more intimidating than it had been all morning. It was like the undercurrents of sulfur that had been on the breeze were ignited and turned the place into one giant match, in my mind. It affirmed for me that no Portal would ever be truly safe, whether they¡¯d been ¡®cleared¡¯ or not. Gulping audibly I nodded to the two Miners, showing my understanding before I looked back to my dad and the Specialist Bruce. I found my father returning to the group. ¡°Willa, don¡¯t bother with that vein either. Bruce says they found a lot of Thorium in a deeper cavern. The Specialists won¡¯t have time for ¡®True Gold¡¯ or Necrograph.¡± Willa waved from her place near the tunnel, showing she¡¯d heard my father but didn¡¯t make her way back to the group. My dad sat down with me, across from Fat Gary and Miguel. He pulled out a second sandwich and before taking a bite, addressed the three of us. ¡°You two are going to take the Light Stone deeper and work with another group to begin clearing it of Mana Crystals. Willa and I will remain here and use my Light Stone to attempt to mine a few of the ores.¡± Miguel and Fat Gary nodded but Fat Gary motioned at me. ¡°Just the two of us? Kid says he¡¯s going to keep going.¡± My dad turned his head to stare at me, looking incredulous. ¡°Brodie, you¡¯ve already done more than I would have ever expected. Any more and you probably aren¡¯t getting out of bed tomorrow. The reason you¡¯re getting paid next to nothing as my assistant is that it will take weeks for you to build up the muscles and resistance to the constant hammer-like impacts.¡± I flexed my muscles comically choosing to turn it into a joke instead of a direct argument with my father. ¡°Remember what Jeral said, dad, I might be stronger than you!¡± My dad rolled his eyes, and his face morphed into a look that seemed to be questioning if he should just let me learn my lesson. I jumped in quickly to let that be his final thought on the matter. I needed ten thousand mC! ¡°So, you¡¯re going to try to mine that even if it¡¯s True Gold?¡± I asked, not understanding how Thorium was more valued than a potential True Gold vein. ¡°I¡¯ve successfully extracted one usable ingot of True Gold before,¡± my dad explained, his face still stuck on the last conversation. Eventually he let it drop, firmly deciding that I could learn the lesson the hard way. Noticing my confusion at that answer he continued answering my unspoken question. ¡°The problem isn¡¯t that we¡¯re not sure if it''s Fools Gold or if it''s True Gold, it¡¯s that both of them tend to exist in the same place and they¡¯re nearly impossible to tell apart. There¡¯s likely to be some True Gold in here among the fake, but none of the Skills we have access to would allow us to identify what¡¯s what. The chances of extracting Fool¡¯s Gold is too high to waste the Specialist¡¯s Mana. So, the crew would rather get the assured bonus for grabbing what we can of the Thorium vein than to gamble on the less than ten percent chance of finding True Gold in that vein.¡± I looked at the vein and then scanned to the open window for the Miner¡¯s Pick. [Smegma, would the pick be able to help a non-Specialist Miner take on Thorium, or True Gold deposits more successfully?] ¡°At level one? Unless the guy has a Skill or absurd experience, no husking chance,¡± Smegma stated, he did give my father a quick up and down, seeming to appreciate that the man had mined a usable ingot without a Skill. ¡°Maybe Thorium at level ten, and True Gold between twenty-five and fifty.¡± A smile came onto my face, and Smegma did a double take. ¡°What the shit are you smiling like that for? You look like a pedo priest who saw a new altar boy.¡± I gave the Imp a warning look for his offensive reference, then wondered how he knew that our world had issues like that. Or did his world also have a similar moral structure? Shaking off that question I looked at the three present Miners and the picks they used. [What would happen if I supplied all of them with these kinds of picks?] Smegma narrowed his black eyes. They widened a moment later. ¡°If you don¡¯t hand over the keystone¡ª¡± [The what now?] I interrupted not having heard the term before. ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me, moron. The big brain is at work. Plus wait till you buy the Pick. It¡¯s husking self-explanatory! Where was I¡ªoh yes¡ªwithout the key stone, they won¡¯t be able to take out the accumulated Mana as a Crystal. They¡¯ll level the picks and be essentially supplying you with¡ªwait that won¡¯t work. Once they see how beneficial the new equipment is to their work they¡¯ll just take the picks home with them, and that¡¯s completely separate from the little problem of you explaining where a student with no Mining experience and who isn¡¯t some kind of legendary blacksmith got them in the first place. Imbecile!¡± Just like that Smegma¡¯s excitement shriveled and died, but not mine. If I started with my father, and claimed I needed to maintain the object with oils or something, would he listen? Then as the pick leveled and became better, would he convince his crew to use my picks? I thought he would, and it wasn¡¯t like I had to buy the picks if he didn¡¯t. I could just buy two. One for me and one for him. Or maybe three if I included Aunt Willa¡­ An idea started to form. It certainly needed work, but I was about to go back to mindlessly swinging a pickaxe¡ªso, I had time. I must have projected some of those thoughts to Smegma because he was now grinning evilly. ¡°You little entrepreneur! If we figure this out, it could be huge!¡± [I¡¯ve still got to buy the first Miner¡¯s Pick,] I said, throwing his earlier drab words back at him. He made a rude gesture with his three fingered hand. I assumed it meant the same thing as a middle finger but didn¡¯t want to ask. What was a demonic equivalent of a husk you? 014 Thursday, April 4th, 2069 Once in the new Cavern, I instantly discovered that my earlier ¡®brilliant idea¡¯ was impossible. I couldn¡¯t sell Mana from Mana Crystals that were still attached to the wall. The removal of a fast and easy solution caused me to grumble. Right up until I managed to successfully hit the ¡®stem¡¯ of a Crystal for the second time, but this time perfectly. Between one swing into the rock and another, the Crystal had simply seemed to roll free with a strange crackling pop similar to the one before but more pronounced. Once I had a full Crystal and could still see the stem in the wall it was clear that Mana Crystals were like a plant, as Smegma had explained. They even had a root system and everything. Discovering the simplicity of the task made me confident I could do it again in the future. Sure, not with every attempt¡ªbut it was definitely repeatable. Plus, once you looked at the entire cavern and Crystals like a front lawn, you had to wonder just how much like plants the things were. A quick question to Smegma got me an answer. It turned out that in theory all the damage the Miners did in these tunnels would eventually regrow¡ªas long as the planet had Mana. By ¡®eventually¡¯, I learned it meant after hundreds if not thousands of years. Smegma was bitter as he explained this piece of Mana Crystal trivia to me. I saved my question about why he was in a mood for now. Not that I expected him to answer it with his track record. Instead, I chose to examine the perfectly intact Mana Crystal I had just mined. Knowing it acted like a plant made my study of it tilt heavily toward a biological assessment as opposed to staring at a mineral or a rock. But the Crystal was not easily classified in either of those categories. If I was to compare it to a plant, it seemed similar to lettuce; containing an almost rounded bottom that narrowed to a single point above the stem. The ¡®leaves¡¯, however, were nothing like lettuce, and instead were made up of sharp crystals that looked like that science experiment I¡¯d done in elementary school. It was a pretty simple one where I combined sugar, water, food coloring, and a popsicle stick. I guess there was also heat involved somewhere, since I recalled getting help from my mom with the stove. What was clear, however, was the ¡®rock candy¡¯ that had formed on the popsicle stick back then closely resembled what I was seeing in the Crystal, which reinforced for me that the ¡®leaves¡¯ were more like mineral deposits. ¡°You might want to sell that to me, Miquel is about to finish with his section, which will move him to another,¡± Smegma commented dryly. [But I want to keep the Spent Mana Crystal to check on my Mana Pool,] I said. Throughout the day I¡¯d continued to convert my Mana to Coins, through Demonic Vault. So, I wasn¡¯t sure if the Pool had grown further but I had a niggling suspicion it had. Since it kind of felt like Smegma was gaslighting me or calling me crazy when I brought it up, I desperately wanted proof that I wasn¡¯t insane. Smegma shrugged and a notification popped up offering to buy the Mana from the Crystal for eighty mC. Smiling, I accepted it and was left with a clear Crystal in my hands. I spun it through my fingers while keeping my hands affixed to it. Smegma had said I only had to hold it for five minutes to have my Skill assessed, hadn¡¯t he? ¡°Don¡¯t bother with those,¡± Fat Gary said. ¡°The clear ones are useless.¡± Thinking fast I answered, ¡°Does that mean I could take it home?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve all taken souvenirs from time to time, kid. I don¡¯t think anyone will care about that, but ask your da¡¯. I don¡¯t think he wants you fantasizing about Mining.¡± I could only grimace and nod. Maybe he would change his mind after I got the Mining Pick. Then again, from his point of view I¡¯d just been through a traumatic event and any plans that involved Mining might look like I was desperate to drop out of school¡­ I put the Spent Mana Crystal on a clear patch of stone and soil beside me before resuming my work. [Is it just me or does it seem like people don¡¯t know the value of Spent Mana Crystals?] ¡°It isn¡¯t just you. You¡¯re an idiot and you¡¯re noticing it. Someone much smarter than you, like me, has already formed many possible scenarios for this by using the clues around me¡­¡± Smegma let his leading sentence hang in the air. He clearly wanted me to ask his opinion. [Oh, good, at least I¡¯m not the only one,] I answered instead. My reward for ignoring his hints that were practically begging me to ask him what conclusions he¡¯d come to was seeing a small amount of tension form around the Imp¡¯s black eyes. ¡°Gahh, you¡¯re so husking boring! I¡¯ll educate you then. So far, every piece of technology I¡¯ve seen you humans use burns Mana Crystals. Meaning it consumes the Mana and the Crystal. How much do you know about your world¡¯s Mana Engines and other Mana Technologies? Is my speculation close?¡± [Practically nothing, but history class did teach me that fire and humans have a deep-rooted history. In some folklore it¡¯s what was gifted to us by the Gods and took us out of the Dark Ages. In that myth, fire was associated with enlightenment¡ªwith the impartation of the Divine that allowed humanity to survive, thrive, and ultimately lead us on a path toward building a civilization.] ¡°Took you out of the ¡®Dark Ages¡¯? What the husk? You idiots are still in the ¡®Dark Ages¡¯ from my point of view. My people pooled their resources for generations all for a small chance to change our fate and Ascend. To take a step and get one step closer to the Divine, and instead of that I¡¯ve ended up on this Podunk piece of shit planet!" [Do you want to talk about it?] I asked, hearing the frustration in his words more than the insults. ¡°Talk about what?¡± [Well, I mean you¡¯ve been pretty sour on and off all day. I get the feeling that you aren¡¯t angry at me or this planet. Not really.] Smegma stared at me for long enough that I was forced to return to my token show of Mining. Luckily, I had the completely physical and unintelligent work of sharding another fifteen growths before attempting to negotiate a stem again, which gave me the opportunity to give the Demon time to consider whether or not to confide in me. I could still feel Smegma staring at me as I worked. I ignored him, trying my best to give him space to decide for himself. ¡°Mana with enough abundance to refill Mana Pools through Osmansis only appears on newly integrating planets, or in planets that successfully Evolve or Ascend. Crendalar Five failed to Ascend. Actually, any planet that is used for Portals has, by definition¡ªfailed to Evolve, and its people are left with Mana Pools that don¡¯t refill and thus Skills that can¡¯t be used. Understand?¡± [Then how are we on Sective Agora and Mining Mana Crystals?] I asked but continued my sharding of nearby Crystals. ¡°This has to do with why the powerful monsters and creatures often enter an area inside the Time Bubble when it drops for those four hours. That area has residual Mana and resources. The Time Bubble brings with it Mana, Crystals, and an overabundance of other resources. My research team in the past hypothesized that the Time Bubble kind of progresses the area inside of itself, and floods it with Mana¡ªthat¡¯s why there are so many Crystals, Fauna, Flora and Monsters.. ¡°Plus, it usually kicks out any local Monsters or stragglers from the other world if they aren¡¯t out by the time the Bubble comes back up¡­ there are some exceptions to that, too.¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. [So, can¡¯t your people just fight for those areas, refill your Mana Pools and collect anything that isn¡¯t captured by our Hunters and their teams?] ¡°We¡¯ve tried that for many years. It works certainly, but it¡¯s even more dangerous for us than it is for your Hunters after the Bubble goes down. First, we have to fight the same creatures and the local wildlife, which is far more powerful, but we also have limited resources on initial contact. Second, if we are found by the lifeforms pillaging the Portal, or Hunters, as you call them¡ªthey are often also enemies, if only because we¡¯d be competing to access the same resources. Plus, we are not the only Sect on my planet and the other Sects are also competitors for the materials in Bubbles. My Abyss Sect is down to a few fighters after years of competition. We have been forced to use what resources we have left to secure our gates against surface monsters and other sects. It¡¯s been like a siege. In desperation we came up with this plan¡­¡± [Okay, so your people need a lot of Mana¡ªthus the existence of coins you offer in trade for it?] ¡°That¡¯s right, good job getting there.¡± Smegma¡¯s bitterness came back with a vengeance. [I feel like I¡¯m missing something. I¡¯m working toward providing Mana, aren¡¯t I? In fact, nearly six thousand at this point! Why are you still bitter?] Smegma gave me a withering stare. Then scoffed and deigned me with an answer. ¡°Six thousand won¡¯t even fill my Pool, and I¡¯m a researcher. Our Sect leader needs hundreds of millions of Mana to fill his.¡± My mind boggled at the implications that admission brought with it. So, his planet failed to Ascend even though it had someone with that kind of power, and the people there had the ability to pick up more Skills. A further piece of information made my mouth drop open. Smegma hadn¡¯t come right out and said it, but if you read between the lines, his Sect was on the verge of collapse. It was likely one of the weaker ones on Crendalar Five. So was his Sect Leader with hundreds of millions of Mana also considered ¡®weak¡¯. My next strike failed to hit the stem of the Mana Crystal I had been planning to put up for sale, thanks to my turbulent thoughts. I sharded it and paused, hoping to be in a better headspace before I tried again. My stomach was in knots, but I knew that my only option was to ask. I hated doing it, but I summoned my courage before saying, [Smegma, do you think our planet has a chance?] ¡°It¡¯s been what? Under fifty years since the first Portal formed?¡± he replied. [Just a bit more than twenty for certain as far as we can tell.] At my response he tapped a talon against a tooth. Several taps later he tilted his head back and forth while oscillating his hand. ¡°You¡¯ve got plenty of time left if we go off of Crendalar¡¯s history, but from what we discovered in the five thousand plus year history of Portals in our world, there isn¡¯t really a pattern to the Ascension deadline. Some planets lasted longer than us before ultimately succeeding or failing and some were deemed failures in less than a decade.¡± My emotions went through a roller coaster as he spoke. In the end, I was left with another question that I probably should have been asked earlier. [What does a planet need to do to Evolve or Ascend?] ¡°You have to conquer a sequence of Portals that you don¡¯t even want to think about. We called these Portal¡¯s the Seven Deadly Realms¡ªand if you fail even a single one, they suck your planet dry of Mana and move on.¡± [And if you succeed?] I asked as I swallowed. ¡°You did pretty good for your first day,¡± my dad interrupted from right beside me. I¡¯d been so distracted that I hadn¡¯t seen him approach. I registered his words and glanced at my watch. It was two thirty, and a few hours short of quitting time. It took me a few moments more to understand why he said what he had. I had to examine myself to get it. I was breathing hard, leaning against the haft of my pickaxe with the head grounded, doing no work. ¡°Just taking a break, dad. I¡¯ll get right back at it.¡± ¡°Brodie, I¡¯m telling you if you push yourself too hard¡ª¡± My dad said but then cut himself off with an odd expression that I couldn¡¯t read. He changed what he had been about to say, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± He indicated the Spent Mana Crystal. I tried to act excited and landed somewhere in between tired and strained enthusiasm instead. ¡°It¡¯s a clear Crystal. I thought it was something special, but Fat Gary told me it''s worthless. So, I thought I could take it home?¡± I turned it into a question with intonation and then added, ¡°Please.¡± My dad licked his teeth, which was never a good sign, but surprised me when he said, ¡°If you manage to work consistently for the next two hours, I¡¯ll let you take it. Deal?¡± I nodded, even as my brain turned over his abrupt change in feelings on my continued Mining. Hadn¡¯t he been about to tell me it was okay to stop? Shrugging, I changed the subject. ¡°How¡¯d the Mining up above go?¡± ¡°Fool¡¯s Gold,¡± my dad answered simply as he moved toward Miguel. ¡°How¡¯s everything been down here?¡± he asked. ¡°Good, good. We may be sixty percent done. Willa and you rejoin?¡± My dad nodded and moved over to Fat Gary next and had a quick conversation with him that I couldn¡¯t hear. As I went back to working, I repeated my earlier question to Smegma, [What happens if you succeed?] ¡°How would I husking know that dumb-dumb?¡± He did have a point there. I managed to get another stem after four more attempts. This time I sold the Spent Crystal as well, not wanting it to look like I was finding an abundance of the clear type, which in truth I had yet to even see. Smegma bought it for a hundred mC. Two hours later, our group had cleared a second cavern of Crystals and the Specialist¡¯s had dismissed the Ores. My dad was sufficiently impressed by my perseverance to let me take home the Spent Crystal. I picked it up with my gloves and asked, [Smeg, will it still activate if I¡¯m wearing gloves?] He gave me a look that questioned my intelligence. ¡°You need to insert your Mana into it dummy!¡± Flushing with heat I chose to keep wearing my gloves, due to the sharp edges. Either way, I wouldn¡¯t be attempting to use the thing till I got home. I wasn¡¯t sure what would happen when the Crystal activated and told me what my low-ranked Skills were, but I wouldn¡¯t want it to happen in front of others. Even if it wasn¡¯t flashy. Having other people see my Skills would be like exposing my dick to them or something. At least that¡¯s how intensely personal it felt. Our group started moving all the shards to boxes to help the porter. Once we were finished it was about ten minutes after five, and my dad led the way back to the surface. Outside the cave entrance was a man I didn¡¯t recognize but sported the Lynx¡¯s logo. He glanced at the large watermelon sized crystal in my hands, but quickly dismissed it, likely after noticing its see-through clarity indicating the absence of Mana. A few groups were already outside waiting. Everything seemed normal until my dad approached the waiting Lynx Hunter. ¡°Any reports?¡± ¡°Two minor injuries to your crew. Four major acid burns that required a Healer. Unfortunately, the cost of heals wiped out about nine-tenths of your bonus, but currently you still have a hundred thousand to split amongst the workers.¡± A hundred thousand?! That¡¯s when I remembered the size of the crew as a whole and realized that only equated to about two thousand dollars each. I scoffed at my own thoughts. ¡®Only¡¯ two-thousand dollars plus hourly for a day''s work? That¡¯s half a month''s wages for a middle class family. Wait, would I get a share of that? Willa socked me in the arm. ¡°Don¡¯t worry kid. Everyone gets a share, but newbies start at a half percent. That means¡ª¡± Echoes of shouting laced with screams echoed up the tunnel cutting Willa off. Everyone outside spun to face the entrance as four men carrying a package between them rushed into the remaining light of the rainforest. It took a moment to realize the ¡®package¡¯ was moving and¡ªscreaming. I inhaled sharply through my nose in surprise. I began to cough as the sulfur-like sour odor of burning skin attempted to climb down my throat. The man who had just answered my father pointed in a direction and the four men kept jogging while supporting the mangled body between them. My eyes weren¡¯t sure what they were seeing. The reason it had looked more like a package than a human at first was because the leather armor looked like it had melted into the man¡¯s flesh. Where one might expect blood, instead there was something that resembled moss, but shone like metal, and finally but most confusing was the lack of two limbs. Suddenly that two-thousand dollars didn¡¯t seem like quite enough. ¡°Well, shit,¡± my dad said. Willa grimaced from beside me and slumped down onto the rainforest floor with a disappointed exhalation of held air. ¡°I really could have used that bonus,¡± she complained. ¡°So, we don¡¯t get it anymore?¡± I asked, still watching the spot where the four men and the terribly injured one vanished. ¡°Not a chance,¡± my dad stated plainly. ¡°In fact, our group¡¯s insurance is probably going to take a hit. Better than Silvia dying, though.¡± My father¡¯s face was whiter than I¡¯d ever seen. A quick scan showed me that the whole Miner¡¯s group looked the same. It was only then that I realized that this could easily have happened to me. 015 Thursday, April 4th, 2069 The trip back was the opposite of what I expected. First, the quiet introspection by the Miners only lasted perhaps five minutes, or until everyone was confirmed to have exited the Mining caverns. Then, we were led back to the entrance of the Portal. Once the exterior of the Portal was cleared by our guides, we were sent through, and I experienced my second trip through a Portal before we were efficiently loaded back onto the ATV. Once aboard we met the group who carried away the man who had been missing limbs. The mood instantly felt turbulent right up until people noticed the fifth member with some very red skin on his intact limbs, and parts of his body. While there wasn¡¯t cheering or loud exclamations of joy, each member took a moment to go pat the man on a shoulder, head, or knee. I was the odd man out here, not feeling comfortable approaching a person I didn¡¯t know, but I definitely felt the simmering undercurrent of relief that I assumed everyone else did. It was good to know that if you got injured that you would be healed. ¡°The Healing this meat sack received is surprisingly good. Not many Healers on Crendalar could regrow limbs, and the ones that could were beyond expensive.¡± Smegma commented, his voice speculative and clearly not meant to start a conversation. He paired his introspective comment with a motion that looked like he was squeezing biceps that he didn¡¯t currently have. For my part, I was too busy tightly clutching my ¡®trophy¡¯ from the day¡ªthe clear Spent Mana Crystal. I was also busy funneling each regenerated point of Mana I received into Demonic Vault. It was rather enjoyable to watch the mC number climb ever closer to ten thousand. While I say ever closer to ten thousand, I was still over five hundred points away, which wasn¡¯t exactly achievable, at least not tonight. That thought depressed me a bit, because if I couldn¡¯t grab a Miner¡¯s Pick tonight or in the morning, I would have to wait till tomorrow night. My reasoning was that if I suddenly pulled my own pick out of mid-air while Mining there would be questions; one of which would be ownership. If I got it at home, all I would have to do is leave the house for an hour or two tonight and borrow the car. Then come home and claim I bought it. Then when I arrived at the site, I¡¯d be in possession of my own pick, which would put a stop to all questions of ownership. Suddenly, I had an idea. Smegma was a merchant, right? The world was full of different things, and after talking to the Imp, I realized that there were things we likely valued very little that Smegma or his Sect might value very highly, or vice-versa. Could I become an interplanetary Silk Road middle-man between his world and mine? I did have some savings¡­ [Smegma, would you accept other objects for Mana Coins?] I asked mentally, thinking about taking that shopping trip but purchasing objects with another form of currency. Worldwide Greenbacks. The world-wide accepted currency, which¡ªlet¡¯s be honest, was just American Dollars with a name change. According to history, the name change was ceded to assuage other nations when the Awakening Advent occurred. It was somewhat amusing since the currency was identical to previous US dollars, with one change so far. The twenty-dollar bill print had a new face, and that was Connor O¡¯Gorman, the Hunter Association president and worlds first double S Hunter. Plus he was unsurprisingly, American¡ªso I wasn¡¯t even sure if that wouldn¡¯t have happened either way. It also didn¡¯t help that the term ¡®Greenbacks¡¯ never really caught on, and that most people still called the global currency ¡®dollars¡¯, but they tried, I guess. ¡°If it has any value, but I doubt you can buy anything I¡¯d be interested in. It isn¡¯t like you can send a Healer over¡­¡± I looked at the Healed man who looked exceptionally tired from the day¡¯s ordeals, and then rolled my eyes. Even if I could purchase a person, there was no way I¡¯d be sending them to Crendalar Five after Smegma¡¯s admission. Still, I loudly heard Smegma¡¯s stance on Earth¡¯s everyday items and technology. It didn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t going to try, plus there were always credit cards to max out for something of true value¡­ [You¡¯ve been floating around and annoying me long enough that I¡¯ve realized a few things. You¡¯re not impressed with our technology, and you seem to roll your eyes at how we are utilizing the newly available resources, but I was thinking that the raw resources we¡¯re using so poorly might be worth more to your people than to us, at least for now,] I began to explain. As I floundered for more to say, more that would truly highlight just how far spanning this idea could go, I glanced over at the Imp. Surprisingly, he was smiling. It was¡­ terrifying. ¡°You forgot one¡­ little thing in your fledgling plans of world domination.¡± His voice was smug. I hated it already. ¡°You see, I¡¯m the merchant here. I¡¯m the one connecting entire worlds through my sheer awesomeness. The merchant makes his money through the margins, not the seller.¡± I frowned. Smegma smiled cheerfully, and added a final line that turned my frown into a scowl of distrust. ¡°It¡¯s still a good idea, though. Definitely worth exploring.¡± He basically just told me he would try to rob me blind on any transaction, hadn¡¯t he? Sure, I¡¯d likely get some value out of the trades still, but this felt like it should be a relationship of mutual benefits. At least to me. Wait¡ª Was he already doing that with the Mana Crystals? My eyes narrowed and I ground my teeth as silently as I could manage. I¡¯d keep that little slip up from the Demon in mind for later. The ATV came to a stop, and then slowly inched forward as if suddenly stuck in rush hour traffic. The silence in the cab lessened, as murmurs of conversation sprang up. Willa and my dad were no exception. My dad started by directing a question to me, ¡°So, how are your hands feeling after your first day?¡± I released the Crystal with one of the hands in question and looked at the thick monster-skin glove that covered it. Opening and closing my fist made me realize just how odd my hands did feel. I had expected Recovery to have fully taken care of any problems, but my hands did feel quite numb after the day of work. ¡°Not great,¡± I said as I stared at my own hand that didn¡¯t feel like it was totally under my brain''s control. ¡°Numb and weak.¡± ¡°Oh my god, yes!¡± Willa exclaimed. ¡°Mine are feelin¡¯ the same but that be because I tried my hand at that Necrograph deposit. That stuff needs a magic jack hammer or a Specialist, I think.¡± Willa opened and closed her hands, mirroring me, though she no longer wore her gloves. My dad noticed the difference and reached over to help me take off my gloves. It took me a second to realize his intention. I spoke up. ¡°No, not yet. There are a couple sharp places on this Crystal. I don¡¯t want to cut my hands.¡± ¡°I already told you, it isn¡¯t just touching the thing that activates it,¡± Smegma groaned from beside me. He sounded like he was talking to a child. Unfortunately I had once again forgotten that point, and it was too late now¡ªso I stuck to the lie. My dad blinked then nodded. ¡°Okay, but once we get in the car, I¡¯ll need to take a look. My guess is your hands are covered in blisters.¡± At my widening eyes he chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have a salve in the car that will instantly heal them but leaves behind the calluses. As for that Crystal, we¡¯ll have to file it down later, I don¡¯t want your friends getting hurt if they come by to study. I¡¯ve got a grinder in the basement.¡± I nodded, even though there was no chance of him using the tool to ruin my Spent Mana Crystal. While it was true that there were some sharp edges to the thing, that wasn¡¯t the real reason I hadn¡¯t wanted to touch the thing. I wanted to hide my face in my hands, but fought the urge and instead turned to Willa and asked, ¡°Are there better picks out there that would turn an experienced Miner into a Specialist?¡± ¡°Oh sure, but they be stupid expensive. Plus, they break quick. So, it be a gamble.¡± ¡°Gamble?¡± This time my dad answered the question. ¡°Yeah, you get higher pay as a Specialist, and the group could get a higher bonus with more people able to mine deposits like True Gold, Thorium, Necrograph or even stronger materials. However, as you saw today, bonuses are anything but guaranteed. Then, when you have to repair your pick, if you don¡¯t have enough money¡ªit¡¯s coming out of your pocket. We¡¯ve had a few people give it a try, Willa and I included. I think I was in the black by about a hundred bucks when mine broke for the fourth time, and I just gave up. Willa, how much did you lose again?¡± ¡°Husk Gary, ya know better than ta bring that up.¡± Willa glared at my dad, then softened the look when she saw me intently looking at her from my seat between them. ¡°About ten thousand,¡± she answered sheepishly. My eyebrows rose. ¡°How much does one of these picks cost?¡± I asked, trying to understand how she could have gone that much into the red. ¡°Anywhere from five thousand to a hundred thousand, depending on the quality and what it will do,¡± my dad nonchalantly quoted. ¡°That¡¯s because you are walking apes and can¡¯t figure out how to create a self-repair Enchantment,¡± Smegma said insultingly. It allowed me to know that he had returned to this side of the cabin, but I ignored him, more interested in what these expensive pickaxes could do. ¡°What could make the most expensive one worth that kind of money?¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t really, unless you¡¯re Minin¡¯ in higher rankin¡¯ Dungeons. There be multiple problems with buying an expensive pick. Primary amongst them is that a Minin¡¯ Pick ain¡¯t always the best tool for the job. You¡¯d gone to da next cavern already, but sometimes you want wedges and sledgehammers. Or a jackhammer. So, yeah, a Miner¡¯s pick can work for all deposits and Crystals, but if you really want to do it right you need a whole set¡ªand don¡¯t even get me started on how much that would cost¡ª¡° ¡°¡ªNah,¡± Smegma interrupted, cutting off some of what my Willa said next. ¡°A Skilled Miner can do with just the pickaxe, well at least one of my¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªanswer what¡¯s on a pick to make it worth that kind of money. Sellers claim that the higher end models can help guide you to existing¡¯ cracks and strike points while you swim¡¯. The heads are also made of metals from C rank Dungeons, which means that they are absurdly durable. However, it usually isn¡¯t the metal that breaks, but the Enchantments, so the better the Enchants, the more expensive the repair¡­¡± My dad said while looking wistful. I could tell he wanted a pickaxe like that, but simultaneously couldn¡¯t justify spending a quarter of our house''s mortgage on the thing. Not to mention the possible millions it might be to get a whole tool kit. I glanced at Smegma, thinking over his interruption. I couldn¡¯t see how additional tools wouldn¡¯t be helpful for various situations¡­ It took me a second to notice that the Imp was practically apoplectic with rage. [You okay there, buddy?] I asked hesitantly. His face looked ready to pop like a balloon at any moment. ¡°Higher-end models of pickaxes in your world make it easier to shard Crystals faster?!¡± His head might not have exploded, but his voice sure did. I winced in spite of myself, trying not to give away to everyone that I had an imaginary friend with me who could rupture eardrums. ¡°There¡¯s an entire branch of Enchantments dedicated to helping tools pull Crystals, Herbs, Fruit and Skins whole and unblemished and you¡ªyou¡­¡± He buried his face into his hands, continuing to rant. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I caught what sounded like laments about his world being starved of Mana while we ¡®burned the garden of the Gods and laughed while we did it¡¯. For the briefest of moments I thought he might be right, but surely he¡¯d misunderstood what Willa had meant. She was saying that the Mining Pick Enchants helped mine minerals not Crystals. A smile came onto my face as Smegma continued to rant about idiotic Flesh Demons, and the state of his world. Seemed like ¡®big brain¡¯ had gotten it wrong¡ªand I was perfectly content to let him think that. Our group lapsed into silence after that. Allowing me to truly bask in Smegma¡¯s displeasure with our race. I hoped the other two didn¡¯t think my wide smile was too weird for the situation. I glanced around to make sure I wasn¡¯t getting strange looks. Willa was stewing in the memory of her debt, it appeared, while my dad was daydreaming. For my part, when I wasn¡¯t laughing at Smegma¡¯s mood, I was rejoicing. I may have found the perfect market for the Miner¡¯s Picks that Smegma was selling. I scanned back to the Crafting Components and wondered if there was anything else in there that could be as valuable. Like the Herbalism Kit¡ªcould a Gardener get the same use out of it as a Miner and the picks? My knee began jumping up and down in excitement, and my dad broke out of his waking dream to stare at my telltale ¡®jimmy leg.¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re thinking of buying one, aren¡¯t you?¡± The ATV not coming to a coasting stop, saved me from answering. We must have made it through the gate and back into Windsor. The conversations went from controlled murmurs to excited exchanges. People took the opportunity that this provided to congratulate the injured man on his survival. Everyone stayed strapped into their seats, but a song started up. It wasn¡¯t a song I was familiar with, and if I was honest, the song practically had no tune. It reminded me of Happy Birthday in a way, with a rote set of words that allowed you to insert someone¡¯s name into the jingle. The man¡¯s name was Silvia, and he managed to perk himself up enough to smile through the somewhat haunting melody. Mining tales of Miners tells, Of one who went to Mine and Fell, For though they crossed the Line Within, All Mines and Miners meet their Ends. We take our Picks for Mining Licks, To each our own, the Mining Tricks. But, ho'' today''s a Mining Day! And lo'' the Miners come to Play! The Miners come for Mining Well, They leave their Ghost, to Mining Dwell. But woe to those, the Mine it Picks For lo'' they go give Death a Kiss, Who was Kissed amidst the Dark? T''was Silvia who played their Part! Who took to Mine like it¡¯s a Sin? T¡¯was Silvia who took the Win! Who Fell that day, like it was Art? T''was Silvia who played the Part! Mining tales of Miner''s Tells, Of one who went to Mine and Fell! The song repeated until the ATV came to a stop and continued for a third round even as the hatch lowered. Even the Lynx¡¯s Hunters and Banks joined in, making me one of the few men or women not singing along. No one unstrapped until the third time through, even though the hatch had been fully dropped for about forty seconds at that point. Then as if the ending of the song was a cue, people unstrapped, and descended the ramp. Some groups formed at the bottom of the ramp, and I could tell that these were the bar flies. The somewhat younger group of men, mixing with the two-decade senior ones a dead give-away. This was the afterwork crew who either didn¡¯t have responsibilities at home or were past those responsibilities. The second and more damning piece of evidence was that they all headed toward a pub that was easily visible across the road from the parking lot. ¡°Do ya want to head over for a pint at ¡®World¡¯s End¡¯ to celebrate Brodie¡¯s first day,¡± Willa asked. I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯d really like to get home. I still need to call the school and drop this semester¡¯s courses. Then I¡¯d like to go to the Hunter¡¯s Mall and grab some more appropriate clothes for tomorrow. I can¡¯t keep wearing civilian clothes under the loaner armor.¡± ¡°Okay, but you two are joining me tomorrow whether you like it or not. No excuses!¡± Willa exclaimed and then jogged to catch up with the group. Turning to my father I raised a questioning eyebrow. ¡°She goes for one beer most days. Says it clears the dust from her throat.¡± I nodded but he changed the subject. ¡°Are you really only going to buy clothes?¡± I looked at him, and then motioned to the car, trying to say we should talk on the drive back. He frowned but nodded. I grabbed the bag of loaned armor and my pickaxe and together we moved to the trunk of the Ford Escort. In quick fashion we were out of the armor and packed up. We both got into our seats and I was surprised to find my dad reaching across to snatch my hand. He examined my left hand as his brow furrowed, then he absent mindedly snatched my right and checked it too. After staring at it and then back to my left for a short few seconds he looked up to meet my eyes. ¡°Since when do you have the calluses of a veteran Miner?¡± I looked at my own hands, not having to fake my confusion. Sure enough, I had rather large calluses that I knew for certain hadn¡¯t been there before. Just like my appearance I took careful care of my hands. Sure I¡¯d had some callouses from the gym, but this was as my father alluded to: Excessive. ¡°I¡¯ve had them for a long time,¡± I lied. ¡°You know, weights and Muay Thai, dad.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure why I couldn¡¯t tell my dad about my Recovery Skill yet, but I just didn¡¯t. If he heard about Recovery I¡¯d probably tell him about Mental Fortitude and then Demonic Vault¡ªand I just wasn¡¯t sure how that would go. Instead, I motioned for him to start the car, and he did after a final skeptical look at my hands. I waited until we pulled out of the parking lot to start talking, which effectively distracted him from my hands. I used the time it took to navigate the Ford Escort through parking spots to finalize the partially formed plan of what I wanted to say. Smegma didn¡¯t help as he offered suggestions that no human would ever take. My final decision, on the ATV ride back, was not to tell my father the whole story just yet. I had begun by thinking I would confess everything that had happened since Morgan Hallsbrad assaulted me, but eventually landed on the complication¡ªSmegma. I just couldn¡¯t be sure how my dad would react to me telling him I had a Demon Imp that was going to sell me items from his ¡®destroyed¡¯ or slowly dying home world. Religion, particularly Catholicism¡ªwas extremely prevalent in our part of the world. While my family weren¡¯t devout followers by any stretch of imagination, they still might feel the need to have an exorcism performed. Or consult ¡®experts¡¯. I just wasn¡¯t ready for that level of scrutiny. No, if I was honest, I didn¡¯t want this opportunity to be taken from me. So, any risk of that was unacceptable. ¡°I know you said that it¡¯s a gamble,¡± I started, and saw my dad¡¯s face morph into a deep disapproving frown. ¡°But!¡± I added pointedly before he could get a word in. ¡°I think that I Awakened a second Skill.¡± The frown became numerous blinks and Gary went as far as pulling to the side of the road. ¡°What?!¡± he asked, his voice excited but also unbelieving. ¡°Today when I was swinging the pickaxe, I could feel my Mana Pool draining. Then, on a particularly bad swing I chipped off a bit of the metal, and that¡¯s where things got strange. The chipped piece kind of returned to the pickaxe, like it was magnetized. I thought I imagined it, but it happened a few more times throughout the day. I think I have a new Skill that repairs weapons, maybe even armor.¡± Sure, that was a lie, but it was what Smegma and I managed to come up with. My dad screeched the tires as he pulled to a quick stop on the side of the road. Once the car stopped he turned on the four-way blinkers in the car and avoided looking at me. He breathed in deeply and then let the air out in a long slow sigh. He scratched roughly at his beard and didn¡¯t look at me for the next several minutes as he continued his patterned breathing. Finally, he did turn on me, and I could see a glimmer of something in his eyes. ¡°Brodie, you would be one of possibly one or two percent of the world¡¯s population with two Awakened gifts. Are you certain you aren¡¯t still just reacting to the Mana Assault?¡± I nodded, having expected some sort of reaction like this. It was extremely rare to have two Awakened Gifts. Just as rare to ¡®re-Awaken¡¯ according to everything I read. Looking my father firmly in the eyes I whispered, ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure dad.¡± ¡°You heard Ms. Stovall, son. It would be on par with winning the damn lottery to have re-Awakened, outside of a Portal!¡± My dad argued one final time, his eyes staring earnestly into mine. When I didn¡¯t look away he nodded slowly and took a deep breath his eyes going unfocused for a moment This probably meant he was currently internalizing the ¡®bombshell¡¯ I just dropped on him. After a moment he looked back up. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you need to be a Miner Brodie!¡± he said, his voice animated in a way that wasn¡¯t quite excitement¡ªmore like agitation. ¡°If you have another Skill, and that particular one, you could repair my pickaxe every night at home.¡± This time the excitement was real, and I smiled. ¡°Got ¡®em,¡± Smegma said, evilly. My smile slipped a bit. I wasn¡¯t sure I liked how much Smegma seemed to want me to lie¡ªwanted me to do things that were morally ambiguous. Still, this was exactly where we hoped my lie would lead, and realizing this allowed my smile to grow. Thinking of the hopeful destination turned the look devious. ¡°And Willa¡¯s,¡± I added. My dad demonstrated where the habit of my jimmy leg, when I got excited, came from, as his leg began bouncing under the steering wheel. ¡°Should we get you tested first?¡± he asked, and I shook my head. I truly wasn¡¯t sure where I would rank now that I had three Skills of relatively high rank and a Mana Pool. The UNMH provided free surface scans of all Awakened, and I had already completed one to find out that I had an F-rank Skill. That test was more of a quick aura scan. There were more in-depth tests, or rumors of them at least¡ªfor those who were scanned with Skill rankings higher than C or had the money to pay for them. According to rumors you could find out a little more about your Skill specifics, which made it valuable for combat Hunters. ¡°No, I think if I go buy one of those five-thousand dollar picks you mentioned, I can prove it myself tomorrow. Plus, I don¡¯t know if it only works when I¡¯m the one holding the pick. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case, it feels more like a mark I¡¯m applying to the Pick that slowly repairs it using ambient Mana. Still, I think slowly figuring it out through us will be way cheaper than spending twenty-five thousand on an Assessor.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s true,¡± my dad said sheepishly, some of his excitement seeming to escape from him. ¡°If the Skill is strong enough though, you should get it Assessed. Even D-ranks get free tuition at lower end UNMH sponsored Academies!¡± ¡°If this Skill works the way I think it does, then I could go to school and start a business, right?¡± After that suggestion, it took a few minutes for my father to get a hold of his bouncing leg and be able to drive again. The drive home was very pleasant after that, if I ignored Smegma¡¯s snide comments. My dad spoke excitedly about future possibilities: if I actually had a secondary Repair Skill, about him starting his own Mining crew, filled with nothing but Equipment Specialists, and about how my mother would never have to work again. ¡°If it is a repair Skill, do you think we should buy the picks and rent them to others? I would need to repair them or reapply whatever my Mana is doing each night, so¡­¡± I let my thoughts hang in the air. ¡°Not sure. If you need to repair them, that would be the easiest, and we wouldn¡¯t have to tell people about your Gift. Just say that it¡¯s for maintenance or perhaps even use the excuse of replacing them. However, if people know about your Skill, we can also just charge them for repairs, but keep it more reasonable than if they went to an Enchanter or Blacksmith.¡± My heart hammered as I heard that suggestion. ¡°I think I¡¯d prefer to keep it hidden,¡± I lied, further realizing that the lie was getting larger with every sentence. I consoled myself with the thought that I¡¯d tell my parents the whole truth at some point. My father helped me feel worse instantly when we pulled into the driveway. He stared pointedly at our front door and said, ¡°That¡¯s true. Probably best to keep it hidden for now. However, I¡¯m not the only one you need to convince.¡± I joined my father in imagining the upcoming conversation. ¡°Are you both afraid of Clara?¡± Smegma asked. ¡°She¡¯s half the weight of both of you?¡± I didn¡¯t humor the Imp with a reply and just continued to stare at the front door to our house. In a whisper I asked, ¡°Can you let me take a shower first?¡± 016 Thursday, April 4th, 2069 ¡°Is this why you asked Ms. Stovall about if things might get complicated if you were no longer an F-rank?¡± My mother asked. Her expression was both disappointed and deadly serious. She too had been extremely skeptical at first about my ¡®re-Awakening.¡¯ The odds were just too small. Either way I wasn¡¯t about to admit that I may be a Cannibal¡­ Unlike my father, once I managed to convince her it was real, she was taking the news of my re-Awakening with far less excitement. Her reminder of my court case and the possible trouble I was in sobered my father¡¯s excitement as well. He now wore an expression that was somewhat easy to read. He was trying to figure out why I seemed fine, even after everything I¡¯d just been through. I nodded in affirmation to my mother¡¯s question, while giving my father a disappointed look. I had wanted nothing more than five minutes to myself so I could shower¡ªmaybe use the Spent Mana Crystal, but that didn¡¯t seem to be in the ¡®cards¡¯. I¡¯d even told my father that in the car¡ªbut I had barely made it to my room when I heard my mom¡¯s very dramatic gasp. Smegma had begun laughing, and moments later, I¡¯d heard my mother calling my name. My mother¡¯s next words echoed my fathers. ¡°It might be best if we had him reassessed,¡± my mother said while looking at Gary. Since only one person at the table had gone to post-secondary school for Portal and Hunters affairs, and she was cutting me out of the conversation a bit, I felt heat rise from my chest. ¡°No,¡± I said shortly. Both my parents looked at me with shocked expressions. My tone hadn¡¯t exactly been soft, and it wasn¡¯t often that I flat out refused something they suggested. Sighing, I explained, ¡°It will only muddy the water. Right now, the case is of a¡ª¡± I cut off just before mentioning the rank of the highest Skill I¡¯d stolen from the man. I paused for a moment, trying to recall what Morgan Hallsbrad¡¯s Rank was. I didn¡¯t remember Ms. Stovall¡¯s words through the hot buzz of my frustration. Smegma helped me out. ¡°¡ªC-ranked Awakened assaulting an F-ranked. Cut and dry. If I suddenly became higher Ranked, then my self-defense may get called into question.¡± My mother¡¯s face went red as her own anger was likely kindled. ¡°He was a known criminal¡ªwho murdered so many people for their Skills! I don¡¯t think it will go that way.¡± She paused for a moment, studying me. ¡°How are you so calm about this?!¡± My mother demanded, tears forming in her eyes. I winced my frustration dying in my chest as Mental Fortitude asserted itself. ¡°Sweetie, he¡¯s probably right.¡± My dad saved me from answering my mother¡¯s question. ¡°While we both think a repair Skill won¡¯t change things, we don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°The man who attacked Brodie was a murderer!¡± My mother said for the second time. My father stood up and placed both hands on her shoulders. ¡°That¡¯s true, honey¡ªbut we know nothing about the law. Why don¡¯t we tell Ms. Stovall after he confirms the Skill tomorrow? ¡°Surely the judge would take into account when the Skill Awakened!¡± My mother added, her voice growing higher in octave. My anger simmered as they once again cut me out of the conversation. While they were making good points, it just didn¡¯t feel good to not have any say. I tried to put a lid on it, realizing that it wasn¡¯t intentional. ¡°We can¡¯t know that,¡± I growled quietly, not fully managing to keep the aggravation in. ¡°I agree we might want to consult Ms. Stovall and see what she thinks.¡± My mother stared first at me and then imploringly at my father. My father winced in a near mirror of my own, thanks to our similar genetics. ¡°She does have a bit of a point, son. Most Judges also have a truth detection Skill¡­¡± I nodded. That was my greatest fear and why I wanted to keep this out of a courtroom. ¡°You¡¯re actually making a case against telling her, dad,¡± I responded pointing at him. ¡°Keeping Ms. Stovall in the dark, may be best. While client confidentiality still exists, so does illusory truth.¡± That had been covered in one of my introductory classes. The example the teacher used was of a particularly bad case of murders. A Hunter nicknamed ¡®Slaughter¡¯ had been running Portals with his Guild Anarchy for about five years before he was finally caught. The reason being is that he never spoke directly to someone with a Truth-Seeking Skill. The UNMH courts had adopted the American¡¯s fifth amendment right¡ªand he used it to have his lawyers speak on his behalf. Cleverly, Slaughter had always explained his falsehoods to his lawyer who conveyed the incidents as ¡®Portal mishaps¡¯, on his behalf. In fact, Hunter-death in Portals was more of a report, than a trial. So, he¡¯d remained free, right up until the Anarchy Guild hired a lawyer with a Truth-Seeking Skill. There had just been too many incidents of Portal Mishaps surrounding Slaughter. The lawyer could tell that Slaughter wasn¡¯t telling the whole truth, but nothing more. This was practically an admission of guilt to the Anarchy Guild. and they had to make a choice. Slaughter was a high-ranking Hunter that brought Anarchy quite a high profile. In the end, the Anarchy wanted to keep him on as a Solo raider¡ªchoosing to keep him active in the field, but taking other Guild members out of his reach. However, both Anarchy and Slaughter got extremely unlucky. The judge also had a Truth-Seeking Skill, and when the Lawyer came in to claim the most recent death to be Portal related, the judge knew it to be an omission of information. It took a few more years for all the information in the case to be gathered, but when a survivor of Slaughter¡¯s attack was found a media storm broadcast the case planet-wide. The entire Anarchy Guild, that operated in South Africa, was deemed criminal by the UNMH, and Slaughter was instantly put to the top of the UNMH most wanted list. I could tell by my parents'' faces that my use of the term was bringing back memories from ten years ago. The case was rather sensationalized, especially because the Guild and Slaughter were still at large. Everyone assumed they were hiding out in a Field somewhere in Africa, but despite their notoriety¡ªno reports of their whereabouts were known to have been made. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m missing something,¡± Smegma said while looking between everyone from his place on the dining table¡¯s hanging light. [There¡¯s an entire streaming documentary about it. I¡¯ll show you later.] I responded. Silence continued to stretch at the table, and my parents looked between me and each other. Smegma hovered down from the light. ¡°You could just buy an Obfuscation Ring,¡± he said as he landed on the table in front of me. ¡°It would hide one of your Skills from detection. You¡¯d have to get a mid-grade since Mental Fortitude is an A-ranked Skill, but I think it¡¯s only a hundred thousand mC in the Demonic Vault Shop.¡± Smegma tried to send a screen with the information, but I ignored it, which somehow minimized the window to a small red dot in the corner of my vision. I made a mental note to remember that piece of functionality. I desperately searched my brain for something to say to break this uncomfortable silence and thought I¡¯d found something. ¡°Mom. Dad. You and I know that my new Skill Awakening had no impact on me defending myself from Morgan¡¯s Mana pull,¡± both my parent¡¯s faces drained of blood. I swallowed, and realized this was one of the first times I had said the term aloud again since the Police Station or maybe even before that. For a moment I felt nauseous. A fire that I hadn¡¯t felt since that day erupted in my stomach. Thankfully, something seemed to contain it¡ªlike a ring of stones around a campfire. Heat still wafted from it, but it didn¡¯t allow the destructive part to escape. ¡°I did nothing wrong,¡± I said, my voice hot. ¡°Stressful situations can cause re-Awakenings, and that husker attacked me unprovoked. I won¡¯t let someone twist that to make me look like a bad guy.¡± I realized I was shouting and didn¡¯t continue. That hadn¡¯t been even close to the direction I was planning to go with the conversation and frankly I was surprised by it. Somewhere along the way I must have stood up and I lowered myself back into my seat, face feeling hot with the dual emotions of embarrassment and anger. Once seated, I looked pointedly at Smegma, my eyes wide and he inferred the question I wanted to ask. ¡°The Mental Fortitude Skill doesn¡¯t stop emotions, it just helps keep memories and situations from breaking you. Notice that you don¡¯t have any fear while talking about your assaulter? That¡¯s the Skill. Some say it contains strong negative emotions, but it doesn¡¯t simply delete them. They¡¯re still there, inside you. It¡¯s believed that the Skill relieves those emotions back into your psyche over time and that won¡¯t harm you, but they have to be expressed. Even the Skill can¡¯t keep it bottled up forever.. Then everything just bubbles over, which is probably why you just shouted and it feels like it came out of nowhere.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. My mother rushed over to my chair and hugged me. My dad stood and moved over as well but only placed a hand atop my free shoulder, opposite my mother. ¡°We don¡¯t think you¡¯re the bad guy!¡± My mom blurted out, and I could hear the tears in her voice. My anger slowly cooled¡ªthe Mental Fortitude Skill or my own calming breathing getting it under control. I looked to my dad, who must have seen something in my eyes, because he nodded. ¡°You can head up to your room, shower, and then hit the Mall. I¡¯ll talk with your mother.¡± Maybe he felt slightly responsible since he¡¯d been the one to blab about the second Awakening right after we got in the door. I regretted not immediately hopping in the shower. Still, I couldn¡¯t read the somber look on his face. I gave him a tight-lipped smile but waited for my mother to stop squeezing me before I slowly stood up and hugged her back. As I hugged her, I apologized to both my parents, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I shouted. We can discuss again later if telling Ms. Stovall will be for the best.¡± Something in their expressions instantly made me feel better. They clearly didn¡¯t think I was shouting at them. ¡°Don¡¯t keep everything all bottled up!¡± My mom answered my apology. ¡°Don¡¯t hold it in, you¡¯re going to give yourself an aneurysm. We¡¯re always here to talk. And we weren¡¯t trying to make a decision without you!¡± Swallowing hard I squeezed her tight, expressing that I wouldn¡¯t hold things in, but definitely not explaining that I was pretty sure that wasn¡¯t how aneurysms worked. The entire time, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how I would be handling all of this without Mental Fortitude. That thought and Smegma¡¯s earlier comment brought me to the stark truth of the situation. I had a whole lot more than the Demonic Vault Skill to hide. After a few minutes of hugs and promises, I was free to return to my room. It shouldn¡¯t be a surprise what my first question to Smegma was. ¡°How high of a rank was Mental Fortitude again?¡± ¡°You originally said you¡¯d gotten it at A Rank,¡± Smegma stated plainly, without even looking at me. My stomach fell through the floor and back to the table downstairs. I hadn¡¯t even considered how bad things could go if I was rescanned. While I was sure that the Awakened Assessment Machine wasn¡¯t exactly perfect, I knew it wouldn¡¯t be classifying me as an F-rank if I possessed four Skills, and one of them was A. Wouldn¡¯t I then be classified as an A-rank Awakened? Smegma landed on my desk lazily and slowly turned to look at me. I¡¯d found my way to the floor leaning my back against my bed frame. He stared at me and then shook his head while rolling his eyes. ¡°You think that they¡¯re going to waste a High-Ranked Spent Mana Crystal on a F-rank?¡± I shook my head. ¡°So, then what are you worried about?¡± ¡°As far as I know, people aren¡¯t aware that Unspent Mana Crystals can be used to identify Skills.¡± Smegma gave me a condescending look and I rolled my eyes at him. ¡°Even if we had them in abundance, which I don¡¯t think Humans do. It isn¡¯t like someone would think to send their Mana into the thing for five minutes. ¡°No, what we have, is a machine you stand in and it identifies your rank.¡± ¡°How?¡± Smegma said, looking interested. ¡°Huh?¡± I answered stupidly and then replayed the conversation and the question. ¡°Oh, no one really knows but it measures the magic energy coming off of you, or something.¡± ¡°So, it can¡¯t tell what your Skills are?¡± Smegma asked, sounding disgusted. ¡°Would I have needed a Spent Mana Crystal to see mine if it did?¡± Smegma raised the ridge above his black eyes. Whether he was realizing that I had a point or if he was questioning my tone I couldn¡¯t tell. ¡°So, you¡¯re worried that this machine will somehow feel more energy coming off of you?¡± I nodded. Smegma began tapping his teeth with a talon. After a moment he returned his attention to me. ¡°I¡¯d have to see this machine but that makes my concerns about discovery far smaller. Tell me, is there some people who are misclassified?¡± ¡°Yeah, quite a few but it gets adjusted and caught by the more in depth tests,¡± I answered. ¡°Most of those were the High-Rank Hunters that the first machine couldn¡¯t read properly.¡± ¡°Ahhh,¡± Smegma said smugly. ¡°A retest wouldn¡¯t force you to take the more in-depth tests?¡± I shook my head and Smegma smiled. ¡°I think the machine¡¯s problem is an issue of Passive Skills versus Active. Mental Fortitude for example is a Passive Skill and gives off no external Mana signature. Recovery will only give off a signature when you¡¯re healing. As for Demonic Vault, well, I am the magic energy signature. That and the windows. So, I would need to see this machine to be sure, but I think if I¡¯m outside the machine, and you aren¡¯t accessing the windows. I would doubt that it could sense anything. Do you know if the people who were misread couldn¡¯t use their Skills while being tested or what it read?¡± ¡°Uhhh, I think they are read as Skill-less. Or at least that''s what I think the read-it forum on Jax claimed.¡± I shrugged unhelpfully, not remembering something I¡¯d read in passing properly. Smegma returned to thinking but this conversation brought me full circle to the Spent Mana Crystal I¡¯d left on my dresser on the way out of my room. I slowly got to my feet and went to grab it. Then I moved to my office chair, which sat me in front of Smegma. He shook his head. ¡°You know it doesn¡¯t matter what rank your Mana Pool Skill Card is right now, right? With me here you can eventually upgrade it to something higher.¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s growing,¡± I answered. ¡°While it isn¡¯t full at the moment, I think I could probably get fifteen or sixteen points if I let it fill up.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Even if that¡¯s true, it isn¡¯t like sixteen points of Mana is something to brag about.¡± ¡°Husk you,¡± I responded, allowing just a touch of my frustration from my discussions with my parents into my voice. ¡°Earlier you told me that Mana Pools don¡¯t grow before Evolution. Now you¡¯re saying it doesn¡¯t matter if it did. Which one is it, you gaslighting son of a Greed.¡± The last bit I said teasingly, trying to lighten the mood and soothe my frustration. ¡°I am the proud son of a Felguard and an Imp thank you very much!¡± Smegma retorted just as cheekily. ¡°Just use the damn Crystal already and prove me right.¡± I changed my grip on the Spent Crystal to highlight my raised middle fingers, and then spun the chair away. With a deep breath I mentally dove into myself. It took me about five minutes of struggling before I found the trick of connecting my Pool to what appeared to be a small black dot between my physical hands. It was the straw conduit trick again, but finding the object in my Mental Universe was a bit of mental gymnastics. Thankfully, Smegma was patient¡ªnot! ¡°You know children on Crendalar Five can do this at birth?¡± ¡°Demon children¡­¡± I countered and was rewarded with a black forked tongue stuck out in my direction. Thankfully, my phone was on my desk table, and so while the five minutes of slow Mana seepage felt far longer than it should have, I could see the time and reaffirm that it was just my imagination. A single blue dot spun inside the Crystal at the five-minute mark, and then it slowly grew and clarified. It looked like a red playing card, with an elaborate design on the back. However, I couldn¡¯t make out the design or the front side of the card thanks to the distortion of the crystal. That problem didn¡¯t last for long, the Crystal shrank inwards, surprising me enough that I dropped it. By the time I thought of trying to catch it, only two cards were left fluttering to the floor like pieces of paper. I stared at the fractal patterns on the back that I couldn¡¯t make out through the Crystal. It was hard to describe. The images seemed to change. The red-backed card seemed to always have the image of imps, horned humanoids or the like¡ªand I guessed that one was the Demonic Vault Card. The second Card was green and seemed to depict scenes of a multitude of people and creature¡¯s healing from wounds. Eventually, the changing images made me close my eyes and look away. Smegma saw my reaction and chuckled. ¡°Disturbing, isn¡¯t it?¡± I swallowed and nodded before picking up the Cards. Smegma motioned to the table, indicating I should put it down in a place we could both read them. I ignored him and he huffily floated to my shoulder.
Demonic Vault Skill Type: Summons (#$^~|) Skill Rank: High-E-rank (Evolvable) In exchange for Mana the holder can Summon objects once owned by the Abyss Sect on Crendalar Five. This Skill comes with a guide, and the ability to store Mana Points as Mana Coins.
Recovery Skill Type: Self Activating Skill Rank: High-C-Rank In exchange for vital energy, the Skill holder¡¯s body will heal at rapid speeds upon injury. Warning. This Skill will consume other body structures to prioritize your life if vital energy is insufficient.
Why wasn¡¯t there a Card for my Mana Pool Skill? ¡°Do I have to get another Spent Crystal to show my Mana Pool?¡± I asked, not really complaining but still sounding exasperated at the prospect of trying to take another Crystal home as a ¡®souvenir.¡¯ Not to mention if this thing was random¡­ ¡°No, that doesn¡¯t make any sense. It should have recognized all Skills below High-C grade.¡± Smegma hopped off the office table and hovered around near the floor, clearly looking for a third card. A smile broke onto my face after I scanned the floor as well and found nothing. ¡°Got anything to say?¡± I gloated. ¡°Yeah, let your Mana Pool fully refill, then tell me what you¡¯re at,¡± Smegma answered excitedly. Since I had been hoping for him to say something along the lines of, ¡®I guess I was wrong,¡¯ this response and the excitement surprised me. ¡°Okay, so you believe me now?¡± I asked. ¡°Not yet, but I certainly don¡¯t think you have an F-ranked Mana Pool either,¡± Smegma answered, but continued to look around on the floor of my room. ¡°Turn out your pockets,¡± he added after he still didn¡¯t find a third Card. I gave him the finger he was becoming so fond of. 017 Thursday, April 4th, 2069 ¡°Come on, just admit you¡¯re making this whole thing up,¡± Smegma said, as I drove the car into the parking garage for the Devonshire Mall. It had retained its name from before the Portal Advent but was drastically changed according to my parents. Now it was a mall that catered exclusively to Hunters, Crafters, and Crystal Tech. A growl was my only response to the Imp. After my shower, he¡¯d refused to let the issue of my Mana Pool go. Even though I confirmed I could now hold sixteen points which meant it was growing. His reason? A comparison to the E Rank of ¡®his¡¯ Demonic Vault Card. How could my sixteen points of Mana be a Card that was higher than him? ¡°I¡¯m not making anything up, and you said it yourself you¡¯ve never seen a growing Mana Pool before an Evolution. If you¡¯re so sure, why don¡¯t you tell me why my Mana Pool Card didn¡¯t show up after using the Spent Crystal and your Card did, if¡ª-whatever my Skill is¡ª isn¡¯t a higher Rank than yours? So, just shut the husk up about it,¡± I answered, annoyed. The Imp narrowed its black eyes and began biting at its talons using the razor-sharp-looking fangs in its mouth. I slammed the door closed behind me after parking and getting out of the vehicle. Honestly, I didn¡¯t know what was going on but to be constantly questioned by Smegma with the intention of catching me in a lie was grating. I figured in time I¡¯d just purchase or mine a mid-grade Spent Crystal and find out for myself. Then we¡¯d both get an answer. My slammed door didn¡¯t do enough to vent my anger, especially when Smegma just floated out of the windshield to follow me. He at least seemed to have gotten the hint and didn¡¯t pester me on the walk through the area. I made note of where I parked. ¡®Section D-2¡¯ The old dusty and rusted Ford Escort would stand out pretty clearly if I just got myself in the right ballpark. I walked by numerous types of vehicles and marveled at the designs, colors, and price points of each. Many of them I didn¡¯t even recognize and so couldn¡¯t estimate the expense but I could just tell they weren¡¯t cheap thanks to the fact that they were clearly over-designed with comfort in mind. Smegma floated into and out of a few cars. I debated about stopping him but didn¡¯t want him to return to pestering me, so I let him continue and thus was surprised when he exited a Teezla Model Z. Smegma asked, ¡°What are the screens and strange mechanical devices that are in many of these vehicles?¡± I frowned, wondering what Ether Tech component he was talking about, before realizing what he must actually mean. Something that would be severely lacking in our family''s ancient Ford Escort. ¡°The computers, cameras and sensors?¡± ¡°Computers?¡± Smegma said, testing the word. ¡°Is that the thing that showed the images in the cockpit of the ATV?¡± ¡°No, those are the cameras, and well yeah I guess the computer to a lesser degree,¡± I answered. The ATV cockpit was a pretty special case, since it didn¡¯t have any windscreens or windows. Instead, the thing was a literal moving tank that was piloted from feedback cameras mounted to the outside. I was told by a family friend who was also a mechanic, that drilling the holes for the wires was a huge challenge for the engineers on materials like that. They needed special drill bits made from Sea Creature horns. Some people called it Unicorn Horn, but the creature resembled an oversized Narwal more than a mythical horse. It was a rare ¡®Monster¡¯ that seemed to have survived a Portal Break in the sea. Still, like the Narwhal it hadn¡¯t suddenly started sinking freighters, or blasting planes from the sky¡ªlike doomsday predictors seemed to claim would happen at some point. It was just a new species of whale, probably twice as large as a Blue Whale. ¡°I don¡¯t understand how an image can be transmitted mechanically,¡± Smegma stated, interrupting my tangent, clearly wanting an answer. I gave him a tight-lipped smile, wanting to make him angry. It was mid-smile that I realized that my silence could perhaps do more. ¡°You should buy one from me and your people could study it,¡± I answered, smugly. ¡°I¡¯m sure there are books that will explain the concept better,¡± Smegma said through narrowed eyes. ¡°Oh yeah? How are you going to interact with those?¡± I said with a far too casual a shrug. ¡°I can interact with objects to a small degree,¡± he countered hotly, but his spin and float away toward the mall doors made his answer slightly less reliable. My guess was he could interact with objects but at a cost. Perhaps he would be able to if I had more Mana¡­ Or he was simply lying¡ªwhich was a distinct possibility, knowing him. Which brought me full circle to him annoying me at my house and the entire car ride here. I glared at his back but followed his floating, flapping form into the mall. The inside of the mall was as stunning as I remembered it being as a kid. The halls were all made of Portal Materials that had been turned into tiles and laid so well that the interior almost looked the way I imagined a Guild Hall might. Something akin to what old stories described Palaces and Mansions as. It was lavish to say the least. I smiled recalling my family coming here when I was in my teenage years. Not to buy anything, since we couldn¡¯t afford much, but to explore and play tourist. Staycation we¡¯d called it. The tiles merged into store fronts that were just as beautiful and my smile only grew when I saw the Lion head entrance for ¡®Hunter, Hunter, Hunter.¡¯ A store that specialized in mass produced gear and weapons. According to my parents the ¡®Lion¡¯ on the front used to be considered the ¡®king of the jungle¡¯. A creature that was an apex predator before the Portal disgorged creatures far more terrifying. Others called the creature a Manticore now-a-days since that creature was often found in B rank Portals. [Float through some stores and see if there is anything that your people would value at five hundred mC,] I mentally said to Smegma. He shrugged, and then floated into Hunter, Hunter, Hunter. In seconds he exited the store. ¡°Is that supposed to be gear?¡± he said smugly, clearly conveying his races ¡®superiority.¡¯ I simply raised my eyebrow and motioned to the next store. ¡°Fine, whatever. At least, I¡¯ll be more sure of how primitive your race is.¡± I really hoped that Smegma was wrong, as I walked down the center of the hallway. Soon the entry hall opened into the main area. Before the center of the floor vanished behind railings. According to my parents this mall used to be a single level but was now comprised of three floors. I looked up, hoping we wouldn¡¯t have to go up there for Smegma to find something. The third floor was for the most expensive and luxury stores only, and even the major brand three-leveled stores reserved their best gear for the upper floors. I scanned down to one of the ends of the central hallway, which led to a ¡®Hudson¡¯s Bay Company¡¯ one of the oldest stores in the world, but certainly the oldest in North America. This was one of those stores that contained three levels. According to my history class the Hudson Bay Trading Company was originally something of a pirate entity trading in animal pelts in the late sixteen hundreds, but became the store HBC, which ironically enough still dealt in Monster Parts. I moved in that direction, since stores like HBC were filled with items at some of the lowest prices, thanks to their buying power. Smegma continued to float through stores, and each time he would come out with a sneer. In a few instances that wasn¡¯t true, but he gave me a sign which told me that ¡®Snape¡¯s Potions¡¯ wasn¡¯t the answer to our search. I made it into HBC, and he rejoined me with a frown. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°I¡¯ll admit that some of the things I saw are interesting, but you¡¯d need to spend five hundred thousand dollairs to earn five hundred mC.¡± Smegma''s mispronunciation of dollars amused me, but I didn¡¯t bother correcting him. Instead, his statement made my heart rate speed up. If that was the case, would I be able to buy something from him, like the Miner¡¯s Pick and sell it for millions? I thought back to just after seeing Silvia return from getting healed. I¡¯d been thinking about options for making money, and it looked like many of them would be viable¡ªwith one small problem¡­ Could I trust Smegma? My family¡¯s money problems might be over if I could, or if we could figure out a way to work together. . Then again, how would I convince people to purchase something like that? I didn¡¯t exactly have a brand name buyers would trust, like HBC, for example. The simple answer would be to either make a company and build a reputation from the ground up, or find a connection with an existing corporation. That second option had the obvious flaw of me being a nobody teenager with no business experience who suddenly popped up with access to unseen and previously unknown goods and technologies. I¡¯d be eaten alive. The first option had similar flaws, however¡ªI simply didn¡¯t know where to start, and I didn¡¯t fool myself into thinking that even if I were able to get a foothold in the various markets, that the very success I¡¯d create would paint a target on my back. Anonymity, experience, and a way of ensuring that I wasn¡¯t being taken advantage of by my intangible companion, was what I needed. So easy, right? I held back a sigh. Frankly, I wasn¡¯t even opposed to an agreement where my portion of the profits was on the lower side of things¡ªsay a sixty-forty split. Ultimately, I just wanted to be informed, even if that knowledge was that I was being bent over the proverbial table. I could work with that. What I couldn''t work with were the doubts and uncertainties. Were there such things as System-enforced Contracts? I¡¯d have to look into it. I motioned around myself, my smile fading. [Anything in here?] Smegma raised his eyebrows and scanned the opulent design of the store. While the mall outside was stunning, the HBC was breathtaking. Display booths were set up in the aisles, where men and women dressed in suits, or Hunter gear stood manning them. Each booth sold different wares, ranging from accessories to potions. Smegma moved first to the potions and pointed. ¡°How can they be selling the same potion for less?¡± [I really don¡¯t have time to discuss competitive marketing with you, but Snape¡¯s Potions likely has a better product, overall. Maybe¡­] I wasn¡¯t sure of the truth to the statement. ¡°So, they just name the potion the same thing, and don¡¯t have to disclose the effects?¡± he asked, clearly confused. I moved up to examine the potion he was indicating.
Moderate Health Potion Heals moderate injuries in moments. Price: $50,000 GreenBacks
I saw his confusion but didn¡¯t get a chance to respond immediately as a girl dressed in ¡®Wizard¡¯ robes shuffled to greet me. ¡°Welcome sir, can I pull anything out for you to take a closer look? Do you have any questions that need answering?¡± Choosing to use her to explain the differences, despite knowing most of them myself, I asked, ¡°What¡¯s the difference between Minor, Moderate, and Major Health or Mana Potions?¡± ¡°Oh?¡± she answered, giving me an up and down. Her face morphed into a frown, while her eyes narrowed in disdain, but her training must have kicked in because no negative emotions entered her voice as she explained. ¡°Minor Healing Potions can heal all surface level wounds, such as gashes, slashes, bruises, and even most fractures. Moderate Potions can repair most ruptured or damaged organs, limbs and help recover from blood loss. Major Potions can repair practically any injury but traumatic injuries to the brain or heart.¡± ¡°Ahh, thank you. I¡¯m just browsing before my first Portal,¡± I said in answer to her silence after the explanation. She scoffed and moved away from me, clearly offended by my presence now that I admitted I wasn¡¯t going to buy anything. ¡°What the actual husk does that mean?¡± Smegma said, his voice possibly more disdainful than the woman¡¯s. ¡°So, you imbeciles just accept vague ass descriptions like that and buy these potentially lifesaving potions?¡± [I¡¯m confused. What should we be doing?] In answer a screen popped up in front of me.
Consumables Moderate Healing Potion Restores five thousand health over one minute. Cost: 10,000 mC
It was my turn to be confused. That was probably less of a description than what the lady had said, but Smegma was claiming it was more specific. I moved into a section selling mass-produced Hunter Gear, and asked, [What in the husk does five thousand health mean?] ¡°By Asmodan! Are you husking kidding me?¡± Smegma asked. We just stared at each other, both realizing that the other wasn¡¯t making a joke. Smegma broke the stalemate. ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t have your health represented as a number?¡± [I¡¯m not exactly a high-ranking Hunter, but as far as I know, no we don¡¯t have ¡®health bars.¡¯] ¡°But you have Mana Pools?¡± Smegma asked dumbly. I looked around before answering in the affirmative out loud. Smegma blinked his black eyes at me rapidly. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. How do front liners like tanks in your world get stronger?¡± ¡°Uhh,¡¯ I began aloud before switching to a mental conversation as a particularly well-dressed man gave me a strange look. [Well better gear for starters. Plus, usually they have a Skill that makes them harder to kill.] ¡°They don¡¯t get a Card that Awakens their Stamina Pool, or Force Pool for mages?¡± I shook my head. [We don¡¯t get Cards, Smegma. Remember? Yet, I think there are a few Hunter¡¯s on SwiftGram that have revealed they had a stat, I can¡¯t think of anyone who¡¯s said they have two or with those names either.] He shook his head and began slowly descending toward the floor. I mentally shouted at him as he distractedly began phasing through the tiles to the floor below. He shook himself again and then floated back up to my head height. ¡°This almost doesn¡¯t feel like the same System. We¡¯re going to need to start examining these things¡ªno Cards? Well, except for the artificial ones we made with the Spent Mana Crystal, but that doesn''t count.¡± Smegma added the last bit in a whisper to himself and I let it go. Maybe there was a way to get these Skill Cards Smegma claimed could be formed from ¡®shards¡¯ or came whole from bosses, but I certainly hadn¡¯t heard of them. ¡°Can we get back to the original reason we came?¡± I asked. Smegma nodded and floated three booths away before he stopped and stared wide eyed at something. I had just exited the clothing racks and found him hovering there with his mouth hanging open. I slowly joined him to find Monster Cores on display. This didn¡¯t exactly seem like something that should be shocking to the Imp. ¡°These are un-enchanted Monster Cores?¡± Smegma asked. [Uhh, yeah,] I said looking between the shocked demon and the mid-grade Cores on display. All of them were well out of my price range. Smegma hovered closer to a blue one that almost looked like a bowling ball. The monster¡¯s heart it came out of must have been massive. The spheres of Monster Cores got smoother, rounder and clearer the higher rank they were. The label on this one claimed it was High-C rank, and thus it looked almost perfectly round, especially compared to the other D grades it sat between. Its price tag was five hundred thousand, which meant we were never getting it, but I didn¡¯t think we would need such a high leveled one, based on the Imp¡¯s shock. I stepped back as the attendant of this room began moving toward the locked glass door to admit me. He sniffed in disdain as well, but I ignored it. [Smegma, what is it?] ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Smegma whispered. [Do you want to go downstairs and look at some of these Cores I might be able to afford?] ¡°Yeah,¡± he answered offhandedly. It took a few more mental prods to get him to come back to his senses and follow me to the escalators. Unfortunately, the only thing I could afford for five thousand dollars was low F-rank Cores but to my surprise, Smegma offered five hundred mC for it. I tried to bargain up, of course, but Smegma was too smart to allow me to do that. He saw how much I paid for it, and he¡¯d seen the prices above. According to him, five hundred mC for an unknown object was damn good. ¡°Plus, if it actually has value I will pay you more for the next one,¡± Smegma added when I seemed to still hesitate in the purchase. [Which one do you want?] I said sheepishly. Smegma took a while to ponder, and I had the attendant down here, a woman in a business suit, pull out all of the options so I could ¡®take a closer look,¡¯ as I waited on his decision. He eventually chose an orange one that looked like a somewhat rounded rock. I paid using my Credit Card, before instantly walking out with the Core in an ornate box inside of a branded bag. I didn¡¯t even wait till I left the store to sell the Low-grade F-rank Salamander Core to Smegma for five hundred mC. I wasn¡¯t proud to say I considered letting him go back into the store to procure a few more after that¡ªbut thankfully my conscience and the way Demonic Vault worked, not allowing him to interact with objects, held me back. We got back in the car and I locked the doors. I was pretty sure no one would target me for a low-grade, F-Core, but just like my run in with ¡®The Shop,¡¯ you never really knew when someone might think you were an easy target. Now in the safety of the vehicle the excitement hit me fully. I now had two hundred mC more than needed for the Miner¡¯s Pick! 018 Thursday, April 4th, 2069 ¡°Are you sure you want to purchase the Miner¡¯s Pick for ten thousand mC?¡± Smegma intoned dryly as he rolled his eyes. ¡°I just said I wanted it? What the husk is going on?¡± ¡°I¡¯m required by the system and my sect to ensure that you didn¡¯t choose the wrong option,¡± Smegma explained, still sounding upset with the process. ¡°Oh okay, yes then,¡± I answered. ¡°Sorry, you have to say yes right after I ask the question. So once again. Are you sure you want to purchase the Miner¡¯s Pick for ten thousand mC?¡± ¡°What if I say no?¡± ¡°Keep it up, and I¡¯ll pee on you in your sleep.¡± ¡°Would that even work?¡± ¡°No but you¡¯d always know I had¡ªso, I figure it¡¯s still effective as a threat.¡± ¡°Do you even pee?¡± ¡°Of course, I do! Wait¡ªdo I?¡± Smegma eyes unfocused as he seemed to try to recall if he¡¯d peed since I¡¯d ¡®summoned¡¯ him. I cleared my throat which brought him back to the moment. ¡°Right. Are you sure you want to purchase the Miner¡¯s Pick for ten thousand mC?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Smegma vanished. ¡°Haha,¡± I said pointedly. ¡°Very funny.¡± No response came, and my smile of amusement slowly began to fall. Was he really gone or was he just hiding in the seat or under the car to come out and ¡®get me.¡¯ I replayed the moment he had seemed to vanish. Normally, I could see him move and this time I definitely hadn¡¯t. ¡°Husk, are you serious?¡± I asked the empty car. ¡°Was this thing just a scam to make me buy an F-rank monster core?¡± That question obviously went unanswered but brought me full circle to another question that my too calm mind highlighted for me. Had I just been imagining the Imp this whole time? I¡¯d never really gotten any proof he was ¡®real¡¯, had I? I recalled the vanishing crystals from earlier that day. Surely that was¡ª
Buyer¡¯s First Purchase detected. You¡¯ve unlocked the contribution system in the Demonic Vault skill. Current contribution = 10,000 points Error. Contribution features unavailable. Checking Skill OS¡­ Out of date. Updating to 6.1.4¡­ Downloading¡­ Error. Insufficient Bandwidth to continue. Contribution too low to increase Bandwidth. Attempting smaller packet¡­5.0.18 Insufficient Bandwidth Attempting smaller packet¡­4.3.4 Insufficient Bandwidth Attempting smaller packet¡­3.2 Insufficient Bandwidth Attempting smaller packet¡­2.0.0.1 Downloading¡­ Updating Demonic Vault. Rebooting¡­
¡°Oh shit! I¡¯d forgotten about this version-OS thing.¡± Between one blink and the next the screen was gone¡ªand in the silence that followed I once again felt doubt at my sanity. My brain helpfully chugged along analyzing, far too calmly, if I was crazy. Of course, that¡¯s when I saw the people stopped in the parking garage staring at me¡ªwell, no not at me but at my car. Unbidden I sank down in my seat, while simultaneously looking around to try to figure out what drew their attention. A light knock on the passenger window surprised me enough that I jumped. An older looking woman holding a purse far to big for her was standing there looking concerned. Unfortunately, the windows on the escort weren¡¯t electric and so I climbed over the seat to manually roll it down a crack. ¡°Just making sure you¡¯re okay, sonny,¡± she said. I stupidly stared at her as my brain continued looking for the reason everyone had looked over. A glance around showed people going about their return to cars or into the mall, which boded well. She must have noticed my confusion because when I looked back, she had a big smile on her face. ¡°Happy birthday,¡± she said¡ªwhich didn¡¯t help my confusion in the least. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡± I asked. ¡°Your awakening, sonny. You glowed brighter than the floodlights out here. Drew everyone¡¯s eye. From the light I¡¯d say you got a good one. So, happy birthday!¡± My eyes widened, and the smile on the lady grew bigger. It was not my birthday, but I could see the logic the old woman had followed. Everyone awakened on their eighteenth birthday and with the skill update, I must have glowed similarly to when that happens. The second part about how bright someone glowed to their skill rank wasn¡¯t a proven fact, but a superstition many people held onto. ¡°Oh, thanks. And yeah, I¡¯m fine¡ªdefinitely wasn¡¯t a powerful enough skill to have knocked me out. Bummer that!¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that¡ªI¡¯ve got a good feeling about your chances. Glad you¡¯re okay.¡± ¡°Thanks again,¡± I mumbled unsure how to exit the conversation. The woman began rummaging in her purse a moment later and then pulled out a white rectangle. I only recognized it as a business card as she pushed it through the cracked window. ¡°Ayla Moody, Hunter Manager. Once you get assessed I¡¯d love to chat with you,¡± she said, her smile genuine with out a hint of embarrassment. I guessed her embarrassment at ¡®cold calling¡¯ Hunter¡¯s likely had long since vanished if her job was Managing them. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll keep you in mind,¡± I answered as I took the card. She nodded, turned and simply walked toward the mall after that¡ªwhich I greatly appreciated, since I didn¡¯t have to keep lying. I rolled back up the window and was pushing myself back into the driver seat when Smegma popped back into existence. Or what I first thought was Smegma. While the coloring was right and the demonic creature had similarities to the Imp from moments ago, it definitely wasn¡¯t the same. My eyes wouldn¡¯t have been able to pull themselves away if something didn¡¯t try to push me into the seat¡ªfrom the top of my thighs no less. I started to scream, as I looked down in panic¡ªonly to find a wooden handle of a Miner¡¯s Pick across my lap. I turned my scream into a coughing cheer and glanced over to the passenger window. Sure enough, Ayla was looking back over her shoulder. I gave her a double thumbs up, and faked a fist pump into the air. She smiled and kept walking. I breathed out heavily in relief before remembering the new killing machine in my car. My eyes locked back onto the muscular flying demon. ¡°Ahhh, Smegma is that you?¡± I now could catalog all the differences. His skin before was dark with some red hues underneath, or shining through. Now that red almost looked like decals on a vehicle. Where the arms were spindly before, there was now much more muscle. Even more than had filled out from me connecting my mana pool. This creature looked almost like a pint-sized black and red goblin with wings. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s me, dumb-dumb,¡± Smegma said in a familiar voice and I sighed again in relief. Now knowing that it was Smegma I chose to study the Miner¡¯s Pick, my brain no longer able to find a reason to curb my enthusiasm. I hurriedly grabbed the Miner¡¯s Pick in my hands and spun it. My enthusiasm shriveled up and began to crack, like wet mud in the scorching sun. The wood of the handle was old and dry, and even spinning it threatened splinters. I stopped spinning the thing and looked it over more. The head wasn¡¯t rusty but pockmarked as if it had been before someone cleaned it with FF-fifty and sandpaper. Even the wedge that was hammered into the haft stuck up above the lip. I turned to look at Smegma who was still studying himself. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Hey stop examining your new racing stripes. What the husk is this?¡± I asked holding up the pickaxe. ¡°This is worth ten thousand mC?¡± I asked, my voice laced with the suspicions I felt. He was from a race of demons after all had just vanished and then reappeared ¡®stronger.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t get the thought out of my head that this whole thing was a scam. Had I been too na?ve? Smegma slowly looked up from his self-admiration and saw what I was holding toward him. He rolled his eyes. ¡°Yes, the problem with the evolution enchants placed on the weapon is that it instantly degrades the quality when first applied,¡± Smegma said with a world-weary sigh. As if he was explaining that the stove was hot to a child for the third time. I tried to not let the state of the thing be a disappointment, I truly did. However, I didn¡¯t even want to spin the handle again, in case it gave me a magical splinter that festered and husking killed me. Who knew what kind of diseases Crendalar Five possessed. Smegma he must have inferred a question from my lack of response. ¡°Don¡¯t worry it will look brand new after a few days of use. Even now it has some penetration enchants active, so it will be better than a standard Pickaxe.¡± ¡°You do realize the problem this creates in my plan though, right?¡± I responded, trying desperately to figure out how I was supposed to allow others to swing the pickaxe and watch it repair itself right in front of their eyes. Smegma went back to studying his biceps with his eyes and hands. ¡°All you have to do is hand them an already repaired one,¡± Smegma countered. I bestowed upon him another withering stare. That was a very simple solution that I already considered. The issue was how much time that would take. I couldn¡¯t exactly use every pickaxe for a few days before giving it to someone else. Well, I could¡ªbut that would put a huge damper on the big dreams I had. How long would that even take? Wait¡ªit wasn¡¯t like anyone knew how my new ¡®Skill¡¯ in repair worked. Wanting to get Smegma¡¯s opinion I asked, ¡°Have you ever heard of a Skill that could put self-repair on an item?¡± ¡°Enchanting, nimwad,¡± he answered without looking up from his own stronger looking taloned fingers, and I immediately felt stupid. Blushing red, I changed my question. ¡°Could something like a self-repair enchant Skill exist? Husk¡ªnever-mind.¡± I saw my mistake almost as soon as the words left my mouth, that and the stupid imp smirked, foretelling that he was going to give a smart-ass answer. Taking a deep breath, I put the car in drive. I would consider more options on my drive home. I still hadn¡¯t come up with anything new by the time I pulled into the driveway and got out of the car. Smegma hadn¡¯t helped in the least, using the quick trip to examine his new body thoroughly. As I approached my front door, all I could wonder was: Should I tell my family the whole story or make up more lies? Instantly, I knew it was still too early to confess everything, and so I was left with the only other option. Still, all these lies were starting to feel like a precariously stacked Jengal Tower. When I opened the door, my father practically jumped off the couch to come greet me. I could see his excitement written clear across his face. My mother slowly got to her feet off the couch behind him and followed in his wake. Sounding almost like a child on Christmas, my dad held up his hands and said, ¡°Let¡¯s see what you got!¡± It almost hurt physically to hold out the ancient looking pickaxe and watch his face fall. My stomach knotted as he took the pickaxe and examined it. ¡°Not a bad thought,¡± he said as some of the earlier excitement came back over his face. ¡°If you can repair it, why not grab a used one on the verge of breaking. You save money and get a better product!¡± My mother came over and winced as she figured out what the change in his tone was about, because her eyes could easily assess the state of the decrepit looking pickaxe. She frowned at it and then looked at me, before asking the clear question I had been expecting. ¡°But why does it still look like this if you can repair it?¡± My father¡¯s eyebrows joined his hairline as he looked at me and then the wedge protruding from the top of the pickaxe. ¡°My skill doesn¡¯t work the way I originally thought,¡± I said, speaking the best lie I had planned on the drive home. ¡°It turns out I put a self-repair stamp or something like that. Then it repairs itself as it mines Crystals; I think?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± my dad said skeptically. Then nodded before I could answer. ¡°Right¡ªnew skill. So? I guess, that¡¯s the feeling you get when you try repairing it?¡± I could only nod. ¡°I mean I¡¯ll know a bit more tomorrow.¡± My dad scratched his head and gave a look to my mother that seemed to be pleading. I wondered what exactly it was about, but certainly had a few guesses. The most likely of which was that she disagreed with me spending my savings on a pickaxe to begin with, and my current lackluster purchase wasn¡¯t exactly giving her confidence. I really didn¡¯t want to get involved with that argument if that was the case. ¡°I¡¯m going to head to bed, my whole-body aches from my first day. Any idea where the crew is working tomorrow?¡± I asked the last question to change the subject. ¡°We think we¡¯re heading back into the Detroit Field. The dungeon we were in today was only half cleared by our team and has some other valuable ores. Plus, they need to make a trip out there for the Gardeners anyway. According to Willa, they only got about a tenth of the herbs and fruit out.¡± I nodded and yawned. I didn¡¯t try to fight the yawn since it helped my current plan of escape. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see you in the morning then.¡± I gave both a hug, and they squeezed tighter than normal, clearly still concerned over my recent trauma. In that moment I was even more desperate to stop telling lies. To admit everything, but the words caught in my throat. I¡¯d wait just a bit longer and show them just how valuable the Demonic Vault skill was. And maybe wait till my trial was finished¡­ Smegma didn¡¯t bother hovering around when I entered the house, and while I was pretty sure he was in my room already¡ªI was somewhat relieved to find him there after I went upstairs. I was marginally confident he couldn¡¯t get himself into trouble, with the whole incorporeal thing, but I wasn¡¯t willing to fully trust that sentiment. Like a dog peeing on the carpet¡­ He flipped me the bird when he heard that surface thought. ¡°I hope you''re happy, I¡¯m lying to my parents now,¡± I said to change the subject. He shook his head with an amused grin. ¡°Yes, because I¡¯m the puppet master who forces you to do my bidding,¡± he retorted and added an evil laugh along with a creepy three-fingered hand motion. I smirked already having known my comment was unfair. I¡¯d simply said it to start the conversation. Because I wanted a conversation. The silence that fell after Smegma¡¯s sarcasm disappointed me. I sat down in my desk and pulled out my notebook. I made a note of two things¡ªmonster cores and Smegma¡¯s interest in them, and the lie I¡¯d used to cover up the state of the mining pick. I realized as I made the second, I¡¯d left the new pick in my father¡¯s hands when I made my escape. Part of me wanted to go get it because I wanted to test feeding it my personal mana, to see if it repaired. However, I wasn¡¯t sure that would be how it worked, so instead I asked, ¡°Smegma what would happen if I fed the Miner¡¯s Pick my personal mana?¡± ¡°It would repair, but why in the hell would you do that?¡± He sounded incredulous. Another blush came over me. His question made me consider why I was wanting to test that. I simply wanted the pick to look better when I brought it with me tomorrow. Seeing my flush Smegma shook his head, ¡°Just channel them to me for mC, let the enchant on the Miner¡¯s Pick handle the rest tomorrow. Especially since you have to shard the crystals.¡± The last bit was said with all the scathing commentary I¡¯d heard multiple times throughout the day. I flipped back a page in the journal instead of answering, reading what my order of events was for my plan. I¡¯d now accomplished the first part, which was buying the Miner¡¯s Pick, but my second purchase of an E-ranked Mana Pool was no longer required, at least not until I confirmed what my Mana Pool was. I crossed that part out. ¡°Should I prioritize a Mid-Grade Spent Mana Crystal,¡± I asked Smegma, hoping he would say yes. ¡°Husk no,¡± he said. ¡°You know as well as I do that you might get one of those in the coming weeks. Clearly you need a Skill you can use in combat.¡± I flinched when Smegma suggested that. I wasn¡¯t against combat and becoming a Hunter, but the way Smegma suggested it, seemed to suggest getting the skill and immediately diving into Portal¡¯s solo. ¡°You know I can¡¯t get a skill and immediately start farming Portal¡¯s, right?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Smegma countered. At my raised eyebrows he explained, ¡°With the right skill you easily could solo F-rank portals.¡± ¡°Me and what army?¡±
Necromancy Skill Card Necromancy (1) High-D-Rank Summon slain creatures to act as your personal troops. Creatures suffer a fifty percent reduction in combat power and lose any skills they possessed. For convenience, summoned creatures are summoned as Shadows to prevent diseases and smells form spreading. Cost: 500,000,000 mC
¡°Yeah, cause five hundred million mana Coins seems achievable¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s just an example. I¡¯m just saying, you can definitely have an army!¡± Smegma countered. I stood up and started my preparations for bed. I didn¡¯t want to admit it but the idea of being able to summon creatures to fight for me. Of becoming a Solo Hunter who could clear dungeons by himself appealed to me in a way I hadn¡¯t felt before. I didn¡¯t bother writing down that pipe-dream though. Instead, I brushed my teeth, got into my pajamas, and climbed into bed. My eyes flew open and I sat up wide awake again. ¡°Smegma, that skill you showed me was High-D-rank!¡± ¡°By golly-gosh,¡± Smegma began with a fake very fairy-tale-esque lilt to his voice. ¡°I think you¡¯re right!¡± ¡°Can the sarcasm. Did the new version or OS give you access to more skills?¡± ¡°Obviously,¡± he answered dryly. Sleep forgotten I spent the next few hours scanning through the newest skills. Turns out that a High D-Rank Mana Pool had two-hundred and fifty mana. No wonder my measly sixteen points raised questions. Eventually, my eyes felt heavy and without finding anything that changed my current plans, I crawled into bed. My dreams of course betrayed my earlier thoughts¡ªcreating a movie of me as a necromancer taking on dragons. * * * Greb-shak looked at his new form again, and then at the sleeping child. His body was just a representation of changes that were far larger and more sweeping than that. Now, that the human was asleep he began examining his ¡®updated¡¯ memories. It was strange. Earlier tonight he could recall thinking he was mid training for his role as a Demonic Trader, when he was ¡®summoned¡¯ early. Then as if between one blink and another he could remember ten additional years, and his graduation from that ¡®program.¡¯ He could even recall him and other researchers discussing changes the ¡®system¡¯ made on Gelth, a planet that was still initiating after Crendalar Five failed. How had they discovered that? He couldn¡¯t remember. However, he knew that multiple planets went through initiation at the same time. Then reached their tests for evolution at different paces. He could even remember that they were making progress on the why of that¡­ But again, he couldn¡¯t remember the information related to why that was. What exactly had happened in that moment Brodie purchased the pickaxe? He checked his log but only saw the same notification that he¡¯d minimized after discovering his new memories, and body changes.
Demonic Vault Skill Low-D-Grade As a Demonic Trader you can offer the user of the Vault a choice of two of the following secondary effects. Secondary Effect Options: Achievements Buffs Classes Crafter Dungeon Lord Extract ¡­
The list kept going but didn¡¯t explain what had changed. Greb-shak began tapping a much harder and sharper black talon on his much larger and sharper teeth as he began looking through the options. What would be best for Brodie? No, more importantly¡ªwhat would be best for himself? 019 Friday, April 5th, 2069 Those who said I would get used to following a B-rank hunter around were wrong. ¡°Or it¡¯s only been two days, dumb-dumb,¡± Smegma assessed, from above me, where he lazily backstroked meaninglessly through the air. The change to his body was already a bit disturbing. Still, the way the goblin-imp moved now spoke of a litheness that usually was reserved for the naturally athletic or highly gifted hunters. Still, his words barely stung this morning, I was following Sturdy Jeral into battle with my newly purchased weapon. ¡°Kid, you''re husking delusional,¡± Smegma said with a snort of laughter. Again, I let the demon¡¯s words slide off me. Sure I was acting childish but before he died I once heard my grandfather say that it is when you decide you¡¯ve grown up that you truly have. Sure, it was just after he crop-dusted the whole living room and couldn¡¯t catch his breath from laughing¡ªbut I think the sentiment still held. ¡°It¡¯s mostly the deeper caverns left today,¡± my father said from my other side, which at least stopped Smegma from making another snide comment. ¡°The deeper we go the more chance the crew has of running into slimes, so, Sturdy Jeral and the two archers with him are going to sweep each chamber more thoroughly before we start.¡± It took me a moment to register what those words meant. Chance of monsters¡ªslightly scary. Deeper caverns¡ªmuch ominous. Hunter¡¯s fighting those monsters in the deeper caverns¡ªtotally husking epic! And this time I had a warning of the sweep, so I could ask to watch from the front! ¡°Oh my god, you gotta stop going out half-cocked in the morning¡ªI think you just spudded in your mining gear,¡± Smegma snidely added to the conversation. ¡°Just wait Brodie!¡± Willa said, clearly seeing my excitement and matching it with the tone she used. ¡°Watching a coordinated hunting team fight is something you¡¯ll never forget.¡± I mentally stuck my tongue out at Smegma. See I wasn¡¯t the only one excited. ¡°She¡¯s clearly faking it because she saw your O-face,¡± Smegma grumbled. [Who husking pissed in your Barlies this morning?] I asked. ¡°You eat that strange serial with piss in it? What effect does it have?¡± Smegma asked. Thankfully, Willa and my father had begun discussing some ¡®epic¡¯ fights they¡¯d seen over the years¡ªwhich admittedly I wanted to hear, but it did also give me time to confront Smeg. [No, it means what is wrong with you, or what has got you upset.] Smegma gave me a stare that felt to be weighing me before he shrugged. Then physically stuck his tongue out but just like the drive in and this whole walk¡ªsomething felt off coming from the imp. Like there was something he was deciding whether to tell me or not. I gave up, the allure of hearing about epic battles witnessed pulling me back to the conversation at hand. ¡°¡ªthen Derelict used his oil slick skill and dropped his cigarette. Just whispered boom and the whole floor went up like a gasoline drenched bonfire.¡± Willa was using her hands to convey a great deal of the action, and seemed to excuse my far off look as daydreaming, cause she smiled even wider when I tuned back in. ¡°Both your father and I think that¡¯s where the line from Predatory X came from¡ªyou know the one where he blows up a gas truck to create the updraft that destabilizes the flying alien superhero guy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I said, Willa. I said, that movie came out years before we saw Derelict say it. Most likely he took that line from the movie!¡± My dad countered. ¡°Still, it was pretty great.¡± My father wore a look that told me he was having an internal war. He didn¡¯t want to glorify mining but also wanted to brag about the ¡®good¡¯ points of the job. We finally reached a cavern still filled with Mana Crystals, and Jeral held up a gauntleted hand high¡ªso we could see it over his door shield. The miners formed ranks and Willa helped me get into the right spot with a guiding hand on my elbow. That or she steered me to a spot at the front for a better view. I could literally hear my heart hammering in my ears as the three hunters un-shouldered weapons and shield. Jeral moved to the front and hugged the right wall keeping his shield canted ever so slightly up and toward the wall. His legs were bent and loaded ready to react. I held my breath. The archers began moving after Jeral was ten feet in front of them. Four armored Mana Banks separated from the miners almost seeming to be towed in their wake. My breath still held I studied the four individuals. They seemed to almost fade into the background when hunters were so close. Each one seemed to move in step with the other three, and thanks to the similar armor seemed to form two pairs of ¡®identical¡¯ individuals. For the first time in my life, I questioned my earlier dream of being where they were. Not because it was dangerous¡ªbut because wouldn¡¯t it be the same as what I was doing right now? Watching¡­ Eventually, my screaming lungs forced me to gasp in a breath. Willa and my father gave each other amused looks and patted my shoulders. The silence was highlighted by their choice to not poke fun. Smegma on the other hand had no such compunction. ¡°Are you into the gag kink too? Really trying to pull out all the stops this morning, huh?¡± [How do you even know about some of these references? Is it because you heard about them and desperately needed to know more?] I retorted still fixated on Jeral and the Hunting group. Smegma¡¯s silence at the retort almost felt like a victory, but I knew it had been a somewhat weak comeback. Almost like a, ¡®I know you are, but what am I.¡¯ I just couldn¡¯t give the demon the attention a better retort would need. Five minutes later, Jeral signaled an all clear and I frowned. ¡°That was husking anticlimactic,¡± I complained. However, it wasn¡¯t like there wouldn¡¯t be more caverns¡ª ¡°Gary, Willa, Brodie, Fat Gary, and Dave, you¡¯ll take this room.¡± One of the specialist miners called. The way the other miner¡¯s looked outraged at my father but then softened when my name was called¡ªtold me that the specialist was doing my father a favor to keep me safe. I seriously considered if there was a way to decline, because I wanted¡ªno needed, to see a fight, but those same softened looks told me that they would insist. So, did I want to throw a fit in front of the Hunters? Nope, I did not. ¡°Good call don¡¯t ever let the ones you love know how crazy you actually are,¡± Smegma said. [I swear to God, I will figure out how to un-summon you if you keep this up.] Smegma paused then nodded to himself¡ªalmost seeming to come to a decision. ¡°Alright, fine. Once you start working, I¡¯ll tell you what¡¯s going on.¡± [Thanks, oh benevolent one.] ¡°You think you can clear your own starting point, Bro?¡± my father asked. I nodded and followed the group to the center of the cavern, careful of where my feet were being placed. Willa began placing the post and hung her light stone before directions were assigned. I still felt a bit disappointed we didn¡¯t get to stay with the group and possibly see a fight, but I also couldn¡¯t wait to see my new pick in action. Willa had scoffed at the thing when she saw it, but since my father had told her about my ¡®skill¡¯ already, she gave a semi-compliment about how smart I was to purchase a worn-down highly enchanted pick, instead of a somewhat serviceable low ranked option. Thankfully both her and my father believed me when I told them it had a high-ranked penetration skill in it. Otherwise, they might have questioned the materials or lack thereof of better. Smiling I raised up the pick and brought it down on a particularly spiky Crystal to begin clearing my assigned section. A jolt of vibration went through my monster hide gloves and up my arms, making me wince. The pick did crack the targeted Crystal but my flinch was for expected pain. Yesterday my hands and arms had gone numb but then ached as I worked. Today, though? It felt like I hadn¡¯t spent all day yesterday mining for the first time in my life. My brain worked through the problem despite my surprise. [Holy shit, is Recovery healing muscle fatigue and blisters?] ¡°Finally figuring out why your hands were okay last night?¡± Smegma asked, sounding slightly amused. I kept sharding out the circle I was going to work on, but mentally prodded him to elaborate. With a huff he continued, ¡°Yes, Recovery was likely actively working all day yesterday, last night and even now. Remember your dad¡¯s surprise when you had no blisters, and when you came running down the stairs for breakfast this morning?¡± Blinking I saw the interaction with my father and mother this morning in a new light. Was that why they were looking at each other so worriedly? Did they think I would be in so much pain I might regret going to mine in the first place? [Of course,] I mentally said. [They were somewhat thinking the difficulty of this job might reaffirm the choice to stay in school.] ¡°Bingo,¡± Smegma said sarcastically, but then called me back to task. ¡°That¡¯s twelve sharded already. Try to get a whole one, now.¡± I did so and found the pick reverberations in my hands worsen when striking the rock beneath the crystals, where the stem resided. And yet, the wood of the pickaxe visibly grew healthier when I made contact with the shattering glass like stem. [Is that accumulation or does the pickaxe repair faster from hitting the stem?] I asked, over the noise of plinking glass, trying to understand why that particular strike seemed to do more. ¡°How the husk would I know? Do I look like a lesser demon¡ª¡± Smegma paused and looked at himself. ¡°¡ªscratch that. I¡¯m not a lesser demon who mined in the past!¡± [Won¡¯t hurt to experiment then,] I said, as I resumed sharding, after selling the intact crystal and mana inside for ninety-three mC. By the time I tried for my next intact crystal, I was sure that mining properly would give me better results. While sharding was repairing the pickaxe it was barely visible. It was steady, however. So, when I struck the next stem and saw the wedge, that was friction holding the head of the pickaxe on, sink in and smooth, I wasn¡¯t surprised. I was surprised when Smegma reminded me of his earlier words. ¡°You haven¡¯t asked me to tell you what¡¯s going on yet¡­¡± [Wow, do I need to ask for you to tell me? I figured you¡¯d get on with it when you were ready¡­] I sent the mental image of a child who was throwing a tantrum and felt a thrill when Smegma gnashed his teeth audibly. ¡°Do you want to be a Ghast about it, or do you want to hear what I have to say?¡± [First, what does that saying mean? Then sure go ahead¡­] ¡°Oh, for once you got caught with an idiom. I¡¯m going to let this percolate. Enjoy my¡ª¡± [Something to do with wailing, I assume?] ¡°Husk you, Brodie. Just husk you,¡± Smegma responded, his voice instantly less excited than a moment before. ¡°Not that you deserve to be offered this choice, but when the skill evolved yesterday, two choices were presented¡ªhere they are!¡± That seemed a bit abrupt but the screen popping up in front of me seemed to be all the explanation I needed.
Demonic Vault 2.0.0.1 Secondary Effect Skills Extract Upon death this skill may allow the Demonic Vault user to reclaim skill cards from a targets heart. *The target must have used Mana on the owner of Demonic Vault or be an Ally who shared mana for the skill to trigger. OR
My eyes froze on the ¡®or¡¯ as the realization hit me. This skill was what Morgan had been trying to trigger! This is what made him a snatcher. This single skill led to a killing spree up the east coast of the United States and eventually to me. My brain attempted to calm my emotions. Tried to point out how good this skill could be but I knew I wouldn¡¯t be taking it. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. I didn¡¯t want to turn into Morgan ¡®The Snatcher¡¯ Hallsbrad. ¡°Keep reading then, there is still the second option,¡± Smegma said, sounding slightly pleased. Wait, hadn¡¯t Smegma said Demonic Vault hadn¡¯t been the skill¡ª ¡°And it wasn¡¯t¡ªit was one of these sub-skills,¡± Smegma said. It felt a lot like gaslighting to me, but I let it slide in favor of reading the other option.
OR Over Draft Skills and items can either overcharge or overflow. Overcharge allows the item to increase its effects by 100%, whereas Overflow allows the excess Skill experience, Mana, or Power to be channeled to a person or object of the owner''s choosing. [Overflow chosen.] Current Overflow target [Smegma]
Immediately I was able to figure out why Smegma was pleased. However, a quick mental click brought me into the box with Smegma¡¯s name in it. Like a computer it had a pull-down menu which allowed me to select other targets. Everything I currently wore, and my pickaxe were there. Most importantly though, my name was there. I toggled the other selection box to overcharge and found only the pickaxe available as a target. Plus, a description that included a time limit of five minutes. ¡°Leaving it on me should upgrade the Demonic Vault or Over Draft skill,¡± Smegma mentioned trying to sound off-handed. He wasn¡¯t a particularly good actor. I could tell that leaving it on him would also give the demon something else. Maybe even a physical form? Should I pick Over Draft? I still felt like I couldn¡¯t take Extract¡ªnot to mention, know how to make use of it. I wasn¡¯t going to start killing monsters anytime soon, right? And that was the only lawful way I could see it being used. Changing the target of Overflow to myself and then switching the skill to Overcharge, I selected Over Draft. Immediately, I felt a connection form inside my Soul Universe. Still, sharding crystals to stay discreet I peeked into the space and found two ¡®switches¡¯. One allowed me to spin the planet inside the Demonic Vault skill in a circle aligning a red side or a blue side. I could tell Overcharge was red and blue was Overflow. How could I tell? Well both sides had a small pedestal like mountain that depicted something. One was my face carved into the cliff face, and the other was a pickaxe. However, the red side was more of a volcano then a mountain and I could command it to erupt. Or overcharge I supposed. I mentally prodded it and sure enough my Mana flew into the Demonic Vault skill as the volcano erupted in red energy. Smegma forced me to open my eyes when he squealed, ¡°Wait you put the target of Overflow to yourself? Why?¡± Answering was put on hold when I saw the small red nimbus that surrounded the pickaxe. My next swing was supposed to be the eighth sharded crystal, but I chose to try and get a full crystal and test my new skill. The pick hit the ground and cut through it¡ªbefore clicking into the stem. It felt the exact same as any other time I used the pick. When I sold the full crystal to Smegma, though, I got a full hundred and five mC. [Did I just get full price for that Mana Crystal?] ¡°I don¡¯t care. Why aren¡¯t you targeting me with Overflow! We could upgrade Demonic Vault and get more skills!¡± Smegma shouted. I didn¡¯t bother responding, since he chose to ignore my question, and instead returned to sharding. After five crystals he answered, ¡°Yes, it seems like it was full price¡ªalmost no mana loss. I¡¯m assuming Overcharge doubled the Precise Enchant on the pick which helped your aim. Now, can you answer why I¡¯m not targeted by Overflow?¡± [If I¡¯m the target I can figure out what exactly Overflow is doing. If you¡¯re the target, I have to rely on you telling me what it¡¯s doing.] ¡°It¡¯s like you don¡¯t trust me,¡± Smegma said sulkily. [I really don¡¯t,] I mentally answered as I continued working. Smegma stuck his tongue out at me and flew off to be alone. I shrugged; I may change the target to Smegma later if it really would help level Demonic Vault. Five minutes later the barely visible red aura around the pickaxe faded, and I tried to swap the planet to Overflow. I found that I couldn¡¯t. What I discovered upon closer examination was that the red planet currently had a black moon beside it. The moon was slowly moving around the planet. I kept working as I periodically checked on my mental universe. After an hour according to my watch the black moon vanished behind the planet, and I could spin it around again. Unfortunately, that coincided with our first break for lunch and so I was forced to wait to try Overflow. * * * ¡°Look at that,¡± Willa said, as she examined my new Pickaxe at lunchtime. ¡°Some of the pockmarks you described are already gone, Gary. Plus the handle looks well maintained if still old.¡± My dad smiled with a mouthful of ham sandwich. Well, ham or Wild Boar monster. That was a tough distinction these days. Farm raised Pork wasn¡¯t always cheaper than Monster Pork, and if I was being honest the taste wasn¡¯t noticeable either. I looked at my sandwich and shrugged, even as my father said, ¡°So, what do you think? Should we both go out and buy one tonight as well?¡± My few bites of sandwich in my stomach instantly became poison that it wanted to eject. I don¡¯t think my stomach ever fell that quickly¡ªlike it was some sort of drop zone amusement park ride. I began shaking my head before considering what type of answer I was going to give them. They both looked at me, with concern. ¡°You''re pale as a linen sheet Brodie,¡± Willa commented. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± [Husk, husk, husk,] I thought desperately. ¡°Just tell them that you need to buy the picks. Or at least be with them. The repair mark doesn¡¯t work on all the gear you tested it on last night,¡± Smegma gave me a probable lie, which I dutifully repeated. ¡°That¡¯s probably because some of what you held didn¡¯t need repairs, no?¡± my dad answered with an obvious piece of logic I clearly hadn¡¯t considered. I looked to Smegma who shrugged. He clearly hadn¡¯t considered that either. The prick. ¡°I can¡¯t be sure that¡¯s the case. I tried it on everything I held and only found this one. So, maybe let me purchase them for you?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s easy. You okay with him putting two on your credit card, Gary? I¡¯ll e-transfer you the money tomorrow,¡± Willa said to my dad. I was already at two thousand mC this morning from sales of Mana Crystals, which meant if I pushed hard I might be able to afford another Miner¡¯s Pick tonight, but two? ¡°Just tell them you only found one or didn¡¯t find any that you could mark after going to the mall tonight,¡± Smegma gave the obvious solution. I nodded in relief as my esophagus slowly unclenched, allowing my somersaulting stomach to calm down. My half-eaten sandwich didn¡¯t look appealing at all anymore thanks to that rollercoaster. This was the problem with lies¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll take a look tonight then,¡± I answered with a nod. ¡°I¡¯ll come with you,¡± my dad said. I wanted nothing more than to close my eyes and swear at myself. ¡°I¡¯d rather go by myself, if that¡¯s okay,¡± I lied. ¡°It was pretty hard to apply the mark to this one, and I don¡¯t want your preferences making me think I can force it onto something I can¡¯t.¡± My father nodded shallowly, which probably meant he was confused by my response or slightly hurt by it. I didn¡¯t like either of those but couldn¡¯t really allow him to come with me, not buy something and then magically pull a Miner¡¯s Pick out of thin air¡­ ¡°You got enough room on your credit card?¡± my dad asked, skeptically. ¡°Yeah, for sure. I paid it off immediately after yesterday¡­¡± I could tell by the silence that followed that both Willa and my father found my insistence odd, but thankfully Willa eventually broke the uncomfortableness. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to work shall we.¡± Forcing the rest of my unappetizing sandwich down my throat I dusted off my disgusting hands on my disgusting Miner¡¯s uniform and stood. This afternoon it was just the three of us on this cavern since Fat Gary and Dave were called to a deeper one a few minutes ago, which I suspected was my fathers doing. He likely wanted to be able to talk freely like we just had, and to get Willa on board with his plans from the drive home the previous night. I kind of wished he hadn¡¯t, now. Still, their conversation did flesh out my current plans a little bit more. If I got my father a Miner¡¯s Pick tonight or tomorrow, and then Willa one on one of the following days¡ªI¡¯d have three people working to up the level of the Miner¡¯s Picks and collecting Mana that I could turn into Mana Crystals. [How exactly do I turn the collected Mana into Crystals?] I asked Smegma as I moved to the area, I had been sharding through this morning. ¡°That small gem that I told you to take out of the base of the shaft yesterday in the car. You just put that back in and it will create a Crystal. If the pick has enough Mana stored.¡± [Okay, and how can I tell what level the item is at?] I asked. ¡°That¡¯s a bit more difficult,¡± Smegma answered while biting one of his talons. ¡°For that you need to purchase a scroll of identification.¡± [How much are those?] I asked with a mental and physical sigh. ¡°Ten thousand mC,¡± Smegma answered quickly. I felt my hands clench around the haft of the pick. That was the same price as buying another pick. Smegma smiled at my frustration. ¡°It isn¡¯t like you need to know what level the pick is at. It will keep leveling up and improving itself whether you know where it¡¯s at or you don¡¯t. At least until it needs to evolve¡­¡± I swung down with a frustrated grunt, taking my feelings out on Mana Crystal that shattered into pieces. A few jumped up and bounced off my safety glasses, telling me that I swung too hard. I didn¡¯t bother changing the force as I moved onto the next one. This was surely therapeutic. Thus, it took me multiple Crystals and a reminder from Smegma to remember Overflow. When I did remember it, I realized that I wasn¡¯t feeling anything that would hint at what it was doing. I took another mental trip to my internal mental universe and found the ¡®answer¡¯ to my question. Each time I struck with the Miner¡¯s Pick a small white tendril left the Demonic Vault skill and went off into the utter nothingness of space that surrounded the skill. I had been hoping that Overflow would begin increasing my bodies strength or something like that. Surely, that¡¯s what Smegma had been wanting to have happen, or at least that¡¯s what I originally thought. [I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ll tell me what it¡¯s doing?] ¡°I think it¡¯s just Overflowing out into the darkness. Targeting yourself is probably impossible,¡± Smegma answered, far too quickly. [I¡¯ll keep testing for now.] I responded dryly. For the next several hours I was forced to put up with occasional sales pitches from Smegma for me to change the Overflow target. It became so frequent that I began using it for tempo. * * * ¡°Mind if I try it on this deposit?¡± my dad asked. I glanced at Smegma who shrugged. Since I hadn¡¯t asked my question yet, I mentally rolled my eyes. [If I Overcharge it, will it still work for him?] ¡°It should,¡± Smegma answered sourly. Wondering if my father would see the red aura I said, ¡°One sec let me try something.¡± My Mana drained, and the red aura around the pickaxe became visible again as I spun the planet and commanded the volcano to erupt. My father just watched me patiently and I looked between the pickaxe and him for a moment. ¡°You don¡¯t see the red glow?¡± ¡°No, I see a much better-looking pickaxe than I did this morning though!¡± he said excitedly. ¡°Did you just reapply your mark?¡± I nodded before handing my slightly better-looking Pickaxe to my father. My only concern was that the Pickaxe might not get any Mana to repair itself from ore deposits. However, Smegma¡¯s original shrug of indifference made me a bit less hesitant to let my dad try it. He hefted the thing with a few flicks of his wrists before he adjusted his grip slightly. ¡°Weight balance is better than last night too.¡± He didn¡¯t wait for me or Willa, who stood watching, to respond, before stepping up to the Silvery vein of ore in the cavern wall. His first swing buried deeply into the stone just above the upper part of the vein and my father pulled the point back out and examined the Miner¡¯s Pick pausing in his usual relentless swings. ¡°Did you know it had a Trajectory correction enchantment on it?¡± I shook my head, and he shrugged before getting back to work. Instead of disturbing him, I turned to Willa. ¡°What¡¯s a trajectory correction enchantment?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a Precision Enchantment, dumb-dumb,¡± Smegma answered unhelpfully. I ignored him. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not super common on profession tools, but we¡¯ve seen it once or twice on a specialist¡¯s pick. So, I¡¯m not surprised you don¡¯t know. Trajectory correction does what it sounds like. It adjusts a weapon strike to hit a more vulnerable spot on the target. In the case of mining, it shifts the trajectory to ensure you don¡¯t ruin the ore or crystal¡¯s value.¡± Willa spoke between the loud metallic pangs of my father¡¯s swings. Her voice was loud to be heard but she couldn¡¯t hide her excitement. ¡°Can you see if you can get me one with that too?¡± she added between the next swing. ¡°I¡¯ll try¡± I shouted back trying to be heard over the next pang. It took my dad about thirty minutes to get the silvery ore out of the wall in large clean sections. I spent that time looking at my mC count. The afternoon had gone better than the morning, allowing me to be at a total of just over twelve thousand coins. We still had an hour left and I was somewhat anxious to get my pick back from my father to see if I could collect some more to help get Willa a pick sooner. However, it wasn¡¯t meant to be. It turned out that there was a reason Willa, and I could stand around watching my father work. ¡°All the Crystals are cleared out further down,¡± the porter said as he made piles of sharded crystals vanish into a large prospector pack on his back. Or I guess I assumed that the pack was the special storage item the guy used with his skill. ¡°Is that Magna Steel?¡± he asked as he saw the pile of Silvery ore. My father nodded while sporting a massive grin. ¡°It sure is.¡± ¡°Are one of you a specialist?¡± he asked as he hurried to collect it. ¡°My son bought an enchanted pick last night. I used it for the deposit.¡± My father answered while resting the Miner¡¯s Pick on a shoulder. ¡°Well, hopefully the value of the bonuses today will cover the cost of repairs¡ªthat thing looks ready to fall apart,¡± the porter said and indicated the pickaxe. Thanks to his comment I noticed that the pickaxe did in fact look like it had gone the other way, when my father swung it. My father un-shouldered it and winced as he studied it. ¡°Sorry, kid,¡± he said sheepishly while handing it back. ¡°How much is Magna Steel worth?¡± I asked while I accepted the Miner¡¯s Pick back. ¡°Sixty thousand a pound,¡± the porter answered quickly and began writing something out on a paper. ¡°You did manage to get eleven pounds here. Here¡¯s the receipt.¡± He handed the paper to my dad, who nodded. Willa and my dad waited for the Porter to leave to look at me and the Pick I was examining. The haft, and wedge looked far better than they had this morning, but the head of the axe didn¡¯t. The pockmarks were still mostly gone now, but the point and wedge were bent and battered nearly beyond recognition. My dad winced, and asked, ¡°I didn¡¯t realize. Can your mark still work on it?¡± ¡°I think so. However, I think that means it only repairs when you use it on Crystals?¡± I answered, using the question as an excuse to add a bit more flesh to my lies. My dad nodded and stroked his beard, even as Willa ran a hand over her forehead and into her hair. Hand still atop her head, and tangled in her hair she asked, ¡°So, we¡¯ll have to balance the use of them between Crystals and deposits?¡± At my nod she turned to my father. ¡°Can we still claim to be specialists with that?¡± ¡°I think so. The Skilled Specialists can only do so many deposits a day. Why can¡¯t we?¡± Willa frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure it works that way¡­¡± ¡°Either way, let¡¯s use our own picks and try to get these other ores out of the walls,¡± my dad said in answer, pointing at a few other deposits in our small cavern. By the end of the day the mining crew retained three hundred thousand dollars in bonuses even after a few injures and paid healing. That meant that each person could expect to take home an extra seventy-five hundred or so. That was right up until the Lynx guide reminded my father and the crew leaders about the healing the previous day. ¡°What do you want to do? Pay from today¡¯s surplus or have the insurance take the hit.¡± I could tell that the guy was doing the crew a favor, since the leaders, my father amongst them, chose to take the hit on today¡¯s earnings rather than filing the report to insurance for the previous day. We still had just under a hundred thousand to split. Which meant each person would get around twenty-five hundred. I of course being new only got a thousand. But both Willa and my father should get five thousand due to their experience¡ªso it balanced in our favor. Well in their favor, I supposed. 020 Friday, April 5th, 2069 Just like that I was back in another mall. This time I went to Tecumseh Mall, so I could keep up with my lie. I had told Willa and my father that I¡¯d gone through a great deal of second-hand picks to find mine the previous day, and wanted to avoid any awkward questions tomorrow. Strangely, that and the subsequent lies wasn¡¯t exactly what was weighing on me. No, it was the far bigger lie I was about to tell. I realized I needed to spend an appropriate amount of money at the mall and get my father and Willa to transfer the money to me later. That meant I had to buy something. I needed the receipt. That of course led to me needing to buy something from a store that sold mining equipment, and depending on the itemization name on the receipt it might even mean I needed to purchase a pick. A second-hand pick that was inferior to what I would get from the Demonic Vault store. That was a huge waste. Currently I stood at the entrance contemplating how small lies were slowly growing into something that kind of bordered on a large moral grey area. Sure, I was providing my father with a pickaxe that was worth more than the five thousand-ish I was going to try to spend, but that didn¡¯t mean buying something else with his money was completely fine either. ¡°Gahhh,¡± I grumbled. ¡°What are you so moody about?¡± Smegma asked as he floated out of a nearby store. I looked around to make sure no one was giving me strange looks after my incoherent noise of frustration. Luckily, I was just inside the double doors of the malls entrance and off to one side. [I don¡¯t feel right about buying something with my dad¡¯s money. It feels dishonest.] ¡°Then don¡¯t buy something?¡± Smegma both answered and asked. His voice carried a question of my sanity. [I need a receipt to show them!] ¡°Okay, but who¡¯s saying you must keep the item you purchased. I¡¯ve been seeing return counters in most stores, and many people seem to return items for their money back.¡± [Usually, second hand things are final sale. Plus, there is still the problem that I¡¯d have to do this twice,] I answered but began considering his proposal. His answer was surprising considering he knew less about this world than I did, but I hadn¡¯t thought of it first. Then again, I was very close to the problem, which sometimes made it harder. ¡°In theory you have ten thousand to spend right?¡± Smegma asked and my eyes narrowed but I did nod. ¡°What if you purchase two used pickaxes, return them instantly, after a phone call¡ªwhile still at the counter or something, and then buy a higher-grade monster core to sell using Demonic Trader.¡± My eyes narrowed this time. While the plan was fantastic, his slightly excited tone over the higher-grade Monster Core made me suspicious. I decided to treat his ¡®slyness¡¯ with some of my own. [I can¡¯t spend the whole ten thousand today though. I don¡¯t have enough mC to purchase two Miner¡¯s Picks.] ¡°We won¡¯t know until you check what¡¯s available,¡± Smegma countered. That response came far too quickly, which made me think my suspicions were correct. [I guess you¡¯re right¡­] I mentally mumbled, hoping my internal voice carried the weary feel I was going for. I wasn¡¯t exactly an actor, but I¡¯d had a few lessons thanks to my attempts to be a Swiftgram influencer. Well my continued, attempts¡­ I realized I should probably document my trip to the mall in some way to my followers. There was probably a Venice Vici Hunters store in here, right? My slyness seemed to work because Smegma followed in my wake as I made my way to the Venice Vici for a picture and then the Wallsmart store. Wallsmart, again was another long standing chain with a ton of buying power. I didn¡¯t bother with the second or third floor and made my way right to the first. There I found the Monster Core section. Like HBC, Wallsmart had a room that was enclosed with thick, likely magic-proofed, glass. The interior reminded me of a glasses store with small pegs sticking out from peg boards, atop which rested Monster Cores of all kinds. I pushed the button at the door and waited for the clerk inside to come greet me. A young teenager, probably fresh out of high school looked up at me, gave me an up and down before his face fell. I could tell that he didn¡¯t want to bother with me, but since our eyes had met, he didn¡¯t dare provide subpar customer service. Not at a place like Wallsmart, where a complaint could cost him his job. The only other sign I got that he was unwilling to get up and serve me was a glance to another section of the room, at two people standing there examining Cores. That¡¯s when I realized there were two clerks inside, and one was already helping another customer. The teenager stood up and made his slow walk to the door. Just before he opened it, he fixed his face into a terribly fake smile. Did the idiot not realize that the whole front of the room was glass? He pushed a button beside the door and then swung it wide in an overly exaggerated gesture. ¡°Welcome to Wallsmart Cores, what can I help you with today?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to take a look at the E-grade cores,¡± I answered. I debated about acting a part, and perhaps treating him poorly in turn, but I had worked retail in the past. It wasn¡¯t pleasant at the best of times, and even worse if you worked on commission. On top of that I didn¡¯t want to draw too much attention. ¡°Absolutely,¡± the kid, whose name-tag read Brad, answered. His fake smile slipped slightly, and I couldn¡¯t tell if he was surprised or excited by the notion of me purchasing an E-grade core. ¡°Follow me,¡± Brad said his voice finally revealing that he did have a bit of excitement now. He led the way to the same wall the other customer was looking at, but instead of the far back corner we approached the section nearer the doors. A glance at the descending prices of Cores that led to the other clerk told me that was the F-ranked section. I guessed the excitement wouldn¡¯t last long when I saw the prices of the Portal cores nearest the window. I moved down the row until I reached the section where cores started at twelve thousand dollars. A sigh came from behind me, but when I looked at Brad, his fake smile was firmly in place. I calmed my slight frustration at the kid¡¯s judgement by breathing in and out through my nose steadily. Mentally to Smegma I practically shouted, [Are these going to be worth eight thousand mC?] ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure yet,¡± Smegma started to say, and thanks to my frustration I wasn¡¯t willing to play this game anymore. [Husk off dude, you¡¯re as obvious as a virgin looking at his first pair of tits. I know that the one yesterday turned out to be worth more than you thought. So, I¡¯ll expect some extra mC due to that as well.] ¡°This one here is a Thunder attuned Core from a Thunder Rock,¡± Brad explained as he picked up the most expensive one on the row I was standing in front of. The price tag was a whopping twenty-two thousand. ¡°It¡¯s great for Machine Enchanting, the lightning also lends itself exceptionally well to crafting Bombs, or Paralysis Arrays.¡± ¡°Alright idiot,¡± Smegma said while giving me a very pointed look. ¡°If I¡¯m being honest, I¡¯m not sure just how valuable these cores are. However, I did seem to gain a great deal of energy from somewhere after the purchase. So, maybe my sect sent that on, as encouragement to buy more. ¡°Yet, as this other ugly ape just stated, they only have quite a bit of value in crafting. However, that wouldn¡¯t be enough for eight thousand mC. It¡¯s the possible uses that would interest my people. There is a small chance that an array could be created that would be powered by these Cores. The proposed array could then create a field of dense mana converted from the cores. That doesn¡¯t¡ª¡± Brad was staring at me as Smegma spoke and by his slowly falling smile he was getting impatient. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I¡¯m not looking for something with Lightning attunement. I moved over here because this blue one looked like it could be Water, no?¡± I cut off Smegma, motioning to the cheapest E-rank on the rack. Brad replaced the Lightning Rock Core and picked up the blue one I indicated. He began explaining what it was, and I turned back to Smegma who had paused in his rant. ¡°As I was saying,¡± he continued. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean that they will be valuable¡ªin fact you¡¯re probably just in a position to take advantage of us needing higher ranked Cores to test the theory. If possible, a Portal Core¡­¡± I didn¡¯t roll my eyes, because I figured Brad who was telling me about the Blast Turtle Portal Core, might take that the wrong way. [Okay, well with the credit from the Core yesterday and the value of this Blast Turtle Core, could you get me eight thousand mC?] ¡°¡ªI¡¯d suggest going with something more firmly Water attuned if you are wanting to craft something for consumption. Because this is a portal core, it has a slight Earth attunement. That will likely make a Bottomless Water Skin create water with a muddy taste, for example. We have a Fresh Water Sea Jelly Portal Core that¡ª¡± ¡°I can only do about five thousand,¡± Smegma answered. I waved a hand stopping Brad from going to collect what I guessed was going to be a far more expensive Monster Core. He looked back at me his fake smiling somewhat falling away, even as his eyes looked hopeful. ¡°This is a purchase that is being made with a group. Can you place the Blast Turtle Portal Core on hold for me?¡± His face began to fall further. ¡°I just need to step out check the prices on a few other things and make a call to my partners to okay the spending.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Yeah, yeah, go ahead, I¡¯ll have it waiting here for you,¡± Brad said his voice and face betraying his skepticism about my return. I felt my cheeks get hot, but turned and left, pushing the internal button on my way out. I wasn¡¯t even sure why I had made up the excuse, but for some reason I felt the need to let the teenager down easy. I guessed I still had hang ups from my retail job. Still, Brad¡¯s guilt trip made it worthless, which in turn made me upset. I would never have treated another person like that. ¡°Wait, wait¡ª¡± Smegma shouted as I stormed off. ¡°Surely, Willa and your father could spend a bit more money.¡± [Nope, we¡¯ll go with the buy and return option, and I¡¯ll just have to get Willa one tomorrow,] I answered. Stomping away from the room. Thankfully there were signs hanging from the roof here which directed me to the Miner¡¯s Section of the store. I worried in my current mood I might ask a little too sternly if I stopped a store clerk for directions. ¡°Hold up, if you were willing to promise a purchase of another Core later, I could treat the extra three thousand as a loan,¡± Smegma hurriedly said. I glanced back at him over my shoulder. This asshole was still lying, wasn¡¯t he?! ¡°Nope, I¡¯d rather not be in your debt,¡± I said and kept heading to the mining section. Smegma didn¡¯t answer which surprised me, but since I was serious in my response, I figured I¡¯d let him stew. A few minutes later I turned a corner and found myself surrounded by familiar looking gear, as well as a great deal of pieces I hadn¡¯t seen before. One aisle had boots, pants, chest pieces, glasses, helmets, and gloves prominently displayed on hangers or shelves. These looked like the loaners I used the last two days, but where mine were old and worn, these practically shone. Plus, the smell of new leather that tickled my nose almost sold the gear for Wallsmart. The next few rows had pickaxes hanging from metal pegs. I could tell that these were the mass produced un-enchanted ones since they weren¡¯t behind panes of plastic, like the following rows. This is also where I found equipment, I hadn¡¯t seen on our job site. The opposite side of the row had baskets of wedges and hanging sledgehammers. I moved to the nearest basket and picked one out. The tag claimed it was made from a Thorium-Steel, which was an alloy that combined a tiny amount of Thorium with Iron to create a metal that was harder than its original parts. From my understanding the Thorium took the place of the carbon that was used with Iron to make the far more common metal of Steel. Still, I wondered why I hadn¡¯t seen these used when my father was attempting to get the ¡®True Gold¡¯ or when Willa was trying to crack Necrograph. What sat beside the sledgehammers gave me the clue. Drill bits. Clearly made in different sizes that corresponded to the wedges I was studying. So, I guessed that you could drill holes and then widen them using the sledge. I only wondered why they weren¡¯t used with my dad¡¯s crew until I went to the next aisle. This one had the same gear but was enchanted. The wedges, and drill bits were far more expensive and made for higher grade metals¡ªsuch as Necrograph. But on top of the purely metal pieces there were drills for sale here. Drills powered by Mana Crystal Engines. Since I was on the first floor these would be the ¡®cheapest¡¯ drills, and bits available and they were already starting at fifty thousand. Whereas new picks hung inside the case opposite, and they were also enchanted. In comparison they started at three thousand dollars for a pick with a Strengthening Enchant. The problem was that a simple Strengthening Enchant wouldn¡¯t do much to help a miner, and the new picks only ramped up from there. I also realized that buying all the drills, wedges and sledges needed would create a huge amount of equipment to lug around between jobs¡­ I pictured myself carrying what equated to a truck bed full of the tools and felt my legs protest the imaginary torture. Smegma scoffed at what he was seeing, but I didn¡¯t bother engaging with him. I already knew that he¡¯d just have more insults for humanity. Instead, I exited the row of new picks and walked around until I found huge oak barrels. Sure enough, they were filled with used but still working pickaxes. They were organized by barrels and there were only three. One thousand, three thousand and a five-thousand-dollar barrels. I scanned the contents and chuckled when I realized that each pick had a single tag attached with one word on them, sometimes two but only in the five-thousand-dollar barrel. None had accuracy written on them, but the majority had strengthening. Especially in the thousand dollar options. Almost ninety percent of them were strengthening. Penetration was the next most popular and it dominated the second barrel, as well as some particularly dented ones in the first. The third most popular was something called weight. At first, I thought they would be making the axe heavier but when I lifted one, I found that it felt no different. Smegma chimed in with an explanation, ¡°When you swing it, it will strike with greater force. That enchantment should be called momentum, but since weight is a component of force, I guess they aren¡¯t wrong.¡± I found two good options in the most expensive barrel. One was ¡®Weight+Strengthening¡¯ the other was ¡®Penetration+Resistance,¡¯ which Smegma again explained. ¡°Resistance means it will take less damage from mana, and since most ores and crystals are hardened by mana, it¡¯s more or less the same as Strengthening.¡± I nodded and chose the one with Resistance. It seemed rarer based on it being the only one with that label on its tag. I started moving back to the cash, when Smegma coughed politely. I just kept walking which made him blurt out, ¡°Okay, I can do eight thousand mC for the Blast Turtle Portal Core.¡± ¡°Fifteen thousand, and you never try to pull this bullshit with me again, or no deal,¡± I said quickly, while spinning on the Imp. ¡°It¡¯s already a stretch to give you eight thousand, dumb-dumb,¡± he said while glaring at me. ¡°See here¡¯s the problem, and why I said you never pull this bullshit again. Whether you like it or not we¡¯re stuck together¡ª¡± a clerk peaked his head out of an aisle to see who was speaking so sternly to someone else. At his strange look I pulled my phone from my pocket and made a gesture with it, pretending I was using it. I then walked away quickly as I continued, ¡°¡ªand if I can¡¯t trust your prices this is going to be a huge pain in the ass. I know you are selling things I can¡¯t get here on Earth, but I need to be able to trust that you are giving me as fair a value on what I sell, or we¡¯ll have trouble down the road.¡± ¡°You¡¯re upset that a Trader is trying to get the best margins he can?¡± Smegma countered, sounding incredulous. [No, I¡¯m not upset, I just don¡¯t want to play these games.] I switched back to internal dialogue due to the looks I was getting as I passed people. Even with my phone pressed against my head. [I don¡¯t like what it will lead to. These games degrade your trust with me. Right now, because of your actions, I¡¯m wondering if the Cores are worth far more than you¡¯re claiming. Because of that suspicion, I¡¯m considering buying this pickaxe, returning it, and waiting until tomorrow night to get another one, but what if your people need another Core. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?] ¡°So, you¡¯re willing to pass up on the deal I¡¯m offering you out of spite?¡± [Or you¡¯re missing out on a deal that could save your people because you¡¯re trying to nickel and dime¡­] Smegma began tapping talons on his teeth, and I rolled my eyes. Sure, enough if the fifteen thousand I countered with required thought, he was trying to trim the margins in his favor. I spun again and began making my way back to the counter. Smegma stopped me by flying in front of me and holding up both hands. ¡°Wait, wait,¡± he said, ¡°I see your point but I¡¯m being honest with you. This thing could be worth nothing. I¡¯m assuming my people will try for an array, but I have no real contact with them other than that surge of energy I felt.¡± He paused for a moment to let that sink in¡ªthen continued, ¡°Or these Portal Cores could be worth far more. It¡¯s a gamble and I can¡¯t make it recklessly. My people only have what you see in this shop, and I can¡¯t be giving it away because of an optimistic hope. We¡¯ve lost so much already on those¡­ ¡°Here¡¯s what I can do,¡± Smegma continued after letting his last stated whisper hang in the air and garner my sympathy. ¡°I¡¯ll give you eight thousand now, and if I get another surge of energy from my people, I¡¯ll make up the difference later. However, at that time you promise to come purchase higher grade ones. Deal?¡± ¡°Deal.¡± I spun back around and headed back to the barrels. I grabbed the other pickaxe I was considering and then made my way to the checkout. Ten thousand was charged to my credit card. I snapped a picture of the receipt and then made my way across the store to the returns counter. I purposefully picked the checkout counter furthest from the returns, so I was less likely to be questioned. For another layer of security, I put my phone to my ear and began a fake conversation. At the end of which I attempted to sound defensive. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had already bought two. I¡¯m sorry boss. I¡¯m still at the store so I¡¯ll return them, geeze!¡± ¡°What the husk are you doing?¡± Smegma asked, causing me to blush. [Trying to make my reason for return seem legitimate!] I said. ¡°Oh, cause that guy following you is going to figure out your plan?¡± [There¡¯s a guy following me?] ¡°No, you husking twat! No one cares what you¡¯re doing. They all have their own lives to live. Just return them and go buy the Core.¡± My cheeks grew hotter. He was probably right. At the returns counter the clerk claimed that they were supposed to be final sale, which caused me to suffer a small heart palpitation. Thankfully she was kind and made an exception because of my story, the time stamp on the receipt, and the fact that I never left the store. A quick walk later I was back at the Cores room. The second clerk I saw before, this one with a name-tag that read ¡®Jeff¡¯, opened the door. ¡°Welcome to Wallsmart Cores, what can I help you with today?¡± Jeff repeated the same greeting Brad offered me earlier. He also rushed to open the door and greeted me with a far warmer smile. Still, if they were on commission, I shouldn¡¯t stiff Brad just because I liked Jeff more. ¡°I was in earlier, Brad put a Blast Turtle E-rank Portal core on hold for me,¡± I said. Jeff nodded even as his smile fell. However, his fell in a far different way than Brad¡¯s had. This wasn¡¯t insulting, but more an internal sadness that he would miss out on a new commission. ¡°Absolutely, I¡¯ll get that wrapped up for you then?¡± Jeff turned the statement into a question with an inclination in his voice. I nodded, and together we moved to the counter. Brad wasn¡¯t in the room, and I assumed he had finished for the night or went on break. Jeff opened a drawer and blinked. Then he opened multiple others and began scratching his head. ¡°You said he put it on hold for you?¡± I tilted my head in confusion, and then slowly turned to look at the wall which contained E-rank cores. There in the exact same spot it had sat when I viewed it earlier was the Blast Turtle Portal Core. That piece of shit¡­ Jeff had pulled out his cellphone as I made this discovery and made to search through his contacts as he said, ¡°I¡¯ll just give him a quick call.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± I said and pointed to it on the wall. ¡°It¡¯s right there, and I think you should take the commission.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure it was just a mistake on his part, I couldn¡¯t do that¡ª¡± ¡°I really think you can,¡± I said cutting him off again. ¡°In fact, you¡¯ll be saving him from a complaint if you do.¡± Jeff blinked in response and then seemed to connect the dots. ¡°Was he in a mood again?¡± he said sheepishly. I nodded and Jeff returned the nod. ¡°Look, I know I should just shut my mouth and take the commission but Brad¡¯s going through some stuff. His girlfriend just left him because he isn¡¯t making enough, and his little sister is in the hospital. So, can I persuade you not to complain, and to let me put it in under his name?¡± I sighed and nodded. As always life is far more complicated than what is immediately apparent. Now I just hoped Brad would pull himself out of his slump. Husking empathy¡­ 021 Saturday, April 6th, 2069 ¡°I¡¯ll need a copy of a physical receipt for taxes,¡± Willa said as she spun her Miner¡¯s Pick in her hands. It looked almost identical to how mine had looked yesterday. However, if I was honest, my own still looked pretty beat up from my father¡¯s Mining of Magna Steel. I nodded to her and reached into my back pocket for my phone. ¡°The only issue is that my dad needs it as well, so I took a picture, is that okay?¡± I answered, feeling slightly sick to my stomach. Willa and I were waiting outside of a Construction trailer for my father. He¡¯d gone in to register the three of us as Specialists. ¡°Oh right. Yeah, I guess that works. It¡¯s actually probably better to have a picture since Gary would probably just lose the husking thing,¡± Willa stated, her voice telling me that my father had lost important things in the past. ¡°So, explain to me again how¡ª¡± Willa looked around to make sure no one was nearby and lowered her voice to a whisper, ¡°¡ªthis ¡®repair mark¡¯ of yours works.¡± ¡°I think it only works when you¡¯re Mining Crystals. That¡¯s why mine looks like this after my dad went a bit too hard and extracted the entire eleven pounds of the Magna Steel vein,¡± I held up mine, which currently sported a nearly flat spike, and twisted spade. ¡°So, in theory the more Crystals we mine, the better it will look. I also think Mining without sharding repairs the thing faster, so maybe try keeping the Crystals whole if you can. It¡¯s kind of all a balance, I think¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it at all,¡± Smegma spat, but thankfully only I could hear him. ¡°The real problem was that Magna Steel was too hard for the level of your Miner¡¯s Pick and so while the metal of your Pick has Mana in it¡ªthe damage far outstripped your Picks level and durability.¡± I repeated Smegma¡¯s words to Willa as though they were simply speculation on my part. ¡°So, what? Keep it to one Ore deposit a day?¡± she asked, clearly looking for set parameters of use. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have an instruction manual. I mentally asked Smegma for help and then continued to repeat what he told me. ¡°In theory it shouldn¡¯t break even if you use it right now on a magical Ore deposit. However, it will be far less effective as the metal warps out of shape. Still, no matter how bad the head gets, Mining some Crystals should slowly return it back to working order.¡± ¡°What are you two whispering about over here?¡± asked a man I didn¡¯t recognize as he walked toward the trailer door. He was wearing a pin-striped black suit with a metallic powder blue collared shirt, tie, dress pants and shoes. I immediately could tell that this wasn¡¯t a Miner, but the way Willa jumped and then ducked her head respectively to him made me take careful note. It also made me duck my head. ¡°What the husk are you doing?¡± Smegma asked. [I don¡¯t know,] I answered even as I saw Willa raise her head beside me. I joined her, following her lead. [The bow is a show of respect, and if Willa respects this man, I probably should too!] ¡°You¡¯re an idiot,¡± Smegma said, even as Willa started to speak as well. ¡°¡ªSpecialists. We¡¯re trying a new strategy where we buy second hand pick¡¯s sir.¡± Willa¡¯s explanation was quick and concise. The fact that she called this man sir, and the way he was dressed instantly clued me in on his identity. This was Jagger Vance, the CEO of Portals, Portal¡¯s, Portalz ¡ªAKA, the company I was currently working for. ¡°Oh? Trying your hand again, Willa?¡± he said with concern in his voice. ¡°You know I can¡¯t give you an advance on pay again, right?¡± Willa nodded sheepishly and scratched her hair just under the high ponytail. Seeing her acknowledgement, Mr. Jagger turned to me. ¡°You must be Gary¡¯s son?¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± I responded, and quickly cut off since I didn¡¯t know what else I could say. ¡°I heard you¡¯re just joining us part time until the second semester of school starts?¡± Jagger asked directly. ¡°Yeah, I won¡¯t be here on Monday¡¯s,¡± I answered immediately feeling stupid. This man didn¡¯t need to know the specifics. ¡°Well, we¡¯re glad to have another body.¡± Jagger began to walk by us but then eyed the Pick in Willa¡¯s hands. She tried to pull it close to her side and hide it from view, but it was clearly too late. ¡°Please tell me that this isn¡¯t the Pickaxe you are becoming a Specialist with?¡± he then looked at mine, with its bent and mangled head and sighed further. ¡°Willa!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°The kid might not know any better, but you? Are you trying to rob the company?¡± ¡°There¡¯s always a probationary period, Jag,¡± Willa countered, some heat in her voice like she took offense to being told she was an idiot, or maybe the implication that she was a bad influence. ¡°Morning, Mr. Vance,¡± my father said, his greeting accompanied by the squeal of the trailer door. ¡°I see you¡¯re questioning Willa again.¡± ¡°Morning Gary,¡± Jagger responded, quietly. His eyes still on Willa. ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to upset her. I¡¯m just surprised that you''re part of the cockamamie scheme too¡­¡± he turned his head and narrowed his eyes at my father. I felt my brow furrow. What the husk was cockamamie? Smegma was snickering from where he perched on a nearby parking sign. ¡°It¡¯s only crazy if it doesn¡¯t work,¡± my dad said, as he walked down the steps and extended a hand toward Jagger. Jagger¡¯s narrowed eyes looked at the proffered handshake with disgust. My father¡¯s face attempted to stay schooled in a happy grin, but I knew him, and he definitely wanted to either laugh or smile wickedly. Willa snickered from beside me telling me which one it was. ¡°Good luck today, then!¡± Jagger spat and fled into the office. Willa broke into actual laughter and my dad joined her with a much more muted chuckle. Seeing me scan between him, Willa, and the door that Jagger fled through, my father explained, ¡°He¡¯s a bit of a clean-freak but also a firm believer in gentlemanly conduct. So,¡± my father¡¯s face broke into the wicked grin that had been threatening for a while. ¡°If you ever want to get him off your case you just need to offer a dirty Miner-handshake.¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°It works all of the time, ninety-percent of the time,¡± Willa said jokingly, but sobered a moment later. ¡°Just don¡¯t try it if you¡¯re in actual trouble. His head might actually explode if it tried that level of moral computing.¡± ¡°So, we don¡¯t like him?¡± I whispered even as we began making our way out of the trailer section and toward the Portal. This morning the Portal we were going into was inside the city. In fact, it was inside a high school, which was why a group of kids, and some parents were across the street on the sidewalk. Someone had even erected a temporary fence for about five hundred yards in both directions, to stop anyone from getting closer. The same temporary fence was set up around the perimeter of the school. A few parents and kids held up signs, and I read them before reading them again. Some parents were protesting leaving the Portal open so long, since their kids were out of school. While others held signs, I was more used to viewing on the TV at Hunter Combat events. Signs like ¡®Beastmode have my babies!¡¯ Maybe the ones holding those weren¡¯t parents... ¡°I guess this Portal was cleared by Lynx?¡± I said connecting the sign with the Guild. ¡°Yep,¡± my dad confirmed. ¡°It¡¯s a red-sun dessert inside. The monster corpses I¡¯ve seen were all insectoid. However, our biggest concern is parasites in the cave we¡¯re trying for.¡± ¡°Parasites?¡± I asked. ¡°Really?¡± Willa asked, looking at my father with concern. ¡°You think it¡¯s a good idea to bring Brodie in there?¡± My confusion only grew, as my father¡¯s face paled. ¡°What the husk is going on?¡± ¡°Hey! Language!¡± my dad said, sounding like the response was startled out of him. After those words he looked me over. ¡°Son, Willa makes a good¡ª¡± ¡°You need to explain!¡± I said cutting my dad off before he could finish the thought that would likely damn me to staying outside the Portal today. ¡°Parasites are like leeches, mosquitoes or ticks, Brodie,¡± Willa responded in his place. ¡°However, they don¡¯t feed on your blood but your Mana pool.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I said in startled realization. ¡°Ohh!!¡± I said with a bit more emphasis. They were worried that it would bring back the trauma from my assault. ¡°Don¡¯t they take care of most of the creatures before we go in though?¡± I asked. ¡°They probably had a Fire Mage bathe each chamber in fire, sure but Parasites aren¡¯t like Slimes. They¡¯re small and can easily hide in cracks or crevices to survive. In almost every operation with parasites we¡¯ll get at least ten to twelve bites per Miner,¡± my dad further explained. ¡°Then how do you all deal with it?¡± I asked, to which Willa slapped an imaginary bug on her forearm. I pointed to her. ¡°You¡¯re saying they¡¯re exactly like mosquitos?¡± My dad looked at Willa and then me before nodding with a clenched jaw. ¡°So, I can kill them personally with a slap of my hand?¡± I asked, trying to press my point. I decided to focus on the ease at which Willa and my dad seemed to handle these Parasites, instead of trying to convince them I was over the assault. Considering the attack happened on Monday, and it was Saturday, I doubted I could make that point. ¡°We can have him work closest to the Light Stone, Gary,¡± Willa said, making a case for me. I speculated that the Parasites must not like the light, based on her words. ¡°The problem is, if we go in there and have to call in a favor for an escort out, it will cut into everyone¡¯s bonuses.¡± Gary pointed to the group of Miners we had been walking toward before we¡¯d stopped to have this conversation. ¡°But if the three of us can mine one Ore deposit each, by the end of the day it will increase the bonus too! I know that¡¯s a risk I¡¯d want taken if I was given the choice,¡± Willa countered again. Since she seemed to be on my side now, I let her make the arguments for me. She knew far better what points to emphasize. [Smegma, are Parasites really that bad?] I asked, in an aside to my demon imp trader. He waved a hand to dismiss that question, like it was beneath him. ¡°They¡¯re only bad if you don¡¯t find them. Eventually they suck you dry and lay eggs in your corpse.¡± [Husk!] I mentally said with a start, not having expected that response after the dismissive wave. ¡°That¡¯s exactly right.¡± Smegma agreed. ¡°In the worst cases you get Husked and die, but I¡¯d put that at about the same equivalent of your world¡¯s Darpin Awards. If you take yourself out of the gene pool like that, you pretty much deserve it.¡± Gary and Willa resumed their walk toward the other Miners, and I had to play back the end of their conversation to make sure I was meant to join them. Willa had won the argument, but by the not-so-subtle glances my father was giving me, he wasn¡¯t totally convinced. I pretended I didn¡¯t notice. Thirty minutes later we were led into the basement of the school and into a gymnasium. Atop the logo of a panther sat a red Portal. Our group, with three Lynx guides in the front, walked directly into it without pause. The change from the climate-controlled gym to the dry, arid heat made my first inhalation stutter. It felt like the air burned my esophagus, and I coughed which only irritated it more. Willa, who was beside me, pulled up my mask for me as I was doubled over coughing. I didn¡¯t think it would help, but to my surprise the next inhalation while hot didn¡¯t feel like it was burning me from the inside. My exposed skin between my Miner¡¯s gear was another story, but it only felt like I would be coming home with a sunburn. ¡°It¡¯s the fine sand particles that cause the most problems,¡± Willa explained. ¡°They are actually hotter than the air, I should have warned you.¡± I shrugged and brushed off the implied apology, partly because I didn¡¯t want to risk wheezing out a response. I scanned the area for a moment but quickly lost interest in the endless red sand dunes that stretched out in every direction. Until my scan passed over Smegma, who was on the ground. Considering I had never seen him land on the actual ground so far, I paused. [You okay?] ¡°This is Crendalar One or Two,¡± he said, even as his hand passed through the sand he was clearly trying to pick up. [Does that mean your people might be here?] I asked, looking around anxiously. ¡°No, all the Demons on Crendalar One through Four were obliterated. All that¡¯s left are Monsters and baking sand.¡± Smegma didn¡¯t look back at me, and his tone of voice gave me no hints to his mood. He¡¯d simply stated it like it was a fact, but I couldn¡¯t help but think that he was upset. Or at the very least unhappy with the situation. I had questions but put them off. We¡¯d be here all day, and I might get an opportunity to ask later. Smegma made me think I made the right decision when he changed the subject. ¡°Is your Mana Pool full again?¡± I¡¯d woken up this morning to eighteen points of Mana to convert, and Smegma had told me that I should wait till it filled up each time from now on. That way we could better track its growth. ¡°Nope,¡± I answered. ¡°Sixteen points.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± His words sounded odd as he stared off into the distance. ¡°You should hold off on converting all of it while in the Mines.¡± That last part sounded¡­ ominous, and his next words only confirmed it. ¡°You might need the buffer if a Mana Leech latches on.¡± 022 Saturday, April 6th, 2069 I felt my Mana in my Pool start to course through my body just as I heard Smegma say, ¡°Ankle.¡± Peeling back the top of my boot I squished the strange, segmented leech-like insect. This was the fourth one I¡¯d killed, but the only one so far to succeed in biting me. So, when it died it mildly exploded with red blood. My blood. I swallowed my nausea and pulled the things teeth out of my skin with a harder yank than I thought it should require. [Can you¡ª] I began to chastise Smegma on the late warning, when suddenly the world became purple, gray, black, red, green and shades of orange. Considering that a moment before I could only see a sphere of perhaps thirty feet around me, thanks to the Light Stone on a pole, and that everything had been a dusky brown, Mana-Crystal-blue, or the shimmering colors of metallic ores¡ªthis change shocked me. It took a disorienting moment of looking around to realize that the new vision was in many ways superior to my limited one from before. As long as I was actually seeing well outside of the sphere of light¡­and not just hallucinating. Thus, my instinctive closing of my eyes and shaking my head to clear it, was nearly instantaneous. When I opened my eyes again, everything was back to normal. Smegma answered my unspoken chastisement, anyway, likely sensing my intent even though I cut off. ¡°I¡¯ll try to pay more attention but that one was flung off of Willa¡¯s Crystal as she sharded it.¡± ¡°What the husk was that?¡± I asked, my brain realizing that Smegma wasn¡¯t going to know, but my confusion needed an outlet. ¡°I basically just told you it was my bad,¡± Smegma responded, and I winced realizing that not only had I exclaimed that out loud, but I¡¯d also made the imp think I was angry with him. Both Willa and my dad rushed to my side, as if I had just suffered some grievous wound. ¡°Are you okay?¡± they asked in near unison, sounding like a harmonizing band that was nearly ready for a performance. My dad started to look me over and of course found the blood on my hands. Willa in the meantime had found the blood on my boot and then leg beneath. My dad continued, ¡°Where did it get you? How long was it attached?¡± Willa on the other hand began pulling out antiseptic spray, and gauze bandages. I began kicking my foot and waving my hands back and forth across my chest. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine. Stop it! It¡¯s just a bug bite¡­¡± They of course didn¡¯t stop. My father grabbed both my shoulders and manhandled me to a sitting position on the somewhat clear floor. The level of his superior strength was on display as he ¡®guided¡¯ me down. There were still a ton of F-rank shards under me but thankfully my gloves and leather pants prevented me from being stabbed by any sharp ends. Willa sprayed on the antiseptic, and I flinched. ¡°I knew we shouldn¡¯t have brought you. God what is your mother going to say when I tell her!¡± ¡°Would you two calm down,¡± I shouted, managing to startle them with the volume. Now that I had their attention I pointed to the ankle and then my face. In a much more reasonable tone, I explained, ¡°It was just a single bite and I got it before it even managed to get more than a single drop of Mana. It was nothing more than a big mosquito!¡± Willa wrapped the bandage around my ankle with a practiced hand, before cutting it and tucking it in on itself. ¡°That¡¯s good then,¡± she said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to lose my newfound Pickaxe repair guy! They¡¯re hard to find.¡± I saw her attempt at lightening the mood and jumped on it with a good-natured chuckle. My dad, whose face had gone deathly pale, didn¡¯t manage to laugh but did manage a smile before he, too, tried to improve the atmosphere. ¡°So, you won¡¯t be telling your mother?¡± ¡°Last time you said something similar, you were the one that went and tattled. All I wanted was the time for a shower, but noooo, as soon as we get in the house, you spilled all the details, not five minutes later!¡± ¡°Not everything!¡± my dad countered. ¡°I bet he did tell her everything. He¡¯s still the worst secret-keeper in the world then?¡± Willa asked. ¡°Have you been burned too?¡± I asked. Willa scoffed. ¡°Let me tell you one of many stories¡ª¡± ¡°Come on, guys! I¡¯m not that bad,¡± my dad complained, cutting Willa off. His face looked worried about what story Willa might share. ¡°So, you aren¡¯t going to immediately crumble and tell mom when you get home?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, I mean, that¡¯s your mother and my wife we¡¯re talking about here, son¡­¡± he said after a few gaping-fish-mouthed nonsensical noises. Willa and I threw up our hands and started laughing. Smegma eyed the exchange without saying a word. Giving us a look like we were all idiots. ¡°Whatever!¡± my dad added into our laughter, chuckling himself. ¡°We better get back to work!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll tell you the story later,¡± Willa whispered loud enough to be heard and my father began shoving her back to her abandoned pickaxe. She began roaring with laughter and I had a few chuckles at my father¡¯s antics. It felt good to see him in his natural environment with a friend. Not that he wasn¡¯t the same man as a father, and husband but this good-natured ribbing wasn¡¯t something I was used to seeing him fall victim to. I stood up and looked at Smegma. [Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean what I said as a hit against you¡ª] ¡°Two more in the shard pile you''re sitting on,¡± Smegma interrupted, tone serious and suddenly my standing motion became a lot more hurried. I found the two segmented bugs on top of the sharded Crystals, seeming to be in the very spot I just vacated. I used my boot to squish both, in two aggressive stomps. My dad and Willa looked back over their shoulders, but I ignored them. This wasn¡¯t a sign of overreaction. There had been two Parasites. [As I was saying, my exclamation was because my vision suddenly changed.] I happened to blink again as I mentally sent that thought to Smegma. Suddenly the world went back to the odd purple overtones. [Holy shit, it happened again. It looks almost like the movie camera version of infrared or night vision or something.] I purposefully didn¡¯t blink and began studying my surroundings. My father and Willa were lit up in red, orange, and green. I quickly looked away when I realized I could see the shape of Willa a bit, too¡ªwell. Looking at my own hand, I saw the same pattern. ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± Smegma asked incredulously. ¡°Did the bite from the insect really make you insane like they think?¡± he motioned to my father and Willa. [I¡¯m not making this up. I can see all the heat signatures in this entire cavern.] I pointed out the two nearest Parasites and then squashed them with my boot. Then I turned my head to stare at Smegma. Only to find him not in the spot I thought he had been. I kept looking around. Mentally, I tried to send Smegma a mental image of what I was seeing similar to how he could read my surface thoughts, I tried to push the image outward, however, I wasn¡¯t sure whether I¡¯d succeeded or not. ¡°You really aren¡¯t making this up!¡± Smegma exclaimed from a place nearly atop me. I spun in the direction of the voice but again found no Smegma. ¡°You really can¡¯t see me?¡± he asked, and it sounded like it came from the spot I was intently staring at. ¡°Did you just get a new Skill down here in a Portal?¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. I shrugged in response and then attempted to turn it off. A single blink and it was gone. Smegma popped into the space directly in front of my eyes between one blink and the next. I jerked back but managed to hide the action slightly at the last moment. Thankfully both Willa and my father weren¡¯t looking at me. I blinked again expecting for the infrared to return. It didn¡¯t. [How do I turn it on and off?] ¡°Skills like that usually need an action paired with an intention,¡± Smegma responded while stroking his pointy chin in thought. The next few blinks after his instruction I managed to toggle the Skill on and off at will. Smegma floated down to the latest two newly dead parasites, still stroking his non-existent beard. ¡°I wonder?¡± [You wonder what?] I asked as I picked back up my Miner¡¯s Pick and began sharding again. Smegma didn¡¯t answer right away, and I kept toggling on and off the infrared, to ensure no other parasites were nearby. I ended up killing one more that was approaching me, when Smegma finally spoke again. ¡°These things don¡¯t have eyes,¡± he commented, sounding offhanded but floating to the newly squished corpse I¡¯d just created. ¡°What if they see using heat?¡± Those two hints made my eyes shoot open wide. [I killed them. Just like Morgan Hallsbrad! Are you thinking I somehow inherited their Skill?] ¡°I¡¯m still not sure if any of this is a product of Demonic Vault¡ªor not. So, maybe? But these things don¡¯t have ¡®vision¡¯,¡± Smegma began tapping his teeth with a talon. ¡°So, you couldn¡¯t get a ¡®vision¡¯ related Skill from them. Unless¡ª¡± [Unless what?] ¡°Unless it isn¡¯t infrared vision, but something like Heat Sense. Try turning on the Skill but not focusing the intent to your eyes.¡± It didn¡¯t work, despite me trying numerous different times. I kept working as I went, not wanting to alert Willa or my father. Smegma, in time, shook his head. ¡°Then I guess you must have Awakened a new Skill due to stress¡­¡± There was a part of me that was relieved at his pronouncement, and another part that was disappointed. While I didn¡¯t want to be a Cannibal, I felt that having the ability to consume Skills from Monsters that attacked me wasn¡¯t a bad thing. I shrugged between swings trying to hide that piece of disappointment. It would have been nice to be special and use my will to resist the path of Morgan Hallsbrad. Still, I was working toward getting Skills plural, right? I guess I was pretty special in some sense after all. I decided to not shard my next Crystal. I could really use another spent Mana Crystal to identify what this new Skill was. Smegma surprised me with a question, ¡°Would you be up for an experiment?¡± [What kind of experiment?] I mentally asked dubiously. ¡°Let another one bite you before you kill it,¡± Smegma stated excitedly. ¡°I want to see if you get another Skill.¡± I wasn¡¯t keen on that idea, but the lingering excitement from the idea of being a Cannibal forced me to make a slow, reluctant nod. I kept working and watched in infrared as a single Parasite approached. My body trembled as I let it crawl up my boot and then under the cuff. I felt the moment it bit me, thanks to being hyper aware of its location. I shocked myself by not flinching immediately. I further surprised myself when I let it have a single drop of Mana before I killed it. Breathing heavier than I probably should be in the situation, I waited. I tried holding my breath despite my lungs screaming. Nothing happened. Smegma watched me closely and then sighed audibly when I didn¡¯t react. ¡°Well, that was anticlimactic,¡± he said sadly. ¡°It was worth a try though.¡± I continued working, managing to get a Mana Crystal out in one full piece, before selling the Mana inside to Smegma. Over my shoulder to Willa and my father I shouted, ¡°Going to take a quick snack break.¡± They both grunted in affirmation, which allowed me to move back to the cooler with my Low Rank Spent Mana Crystal and grab a granola from the exterior side pocket. I chewed mechanically while holding my hand atop the Spent Crystal and feeding it Mana. I had my back to my father and Willa with the Crystal in my lap. I was also on the edge of the Lightstone, so I didn¡¯t worry about Willa or my father seeing. A short five minutes later, I held three Cards in my hands. Two were instantly recognizable, since the pattern on the back was the same as the ones I¡¯d seen in my room. Demonic Vault. The other though, looked drastically different. It was a shiny green that reminded me of grass after a rain, and the five swirls of orange that decorated the rest in evenly spaced sections reminded me of caricatures of the sun. Smegma landed on my shoulder even as I turned it over and blinked at the card title.
Heat Sensitivity(11) Skill Type: Passive Skill Rank: Low E-rank (Evolvable) Skill Description Users can make a body part sensitive to the energy fluctuations given off by heat. This Skill is primarily used on the eyes but can be applied to any body part. Toggle on and off the Skill with a physical action and intention. Natural Skill
¡°So, it isn¡¯t a vision Skill!¡± Smegma exclaimed. However, as soon as I read the description, I had tried to activate the Skill on my body, just like I had earlier. This time it worked without a single hitch. I could now feel the heat my body gave off, as well as the nearest heat sources within about thirty feet. [Yeah,] I answered while scratching my head. [Although, I tried the same thing I had earlier but this time it worked.] Smegma gave me an intense look then began scratching his chin again. ¡°In theory that change could be because now you¡¯re certain of what the Skill can do. But try applying it to your eyes again.¡± I did so and the change this time was more evident. The tones my eyes were seeing were the same, but different. Now if I was looking at something that gave off a red hue, it had several different shades to it. The purple that the heat faded off to also had different tones. I could tell that each tone was trying to depict a different temperature, but without a legend or lookup table, I¡¯d be guessing what each one was representing. Still, clearly red was the highest, and black was the absence of heat. [It¡¯s different,] I said offhandedly as I looked around. This time something did appear where Smegma perched on my shoulder. It was very faint, but there was the smallest outline of purple so dark, it might have just been my imagination. ¡°Time for a few more experiments,¡± Smegma said with perverted excitement. I shivered but nodded even as my heart sped up. ¡°Wait. You don¡¯t think that the little eleven next to the Skill tag was because¡­¡± But I knew that¡¯s exactly what he thought. Was I really willing to let these insects suck my Mana? My mental fortress seemed to claim I was not only willing but prepared¡­ Five bites later, it was lunchtime, and I had a new Spent Mana Crystal to use. Thankfully Willa and my father ate lunch while studying the different ore deposits in the room. From the overheard conversations they were trying to decide which ones they might be able to mine. I ignored them as I mechanically shoveled my mother¡¯s famous lasagna into my mouth. The second Spent Crystal vanished in a small display of light that made my father glance in my direction right near the end, but thankfully it was over by then, and the three cards in my hand weren¡¯t visible in the semi-darkness. I put the second Demonic Vault and Recovery cards in my chest pocket with the other ones and then hurriedly flipped the green card over. Sure, enough as Smegma suspected; it wasn¡¯t the same. Throughout the rest of the morning, I had let the bugs bite me, and had kept using the Skill. That meant that I was aware that the Skill was showing me more shades of colors, and even heat sources further buried in the sandstone.
Heat Sense (50) Skill Type: Passive Skill Rank: High E-rank Skill Description Users can make a body part extremely sensitive to the energy fluctuations given off by heat. This Skill is primarily used on the eyes but can be applied to any body part. Toggle on and off the Skill with a physical action and intention. Natural Skill
I toggled it on my body and thought I could now sense heat sources in about a ninety-to-a-hundred-foot bubble. Still, the ones far away got a bit jumbled. I reached out and dug through the nearby shard pile to grab a parasite and squish it maliciously between two fingers. ¡°It¡¯s no longer Evolvable,¡± Smegma said, and I nodded while showing him the bug. [I noticed that, too. Which is why I¡¯m not letting any more of these little huskers bite me.] ¡°What if they have another Skill though,¡± Smegma countered, but ruined it with a laugh. ¡°Yeah, the last three were probably overkill,¡± he admitted. 023 Saturday, April 6th, 2069 ¡°There isn¡¯t much in this chamber of high value,¡± my father said as he came to rejoin me. Willa followed behind but did point to one vein on a wall she¡¯d been studying by herself. ¡°Could be that it has shilver dust mixed amongst the Truesilver.¡± I let the two discuss that as I studied the wall Willa mentioned. I toggled on my new heat vision and found a dark patch of stone. It had been too much to hope that my new Skill would be helpful. ¡°It¡¯s likely the most valuable deposit in this room, either way,¡± Willa argued. ¡°Plus, True Silver is softer¡­¡± They both looked to me after that note and I nodded my ¡®agreement¡¯. ¡°Words about how your Skill works, inserted here,¡± Willa said sarcastically. ¡°Oh,¡± I whispered, as my face grew hot. ¡°Still figuring some of that out, but in theory as the pick repairs it will work better?¡± Willa blinked at me, her look telling me that was obvious. ¡°Well, you see,¡± I began awkwardly. ¡°Even ores have Mana so the mark should¡ª¡± ¡°I think we get it, son,¡± my father said, saving me from my stumbling explanation. ¡°Willa, stop giving Bro a hard time. You knew as well as I did that was how it worked.¡± Willa started laughing and even punched my father in the shoulder. ¡°We don¡¯t even make decisions on what Ores to mine, kid,¡± she said in my direction. ¡°I was just giving you some honest ribbing.¡± ¡°Well, as I said, I¡¯d stick to only Mining one Ore vein today, and choosing a lower valued one too,¡± I countered, my voice infused with false confidence. ¡°The Picks will only be better tomorrow for it.¡± Willa and my father nodded. It was just the three of us in this room, and thanks to my heat vision¡ªthere were practically zero Mana Leeches. I stood and squashed one of them that had inched closer as I ate. ¡°Get back to it?¡± I asked as I ground it in with my foot. Willa and my father exchanged raised eyebrows. ¡°I¡¯ve been bit a few times and am getting the feeling that my Mana is at about half. So, I¡¯m gonna sit to eat.¡± Willa shivered before looking at my father who nodded along with what she was saying. ¡°Your kid is built different Gary.¡± I blinked even as my dad shiver-shrugged and blushed. ¡°I need some food and a break to let my Mana replenish too. I got bit four times myself. You sure you don¡¯t need more time, Brodie?¡± ¡°Nah, I¡¯ll keep going, and try to keep an eye out for leeches near you,¡± I answered, realizing that Recovery was likely playing a big role in my current ¡®energy levels¡¯. ¡°As long as neither of us gets Husked, everything should be¡ª¡± Willa was cut off as a massive tremor shook the cavern. Echoing shouting accompanied the shaking floor. The shouts seemed to come from a far way off but bounced up the tunnel that led deeper into the caverns. Were they growing in volume? ¡°Uh, people are coming,¡± Smegma said, as the screaming grew¡ªand now with the proximity I could tell that they were shrieks of horror. Ten Miners exited the tunnel that led deeper at a dead sprint. Their faces were contorted into masks of terror as they continually looked back over a shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± my father shouted in a commanding voice. ¡°King Leeches!¡± someone nearest the front cried¡ªand I instantly felt my father¡¯s strong hands on my shoulder as he spun me toward the exit. Willa was already a few steps in front of me even as the caverns gave another violent shake. ¡°What is a King Leech?¡± I asked even as my father corralled me into a jog, then a sprint, both of us heading toward the exit. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you outside!¡± my father yelled. ¡°Just run!¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Smegma shouted, flying after us. ¡°Where are you going? Think if the Skill one of those could give you!¡±I gave the imp the finger, not caring if anyone saw or not. [I can¡¯t use a husking Skill if I¡¯m dead!] A few steps in I was at a full sprint. It felt a little bit like running out of a building when the fire alarm was test screeching¡ªbut wondering if it was really necessary. However, considering that the current screeching screams were from seasoned Miners, I decided that my statement to Smegma held. It was time to get the husk out. Thankfully, we were the first cavern before the exit, and so were outside in a short couple of minutes. The Miners that came from deeper stopped their shrieking in favor of gasping in lungfuls of air. A Lynx guild member who was stationed out front instantly asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Is everyone okay?¡± Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. He directed that question at my father, who could only give the other Miners a look before saying, ¡°King Leech, not sure where, but I felt the tremors.¡± ¡°Husk,¡± the guard exclaimed and then pulled a signal flair out of his pocket. A quick pull of a cord sent up a red ball of light even as the guard grabbed a walkie talkie from his pocket. ¡°Twenty-three, red flair. Trouble at the mine, may need Excavators or our members with earth Skills. Over.¡± ¡°Guild command. Assistance enroute. Over.¡± The radio chirped almost as soon as the man let go of his button. ¡°Can you explain what¡¯s going on?¡± I whispered to Willa. Searching the area, I didn¡¯t find Smegma, but figured the ghost-like imp would be fine on his own. It wasn¡¯t like he could get far in any case. Actually, that last thought made me wonder if the invisible tether on my demonic little buddy got longer with the increase in the levels of Demonic Vault. I thought of a free-ranging Smegma, popping his head in whatever shower or corner of the world he wanted to, and shuddered. ¡°King Leeches are rare. They are more of a mix of a worm and the small leeches we were squishing throughout the day. The problem is that they tunnel through walls, creating massive instability¡ª¡± she was cut off again as another group of Miners streamed from the entrance. ¡°Anything to report?¡± the guard asked the first one of the twenty people. ¡°Four King Leeches surfaced in the cavern we were Mining in. Our team was second to last,¡± one of the Miners answered even as he gasped for oxygen. "Jeral and the two Hunters are attempting to hold them in the cavern as we escaped, but the group of Specialists in the lowest cavern are trapped.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure Jeral¡ª¡± my father started saying but cut off as everyone outside of the Mining cave was shaken violently to the ground. My eyes closed unbidden as what felt like an invisible hand grabbed me and threw me into the sand. I opened them and turned on my Heat Sense. What I saw shouldn¡¯t have been surprising since I was on sand baked by the sun. My entire field of vision was varying hues of red, except the cave, which seemed to be a mild yellow. That felt strange since I was looking at the sandstone rock¡ªshouldn¡¯t it be¡­ The stone at the top was orange¡ªthe ground and mine itself grew darker going purple, dark blue and then black. ¡°What the husk is that thing?¡± Smegma asked unhelpfully as the sandstone mine exploded. No, as I watched, I realized it hadn¡¯t exploded but had been launched skyward with such force that sand was shot into the air in a cloud. Many pieces of stone chipped off and bounced away. Behind the now-flying section of stone came a large gray body. ¡°Oh shit!¡± Smegma said, seeming to realize what this creature was. ¡°That¡¯s a husk-damned sand-worm.¡± Smegma and I watched it climb higher and higher, breaching into the sky with me on the ground and him floating in the air just above me. ¡°It¡¯s going to fall!¡± someone shouted and I felt the strong hands of my father or Willa grab me and hoist me to my feet. I blinked on, than immediately off, my heat vision, realizing it wasn¡¯t helping in the situation¡ªsince the sand-worm was a yellow-black to it, my regular vision would serve me better here. My father shoved me away from the huge dusky brown body that was slowly stopping its upward ascent. It¡¯s body must have been at least two hundred meters into the air, and my far too calm brain finally translated the problem. It wasn¡¯t going to stay up there like a cobra ready to strike. It was coming down, and from the slight angle of its body, it was coming down in a direction not far off from the one we were all gathered. The shadow from the sun didn¡¯t help since it was cast out behind the creature. My father seemed to have decided to sprint after the Hunter who, admittedly was the only one strong enough to not be flung back and forth atop the shaking earth. Instead, the Hunter ran in a single symmetrical direction. The ground continued to shake and buck under my feet, not helped in the least by the sand¡ªmaking me realize it wasn¡¯t a choice for the semi-staggering run everyone was making. Clearly the Hunter was far stronger or more practiced in these types of situations than the rest of the people. ¡°Brace!¡± someone yelled and I had enough time to soften my knees before the sand leaped. Literally, the top layer of sand suddenly was at my knees, and I was watching it fall back to the ground, covering my shoes. I glanced back and found the worm had hit the sand in a direction away from us. Lucky! As if someone was filming it in super slow-mo, it slowly bent its back and got its head into an angle with the ground that it seemed to deem acceptable before seeming to slide into the sandy ground like it was easing itself into a pool. The whole group stayed deathly silent, until nearly half of its visible body vanished. The thing¡¯s total length may have been anywhere from five hundred meters to a kilometer, or even a mile long. It just kept bunching itself up and ¡®metering¡¯ itself forward in huge sections. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± I asked, directing the question to everyone present. ¡°It must have gotten in last night some time,¡± Smegma answered. ¡°It isn¡¯t a carnivorous creature and likely sensed the Mana Crystals. One thing¡¯s for sure¨Cthat thing is way above the Ranking for this Dungeon.¡± ¡°Miner!¡± the Hunter said, approaching the man who had ¡®reported¡¯ earlier. ¡°Was Jeral near the entrance, following you, or in the deep cave when you last saw him?¡± The Hunter¡¯s face was pale¡ªand I felt my own mirror his at the reminder. There had been people down there. ¡°He was nearly in the deepest cavern we were Mining in,¡± the Miner responded before puking. ¡°He was trying to get the Specialists out.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to come with me to report to the Guild-master,¡± the guard said, even as a few other Miners emptied their stomachs. A guiding hand from Willa told me that everyone was going to follow the guard, and I managed to get my semi-numb legs to start working. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this sequence of events was somehow planned. It just felt too coincidental. ¡°Nah, kid,¡± Smegma said, his voice hard. ¡°Those King Leeches likely felt the worm coming and were trying to get out of the way¡ªbeast senses are keen. If Jeral had abandoned those Specialists in the deepest cavern, then he could have made it. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t that kind of man.¡± I could only look back over my shoulder as the massive body of the worm continued to literally ¡®worm¡¯ itself into the sand again. The now gravesite of our city¡¯s hero. 024 Saturday, April 6th, 2069 ¡°Our insurance isn¡¯t going to take a hit on this,¡± Jagger Vance growled as he and a powerfully built giant of a man walked into a police trailer. All the surviving Miners, Gardeners, and Cleaners from his company sat around either on the sidewalk, curb or front lawn of the high school. The Lynx Guild also formed its own group at the side parking lot of the building. They surrounded the police cars and even the trailer that Jagger had just entered. ¡°Want me to go see what they¡¯re talking about?¡± Smegma asked, causing me to blink. I nodded after a moment and the flying goblin phased through a wall of the trailer a few moments later. ¡°Who was the man with Jagger?¡± I asked even as I turned to my father. I immediately could tell that he wasn¡¯t in a place to talk. His face was pale, and his eyes were unfocused. I spun to my other side and found Willa looking green but definitely in a better place than my dad. ¡°That¡¯s the Lynx Guild Leader¡ªTaz,¡± she said simply, her voice sounding like she was faking a sick phone call. I could tell she wasn¡¯t faking anything. That she wasn¡¯t physically ill, but simultaneously had her stomach turned in knots. I wondered if I should be feeling the shock or illness the two currently were. While I was ¡®shocked¡¯ by the sudden death of the Hunters, Banks, and Miners, I hadn¡¯t exactly known any of them personally. I realized that I was trying to explain away how calm I felt, but already knew the reason. Mental Fortitude. Just like after Morgan Hallsbrad¡¯s assault, and death. Simply put it felt like months had gone by since the incident with the worm instead of a few hours. So, why was I making up other reasons for my lack of reaction? Because I didn¡¯t like the thought of a Skill messing with my mind¡ªwith my emotions. Even now, Mental Fortitude was reining that feeling of discomfort in, calmly collecting my thoughts, and directing my mind to what Willa had just said. That was the ¡®Tazmanian Devil¡¯, the only known S-rank Hunter in the Windsor area. Thanks to that fact, it didn¡¯t take my Skill long or much effort to redirect my attention. ¡°Wait¡ªthat¡¯s him?¡± I asked in a whisper. Willa blinked once, and then a couple more times, her eyes coming into focus. Her face, still a little green, gained back a shade of color. I could tell the distraction helped because a small smile grew in the corner of her mouth as she started talking. ¡°When they say he¡¯s indestructible¡ªthey mean it! Gary and I saw him pull out a Fang from a Rakshasa, that had penetrated deeply into his chest. It had to have hit his heart or lungs, and Rakshasa poison literally melts your insides. However, Taz just kept going. He almost doesn¡¯t seem human when he does stuff like that.¡± Where her voice normally would have been excited, this time it came out somewhat flat¡ªbut picked up a bit more emotion as she continued. I turned to my father and saw that his face had regained some color and that his eyes were now focused on his hands. I tried a follow-up, ¡°Is it true that his armor also regenerates?¡± ¡°Not sure,¡± Willa said as she scratched her head. "The gear he wears into the Dungeons always looks the same¡ªand there definitely would have been a massive hole or cuts in it that day. But that could also just mean he has multiple sets of the same armor. I¡¯m inclined to believe the latter. Why would you need expensive armor if you can recover from almost anything?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what they say online, that the armor being the same is him creating a narrative,¡± I said offhandedly. ¡°Do you know what¡¯s going on in there?¡± I asked as a follow up. ¡°They¡¯re coming to an agreement on fault and liability,¡± my father growled. I was simultaneously startled to hear his voice so low and disgruntled, but also happy to hear him talking. ¡°Once you enter a Dungeon, death is always a ¡®personal¡¯ liability. This is only the second time that workers and Hunters have died in the same incident¡­¡± My father trailed off as his eyes started to lose focus again. I touched his shoulder which brought his attention back to me. ¡°What happened last time?¡± My dad took a stuttering breath in, and looked past me to Willa¡ªI followed his gaze and saw her face morph into a sneer that clearly held disdain for the memory I was bringing up. My father¡¯s whisper brought my attention back around to him the next moment, ¡°Last time, they laid off half the company¡­¡± I could tell that was all the conversation I was going to be able to get out of him, as his eyes began trying to drill through the police trailer and likely through Jagger inside. A turn to Willa found a similar reaction and so I let the conversation die, instead choosing to mentally ask Smegma, [What¡¯s going on in there?] He zoomed through a wall and came back to my side. ¡°The Guild Leader guy is strong-arming Jagger Vance into taking more than fifty percent responsibility for this.¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. [What?] I mentally asked. Clearly the Sandworm hadn¡¯t been the Miners'' fault. It hadn¡¯t been anyone¡¯s ¡®fault¡¯. ¡°Yeah, according to that big oaf, the Miners were causing too many shockwaves which is what drew the Sandworm to the site. They also went ¡®too deep¡¯ and caused the Leech Kings to grow defensive. He¡¯s claiming that if Jagger had older, more experienced Specialists this wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡± Both my hands came up to my head and I ran my fingers slowly through my hair¡ªtrying to push the words of Smegma out of my brain along with the sensation of my parting hair. It didn¡¯t work. [How the husk can they get away with that?] ¡°Well, I¡¯d have to go back in there to be sure, but it sounded like the ¡®Tazmanian Devil,¡¯¡ª¡± Smegma said the name very derisively. ¡°¡ªwas subtly threatening to never hire Jagger¡¯s company again if he didn¡¯t take the hit. Want me to go back and keep listening?¡± I nodded again and watched the demon fly back into the trailer. It was about thirty more minutes of contemplative silence before Jagger Vance stormed out of the trailer. Since the first interruption I¡¯d left Smegma in the trailer and the goblin-imp followed after the storm that was Jagger. ¡°Senior staff with me!¡± Jagger commanded without even looking at the group of his employees. Willa and my father looked at each other before they both got up and walked in the man¡¯s wake. My eyes followed them for a moment before I spun back to the trailer. I was just in time to see the back of Beastmode entering, even as Detective Flair exited. Our eyes met, and I groaned as recognition fluttered over his features. He started coming my way even as Smegma was beginning to redirect from following Jagger, in my direction. I mentally told him to stop, to keep listening even as I stood up to greet Flair. ¡°Brodie, what are you doing here?¡± Detective Flair asked, his tone sounding like a parent who found their child in a place they didn¡¯t belong. ¡°I joined my father since I didn¡¯t want to be at home alone all day,¡± I answered. I knew I was attempting to make the decision to work instead of taking time off, as ¡®directed,¡¯ somewhat more reasonable. The detective¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°So, let me get this straight. You believed that entering a Portal with your father would be better for your recovery than relaxing at home watching Webflick and surfing your Swiftgram?¡± I held out my hands in a way to indicate everything that was going on around me. ¡°It stopped me from thinking about it¡ªuntil you just brought it up again. So, I would say it was working¡­¡± ¡°Right,¡± Detective Flair said with skepticism but a bit of a wince. ¡°Still, with what I just heard in the command trailer; you seem relatively unbothered. So, what? Is this environment calming to you?¡± ¡°I was in the closest cavern the Mining group was working in. We vacated as soon as people started screaming and running by us. We weren¡¯t ever in any danger.¡± ¡°No emotions for the people who died?¡± Detective Flair asked with a pointed look and a frown. Did he expect me to be crying? I looked around me and found a few Miners doing exactly that. Maybe he did. I changed what I was going to say. ¡°Should I be an emotional wreck, like you?¡± I gestured toward the Detective¡¯s unflappable expression. ¡°I was certainly scared, and definitely shocked by the speed at which it all happened. I¡¯ve only been here for about four days, though. Of the people who died, I think I only ever had a conversation with Sturdy Jeral. That alone should tell you how well I knew everyone. We lost one of Windsor¡¯s heroes today, detective¨Cone of my personal heroes. Of course, I feel like shit. I¡¯m just trying to keep it together.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense,¡± Flair said but his tone said those words were platitudes. ¡°It looks to me that you¡¯re doing a great job keeping it all together. Like a fifty-year veteran on the force. That¡¯s commendable.¡± His eyes flicked all over my face, looking for something. What? I couldn¡¯t have said but assumed he was cataloging my expression or lack of reaction. What was his problem? ¡°Well, I better get back to the Chief and fill out the paperwork,¡± Flair said after he noticed I was studying him in turn. ¡°Glad to see you¡¯re back on your feet.¡± The last comment felt very off in sincerity. It made me feel like a criminal. Like he was saying, ¡®I¡¯ll be keeping an eye on you.¡¯ As soon as he turned, I shivered. I knew I hadn¡¯t done anything wrong but the man¡¯s scrutiny was making me very worried. Illusory Truth or not, it might be best to tell Ms. Stovall about my second Skill. My one worry there was what Rank that would currently make me¡­ ¡°You know glaring at someone more powerful than you is kind of stupid right?¡± Smegma said from behind me. I¡¯d felt him pop back to my side sometime in the middle of the conversation with Flair, and so he didn¡¯t surprise me. [Yeah,] I began, even as I immediately stopped staring after the retreating back of the Detective. [What do you make of that conversation?] ¡°What conversation? He was clearly trying to get a read on you. Or do you think it¡¯s normal for people to push into sensitive topics like that?¡± I thought back over the conversation and saw it in a new light. Other than the wince, Detective Flair had shown no reaction to my responses that clearly called him out on being a bit insensitive. However, did that mean Smegma was right? Was the man trying to feel me out? [Maybe,] I admitted but countered. [He could just be trying to understand my choices.] Smegma fake-laughed and I gave him a truly withering stare. [Okay, that¡¯s unnecessary.] Thankfully my father and Willa both returned after that. To my surprise, Willa spoke to the whole crowd of Miners as she arrived. ¡°We¡¯re all heading into the office. Big meeting room. Meeting in forty-five minutes.¡± The further paling of faces told me that whatever was going to happen back at the office wasn¡¯t going to be pleasant. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked my dad. He just shook his head and then motioned with a tilted neck toward the Ford. Together we walked to the Ford Escort, even as the other Miners made their way to their own. ¡°I came in with Brad,¡± one of the Miners said as he was sitting on the grass. He had been crying and after his statement, his face contorted into a mask of pain again. No tears came this time. Either because he was all cried out or because a new emotion was overwhelming him. What that emotion was couldn¡¯t be far from anger, if I was reading the reddening and contorting twitches of his face properly. Willa went to his side and put a hand on his shoulder. In a consoling whisper, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the office and then home.¡± 025 Saturday, April 6th, 2069 Despite numerous attempts, my father remained moodily silent for the entire drive. To be fair I didn¡¯t even realize that Jagger Vance had an office. With the silence and disgruntled vibe from my father, I couldn¡¯t help but feel like we were heading to the principal¡¯s or maybe an auditorium presentation on saying no to drugs? Smegma thankfully filled me in with a bit more of what went on in the Lynx trailer. He couldn¡¯t tell me what Jagger had said to the Miner¡¯s after, because they¡¯d gone further than a hundred meters, though. At least that confirmed his ¡®chain¡¯ was still firmly in place, though. ¡°From what I could tell, Taz was strong-arming Jagger.¡± [You said that already, but like there must have been more to the threat, rightt?] ¡°Not really. That they wouldn¡¯t hire Portals, Portal¡¯s, Portalz again¨Cand I guess Taz also hinted at stopping other strong Guilds too. Horrible name for a company, just wanted to throw that out there. Is Jagger Vance slow of mind?¡± [Wait, Taz, the Taz, threatened to have other Guilds not work with Jagger¡¯s company anymore if he didn¡¯t take more responsibility? Why?] ¡°No idea. Jagger was originally only willing to take ten percent of the blame. Or that was what they argued about. However, Taz essentially kept saying he was more than half responsible, and at the end of their ¡®negotiations¡¯, that Jagger is sixty percent responsible?¡± Smegma explained, his voice sounding lost, which didn¡¯t help my own confusion. Was it just about insurances taking a bigger hit? Sixty-percent liable meant that the Miner¡¯s insurance would pay out the majority of the claim? Or was it something else? ¡°How would I know?¡± Smegma answered my accidental mental questions. I tuned him out in favor of looking at the approaching warehouse. I could read the sign on the side and knew by its P-cubed logo, along with the rather more obvious, ¡®Portals, Portal¡¯s, Portalz¡¯ neon signage, that it was our destination. Part of me felt sure my father wouldn¡¯t be this upset if the Miner¡¯s insurance was taking a hit. I¡¯d only been on the job for four days, and even I¡¯d already seen the ¡®threat¡¯ of consequences when the man got attacked by the slime. While I was sure this incident, which involved the death of Specialist Miner¡¯s and Hunter''s, was worse, I still couldn¡¯t believe my father¡¯s sullen silence was due to that alone. Once parked, we waited for the majority of Miner¡¯s to arrive before joining Willa who was helping the man who¡¯d driven in with Brad that morning out of her car. She had a Ford Ranger, which looked like it was being held together with rust and duct tape. I looked back at the Ford Escort and was shocked to find it holding its own against many of the other Miner¡¯s ¡®road worthy vehicles.¡¯ ¡°Is that thing even legal to drive?¡± Smegma asked, and he zoomed around the truck. I had been about to ask the same question but held my tongue due to the stifling silence that hung over each and every Miner. It was almost like we were attending a funeral¡ªwell that made a lot of sense. Friends and coworkers had just died¡ªdetective Flair¡¯s reaction earlier and my own inability to feel out the situation for what it was, worried me. My dad began leading the way into the building and past the reception desk when the sound of slapping bare feet on the tiled floor made me swing my head around. My mother, in the same business outfit from this morning, which was currently looking far more wrinkled and worn than it probably should have after half a day¡¯s work, was running toward me in pantyhose clad bare feet. I turned in concern as I realized she wasn¡¯t slowing down enough. Thankfully she wasn¡¯t a large woman and when her feet slid on the linoleum, I managed to catch her with a grunt and a forceful exhalation of all the air in my lungs. Before she could get a word in, I said, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m fine. Calm down.¡± She squeezed me tight enough that attempting to get my next breath of air became harder than it should have been. Two other arms joined the hug, and from the height, clothes and sandy dust I could see, I knew it was my dad. Before I knew it my mother and father had separated from me, and my father had smartly taken her into a nearby office before closing the door. I could hear her shouting from inside. About how I had been put in danger, and how she could have lost us both. Something felt like it was climbing up my throat. Still, even if I had been one of those Mana Banks that was traveling with the Lynx Hunter¡¯s I would have been at risk. Clearly that job was a much higher risk¡ªso I also found a small seed of anger beginning to burn inside of me at the situation. I wanted to work in Portals. It wasn¡¯t like Miners normally were at risk. This had just been a freak accident¡ªnot to mention, we had been some of the first ones out. Standing outside the door of the office, listening to them argue about me and my safety was grating to say the least. Part of me wanted to go in and stop them, but instead I just joined the straggling Miner¡¯s and followed them to where I assumed the Meeting Room would be. ¡°Ahh, yes that¡¯ll teach them,¡± Smegma said unhelpfully. [I¡¯m not in the mood.] ¡°But why wouldn¡¯t you just tell them how you feel?¡± Smegma asked, sounding genuine in the question, which shocked me enough that I responded. [I don¡¯t think my mom is actually as angry as she sounded. She was just worried and needed to vent some of that fear. She would likely be reacting the same way, even if I was in school today and only my dad had been at risk. Even if she was serious about locking me in my room for the rest of my life, she would be doing it out of love. So, it would be a really tough argument to have when emotions are running high. She wouldn¡¯t be able to see me as an adult in that moment. I¡¯m her baby that needs her until she cools off a bit.] ¡°Okay, Acclaxian,¡± Smegma said with a clear intonation in his voice, making it sound like he was calling me ¡®Freud¡¯ or some other psychologist. Luckily it helped me understand what he was trying to say before he continued. ¡°So, you don¡¯t think that they will decide to stop you from Mining or going anywhere near a Portal after this?¡± [That isn¡¯t their decision to make,] I answered as I turned a corner. Two sets of double doors stood open on the right wall, and a straggler that had been three people in front of me was walking through the nearer of the two. I followed him in and immediately looked around for Willa. She was next to the man she¡¯d driven here, but had two spots saved beside her, which I assumed were meant for my father and me. When I sat down, she gave me a nod and immediately looked for my father, so I explained, ¡°He¡¯s arguing with my mom.¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Oh, poor Clara,¡± Willa answered in a whisper while looking back at the doors. ¡°Wish I could help, but I¡¯m sure if my husband knew about this incident, he¡¯d be difficult to talk off his own ledge too.¡± ¡°I swear, you humans think too much about others,¡± Smegma said. ¡°Husk everyone else¡ªand live for yourselves.¡± Licking my teeth I considered the dichotomy of those two answers. Was asking my family to continue Mining as selfish as Smegma¡¯s response? My brain chugged along and analyzed that consideration before rejecting it. They weren¡¯t the same thing. ¡°Any idea what this will be about?¡± I asked, wanting to change the subject. ¡°I ain¡¯t husking jinxing it. Let me just say I hope it isn¡¯t what happened last time,¡± Willa answered cryptically. I looked at her, trying to spark my brain into realizing what had her and my father so expectant and upset. It¡¯s like they¡¯d been through something similar before. Right. They¡¯d said last time that there was a death, that half the company had been laid off¡­ My father sat down beside me, causing the chair to squeak and me to turn to look at him. His haggard expression changed what I wanted to say. ¡°Everything okay?¡± He gave me a chagrined smile. ¡°You know I always side with your mother. Just going to say, good luck ever leaving the house again once you¡¯re home.¡± I could tell by his tone that he was making light of something that my mother had actually said. ¡°She might even be putting a deadbolt on your bedroom door as we speak.¡± I rubbed the bridge of my nose. Did I have a headache, or were my thoughts truly at war with each other? Smegma didn¡¯t help the situation as he excitedly said, ¡°Put your foot down and go on a Slaughter.¡± [A what now?] I mentally asked as I tried to understand just what type of bad advice I was getting. ¡°A Slaughter. You know, a quest. Kill as many monsters and creatures that you can to prove you¡¯re a full fledged Demon.¡± Smegma sounded a bit fanatical as he exclaimed all of that, and I just let him have his moment¡ªinstead choosing to answer my father after too long of a pause. ¡°It¡¯s been a rough week. Can you at least stop her from making any rash decisions until after my therapy on Monday?¡± We met eyes for a long moment, but Gary eventually nodded. Which only really meant; he would try. I knew who wore the pants in my parents¡¯ relationship¡ªand it wasn¡¯t Gary, when my mother got into one of her moods. ¡°Looks like everyone¡¯s here,¡± Jagger said from a chair tucked back into the corner of the room. It was so tucked in that until the man spoke, I hadn¡¯t seen him. Jagger wore a sour expression, but whether that was from the talks with Taz earlier or about what he was about to tell us, wasn¡¯t clear. He stood up and made his way to a movable podium that sat at the very center of the room. From my seat, I had to lean one way or the other to see around a poorly placed support beam. ¡°All remaining Specialists to the front,¡± Jagger intoned. Everyone looked around the room, but no one stood. By the time I looked back to the front, Jagger was glaring right at me¡ªno not at me¡ªat our group of three. Husk, that¡¯s right. We¡¯d signed up as Specialists just this morning. Willa and my father weren¡¯t far behind in recalling that fact, because they stood up before I had the courage to get to my feet. Together we made our way to the front of the room under Jagger¡¯s frowning scrutiny. ¡°As you can all see, we have three Equipment Specialist¡¯s remaining and thirty-six Miners. Normally, that would be close to a good ratio, but since Enchanted Miner¡¯s Picks can break, the ratio needs to be about one Specialist to every five workers. As you can see, we need to hire more Specialists, or we need to start laying people off.¡± ¡°Well, that was husking blunt,¡± Smegma added. I looked around the room from my place at the front and realized that everyone had already been expecting this. I rubbed the bridge of my nose again. In theory, I could fix this problem by promising to buy a few more people Mining¡ª My father¡¯s hand on my shoulder drew my attention in his direction. He shook his head slightly, indicating he knew where my thoughts were going. Clearly making this offer publicly wasn¡¯t going to work. Still, that didn¡¯t mean that people couldn¡¯t volunteer to purchase Enchanted gear to keep their job and others, right? No one stood to make that seemingly simple offer, though. My brow creased as my brain went into overdrive. Surely people would be willing to buy an expensive pick if it meant them plus five others working. Nobody moved. I even got a few dirty looks from seated Miners. Like I was somehow a problem, instead of a reason five more people would keep a job. ¡°We¡¯ll do layoffs by seniority,¡± Jagger said, his voice sounding frustrated but not remorseful. ¡°If anyone has friends who could work as Specialists, let me know. Otherwise, each person laid off will get their job back based on seniority as I hire more Specialists and the ratio improves. I¡¯m heading to my office, work it out amongst yourselves.¡± I blinked and Jagger was already exiting through a back door in the meeting room. My eyes stared at the closing door, as I thought, [Is that it? Work it out amongst ourselves? What the husk?] ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Smegma asked. ¡°Now you can fight each other to the death to see who really wants it.¡± [That second part wasn¡¯t exactly needed. Surely, you¡¯ve realized that isn¡¯t how human society works.] ¡°You think so, huh?¡± Smegma said and I glanced at his hovering form without turning my head. The room was deathly silent other than the Demon¡¯s voice, which only I could hear. Smegma caught my look and elaborated. ¡°You think Taz cared about the deaths in the Dungeon? He only cared about coming out on top over P-cubed in negotiations. People with power, don¡¯t give a husk about people that aren¡¯t stronger than them. That¡¯s the simple truth of the powerful, kid.¡± I looked around the room at a group of people that could all solve the problem laid out before them pretty simply. All they needed to do was form groups of six, pool money and buy one Specialty Pick between them. Then they could all work¡ªinstead¡­ ¡°I¡¯ve got a baby on the way, I can¡¯t afford to lose this job right now,¡± the man who had come in with Brad cried¡ªhis face somehow so pale it looked almost blue. That started the floodgates as many others proclaimed why they couldn¡¯t lose their jobs. The hierarchy of the group was on clear display as fifteen people stood up and walked to the front of the room through the midst of these cries. Fat Gary and Dave were amongst this group. These fifteen didn¡¯t say a word, which only made the situation worse, as the pleas amplified in volume and severity. One man was going to lose his house if he didn¡¯t keep up with a payment plan. Another was fighting for custody of his children. The only other woman in the room claimed she had just put down first and last month¡¯s rent on an apartment, and this would ruin her. It was tough to judge the severity of each claim against another. I turned to my father and whispered, ¡°Why can¡¯t they just form groups of six¡ª¡± My father shook his head violently to cut me off, but it was too late. ¡°Gary, surely your kid doesn¡¯t need to be here! Just give one of us his Pick¡ªwe¡¯ll pay you back with the first bonus.¡± ¡°It will only break faster with him using it!¡± the man who lost Brad shouted. ¡°He¡¯s only supposed to be a temp, right?¡± The suggestions as to why I didn¡¯t need to keep my ¡®job¡¯ and my Miner¡¯s Pick only degraded from there, and I recognized that opening my mouth had been a bad choice. My father slammed a hand down onto the podium which caused a loud boom and shut everyone up. ¡°It looks like this is the division,¡± he said into that silence. ¡°Remember, if you know anyone who wants to be a Specialist go talk to Jagger. I¡¯ll go let him know who¡¯s staying.¡± My father took my shoulder and steered me to the door Jagger left through in a hurry. Shouting broke out in our wake. Once we made it through the door he said, ¡°It¡¯s up to them, Brodie. As you can see, everyone has their own circumstances. Maybe there is a group of six close enough to trust each other, but I doubt it.¡± ¡°How long will they be out of work?¡± I asked, my voice catching in my dry throat. ¡°Last time, it took six months to get everyone back.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t they just join another crew?¡± I asked, hoping he would give me a more positive answer than the last. ¡°If they want to risk their lives, sure,¡± was all he said. Did he mean that despite what happened today, P-cubed had better safety precautions for their workers? ¡°That sounds like exactly what he¡¯s saying,¡± Smegma said from somewhere behind me. 026 Saturday, April 6th, 2069 My father left me at my mother¡¯s desk, with instructions to drive home with her. He said he¡¯d be a while handling paperwork, but I knew the real reason as soon as I saw her. She needed some more venting of the anxiety this incident had caused. There was a simple solution to it, of course. I learned this method growing up. Whenever I saw a tear forming in her eye¡ªI¡¯d simply wrap her into a hug. When I had been smaller than her, it might have overwhelmed her with cuteness, but now I wanted to believe that it made her feel safe. Still, once we started driving that tactic went out the window. My mother¡¯s car was a two-seater since we had one and a half parking spaces at our rent-controlled townhouse. If the Ford Escort was a beater, then this was a rusty lawnmower by comparison. I wasn¡¯t even sure what year this thing was made. Still, despite it not having any of its logos remaining, I knew it was a Toyota Yaris. ¡°You can¡¯t go back in there! I can¡¯t lose you both,¡± my mother said, her tone containing the bubbling, simmering anxiety she¡¯d likely been dealing with since she¡¯d first heard of the accident. ¡°Mom, we¡¯re both fine. Look, see, I¡¯m right here,¡± I said, waiting to get her attention. She managed a glance from the road, as she coasted to a stop at a light. She studied me with glassy eyes once she came to a full stop. ¡°Brodie, you might think you¡¯re fine now, but what happens when the shock wears off. When you get older, and this causes psychological issues? When you squander your intelligence and opportunity in school because Mining makes you money now?¡± I couldn¡¯t help the chuff of air that escaped my nose. That last bit was clearly a reach. I didn¡¯t have any current plans to stop attending school. Sure, if I got a Skill that could make me a Hunter, I might switch to a Hunter¡¯s track¡ªbut I didn¡¯t plan on stopping. Despite my clear humor at the situation, Smegma was studying me, and my mother, with intense scrutiny. And a frown. Hurriedly, I responded to my mother before Smegma could get a word in. ¡°Mom, stop it! I¡¯m only out of school right now because Ms. Stovall suggested it. I¡¯ve got my first session in Therapy in two days, too. So, if there is a problem won¡¯t whoever does that session find it?¡± ¡°Sweetie,¡± my mom started her voice, seeming to be pleading, which didn¡¯t make sense until I saw the open tears on her cheeks. She was looking away now as she accelerated with traffic. ¡°Why can¡¯t you just take some time off, and then go back to school next semester? Or if you have to work¡ªmaybe join a fast-food restaurant chain or like¡ªa Portal Material Distribution Center for experience? You could be a temp or a student on co-op, I¡¯m sure!¡± ¡°Mom!¡± I let my complaint envelop that one word. ¡°Those jobs might seem safer, but do you remember when the company Triple Threat accidentally brought back a monster that was still alive? It killed all the workers in the warehouse and office building. Or how about Trip to Taco which was serving ground King Cow, and a rampant bacteria turned them and practically the whole town into zombies?¡± ¡°There¡¯s protocols in place for stuff like that now!¡± she countered, and I sighed. ¡°There are protocols in place for Mining too,¡± I grumbled. She pulled the car into a parking lot with a somewhat quick jerk of her wheel which caused the car to complain with loud groans and squeals. Once sufficiently out of traffic she slammed the brakes and mashed the four-way¡¯s button before spinning to stare at me. I absently noted that the four-ways weren¡¯t working. The tears that had been running down her cheek seemed to have evaporated in the heat of the flush that her anger brought on. She opened her mouth in what I assumed was going to be a shout, appeared to think better of it, and clicked her teeth together in a rush to clamp down whatever she had been about to say. After a few deep inhalations and very loud exhalations she said, ¡°Brodie, I only want what¡¯s best for you. Surely, we can come up with a job or something you can do that¡¯s safe, right?¡± My stomach twisted sideways in my abdomen. I wanted nothing more than to agree with her, but I couldn¡¯t. Not if I wanted to live my dream. Instead, I asked, ¡°Mom, where do you think I would have been if I had become a Mana Bank?¡± ¡°Come on, Brodie, even if that happened, there is a higher chance of you being on some rich family¡¯s daughter''s arm at parties than in Portals!¡± ¡°Even if that happened?¡± I questioned, feeling a surge of gut-wrenching nausea threatening to either cause me to vomit or scream incoherently. Thankfully Mental Fortitude seemed to curb that desire and allowed me to get out the question I managed. ¡°Brodie, you know I support you in anything you want to do,¡± my mom answered the somewhat rhetorical question. ¡°I¡¯m not saying that I didn¡¯t believe¡ªI was trying to say that being a Mana Bank doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll work with active Hunters. There¡¯s other people like Healers who need Banks.¡± Her words did calm down whatever had been trying to claw its way out of my chest and stomach, but only served to morph the emotion I felt into sadness. ¡°But that¡¯s what I wanted Mom. I told you and Dad that. I want to be out there making a difference. Stopping things like what happened today!¡± ¡°Brodie!¡± my mom said clearly ready to continue arguing. ¡°MOM!¡± Acidic bile gathered at the base of my throat as I shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t you get it? Do you think these Portals are going to get less dangerous over time? It¡¯s common knowledge that they get stronger the longer they¡¯re open.¡± The words spilled out of me. Words and truth that had been burning away inside of me after meeting Smegma and learning of the fate of integrated worlds that failed to Evolve. There was a grinding, torrential fear churning inside of me that couldn¡¯t be fully mitigated by even Mental Fortitude. ¡°If we the ¡®Normie¡¯s¡¯don¡¯t try to help, then Hunters are going to get overwhelmed. Just look at what happened today. We lost one of the Strongest Hunter¡¯s in our area, Mom! He¡¯s the person that has provided us with the protection we¡¯ve lived under. What happens if we keep losing more like him?¡± I chose to exit stage left, or in this case rusty-passenger-door-right. It was the only thing I could think to do that would stop more words that I couldn¡¯t take back from spilling out of me. More theories and fears that were based on Smegma¡¯s words, with no grounding in current reality. And if I was honest, this argument didn¡¯t feel like something I could win, or even come out of feeling good about. ¡°Get back in the car, Brodie,¡± my mom said even as she rushed to take off her seat belt. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll stop,¡± she continued. I began walking around the side, then back of the car. Just as she got out of the driver¡¯s door I closed the distance and wrapped her in a hug. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Squeezing her tightly I whispered, ¡°Mom, I understand you just want to keep me safe. Still, I¡¯m the one who just went through these things. I¡¯m the one who needs to decide if that means I need to stop. You want to protect me, and I want to protect you too. But I think the best way to do that is helping the Hunters. ¡°I¡¯m going to take the bus and think about that. Okay?¡± She gently pushed on my biceps, and I ceded to it, allowing her to get me at arm¡¯s length. She looked up at me as tears resumed flowing from her cheeks. After a moment she nodded and stopped the light pressure that was ¡®holding¡¯ me at arm¡¯s length. I wrapped her in another hug. ¡°Okay,¡± she whispered into my chest. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it too.¡± She coughed or sobbed before changing the subject. ¡°I¡¯ll start dinner. Are you going to come straight home?¡± A small smile fought the corner of my mouth. I loved my mother. Even at times like this, where emotions could overwhelm her. Her slight shaking made me realize how much of a fight she was putting up against herself to say those words. To allow me the space to think. It meant a lot. ¡°Yeah, I may skip a bus or two, but I¡¯ll be home by five. Promise.¡± She pushed me away gently again and wiped a sweater sleeve across her face to collect the tears. ¡°Okay, get out of here before I try to lecture you some more.¡± Smiling broadly now, I turned and walked away¡ªmoving to the sheltered bus stop that had prodigious enough graffiti that I wasn¡¯t sure I¡¯d even be able to see out of the plexiglass panels. Still, it had a bench, and no one around, other than the people in cars as they drove by. Why did I feel like I desperately needed that space? ¡°You weak humans are so husking emotional!¡± Smegma said, reminding me that he was present for that entire conversation. I wasn¡¯t sure whether I should be embarrassed or angry with him and instead settled on treating this like a conversation with Dave. ¡°Smegma, do Demon parents not care about their children?¡± I asked, wondering how a living creature seemed to be unable to understand a mothering instinct. ¡°Parents?¡± Smegma guffawed. ¡°Sure, we have them, but we¡¯re born in clutches of thousands. Only the strong survive¡ªotherwise, you¡¯re useless to the Family. Parents?¡± he repeated his earlier sarcastic question again this time not sounding amused. ¡°I¡¯ve never even been in the same room as the people whose genes I carry.¡± ¡°That sounds awful,¡± I whispered as I collapsed onto the bench. I glanced back to the parking lot and saw my mom¡¯s Yaris still sitting there with only one of the back two four-ways blinking. I wanted to go back to her and try to console her, but knew that would just devolve back into the argument we were having before. Smegma distracted me again when he shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t you pity me!¡± I spun with a raised eyebrow and looked at him. He seemed to realize that I hadn¡¯t been meaning my words to come across in any derogatory way by the look on my face. He shut his mouth and after a tap of talon to teeth said, ¡°It isn¡¯t awful, though. It¡¯s our way of life?¡± ¡°Fair,¡± I said hurriedly, hearing the question Smegma seemed to be asking. ¡°Just like how Demons seem to live by killing their siblings and being strong. Humans, with the capacity to only birth an offspring at a time¡ª¡± ¡°Come on, I¡¯ve seen trailers for a show where a woman had eight kids all at once!¡± Smegma interrupted. ¡°That¡¯s a show because of how insanely rare that is,¡± I said while laughing. ¡°Sure, some anomalies do happen. Like octuplets. But that particular ¡®miracle¡¯ was the result of artificial medical intervention. For the most part, Humans have one child¡ªone time a year or so. We have to protect those kids and help them grow up as best we can. Each couple usually tries to ensure that their child can live its dreams.¡± There was a long pause before Smegma countered, ¡°Then why is she trying to stop you from living yours.¡± ¡°Because she would rather me be alive than live my dream for a day and dead,¡± I answered with a glance back to the parking lot. The Yaris was thankfully gone, which meant my mom was on her way home to her kitchen. I assumed I would arrive to a plethora of baked goods and an overly extravagant dinner¡ªjust another of her coping mechanisms. ¡°So, your race is more like the Elves then?¡± Smegma asked, and I spun back to him so quickly I felt my neck protest. ¡°What? Elves?¡± I said stupidly. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re the race that lives on¡ª¡± Smegma started before cutting himself off. ¡°Lived on?¡± he repeated, sounding to be questioning not only the tense of the wording he used but also himself. ¡°Uhhh, well Elves are one of the races like Demons. They failed the System integration too¡ªI think?¡± The fact that one of his taloned claws was grabbing a horn and pulling seemed a lot like the idiom of pulling out one¡¯s hair in frustration. So, I smartly decided to let that topic die¡ªfor now at least. ¡°So, we¡¯re like them because we care for offspring?¡± ¡°Well, they¡¯re more of the opposite extreme than you are¡ªat least in comparison to us demons. They rarely seem to procreate and when they do, it takes almost a decade of gestation.¡± ¡°We call it pregnancy here on Earth,¡± I informed the demon. Then added, ¡°So, like each of their offspring is practically sacred?¡± ¡°I think so?¡± he said, and I chose to change the subject as he brought his other hand up to his second small horn to start tugging. ¡°Ahh, I see,¡± I began. ¡°Regardless, my mother would react that way to any situation that put me in danger. It¡¯s just what parents do. My dad probably only was so calm because he was there, but even then¡ªI¡¯m pretty sure that soon, if not already, he¡¯s going to realize that I was there. Did you see how pale he was? I bet that my safety and how close that was today, was one of the first thoughts he had after the shock wore off.¡± ¡°So, what are you going to do?¡± Smegma asked, as he released his horns and focused his black eyes to regard me. ¡°First, I¡¯m going to figure out what options I have,¡± I said meaninglessly. Then, because it was Smegma, I admitted, ¡°I have no husking idea.¡± ¡°You were trying to sound cool there weren¡¯t you?¡± he asked. ¡°Yep, did it work?¡± ¡°A little bit, till you ruined it.¡± ¡°Well, husk you very much, then.¡± * * * That night was exactly as I predicted. My mother had practically made a feast¡ªeven having stopped on her way home for more ingredients. The time by herself, and likely in large part to my father getting home before me, had helped her calm down. While I still caught worrying looks from her and my father in turn¡ªthey both seemed to have an unspoken agreement to let me decide on my own. Unless it wasn¡¯t the right decision¡­ Smegma and I were up in my room now, and I was silently going over the gains from the day. Not only did I have over ten thousand mC¡ªmy Pickaxe and the other two I¡¯d recently acquired were looking far better than they would have if we had used them on some Ore veins. In fact, the first one I purchased seemed to be humming in my hands. I brought up that feeling to Smegma. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s probably ready to extract a Crystal from then,¡± he said offhandedly as he ¡®lounged¡¯ on the bed. Could he even really interact with furniture? Still, his words made me rush to my desk to grab the Key Stone. Unfortunately, all three looked the same¡ªand I wasn¡¯t willing to make the trip back and forth a bunch of times. So, I turned around and grabbed the pickaxe from where I¡¯d leaned it against my lounge chair, before rushing back. The second one I tried began to glow pink as I brought it up to the base of the handle. I had a brief thought to stop and label each one but was too excited, and instead touched the Key Stone to the handle base. The pink glow grew brighter until suddenly my entire vision went white. I blinked, and nothing changed¡ªthen I tried closing my eyes for a longer period and opening them again. The change from strobing reddish-white lights to black-tinged red was the only thing that told me I hadn¡¯t just gone blind. ¡°What the husk, Smeg?¡± I said. ¡°A warning would have been nice.¡± No response came, and my breathing grew heavier as my vision slowly returned. ¡°Smegma?¡± Nothing. The first thing I saw as the world seemed to come back into focus was a familiar red box.
ERROR! ¡­
027 Saturday, April 6th, 2069
Error! This Enchantment has been destroyed and banned! Assessing Criminal Case¡­ Three such items in possession Two unused. First time offense Impossible to obtain Enchantment from earlier System iteration. Verdict: Not-Guilty Compensating Party for destruction of Enchantment. Scanning for appropriate Trade¡­ Overdraft Skill detected¡­ Funnel Enchant Chosen¡ªGrowth Grade ¡­
My vision was just coming back into focus, and I caught up with the text that seemed to be writing itself out on the box. What any of it meant was beyond confusing, but one thing was for certain; the Enchant to create a Crystal that I had activated was banned and illegal. Illegal usually meant enforceable. Did I want to meet the System¡¯s equivalent of police, FBI, CIA¨Cwhat jurisdiction was I even in, exactly? Nevermind. The question was, did I want to meet Cosmic or Divine, or whatever level the System operated on¡¯s law enforcement? ¡­I immediately determined that no¨Cno I did not. A heat began growing in my chest¡ªcoming right from where I knew my Mental Universe was. I took a quick scan of the room and realized Smegma wasn¡¯t visible or had once again popped out of existence; then I mentally dove into my universe. What I found certainly explained the uncomfortable building heat. Those wisps of energy that seemed to shoot off the Demonic Vault constellation, was now a torrent. I followed the undulating banner of smoky blue energy and found it coalescing into a ball. That ball was giving off the immense heat that had just then gone past uncomfortable to percolating. I opened my mouth to scream but thankfully my throat was too dry to get more than a croak out before I thought better of it. My parents were right downstairs¡ªand a scream would bring them running immediately. Surely my own Skill wouldn¡¯t kill me. I just had to endure this. Right? Right? System?
Energy levels too high. Destruction of host imminent. ¡­
Husk! The pain cranked up a few more levels¡ªmaking my already spotty vision grow black. I thought I might have been screaming already, but realized that the lack of my parents hovering over me likely meant I wasn¡¯t. My whole body felt like one singular muscle¡ªand it was currently experiencing an existential level charley-horse tension . Beyond tension, actually. It was attempting to rip me in half like a stubborn piece of packaging. Blackness consumed whatever thoughts I had, making them impossible to hold onto. The last thing I saw before the darkness fully closed in was.
Shunting¡­
* * * Sunday, April 7th, 2069 ¡°What the actual husk is going on?¡± Smegma asked, his voice panicked and high-pitched in a way that felt like nails on a chalkboard. My eyes opening and closing must have clued him in, to the fact I was coming to. Still, the sun streaming in my window through the blinds told me that I had passed out for more than a few minutes. I managed to tilt my head enough that my eyes could make out my alarm clock. It was Sunday and thankfully early enough that my parents hadn¡¯t decided to come in and check on me. So, only unconscious for a single night? ¡°It could be a week or even a husking year!¡± Smegma shouted, reading my unintentional sending. ¡°I was thrown into the center of some black hole that was filling with Mana in the form of smoke. Then the smoke started to become puzzle pieces with sharp edges. At first I didn¡¯t want to touch them but then I realized with the speed they were forming I was going to be sliced to¡ª¡± ¡°Slow down,¡± I croaked. ¡°Whoa, man. I just woke up¡­¡± ¡°I almost died!¡± Smegma shouted. If the Demon Imp breathed, I was pretty sure he¡¯d be hyperventilating right about now. Still, I couldn¡¯t look at him, because it felt like if I tried to sit up, the back of my skull might fall off. My body was telling me that after that happened my brain would simply pool on the floor behind me. Smegma thankfully flew into view above my head and stared right into my eyes with his black orbs as he repeated, ¡°I almost husking died!¡± ¡°So did I!¡± I choked out. ¡°¡®Destruction of Host imminent¡¯, okay? So get your shit together and tell me what happened.¡± I immediately regretted raising my voice. Even the little bit of volume that I was currently capable of caused my head to attempt to implode. ¡°I don¡¯t actually know what happened¡­¡± I groaned. ¡°There was a System message. Something about an illegal Enchantment, and then another saying that I wasn¡¯t guilty¡ªbefore the Enchant was changed to Funnel Growth something or other.¡± ¡°What¡ªdoes that even¡ªare you sure?¡± Smegma said in a halting pattern of speech that highlighted just how out of place he currently felt. ¡°You were tried by the System?¡± he finally added, his voice sounding so very fatalistic. That got me to sit up. Had there been a chance of the System finding me guilty and then doing something like destroying me¡ªinstead of the Enchantment? It didn¡¯t seem like a far stretch, seeing how it still almost destroyed me, even though I wasn¡¯t ¡®guilty¡¯. Guilty of what? I had no idea. By all accounts it wasn¡¯t like there was a TOS agreement the world signed when the System decided to impose itself on our reality. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. My increased headache reminded me why I was scared to sit up, but thankfully my brain wasn¡¯t actually in a puddle behind me. Slowly I got to my feet and went into a cabinet drawer looking for some ibuprofen, or acetaminophen. I found both and chose to take two pills of each. Then I collapsed into my office chair and stared up at the ceiling¡ªand Smegma who once again chose to fly into my field of vision. He helpfully commented, ¡°Well, you do look like you almost died.¡± ¡°Sure did. Somehow Overdraft went crazy and almost popped me like a balloon. Or maybe it was Funnel? I don¡¯t husking know.¡± ...Shunting.¡± I whispered, after a small break. ¡°What?¡± Smegma frowned. ¡°What does that mean?¡±¡°It was the last thing I saw before I passed out,¡± I clarified. ¡°There was a System message that said something about too much ¡®energy¡¯ and ¡®destruction of Host imminent¡¯¡ªI remember that part very clearly. But afterward there was one last message, it just said: Shunting. That basically means, ¡®to divert¡¯, right? Did you see me have any kind of reaction after activating the keystone? That¡¯s when things started to go sideways. After the ¡®System trial¡¯, as you called it¨CI started to feel this burning heat building inside of me, before I got that last message and passed out. Do you think the excess energy was¡­¡± Smegma nodded. ¡°I saw your face start to grimace and your surface thoughts got¡­ chaotic, and I was suddenly there.¡± The imp shuddered. ¡°I guess we know where the extra ''Energy levels¡¯ went.¡± He glanced over at the nearby desk and pointed. ¡°The Key Stones are gone.¡± I reluctantly followed his gaze. There were two melted spots on my table¡ªin the approximate spot where the Keystones for my dad¡¯s and Willa¡¯s Picks used to sit. I hesitantly looked to my hand that had been holding the third and final Stone and found some very fresh skin on my palm and fingers. It was red enough that I would have thought I was badly sunburnt if it wasn¡¯t for the clues. The other Keystone had burned its way through my hand¡ªbut it looked like Recovery had taken care of that when I ¡®slept¡¯. ¡°When did I become Wolferine?¡± I asked no one, still turning my hand back and forth. ¡°My Recovery never worked like this. I mean, to heal a hole in my hand overnight? I didn¡¯t think it was that powerful. Not like that story about Taz pulling the Rakshasha Fang from his chest. My Recovery has only been good for keeping muscle fatigue and blisters away.¡± Smegma snorted, rolling his eyes. I glared at him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Recovery prioritizes injuries that are life-threatening or debilitating. So, muscle fatigue and blisters are definitely outside of that category. Plus that¡¯s really a good thing. If Recovery always returned every injury you have back to normal¨Cyou¡¯d never grow stronger, or build those calluses. As for the comment about Taz¨Cnot a husking chance. IF you got stabbed with a Rakshasa fang¨Cyou¡¯d be a puddle of human slush.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I nodded. ¡°That makes sense. So his Recovery Skill is stronger?.¡± This time it was Smegma that shrugged. ¡°I can¡¯t even confirm he has Recovery. But whatever effect he was using, it definitely needed more power than a C-rank Skill.¡± With that thought, I started considering how I was going to have to catch that Skill in action one day. The thought of cutting myself or something similar was disconcerting to say the least. My brain chose to deliberate on that thought and I was horrified to find it disagreed with my initial assessment. According to my train of thoughts it might be worth it. I¡¯d gain valuable knowledge from learning more about the Skill that could one day influence my very survival. [Husk that!] I thought as I shivered. Was I even myself anymore? My own thoughts contradicting my gut feeling wasn¡¯t pleasant. It truly felt like I had somehow acquired a passenger or a new brain that was giving commentary on matters. ¡°Felhound style, too!¡± Smegma added, misinterpreting why I shivered and the direction of my thought. Then I chuckled when I realized the Demon had basically said husk something doggy-style in response. I filed that particular curse away. I might want to use that insult later. Remembering the streaming energies I¡¯d seen inside of myself, I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, no longer having any more excuses for not checking in and seeing what the damage was. I dove into my Mental Universe and found a new planet¡ªor perhaps a moon in truth this time, because it was smaller than Overdraft¡ªcircling the Demonic Vault Skill? It looked like a marble until I drew closer. Even as it grew, due to my proximity, it became clear that it wasn¡¯t truly large. I mentally prodded Smegma and said, ¡°This is where the energies ¡®funneled.¡± I felt Smegma prodding at the planet, before he said, ¡°These are the same color as the sharp puzzle pieces I had to assemble. See how they all look the husking same! It took what felt like years to get it all together¡ªwhat exactly is it?¡± ¡°I have no idea¡ªmaybe those screens would have told me but I kind of passed out.¡± ¡°Pussy!¡± ¡°Dick!¡± I countered. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s a new Skill or something?¡± ¡°I mean what else could it be? It¡¯s in your Mental Skill Universe and is an actual object. That or it¡¯s a tracker from the System to make sure you don¡¯t do anything bad. Husk, maybe it¡¯s a bomb.¡± ¡°Oh, husk off!¡± I said but did take a good look at the metal globe-moon-planet-thing. Could it actually have technology inside to track me? Once I realized where my thoughts were going I opened my eyes to stare at a smirking Smegma, ¡°You know I husking hate you right?¡± ¡°Feelings mutual, weakling.¡± I shook my head at Smegma¡¯s response. It was so similar to what Dave might have sent if he were an intangible System-induced companion. I realized that I was missing my best friend and shot off a quick ¡®Hey¡¯ from my phone. It had been a week, and he had clearly seen me right after I was assaulted. I wondered why he hadn¡¯t reached out yet until I received a litany of five responses in a row.
Holy husk dude! I was starting to think you weren¡¯t allowed to have your phone. I was trying to give you space but¡­ IF I didn¡¯t see you still posting to Insta I would have for sure marched my ass over to your house. You doing okay? What the husk happened? The cops only told me so much.
I chose not to immediately respond to those and instead ask the question of Smegma I just thought of. ¡°Does this mean I can¡¯t buy more Miner¡¯s Picks from the Store?¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry too much about that¡ªthe System updated the items, removing that and a few other Enchants. See, look.¡±
Miscellaneous Professions Gear Miner¡¯s Pick (1) Low-F-Rank Durability: Unlimited Damage: 1-3 (x100% to Mineable minerals) This Miner¡¯s pick will use the Mana run-off from Crystal Mining to repair and strengthen itself, making it unbreakable. It will also Funnel excess Mana to Brodie Flacarada¡¯s Overdraft Skill. Cost: 10,000 mC
¡°Does that mean that all excess Mana goes to whatever Overflow is doing?¡± I asked, even as I began distractedly sending updates to Dave. Did that mean that I needed to put as many of these things in as many hands as I possibly could? ¡­Damn. Did I need to start my own Mining company? It would make providing ¡®standard equipment¡¯ easier and I¡¯d have less explaining to do than if I suddenly pulled out dozens of these things and started handing them out like Halloween candy¡­ ¡°Oh shit,¡± Smegma said. ¡°It probably does. It might be time to talk about changing Overflow¡¯s target again¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re a flying rat.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re a selfish pile of shit. Share the wealth.¡± ¡°The same ¡®wealth¡¯ that nearly killed you?¡± I shot back. Smegma stuck his tongue out. ¡°Nearly killed you, too, tough guy.¡± I ignored the imp as I finished my back and forth with Dave¡ªeventually planning to meet him at the movies sometime later. I of course kept my new Skill to myself and everything to do with it as well, but honestly, if there was someone I wanted to tell, it was him. 028 Monday, April 8th, 2069 My leg bounced nervously, and I looked around the small waiting room that was likely furnished with the attempt to look opulent. Unfortunately, it had either been designed sometime in the late nineteen hundreds or the budget for a city-run union-affordable psychiatrist office just couldn¡¯t buy furniture that matched. Each individual piece of furniture or d¨¦cor in the room looked like it once had been nice, or even that it would have been nice in a set¡ªbut thanks to each piece varying drastically in color, style and function; it just looked like Brodie¡¯s grandparent¡¯s house. When they had still been alive¡­ ¡°Does the owner of this place not care for aesthetics?¡± Smegma asked. I nodded agreeably, having to wonder if it was the direction of my thoughts the Demon picked up on, or if he had been studying the room with the same disappointment I had. ¡°It¡¯s almost like the designer just took anything he could get his hands on! For some reason that bothers me!¡± [Okay, I know why it bothers me, but why are you so upset?] I asked, hoping to see if my mood was truly the cause. ¡°Because this is clearly an attempt to appear more powerful than the owner truly is. First, they intentionally sit us in a room and we¡¯re made to wait¡ªwhich is a perfect opportunity to flaunt wealth, power, or connections. Yet, this room is empty, has no prominent pictures of any meaning on the walls, and shows the total lack of wealth through the very act of attempting to flaunt it in such an ineffective manner.¡± Smegma made a sound similar to a dog¡¯s disgruntled growl, before scoffing. So, I was definitely not the cause¡­ Then to my surprise he continued. ¡°If one of these pieces was in this room and everything else matched, it would be a show of desire to reach above the current power strata the designer currently occupies. This!¡± Smegma practically shouted the word, scoffed again and then repeated it, ¡°This, is a total lack of care and instead of showing a desire to grow; it shows the owner¡¯s belly. Like the person has given up on life or dreams or just anything!¡± Smegma finished with the sound of spitting, but I noticed nothing came out. I looked around the room once again with new eyes. Sure, it didn¡¯t look good but was it truly as bad as Smegma said? I pushed the cushion of the cracked, brown leather armchair I had chosen to sit in. It was comfortable¡ªmaybe that¡¯s what the Psychiatrist had been going for. Psychiatrist¡­ Was this entire room simply designed to have the sitter studying the space wondering what was going on with the decor? Was this some kind of hands-on psych test? Well, if it was, it was husking working¡ªand apparently not just on humans, either. Take the very next ¡®comfortable¡¯ chair. It looked like it would pepper his ass with its buttons. Plus, it was an off-white yellow that suggested it was likely stained. Each chair had similar issues¡ªplus there was a couch that looked like if someone sat in the center it might crack in half. Thankfully, someone exited the thick wood door that led into the office of the person I was here to see. This man glanced my way, then continued to the counter to talk with the receptionist. The room was small enough that I heard every word but dismissed their importance easily. He was just scheduling his next appointment. My eyes instead tracked toward the sound of the door opening for the second time. In the open door stood a woman, with a clipboard that looked familiar. It was likely the same one that had the form I¡¯d filled out on arrival. ¡°Brodie Flack-a-rad-ish¡ªoops¡ªah?¡± the woman sounded out. I stood and she looked away from the clipboard to smile at me. She then looked around before asking, ¡°No parents today?¡± My eyebrows rose before I could think to stop them. This woman was likely the same age as my mom and dad, meaning somewhere in her mid-to-late forties, but surely I had filled out my age on that form. Even as I wondered if I should be insulted she seemed to catch herself. ¡°Oh, Twenty-one, sorry about that¡ªI swear kids look younger and younger these days.¡± Not only seeming to decorate like an aged grandmother but speaking like one? Her comment incited a questioning head tilt from me, but the woman had already spun around to head back into her office. She hadn¡¯t even looked up again from the clipboard or told me to come inside. Was I supposed to just sit back down? ¡°She reminds me of a distracted researcher,¡± Smegma said, sounding oddly fond of whatever memory that thought had conjured. I glanced his way, and he shrugged before indicating he thought I should be following her inside. The heavy wood door clicked closed just before I reached it, though¡ªand I discovered that it was locked. Awkwardly I turned back around and moved to my recently vacated chair. Surely she would have held the door till I was through it, if she wanted me to come in. I was halfway back to my chair when the sound of the door opening again made me spin around. ¡°Sorry, I totally forgot to tell you to come in, didn¡¯t I?¡± she said. ¡°I was just reading over your circumstances. Come on in.¡± This time, she held the door, and I moved through it. The office was similar to the waiting room in that its aesthetics were all over the place. Each bookshelf filled with thick hardcovers was made of different wood¡ªreached different heights and seemed out of place because of it. The couch and armchair seemed to match, which was a blessing but the coffee table was so scarred and battered that it looked like it was covered in dirt. I paused too long in the doorway and so got a, ¡°Please take a seat on the couch for this session.¡± I obeyed the small psychiatrist and walked to the couch. I realized I hadn¡¯t gotten her name yet, but that was remedied when she took her seat. ¡°Hello, Brodie, my name is Evelyn Treesong!¡± Smegma distractedly hovered around the woman¡¯s chair, and head. I tried to focus on her, but his breaking of eye contact made that difficult. Mentally I shouted, [Stop that!] The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°She has an elven name,¡± Smegma said, as if that was an explanation for his behavior. He did thankfully choose to fly off and examine the bookshelves. ¡°Hi, Ms¡ª¡± ¡°Evelyn is fine for our sessions,¡± she interrupted. ¡°Okay, nice to meet you Evelyn,¡± I corrected. An awkward pause followed, and it was long enough that Smegma decided to interject. ¡°Oh, this is going to be amusing!¡± he said as he sat on top of the tallest shelf. I glanced at him and found him miming eating something. That little husker¡­ ¡°So, normally I¡¯d start by getting you to retell all the events that brought you to me. In your own words. Are you up for that?¡± Evelyn said with a small frown, that suggested she wasn¡¯t sure this was the appropriate course of action for me. I shrugged, and at her insistent nod told her the tale of the assault, Mana Pull, and then my previous week as a Miner. She asked a few questions that seemed to just be asking for more detail, but I suspected were her trying to gauge my emotions or distaste over a subject. Why? Because whenever I brought up ¡®the Shop¡¯, she¡¯d correct it to Morgan Hallsbrad¡ªplus she would ask me to go back over a spot in the story right after the correction. Like she was asking me to humanize the man, instead of calling him by his Swiftgram username. Smegma continued to watch, giving clear signs and even comments that let me know how amusing he found this situation. I could tell that the Demon wasn¡¯t a believer in talking out problems. ¡°¡ªthen they laid off a bunch of Miners with years of experience and I ¡®kept¡¯ my part-time job. Everyone¡¯s acting like I should be sadder or hurt by what happened but other than¨Cthat I should be shocked at how close I was to the Worm I don¡¯t feel much. Sure, I liked Sturdy Jeral¡ª¡± ¡°Just Jeral,¡± Evelyn corrected. ¡°Sturdy Jeral,¡± I growled. ¡°He earned that name fighting and dying for humanity. It¡¯s not a dissociation or a label to put him at a distance or whatever you think it is by trying to correct me. It¡¯s a name soaked in the blood of those he fought and who he fought for, so don¡¯t try to take it away from him.¡± She raised both her hands, palms out as if to say ¡®okay, I surrender.¡¯ Her voice was soft as she asked the next question, while simultaneously writing something down in a small book in front of her. ¡°So tell me more about Sturdy Jeral.¡± ¡°I liked Jeral,¡± Feeling a bit bad for my outburst, I gave her a small concession, ¡°he was nice and clearly, he stayed behind to try to save the other Miner¡¯s, which speaks very highly of his priorities, but I didn¡¯t actually know him, you know?¡± ¡°It sounds to me like you¡¯re the one who thinks you should be feeling more emotional about all the events that happened,¡± Evelyn stated. I blinked and she pounced. ¡°Why do you feel that your reaction isn¡¯t ¡®normal¡¯?¡± Swallowing the first answer, which would be the full truth about the Mental Fortitude Skill I chose to say, ¡°Everyone acts like I should be weeping, shellshocked, curled up in the corner about all these things or maybe even burning with all-consuming anger. Instead, I just feel upset that some of it happened to me, but ready to keep moving on with my life. Still, everyone in my life, including the police seem to think I¡¯m about to go bananas, or something.¡± ¡°Is the anger all-consuming, or do you ever want to curl up and stop trying?¡± Evelyn asked, pulling pieces of what I said out to further examine them. She had been making small notes in a leather-bound journal the entire session and these questions incited a pause. The silence allowed me to stop and really think about her question. I¡¯d had a few moments where my anger had truly bubbled over¡ªsure. But I¡¯d been in control, I thought. I started with the second question since that was much easier to answer. ¡°No, I¡¯ve never wanted to stop trying. I want more. I¡¯m in school, but I¡¯m not sure if the degree I was in will satisfy me, but I¡¯d always been working toward the dream of becoming a Mana Bank¡ª¡± ¡°Why the past tense? Do you not feel like that¡¯s what you want anymore?¡± Husk, that was a good question that would have been a really simple denial if I didn¡¯t have Demonic Vault. Now, no I wanted to be more than a Mana Bank I admitted but how do I tell Evelyn about that without telling her the whole truth. ¡°Honestly, I want more than a degree or even being a Mana Bank. I always have but didn¡¯t have the opportunity to¡ª¡± ¡°Interesting, so you have the capability now to reach for more?¡± she asked, her eyes seeming to shine with excitement. I stared at her for a long moment trying to figure out if I should answer that question. Thankfully, a ding from her tablet that was on the battered coffee table interrupted any chance I might have had to answer. ¡°That¡¯s unfortunately the end of today''s session, Brodie. I know today was a lot of questions and not a lot of helpful advice, but I needed to understand a bit more before I said too much. I do think that the most important thing you need to hear right now, is that everyone handles things like this differently. Don¡¯t try to conform to what society, the police or your family think you should be doing. I¡¯m going to email you some homework questions, and some meditation exercises that should help you keep a lid on that ¡®all-consuming anger¡¯. When¡¯s our next session?¡± I ruminated on just how much she had inferred from my lack of responses, and tone or tense in others, as she picked up her tablet and scrolled through it. She frowned at the screen after a moment and then chuckled lightly. ¡°Looks like I have you for the next eight Monday¡¯s. Smells like you''re being forced to be here.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s more of what you just talked about. Everyone thinks I need help to get through all this.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Evelyn said, sounding surprised. ¡°You certainly have been through a lot, but by your very phrasing¡ªyou don¡¯t seem to think you need help. Very interesting.¡± Her eyes continued to sparkle as she regarded me excitedly. ¡°Okay, well please at least try the meditation and definitely answer all the follow up questions. Next session we¡¯ll try to see if you''re right; that you don¡¯t need help.¡± I opened my mouth to protest her interpretation of my words multiple times as she spoke, but she kept talking over me. Plus, I didn¡¯t really disagree with the statement. Thanks to Mental Fortitude, I was probably healthier than I had been before the assault¡ªmentally at least. So, instead of protesting now, I stood up and looked at the time. Ten thirty. I could still, in theory, make it to the Mining for the afternoon. That¡¯s when I remembered that I¡¯d made the agreement with my parents to ask her advice on that front. ¡°Oh, my parents want you to tell me if I can continue to mine part time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I do, Brodie,¡± she answered as she stood up still studying me. ¡°That is a choice you have to make.¡± ¡°Can I tell them that you said I could?¡± ¡°You can tell them that I had no clinical objections to whatever you choose to do. In other words: you¡¯re cleared for duty. I stand behind any decision you make, as long as it isn¡¯t standing still and doing nothing.¡± I decided to join my father and Willa. Knowing that having one more Specialist there would justify the five others who hopefully were already inside the Portal. 029 Monday, April 8th, 2069 ¡°Brodie, are you absolutely sure you¡¯ve awakened a new ability, after the assault?¡± Ms. Stovall asked. Through the phone it sounded a hell of a lot like, ¡®Are you sure you want to tell me this before your court hearing?¡¯ After my meeting with the Psychiatrist, I¡¯d taken public transportation to the location of my father¡¯s cell phone. Sure, it wasn¡¯t perfect, since the reception went out once inside the portal but once in the general area of a Portal it was easy to find the caution tape, and temporary fences that attempted to keep the general public safe. It hadn¡¯t even taken long, only about thirty minutes to arrive at the University of Windsor¡¯s campus. It had however taken a few hours of talking to finally convince someone to call Jagger and confirm I worked with the Miner¡¯s. Even then the Mantis Guild had chosen to go inside and radio to the mining team, for further confirmation. Through that radio call, my father had embarrassingly ¡®reminded¡¯ me, that I¡¯d promised to talk to Stovall. So, here I was. ¡°Yes, at this point I¡¯m relatively sure,¡± I answered, after a loud exhalation. ¡°Do you know what it does?¡± Ms. Stovall followed-up. ¡°Seems to repair equipment from Mana Spillage or something similar. I know that it can repair mining picks as long as they are mining Crystalized Mana.¡± ¡°So, it isn¡¯t a combat ability?¡± ¡°Definitely not.¡± ¡°Have you told anyone else about this?¡± ¡°Only my family and my aunt Willa.¡± ¡°By you stressing the word aunt, I can assume she isn¡¯t actually of blood relation.¡± ¡°You can.¡± ¡°Alright, well the therapist did send me her notes, and while a new awakened ability does slightly change the case, I don¡¯t think it will matter. I¡¯m going to go ahead and continue on the current course of getting this dismissed before trial if I can, but if that isn¡¯t possible, we¡¯ll have to get you re-assessed in preparation. Still, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much to worry about.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also supposed to ask you if it¡¯s okay for me to continue Mining with my father for now,¡± I dead-panned, half expecting the answer I eventually got. ¡°What did the Psychiatrist say?¡± ¡°That it¡¯s my decision.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s your decision?¡± Ms. Stovall said with a chuckle, probably in large part to the exasperation in my previous answer. ¡°Thank you for your time, Ms. Stovall. Need anything else from me?¡± ¡°Not much right this moment. I¡¯d suggest you stay off SwiftGram. Maybe even make a post about needing some time. Other than that, once we get the pre-trail date, I¡¯ll have you in for some prep work. My suggestion is that you don¡¯t take the stand, but we should likely be ready just in case. Either way, you¡¯ll need to be in the pre-trial meeting thanks to the Hunter laws surrounding Judge¡¯s skills. So, having an idea of how it will go will help you.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I responded, letting the word carry all the confusion I had with it. The situation regarding what was definitely self defense confused me. ¡°Not to worry, Brodie. I¡¯ll get it thrown out before trial. Enjoy your mining.¡± I was still blinking in confusion when I heard the other side of the line disconnect. That didn¡¯t feel reassuring. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just start saving enough Mana Coins to buy a truly powerful combat skill. Then they can¡¯t convict you,¡± Smegma said in answer to my thoughts. [That is not how our justice system works. They¡¯ve convicted an S-rank of crimes, before.] ¡°Ahhh, but did they catch him.¡± [Husk off, sky-rat,] I mentally answered. Smegma guffawed which at least made me smile. If there was one thing, I was sure of, it was that I should have nothing to worry about in a trial over the death of Morgan Hallsbrad. He¡¯d attacked me¡ªand I¡¯d defended myself. It was the truth, pure and simple. ¡°Unless someone twists the truth,¡± Smegma said with a very disturbingly flat tone. [Again, not how our justice system works.] ¡°Sure, it isn¡¯t. If there is one universal truth in the world¡ªit¡¯s that power always corrupts. Let me ask you this Mr. Lawyer. Why do you think Ms. Stovall is going to prep you, if there is no chance of this going in a different way than expected?¡± I walked to the Hunter who had gone into the portal to radio my father earlier and gave him a quick update. He then made a motion for me to follow him and told me he would guide me to the site. The portal wasn¡¯t visible unless inside the Quad but the glow it gave off was. Deep Ocean blue. Waiting for Smegma to offer the portal¡¯s destination didn¡¯t yield anything and so I asked, [Where does this one lead?] ¡°No idea. Despite how intelligent I look, I don¡¯t know everything.¡± [Ahhh, so that¡¯s why you don¡¯t know anything?] I countered. I caught the imp flipping me the double three-fingered demon birds from the corner of my eye and smirked. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Passing through this portal felt a lot like being suddenly submerged in warm water, unable to breathe. Coming out the other side I started gasping, and my guide did as well. We exchanged a look that conveyed the guide¡¯s dislike of this portal and I suddenly felt bad for making him come in to radio my father. My first glance away from the guide showed a similar environment to Agora. Simply put it looked like a different rain forest. The ground is where the two differed. Agora had firm ground beneath a layer of moss and dead leaves. The ground here? My feet squelched as I went to take my first step. I watched as my foot and ankle sunk under the semi-hardening mud. The smell of sulfur as my foot entered intensified, signaling my brain of the putrid odor that this dungeon ¡®exuded¡¯. It was so bad that I considered just leaving again. ¡°It isn¡¯t far from the entrance,¡± the guide said while tying a bandana around his mouth and nose. That reminded me of my face-shield and I pulled it up. ¡°This way,¡± the guide continued and began walking. To my surprise his feet didn¡¯t squelch. I stared after the man as he strode above the mud. I must have made a noise because he turned back and chuckled. ¡°Basic Hydrophobic Enchant¡ªlets you walk on most surfaces that have high enough water content. The whole guild got them done when we heard what type of dungeon this was.¡± ¡°Do you have a spare set?¡± ¡°Nope. You¡¯ll just have to squelch it out.¡± The man chuckled again, clearly impressed with his own joke. I shook my head and began to ¡®squelch.¡¯ * * * ¡°You might want to check what this thing is,¡± Smegma commented, starting me out of toggling on and off heat vision. It didn¡¯t show me anything inside of this Portal, since there were no Mana Leeches. I turned to look at the hovering imp. He had his eyes closed and didn¡¯t appear to be indicating anything. ¡°In your Mental Universe you dumb-dumb.¡± Oh, that made sense. I even likely knew what he was talking about. A quick check showed me that the metal looking moon was growing. Thanks to the week of mining I was able to keep working even when distracted. I scratched the side of my head but kept up my sharding of low rank crystals. [Okay, so it¡¯s growing from Mining, and Overflow¡ªit¡¯s kind of what I expected, really.] ¡°I think it¡¯s been growing since you entered the Portal¡± Smegma answered, and I looked back at him. That didn¡¯t make sense, I just started mining less than an hour ago. Where would the¡ª My eyes flew wide, and I stared to where my father and Willa were currently talking with another miner. I knew they were discussing which ores to try for, so didn¡¯t bother having Smegma listen in. Could it be? [Smegma, pull up the mining pick description.]
Miscellaneous Professions Gear Miner¡¯s Pick (1) Low-F-Rank Durability: Unlimited Damage: 1-3 (x100% to Mineable minerals) This miner¡¯s pick will use the Mana run off the Crystals to repair and strengthen itself making it unbreakable. It will also Funnel excess Mana to Brodie Flaccarada¡¯s Overdraft skill. Cost: 10,000 mC
[Did their picks change to Funnel to my Overdraft too?] I thought staring at the picks currently in their hands. ¡°Only explanation I can think of. Now you just need to figure out what this Skill is,¡± Smegma said. Shrugging I finished sharding the Crystal I was on. I was due for a full crystal anyway, and maybe the new skill would be low ranked. In one strike I managed to ping the next crystal loose. I smiled. I was getting relatively good at this; if I did say so myself. Placing my hand on the crystal I sold the Mana inside and then waved to my father. Once he glanced over I pointed to the cooler, indicating I was going to take a break for a snack. ¡°You just got here!¡± Gary shouted across the cavern. A moment later I heard all three of the miners laughing. I was only left confused for a moment, thankfully. ¡°Willa says you only have one way to grow¡ªbe careful.¡± ¡°You can tell Aunt Willa, I kept that picture she loves from when she was pregnant,¡± I shouted back. The laughter of two people grew louder, while Willa made choking sounds. Thanks to no one currently mining in our chamber I heard her response to my father. ¡°He doesn¡¯t actually have that, right?¡± This elicited more laughter from the men, while I sat down and pulled out a ham and Swiss sandwich. I placed the spent Mana Crystal strategically behind the cooler from the three and began channeling my Mana. My pool was up to twenty-five points, which meant I was easily a mid-F-grade. As I waited, I glanced back to my pick which I had traded with the spent Crystal; leaving the former in my mining spot. Depending on what this skill was, couldn¡¯t I supply an entire Mining Crew with picks and just infinitely level it up? I could feel my skin flush with the excitement that particular thought led to. If Overflow had just created a combat skill¡ª ¡°Stop daydreaming,¡± Smegma interjected. ¡°All that line of thinking can do is make you disappointed if it isn¡¯t something good.¡± [What¡¯s got your wings twisted?] ¡°That¡¯s a good saying. I¡¯m going to steal that if I ever see my family again. Still, the reason my ¡®wings are twisted,¡¯ is because everything I know says you can only have a certain number of skills. So, if this thing isn¡¯t powerful, and doesn¡¯t have the chance to become powerful¡ªwell that¡¯s a waste.¡± I supposed it was. With Demonic Vault¡¯s store and my ability to pick skills. Still, I was a minimum of nine-hundred and eighty thousand Mana Coins away from any of the just-above-crap options. So, all I could do was hope. [Is there a way to delete skills once learned?] ¡°I want to say yes, because it was possible to remove Cards from your heart deck on Crendalar Five but with that Enchant being banned and the strange updates for Demonic Vault; I can¡¯t say for sure.¡± That seemed fair¡ª The Crystal glowed bright and then began shrinking into the stack of cards. I fanned them out hoping for something new. The red Demonic Vault Card was there, as was the green Recovery. And under that was a plain brown card and another pale whitish red one. I glanced at the whitish red one first. It was plain. Looking like a playing card from a deck of off-brand. A quick flip and a glance reminded me of my heat vision skill. While I still used it frequently, other than the time with the mana leeches it hadn¡¯t proved to be useful.
Heat Sense (Evolvable) (50) High-E-Rank Use one or more of your senses to discover sources of heat in your vicinity. This sense can only spread to a certain distance.
Shrugging I put the red one back in the pile and moved on to studying the earthen brown one. The back also didn¡¯t have a sheen to it or any sort of moving picture. Instead, it just looked like a rock that had been shaped into a card. I flipped it over and wasn¡¯t sure whether I should throw it away in disgust¡­another useless skill.
Mining (Evolveable) (4) Mid-F-Rank As you mine you slowly improve your understanding of minerals, ores, and crystals. As this Skill grows this individual will notice improvements to all actions related to Mining.
Smegma started laughing. In between loud inhalations so he could continue, he crowed, ¡°You better hope you can get rid of skills.¡± 030 Monday, April 8th, 2069 By the time we were done for the afternoon, I could tell that my Mining Skill was truly starting to show its value. How? Well, I was swinging at a Red Copper vein and marveling at how easily the head of my pickaxe cut through the metal. I also was celebrating how easily I was hitting the spots Smegma was pointing out. Smegma, on the other hand, seemed far from impressed. ¡°Great, now you can surgically cut metal out of a wall. We¡¯re sure going places!¡± [Right, and you can phase through objects but can¡¯t go farther than a hundred meters. You¡¯re really helping me move up in the world.] ¡°Husk you, pipsqueak.¡± [You¡¯re smaller than me!] ¡°This isn¡¯t my real body. If I was in my real body, the pinky-talon on a toe is bigger than your cock!¡± [You¡¯ve really gotta stop watching me in the shower. Plus, I¡¯m a grower, not a shower!] ¡°And you were probably showering in cold water, right?¡± [Do you stay up watching TV or something? How do you know all these references¡­] ¡°Just admit that your puny brain can¡¯t compete with my quick wit.¡± [Never¡ªdid you ever figure out if you even have a dick in this form?] ¡°Low blow, asshole.¡± [No wonder you have penis envy.] Smegma looked back at me with wide eyes, but his only response was to open and shut his mouth. I smiled as I forced Smegma to falter slightly, even as he floated to a new spot on the Red Copper deposit and pointed to the spot I should hit. This was probably the twentieth or maybe twenty-fifth such spot. Dutifully I struck and as the Pickaxe head penetrated the metal I felt a click as the tip contacted something further in. Each strike that Smegma had me make gave off this tactile sensation and I had a few suspicions as to what he was having me do. Five swings later and my suspicions were confirmed as a huge portion of the Red Copper slid free from the wall. I jumped back from the slow-moving ¡®rock¡¯ slide and watched as it hit the ground. Smegma smiled at me and I gave him the finger. [A warning next time would be nice.] ¡°If that hit you, you have no business dreaming of Hunting. Ever!¡± [Fair point.] ¡°Now you should clean out the small stragglers with a few strikes¡ª¡± [Wait, something happened.] I pointed to a spot inside the hole left by the Red Copper. [Should I swing here?] I asked. Smegma tapped his teeth, examined the area, and nodded. ¡°Yes, that is one of a few¡ª¡± I cut him off by pointing out five more in quick succession. My vision was inundated with glowing blue spots. There must have been hundreds of them. ¡°Did you figure out the method, now that you can see the embedded rocks?¡± [No, I think the Mining Skill is showing me where to strike. But¡ª] I let the word mentally hang, even as I looked a few feet to my left at a Necrograph deposit. [¡ªit doesn¡¯t seem to work with any other deposits?] Smegma continued to tap a talon on his tooth. I rolled the large piece of Red Copper out of the way and got back to work. After perhaps five minutes Smegma said, ¡°Your Skill in Mining has probably already grown two more times, but if five points was the threshold¡ªmaybe you can now see low-ranked Ore¡¯s Mining strategies?¡± [Sure, my father and Willa decided to go for softer and easier-to-mine veins today, so we can keep the Picks strong, but isn¡¯t Necrograph one step above a rock?] ¡°A really stupidly dense and hard rock, sure,¡± Smegma confirmed. ¡°Still, that doesn¡¯t make it easy to mine.¡± [I didn¡¯t say it did. But it can¡¯t be one of the most expensive or valuable ones, right?] ¡°If I remember correctly, it ranks somewhere in the middle. Still, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re looking at this right¡± [Why? Isn¡¯t Red Copper one of the least valuable?] ¡°Least valuable, no. It has a huge amount of uses, and is in constant demand¡ªwas in constant demand on Crendalar Five. I¡¯m saying you¡¯re thinking about this wrong, because it isn¡¯t about the value of a deposit but the rarity. Value is set by supply and demand¡ªso while every spawned Mine will have a Red Copper deposit, its value is still high because of all of its uses. Whereas things like Adamantite and Jade Copper rarely show up, are nearly impossible to Mine but have almost no value.¡± I kept Mining the Red Copper even as I mentally questioned, [Why would something so rare have almost no value.] ¡°I thought you were in school for Dungeon Portal Materials. Surely you understand the invisible hand of supply and demand.¡± [I do, but either we never got to speak on those metals or they¡¯ve yet to be successfully mined from a Dungeon?] I turned the last into a question, which Smegma answered with a casual shrug. He wouldn¡¯t know that answer either. Stolen story; please report. ¡°Think of it like this. If only one person in the entire world can work with a metal, does that metal have value?¡± [Depends on what that person could make with it.] ¡°Not really. Let¡¯s say that this person has no need to make something to sell. They are so proficient at their Engineering, Smithing or Jewel crafting, that they are wealthy beyond your wildest dreams. In essence, you have one person who can use this metal and a low supply of said metal.¡± [And, that person never buys the metal¡ªor if he does, he doesn¡¯t show what he makes with it!] ¡°Precisely.¡± I continued to mine as I considered that little tidbit. It likely meant that there were plenty of metals that were being passed up but had truly astronomical values. However, not only did humans not have the ability to recognize its value, but we also didn¡¯t have the capacity to work with it. At least not yet¡­ * * * ¡°You got a bonus of three hundred dollars and are taking me out on a date?¡± Dave said, skeptically. ¡°You really need to get better taste, Brodie,¡± Smegma chimed in. ¡°Yeah, sure, a date. I always take my romantic interests to the VIP Cinema and offer to buy them popcorn. You better make sure to put out later, it¡¯s part of the social contract. Now do you want extra butter?¡± ¡°Yes, please sugar daddy,¡± Dave said comically. He added a ¡®swoon¡¯ for effect. I rolled my eyes and turned to see the attendant attempting not to break into a smile. ¡°It¡¯s okay, you can laugh,¡± I said to her. ¡°Clearly I need better friends.¡± ¡°With friends like that,¡± the girl said while breaking into a beautiful smile, and pointing at Dave who was now batting his eyelashes. ¡°Who needs enemies, right?¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Dave said sarcastically before switching it up and somehow going ¡®Casanova¡¯. ¡°Still, with a smile like that¡ªmaybe you¡¯d let me show you¡ª¡± ¡°Nope!¡± the girl said while laughing loudly. ¡°Here¡¯s the popcorn with extra butter, greaseball!¡± ¡°Come on, let me take you out,¡± Casa-nope continued trying. I laughed and was surprised to hear Smegma joining in. I glanced at the imp and shivered. Was that a smile? ¡°Listen butterball, maybe you should try to take after your friend here, and spend less time in the books, and more time in the gym¡­¡± I collected my own popcorn and thanked ¡®Laura¡¯ for her help. Meaning it in more ways than one. As we walked away both Smegma and Dave had comments. ¡°If you¡¯re going to let a chance like that go, I¡¯m really going to start thinking you¡¯re batting for the other team,¡± Dave said. ¡°Kid, I¡¯ve been meaning to talk to you about how dense you are when it comes to the opposite sex,¡± Smegma added. ¡°Husk you both,¡± I said out loud forgetting that Dave wasn¡¯t aware of Smegma. Thankfully he misinterpreted. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mean the same type of ¡®husking¡¯ for both me and her?¡± Dave responded while laughing. ¡°Can we just go watch The Making of a Hero, please!¡± I answered exasperated. ¡°Husk yeah we can,¡± Dave answered. ¡°Who are you most excited to see?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Supposedly they have never before seen footage from Gamonji in this,¡± I answered, feeling my heart rate increase at the thought. ¡°I still think King Anubis is the GOAT, man, but have to admit that Gamonji definitely died too early. That man totally has some great pieces of wisdom in the interviews I¡¯ve seen.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve actually watched the full interviews?¡± I asked, knowing that he hadn¡¯t. ¡°You know what I mean, Brodie. The clips I see, paired with his Dungeon Recordings make him a total badass. But, like, King Anubis has been raiding Dungeons for three decades, and is still going strong.¡± ¡°He never conquered an S-rank solo, though. Let alone six times.¡± ¡°He¡¯s building to that¡ªhe¡¯s taking the safe approach. Unlike Gamonji, he wants to survive the attempt. Plus if solo S-rank clears makes a GOAT, why aren¡¯t you bringing up Mastiff Jones?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to have this argument. At least half of his eleven solo clears are from before the rating System existed as we know it today. Even Mastiff says that at least half of them would be B or A rank at best today.¡± ¡°That¡¯s only because he trail-blazed and figured out the creature¡¯s weaknesses!¡± We continued arguing familiarly until the trailers started, followed by the movie. While it was more of a documentary than a true movie, I really enjoyed it. Especially the sections where it showed the current top five Hunters in the world, and their daily routines. It¡¯s one thing to dream of being a Hunter, but it was something else entirely to see how much goes into it. Sure, high ranked Hunters had wealth, game, and notoriety, but the very best¡ªthe active double and triple S superstars, barely got time to enjoy it. They were too busy working in the gyms, running through tactic briefings and managing Guilds to attend more than four or five events a year. And even those were often canceled due to emergencies. The movie really painted the landscape of Hunter¡¯s differently. Even Smegma grudgingly said, ¡°These ones seem to be at least marginally better than those Snow Canaries and Housecats.¡± Still, it was Gamonji that stole the ¡®show.¡¯ ¡°Did you know that his Mana Pool was over a hundred thousand?¡± Dave asked as we made our way to the car. I shook my head. This movie had just come out and rumors were being actively suppressed by AI software. ¡°Honestly, Hunters never reveal Skills, Stats or Mana capacity. It makes them vulnerable, or so they¡¯ve always said. Do you think because Gamonji died, that his beneficiaries thought it was okay?¡± ¡°Husking must have man. A hundred thousand! That¡¯s insane! Like I¡¯m only at thirty, according to my Awakening reading. You have, what? Ten to twenty?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± I answered, not revealing that my pool was currently at thirty-one, and a step ahead of Dave¡¯s. ¡°Still, what got me was when Gamonji said to Eleanor that his Pool started in Mid-B ranks! It really struck me, what he said about time and perseverance were what made people great, not God-given Skills.¡± ¡°Husk yeah. Makes me want to form a Bank and get cracking! Too bad we''re a dime a dozen, Bro.¡± Dave started out excited but lapsed into a complaint about halfway through. I looked at him over the hood of the Ford Escort as he lowered himself into the passenger side. I could tell he wasn¡¯t depressed or angry over that statement, but also saw the loss of the excitement. I got in my own side and started the car. ¡°Hey, you never know what might happen, right?¡± ¡°Listen, at least you have your looks, Brodie. So, you might have a chance. Me? I¡¯ll be working in Canadian Portal management, if I¡¯m lucky.¡± I didn¡¯t mention that luck would have nothing to do with it, not with his family''s connections. In fact, I had no doubt that his family would never let him occupy such an unglamorous job. But I didn¡¯t say that, not wanting to remind my friend of the circumstances he was working hard to try and distance himself from. The drive back to campus was a quiet affair after that. I don¡¯t know what Dave was thinking about, but I was quiet for a different reason. If I could purchase a Skill for people like Dave, surely I could change his life, right? ¡°You know you haven¡¯t even purchased one for yourself yet, right?¡± Smegma interrupted my thoughts, and I pursed my lips in frustration. He wasn¡¯t wrong¡­ 031 Tuesday, April 9th, 2069 ¡°We¡¯ll be there, thank you,¡± my father said as he hung up the phone. I raised an eyebrow over the rim of my morning coffee, and he explained. ¡°That was Ms. Stovall¡¯s assistant. Your pre-trial hearing is set for next Monday. She says that you¡¯ll need to come in over the weekend to prepare a bit.¡± I must have made a face because my dad gave me a reassuring smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ve been on the phone most of the morning. She said that it was all very standard procedure. It¡¯s mostly about how not to react if something is said that you disagree with. You shouldn¡¯t even have to take the stand.¡± ¡°It sure was nice of Ms. Stovall to have her assistant wake up early and get to the office to get us before work,¡± my mom chimed in as she plated some scrambled Roc egg, toast and vegetables onto plates for all three of us. She took the small side plate as usual and left the big portions for my father, and me. I noticed mine seemed to have grown and smiled. I don¡¯t know why, but it felt good to get an equal portion to my fathers. Not that I would have been eating it before, but since I¡¯d started Mining¡ªI really could see why my father needed the extra calories. I nodded to my dad, and put on a fake smile as I picked up my phone and pulled up the SwiftGram app. Sometime late last night, I¡¯d realized that my online content was growing stale. While I still had plenty more pictures from my shoot to use¡ªI also needed to create a direction forward. What direction that would be, I couldn¡¯t decide on. ¡°Still thinking of trying the sob story approach?¡± Smegma asked lazily, from his ¡®usual¡¯ spot above the hanging dining light. I mentally flipped him the bird, because he had read my thoughts again. Yes, I was thinking of telling my followers what happened. Explaining how I was taking a semester off and Mining in Portals¡­ It was so much more interesting than the ¡®thirst¡¯ trap approach I was using¡ªwhich also clearly hadn¡¯t been working. I still had only received ¡®offers¡¯ for one-time Mana Pulls. ¡°Why not try combining the two,¡± Smegma suggested, his voice far more enthusiastic that I thought my current train of thoughts warranted. I hesitated sensing a trap but mentally asked, [What do you mean?] ¡°Go with the Hot Mining Shirtless Calendar approach. You know, take a few pictures with the pick slung over a shoulder¨Cgive the camera that pouty baby-bird look you do!¡± I once again mentally gave him the finger but he continued as if he couldn¡¯t feel it. ¡°Oh, what a great thought¨CI just had! Include your dad, and Willa! Fat Gary too! This could be a real thing. Rub some dirt on eachother¨C¡± [That¡¯s husking enough, asshole!] I interjected forcibly, finally getting the Imp to stop his enthusiastic, and clearly sarcastic rant. Once I was sure he was done I returned to my initial thoughts of the morning and last night. What direction should I take my SwiftGram? The real sticking point was¡ª ¡°You don¡¯t want to be a Mana Bank anymore¡­¡± Smegma finished my thought, his voice much more serious and this time I only nodded my head slightly as I swallowed some rather tasteless Roc egg. While the Roc eggs were good sources for nutrients, they really lacked almost all flavor in comparison to normal chicken eggs. Of course, Chickens were far rarer after the advent of Portals. Why? Well according to first year economics, a great deal of farmland had been overrun early on. Unfortunately, the population out in the ¡®countryside¡¯ as it was once called, was just too sparse to make sending Hunters or the Military there feasible. Not when cities needed them more, and had dense populations. Now the countryside was called the wilds, simply because it needed to be thoroughly cleared of stray creatures before it could be settled again. Thus, why most humans survived off a combination of Farm and Portal products. Still, some large organizations kept massive sprawling farms and produced ¡®old-world¡¯ goods, but they also set the prices. So, was the nostalgia of a breakfast omelet worth hundreds of dollars? Not to my parents, and certainly not to me since I¡¯d never had one. ¡°Plus, you guys are husking poor,¡± Smegma added. [Thanks for that,] I responded, not exactly disagreeing with the statement but not liking the reminder. [We¡¯re considered middle class.] ¡°Yeah, bottom middle class. Like, I think your parents would still be living out of that junker RV, if they hadn¡¯t had you twenty-one years ago¡­¡± I snorted into my coffee, admitting to myself and Smegma that he was certainly accurate in that alternate history. My parents had told me that a few times before. The RV was the one ¡®nice¡¯ thing we owned, and it was twenty-nine years old. Everything else was second hand or rented. Then again, my parents hadn¡¯t ever told me how they got the thing? [I bet my parents procured it after the Advent,] I answered my own question. ¡°You mean stole,¡± Smegma corrected. [Stole is such a dirty word. Re-appropriated, sounds better. Plus, can it be stealing if no one owns it?] ¡®¡°That¡¯s the first smart thing you¡¯ve ever said. Now you¡¯re thinking like a proper Demon." Smegma grunted and allowed me to clear my plate as I continued to consider my next steps for my SwiftGram. I wasn¡¯t sure that I liked Smegma¡¯s ¡®compliment¡¯ there, but I pushed the thoughts and feelings aside. By the time me and my father stood up to leave, I¡¯d made the extremely important choice¡ªto decide later. I know, I know; smart, right? Shaking my head at my own sarcasm, I got in the passenger side. I supposed I could be the one driving every second morning to give my dad a break, but he always knew where we were going. Me on the other hand, I kind of felt like I was, well, a part-timer. * * * [What do you mean it¡¯s not going into the Mining Skill anymore?] I asked. ¡°You know that big metal moon in your Mental Universe? Well, Overflow is no longer feeding into it¡­¡± Smegma said, very condescendingly. [The lack of a penis in this form is really making you cranky¡­] I responded, even as I attempted to keep sharding the F-rank Crystals, and peek into my Mental Universe. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s the lack of hormones?¡± Smegma retorted, and I chuffed out a small cough to hide a laugh. Did Demons have testosterone and estrogen like humans or something totally different? ¡°We don¡¯t call them that, but I can tell by the contextual concept it¡¯s similar.¡± Putting aside Smegma¡¯s grudging answer I watched as Overflow did in fact feed the white smoke into a place right beside the metal moon. Curious, but not expecting an actual answer I rhetorically asked, [Where do you think it¡¯s going?] ¡°You know what would help?¡± Smegma said, and I rolled my eyes. ¡°If you knew of a way to check on the Skill! Too bad that¡¯s impossible.¡± [You really need a release buddy¡ªyou¡¯re all pent up.] I thought back to the drawer in my desk where all the Cards from previous Spent Mana Crystals resided. I guess it wouldn¡¯t hurt to add four more to the stack. Still, this cave wasn¡¯t exactly easy to hide in. The problem wasn¡¯t exactly the size¡ªit was about ten times larger than the largest cavern I¡¯d seen since starting. No, the specific problem was that the size warranted keeping everyone in the same room. A quick scan of my immediate surroundings showed two people already taking a quick break to eat something¡ªand another one stopping for water. While eighteen people in a large cavern like this didn¡¯t exactly mean someone¡¯s eyes would be on me¡ªit did greatly increase those chances. My scan paused as something in the distance, behind the Miner drinking from a Snowman bottle caught my eye. It was the color that stopped me from continuing to scan the room. It was the same red as the shop window from Demonic Vault. Shouldering my pick, I moved carefully over the Mana Crystals to the wall where the strange ¡®box¡¯ seemed to be anchored. As I approached, I noticed that the plaque grew, and I also discovered two other places on other walls where a similar box seemed to float. Like a street sign from far away that finally comes into view after squinting. The letters inside the box became readable.
Fool¡¯s Gold Rank: Low-F The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Quality: Very Low Quantity: High
¡°Ahh the True Gold caught your eye?¡± my dad said, as I stopped walking away from the group. ¡°That¡¯s Fool¡¯s Gold,¡± I answered absently. ¡°What? How can you be sure?¡± My dad blurted as he looked between the distant golden colored ore vein and me. His question startled me out of my musing with a jolt. I hurriedly tried to come up with an excuse but Smegma helpfully provided one. ¡°The sulfur smell,¡± he explained, and I repeated. ¡°I noticed it on that first day, when you tried your hand at Mining a ¡®True Gold¡¯ vein. My dad pointed to my left, and I followed his finger to find another golden colored vein. This one had no hovering box in front of it. ¡°Okay but that smell could be coming from plenty of other places. Even some trapped gasses.¡± This time I didn¡¯t need much help from Smegma as I responded, ¡°That¡¯s a bit of a misnomer. The smell of sulfur in propane and other natural gasses is artificially added, in most cases, so that you can detect it if there¡¯s a gas leak. Also, if the smell was coming from a gas pocket in here, then the sensors we brought would alert us, no?¡± ¡°That still doesn¡¯t mean that that one¡¯s Fool¡¯s Gold or if this one is, OR if both are,¡± my dad said pointing between the two. Theoretically, he wasn¡¯t wrong, but if the hovering box was to be believed, I knew which one was false, and which one was True Gold. But how do I convince my father of that? ¡°I¡¯m going to take a break to eat a sandwich. I¡¯ll walk around and take a closer look to see what other Ores are in here,¡± I said with a shrug, deciding that I would keep thinking on what to say to convince my father and Willa as I checked out the cavern. ¡°Okay, take my Lightstone, and don¡¯t mine any of them till after lunch. Willa and I should discuss what our best options are.¡± I didn¡¯t like that I wouldn¡¯t be included in those decisions, but realized that they were far more experienced than me. So, while it seemed that I could identify some veins of Ore, it made sense that they wouldn¡¯t think I had the experience to do so on sight. Nodding I turned on the Lightstone my father handed me and put it in a mesh pocket on the front of my borrowed Mining Gear. Then I went to the cooler and grabbed a sandwich before moving off to the next nearest hovering red box, in the distance. Seeing me move away from the group, a Hunter from Snowbirds broke away and accompanied me, along with his Mana Banks. ¡°You a Specialist?¡± he asked, and I nodded. He then nodded and followed quietly. I wasn¡¯t even sure of his name but did a once over of the Mana Banks that followed the man. There were three of them and, where the ones for the Lynx Guild Hunter¡¯s wore armor; these three appeared to have dress clothes. In fact, two were women and I didn¡¯t think their ¡®stylish¡¯ dainty slippers were exactly appropriate for a Portal, let alone a Mining cave inside one. Was that a slit in one of their black pants to expose smooth legs beneath? Do they think this is a fashion show? ¡°With the way they¡¯re giving the Hunter the husk-me eyes, they may just think there will be a muddy orgy later.¡± I snorted and then turned it into an excuse to pull up my mask. At the questioning look from the Hunter and banks I explained, ¡°Sorry, just some dust,¡± while pointing to the mask. Clearly, these three did believe that this was some sort of game. Even the Hunter looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but escorting me through a dark, Mana Crystal filled cavern. My brain couldn¡¯t help but compare them to Gamonji or any of the other amazing Hunter¡¯s I¡¯d seen in the movie last night, and find them extremely lackluster. One of them; the only other male of the group pulled his necklace out of his v-cut t-shirt as I watched. To my astonishment, it turned out that the necklace wasn¡¯t a simple religious symbol. Smegma and I kept a side eye on him as he fiddled with the necklace and then held it to his nose before sniffing loudly. Was that a drug? Smegma moved over and looked inside the man¡¯s necklace. ¡°It¡¯s a white powder. Could be Awake Aid.¡± [What is that?] I asked, still leaning towards the man that I was pretty sure just snorted cocaine. ¡°An Alchemy product. It¡¯s made from bones of certain beasts. Stops the imbiber from falling asleep for about twelve hours.¡± I blinked in surprise. I was relatively certain the human race hadn¡¯t discovered that Alchemical product yet. I was also slightly concerned by the wording Smegma used. However, I wasn¡¯t curious enough to ask any further questions, but still concerned enough to think that not being able to sleep was different than feeling awake. My answer to Smegma though was, [Yeah, well I¡¯m pretty sure that was a drug. We call it cocaine, and it also will keep you awake. I think?] ¡°Really? I wonder if it¡¯s just a different name for the same thing?¡± Smegma responded sounding truly interested in knowing the answer. [Ahh, it isn¡¯t really a product from after the Advent. It¡¯s actually a drug from before¡­] ¡°Fascinating! So, you had Alchemy before the System?¡± ¡°Chemistry,¡± I clarified. ¡°There might be some overlap between the two, but I¡¯m neither a scientist nor a magician.¡± ¡°Alchemist.¡± Smegma sniffed in disdain. ¡°Mages are something else entirely.¡± ¡°Whatever,¡± I shrugged. I explained what I could to the imp, but was forced to admit my utter lack of knowledge multiple times as he tried to dig deeper into the production of drugs pre-System and now. The conversation distracted me enough that I reached the wall almost before I had realized it and began reading the text I found there. The box just seemed to hang there in the air, which confused me. That also could have been a product of me not noticing an actual vein of Ore. I reached out and touched the ¡®stone¡¯ even as I read the plaque.
Graphenite Rank: High-F Quality: Very High Quantity: Low
¡°Ohhh, that¡¯s very valuable,¡± Smegma said as he either read the plaque or my thoughts. [Really? It just looks like stone?] ¡°It is a kind of stone. Still, when you mix it into other metals it can create far stronger alloys.¡± [So, it functions like carbon in steel?] ¡°Ummm. Sure?¡± Smegma answered, clearly trying to understand what I was talking about. He must have gotten enough from my thoughts because he did follow up with, ¡°We called it BlackRock, but I think it¡¯s the same as a Mana-enriched version of your carbon.¡± The Hunter and his Banks were giving me strange looks as I felt around on what appeared to be slightly darker stone than the rest around it. I moved on, hurriedly scanning for my next red plaque.
Red Copper Rank: Mid-F Quality: Low-Medium Quantity: Medium
Tontin Rank: Low-F Quality: Very Low Quantity: Very High
Platinum Iron Rank: High-F Quality: Very Low Quantity: Very Low
That was all the floating red windows I could see in the massive cavern. I had long since finished my sandwich by the time I returned to the group and got back to Mining. I still hadn¡¯t thought of a good plan to convince my father to Mine the True Gold, but we had time. Plus, I really wanted to find out what was going on with Overflow. So, to that end I mined a complete Crystal¡ªnow a very easy task and sold the Mana inside to Smegma. I left the clear Crystal on the ground as I kept working¡ªmy best chance to grab it was probably going to be at the end of the day. Maybe, I¡¯d leave a few more strewn about and then ask for one to take home? Would other Miners want one if there were plenty? It would take a great deal of suspicion off me if they did. Well, suspicion from my father at least, if I wanted a second one of the ¡®souvenir¡¯ Crystals. An hour later, it turned out I shouldn¡¯t have bothered. Right after a swing into a Crystal stem, I felt a flush of heat that accompanied the strange pinging noise that came from breaking free a whole Crystal. The flush surprised me, and caused me to stagger slightly. Yet, when I tried to firm my legs to correct the overbalance¡ªI jumped unexpectedly. What the husk? Was all I could think as I literally left the floor on an angle, and joined the pile of sharded Crystals to my left. ¡°Did you just Scrooge McDuck into a pile of shards?¡± Willa asked from nearby. My ¡®flush¡¯ intensified as I blushed. I was sure I was bright red, but a screen in front of me was also distracting enough that I chose it over looking at Willa.
Strength Increased by 1. Strength Stat Unlocked. Stat Screen Unlocked. --- Stats Strength: 2 Locked. Locked. Locked. Locked. Locked. Locked.
I waved distractedly at Willa since I could feel her staring. ¡°Sorry, I slipped,¡± I said even as I stood up. To Smegma, I repeated my earlier sentiment. [What the husk just happened?] ¡°There are two orbs currently circling the Mining Skill sphere, so I¡¯m going to say that¡¯s probably where Overflow¡¯s been going¡­¡± [But how?!] ¡°That¡¯s a fantastic question. Maybe a Spent Mana Crystal will help us figure it out,¡± Smegma said, with particular emphasis on the part he called me stupid. Well, he didn¡¯t really say it, but I heard it. 032 Tuesday, April 9th, 2069
Mining (Evolvable) (10) High-F-Rank As you mine you slowly improve your understanding of minerals, ores, and Crystals. As this Skill grows this individual will notice improvements to all actions related to Mining. This Skill is multiplied by the Strength Stat. Current max level reached until Evolution Condition is reached.
I turned the Mining Skill card over in my hands, reading the final line for what felt like the hundredth time. I had nothing better to do as I waited for my father and Willa to come out of the Snowbird''s command tent. I could go check on them as a Specialist who contributed to the bonuses we¡¯d receive, but¡­ ¡°Still bitter they wouldn¡¯t listen to you?¡± Smegma said while chuckling. ¡°Pouting about it sure seems productive,¡± he added, clearly twisting the screws on my mood. [We could have gotten so much more of a bonus if they¡¯d let me mine the True Gold!] I complained. ¡°Yeah, and they wouldn¡¯t even let you mine the Graphenite, because why would they waste the one Ore deposit each Pick can mine a day on something that might just be stone!¡± Smegma faked my second complaint in a very insulting mimicry of my voice. [Husk you sideways, dip-shit.] ¡°Whatever gets you off, dumb-dumb.¡± [Open the Shop,] I responded dejectedly, feeling like I was going to lose any exchange I had with Smegma in my current mood. It would be nice to look at something else at least.
Demonic Vault 2.0.0.1 Crendalar Five ¨C Abyss Sect¡¯s Wares Consumables Weapons Armor Miscellaneous Currency: 45,045 mC (Mana Coins)
Before I started scrolling, I allowed the current Mana Coins total to bring a smile to my face. However, it made my mood sour again almost instantly when I started scrolling Skills. Just like before, every Skill cost astronomical figures. Still, if I kept saving, by the end of the semester I¡¯d be able to get something worth a million I supposed. The problem was that the million-coin Skills were pretty basic and F-rank¡ªlike Aid, or Firestarter¡­ Wait¡ªhow much were some of the Skills I currently held worth?
Recover Skill (Evolvable) Recovery (1) Passive Low-C-Rank (Reduce?) Super charge natural healing factors. Caution, this Skill will consume nutrients in the body to heal at dizzying speed; if nutrients are not available it will consume body mass to prevent death, leaving the user severely malnourished. This can be offset by [Locked] Stat. Healing speed can be increased by a factor of [Locked] Stat. Cost: 250,000,000 mC
¡°Holy shit,¡± I said, managing to turn it into an excited whisper at the last second. I¡¯d of course started by reading the price. However, the more I read the wider my eyes grew. First, I hadn¡¯t known of the side effect of the Skill I already possessed, which was slightly disturbing. But second, was the [Locked] Stat in the description. I had only now unlocked Strength and had to wonder if that was a factor for getting information on Stats now. I looked at the Mining Card and focused on that last line. It also had a line about Stats it hadn¡¯t before. I was about to ask Smegma if that was the reason for the change in description when I thought of a better idea.
Necromancy Skill (Evolvable) Necromancy (1) High-C-Rank (Reduce?) Summon slain creatures to act as your personal troops. Creatures suffer a fifty percent reduction in combat power and lose any Skills they possessed. This debuff can be mitigated by [Locked] Stat. For convenience, summoned creatures are summoned as Shadows to prevent diseases and smells from spreading. Creature Stats can be increased by a factor of [Locked] Stat. Cost: 1,000,000,000 mC
Not only had the description changed of the Skill, but so had the price. It took me a moment to find the cause¡ªmostly because I tended to skip over some of the short top lines. Thanks to the upgrade to Demonic Vault a C-rank Card was available. However, this also allowed me to find the ¡®reduce¡¯ hyperlink I¡¯d missed on the Recovery Skill.
Necromancy Skill (Evolvable) Necromancy (1) High-D-Rank (Increase?) Summon slain creatures to act as your personal troops. Creatures suffer a fifty percent reduction in combat power and lose any Skills they possessed. This debuff can be mitigated by [Locked] Stat. For convenience, summoned creatures are summoned as Shadows to prevent diseases and smells from spreading. Creature Stats can be increased by a factor of [Locked] Stat. Cost: 500,000,000 mC
So, unlocking my Stat Screen was granting me more information? It was either that or the increase to Demonic Vault. Either way, that was definitely good news. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Right, because this new information lacks the very essence that makes information helpful. How are you going to strategize and plan with this new knowledge that lacks the fundamental piece hellish damned information?¡± Smegma joked. [Ahh, but what if I do have a plan.] ¡°Okay, since I can read your thoughts¡ªI¡¯m going to spoil your big husking reveal. Buying other tools will just be a waste of your Mana Coins.¡± [Fine. Since I¡¯m starting to get to know you, and I can basically read your mind right now too, I¡¯m gonna call you out. You just want me to save up and purchase a combat Skill so I can start farming more efficiently¡­] ¡°You mean more directly¡­ Okay, that¡¯s a fair assessment, but it doesn¡¯t mean that what I want isn''t also what¡¯s best for you.¡± [It also doesn¡¯t mean that my plan also isn¡¯t best for both¡ª] ¡°Husk yeah!¡± Willa exclaimed as she exited the command structure. Her cheer drew the eye of most of the surrounding Hunters, Miners, Gardeners, and support staff. We were in a parking lot behind a Precise Superstore. It was large enough that the Portal, all the command trailers, tents and staff cars could easily fit. Additionally, they even had a small section of the parking lot open to the public¡ªso the store could stay open. It seemed like an unnecessary risk to me, but the Snowbirds had fenced off the Portal with temporary barricades, I supposed. Still, by the crowd, this was either a crazy busy Precise Superstore or the presence of the Hunters and Portal was making it busier. My dad exited after Willa with a wide smile on his face as well. I stood up, and brushed off my pants, removing some dirt and leaves that clung to them. Willa unsurprisingly was the first to reach me. I didn¡¯t even have to ask for an explanation. ¡°We¡¯re going to be able to hire back another fifteen of the laid-off Miners!¡± she squealed. I raised an eyebrow, demanding a bit more. ¡°Oh shut up!¡± she said and punched me in my arm. ¡°I¡¯m getting to the reason. With today¡¯s bonus and work, Jagger thinks we can be classified as full Specialists¡ª¡± ¡°As long as we could guarantee to keep ourselves kitted out!¡± My dad interrupted, adding in a small but very important caveat. Still, I supposed with the Mining Picks¡ªor my ¡®repair mark¡¯ that wasn¡¯t a big worry for them. ¡°I always said that the biggest issue with our job is that individuals with Mining related Skills rarely have experience and once they do, they won¡¯t work with us anymore!¡± Willa said excitedly, seeming to relish the fact that she was now the one who had experience and now¨Cthrough her equipment, those vaunted Mining Skills. It didn¡¯t take me long to remember the laid off Miner¡¯s looks in that meeting. I guessed that it would be pretty grating to watch as others came into the job with no experience and were treated better in every way. My dad¡¯s smile grew wider, but what he said changed the topic, ¡°We should get out of here¡ªthey¡¯re calling back in the full team to take on the boss. They¡¯ll want the space to plan, and park.¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± my dad continued before anyone could say anything in response. ¡°I think everyone could go for a beer, don¡¯t you Willa?¡± Willa¡¯s smile grew larger than my father¡¯s and I chuckled as he added, ¡°I just need to call the boss and make sure that¡¯s okay.¡± I knew he wasn¡¯t talking about Jagger. * * * My father was only allowed to stay for a single beer, and even though I could tell he wasn¡¯t in need of it¡ªI was told to act as the designated driver. We¡¯d laughed about it on the way home, even as my father enacted his plan to get the remaining ten members of the team their jobs back as well. ¡°Jarred, I¡¯m telling you that you need to come back and work with me,¡± my dad was saying. ¡°Come over for dinner tonight and I¡¯ll tell you all about it.¡± There was a long pause, as my father listened. I could see his face fall slightly and realized that Uncle Jarred was likely not as enthusiastic in his response as my father thought he should be. ¡°Have I ever steered you wrong before?¡± I sucked on a tooth even, as I took an advanced left turn and merged onto the highway. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s fine!¡± My dad said in response to more conversation I couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°Bring the whole family on Sunday. I can¡¯t wait to see Ella and the kids.¡± There were a few more pleasantries about how much I¡¯d grown, and a bit of a hiccup when my dad said I was taking a semester off, but otherwise, it seemed like they caught up with each other in about five minutes of conversation. Uncle Jarred was like Willa and not blood-related, but a very close friend of my father¡¯s. He¡¯d worked at Portals, Portal¡¯s, Portalz in the past but left some time ago. I think I was a teenager at the time. ¡°You¡¯re sure you can find another Pick for him,¡± my dad asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± I began, but hesitated. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to be willing to go back into the Portal¡¯s though. Wasn¡¯t it the kids and Ella that made him leave in the first place?¡± ¡°They¡¯re older now, and from our last beer together, the family is really hurting for money¡ªyou know with University coming up¡­¡± I nodded into the silence to show I understood, and I did. Jarred would be a third trustworthy member of our group¡ªand its secret. Yet as my lie grew, I couldn¡¯t call what I was experiencing a pleasant feeling. Immediately upon getting home, I shut myself in my room and began going through Demonic Vault again, looking up a few more Skills and their value.
Mining Skill (Evolvable) Mining (1) Low-F-Rank As you mine you slowly improve your understanding of minerals, ores, and Crystals. As this Skill grows this individual will notice improvements to all actions related to Mining. This Skill is multiplied by the Strength Stat. Cost: 250,000 mC
Mental Fortitude Skill (Evolvable) Mental Fortitude (1) High-C-Rank (Reduce?) Increase your mind¡¯s capacity to remain rational in the direst of situations. Create a barrier from mental attacks. Continue to think of the best solution even when it seems impossible. This Skill will not improve [Locked] Stat, but [Locked] Stat will increase the strength of mental barrier by a factor of [Locked] Stat. Cost: 2,500,000,000 mC
Since I couldn¡¯t see the description of my A-ranked Mental Fortitude, I wrote the information on the last one down. It was somewhat interesting to see just how much I¡¯d been ¡®given¡¯ for free¨Call because of a purchase of equipment and a choice in a sub-Skill. ¡°What? You think your dad is going to let you go gather herbs on Monday?¡± Smegma asked, extremely sarcastically. I could tell he was still trying to persuade me away from my current plan. Still, it wasn¡¯t a gathering type of profession I was thinking about. ¡°Oh, sure, so you¡¯re going to pick up Blacksmithing in your room and think that no one will bat an eyelash?¡± That point did make me frown. That was the sticking point to all this. What could I purchase and perform cheaply and covertly? I scanned through the Miscellaneous tools section¡ªpretty sure I was likely missing a great deal of professions due to my lack of knowledge. So I made a list as I went.
  1. Tamer
  2. Gardener
  3. Tracker
  4. Trapper
  5. Builder
  6. Performer
  7. Musician
  8. Merchant
  9. Blacksmith
  10. Tanner
  11. Cleaner
  12. Poison Expert
  13. Deep Sea Fisherman
  14. Carpenter
  15. ¡­
I stopped after that, not finding anything that I could do without a great deal of expense or time invested. Plus, any non-gathering profession tool was exponentially more expensive to purchase. Still, Smegma had been right¡ª ¡°Of course, I was, dumb-dumb.¡±¡ªand I hated to admit that. I couldn¡¯t just switch professions. It would bring on too¡ª [Wait¨C] I thought-exclaimed pointedly at Smegma. [I¡¯m a husking genius.] ¡°I mean I¡¯ll admit that what you just thought of isn¡¯t half bad, but a genius is stretching things.¡± [The answer is perfect, though. It even goes along with our current story.] ¡°Perfect, until you realize that you don¡¯t know anyone you can trust in other trade jobs.¡± [Uncle Jarred, Willa, or my father probably do though!] ¡°At this point why don¡¯t you just start your own group?¡± Smegma said, his tone joking. ¡°Wait¡ªI wasn¡¯t serious,¡± he added when his comment sparked my imagination. Why didn¡¯t I start my own company? To Smegma I intentionally added, [Where would I even start?] ¡°Maybe your dad knows someone to talk to,¡± Smegma said, repeating the sentiment I had made earlier but more excitedly and sincerely. ¡°If this works¡ªwait¡ªwhat about Skill limits?¡± Husk! 033 Sunday, April 14th, 2069 ¡°Pass the ¡®potatoes¡¯,¡± Jarred said from his spot at the foot of the table. The man had aged since I¡¯d last seen him. That might have been unfair. It was just that my memory of Jarred and the slightly pudgy balding man in front of me didn¡¯t match up. It was like someone had taken my uncle and treated him to an all-indulgent trip to a top-end resort, where he didn¡¯t even have to stand up from his chair. ¡°Did I tell you about the article I was reading?¡± My mom said as she lifted the mashed Portal Potatoes, using the cork insulator it sat on to avoid burning her hands on the ceramic. She continued, clearly not expecting an answer. ¡°They said Portal vegetables and meats are much better for you than Earth equivalents.¡± Jarred moved to run his hand over his head but changed midway to scratch at his own ear. Sheepishly he said, ¡°Sounds like they¡¯re trying to drive up prices, Clara.¡± ¡°There were a whole bunch of doctors and Trainers that signed off on it,¡± Clara said, looking to my father for support. My father in response smiled sheepishly as well. ¡°The doctors might have some codes of ethics, I¡¯m not sure, but you know gifted people will sponsor anything if they give them enough money.¡± ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯m just being optimistic then,¡± my mom said with a pout. I chuckled, which earned me a glare. ¡°You too?¡± my mom asked, like she was truly saying, ¡®et tu, Brutus?¡¯ That drew a laugh from my uncle and Father. Still, she wasn¡¯t wrong, not really, so I added what I knew on the subject. ¡°It isn¡¯t so much that it¡¯s ¡®better¡¯ for us, or not. The one definitive is that there are ¡®alien¡¯ nutrients that may or may not be part of what empowers Skills or contributes to Awakenings. They also may be what causes people to come down with unique illnesses. Last I heard, there isn¡¯t an accepted study that proves the validity of either hypothesis.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t seen the kid in a few years and suddenly he¡¯s a genius,¡± Uncle Jarred said, clearly not intending to be condescending but failing. He wore a broad smile under his unkempt beard, and because of that I managed to not misinterpret the words. He also followed it up quickly, telling me he also understood the way that his words could be misconstrued. ¡°You must be coming close to finishing your third semester, right? Your co-op is after the fourth, right?¡± My father had already mentioned me taking time off in the car, hadn¡¯t he? I guessed Jarred probably just forgot. Still, my smile morphed into a wince. I had been planning to join either Portals, Portal¡¯s, Portalz, or Uncle Jarred¡¯s company to do my co-op. Although¡­ Now that I thought about it, I just might be creating my own¡­ business? Team? I didn¡¯t think there were any rules against doing something like that as a co-op. In fact, if I had to guess, an entrepreneurial spirit would likely be encouraged. The world ran on small businesses after all. I shook myself out of my thoughts as I thought back to Uncle Jarred¡¯s comment. I squirmed uncomfortably. My mother¡¯s mouth curled as well, but it was my father who jumped to my rescue. ¡°That¡¯s a loooonnggg story, Jer. Right now, Brodie is taking a semester off. Remember I told you about the Mana Pull¡­¡± ¡°Oh shoot, I totally blanked, Brodie. You just look so good and unperturbed about the whole thing. Then it''s just so easy to connect a young bloke like you to schoolin¡¯ that I sort of put my foot in it, didn¡¯t I?¡± Jarred offered as an explanation. I shrugged and decided to finally get this meal on track. ¡°It¡¯s hard to be upset when the situation Awakened a second Skill,¡± I said leadingly, and was damn pleased when I saw Jarred lean forward in his seat. ¡°A what now?!¡± he exclaimed, even as his eyes glittered with excitement on my behalf. ¡°Anything good? Am I going to be an uncle to a drafted Hunter?¡± And just like that my mood soured again. Smegma¡¯s laugh rang in my ears, as my mouth curled into a sneer again. My father took up the explanation though. ¡°Nothing that fancy, Jer, but it is very valuable with the right people around him.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± Jarred asked skeptically. ¡°Sounds like a sales pitch.¡± ¡°Well, it kinda is one,¡± my dad answered. ¡°With his Repair Mark, Willa, Brodie, and myself all became Specialists. Sustainable Specialists¡­¡± My father let that statement hang in the air. I smiled when Jarred¡¯s mouth opened and closed multiple times without voicing a response. My dad continued his tone amused as well, ¡°I actually called you to see if you want to join¡ª¡± ¡°Gary!¡± Jarred said, his voice filled with exasperation. ¡°You know Ella won¡¯t allow that.¡± Ella hadn¡¯t made it to dinner tonight with the kids as originally planned. ¡°She wants me in a safe office.¡± Silence descended on the table at this pronouncement. For my part, I was nodding in understanding, but I could tell that wasn¡¯t the case for my mother and father. Dad didn¡¯t say a word. He simply hefted the Pick that he¡¯d had resting at his side and laid it on the table in front of Jarred. The one he put there first was clearly my Pick, because it was in far better condition than Willa¡¯s and my dad¡¯s. Why? Well, I was assuming a lot but my Mining Skill, and its helpful guidance seemed to allow the Pick to take less damage. Next, my father hefted his or Willa¡¯s up and set it next to the first. This one was in rough shape. Because of that I assumed it was Willa¡¯s. She¡¯d tried to mine two veins today, and by all accounts succeeded. Except for the state of her Pick. Her Pick was now in almost as poor a shape as it had been when my father used my first pick to Mine. ¡°The first one looked worse than the second one here when we first got it, Jar. That¡¯s the God¡¯s-honest truth.¡± Dad¡¯s voice was low, steady, and filled with conviction. ¡°This is what I¡¯m offering.¡± Jarred¡¯s voice seemed to have gotten caught in his throat as he reached out and traced the lines and curves of both Pickaxes, his eyes wide. I watched his Adam''s apple as he swallowed hard. He looked dazed. After a long moment he shook himself. Blinking, he cleared his throat and gently pushed the Picks a couple of inches away from himself as if in a symbolic effort to distance himself from them. ¡°You know I can¡¯t do this. God has a plan for us, Gary. Once the kids grow up and Ella can get back to work, we¡¯ll earn it off,¡± Jarred said with a significant look in my direction as his cheeks went red. ¡°Can you not bring this kind of stuff up in front of the kid, Gary!¡± ¡°Your kids are already in school,¡± my mother said. ¡°And I¡¯ve gotten Ella numerous interviews as an office administrator. I even know that a few places offered her the¡ª¡± ¡°Clara, you don¡¯t understand. She wants to work but she just hasn¡¯t been able to make that transition with everything she does around the house and the volunteering at Church. You two only had the one kid, so you won¡¯t understand.¡± Jarred sounded like he was almost reading from a script. ¡°You had twins, Jarred. They are the same age¡ªgo to the same school, and can probably even attend the after school program that Brodie went to.¡± ¡°That costs more money, though!¡± Jarred shouted another interruption. ¡°Ella staying home saves us about two thousand a month right there, plus she can cook, and clean. Take care of the dogs. Don¡¯t even get me started on her Church duties. You know how much she does!¡± ¡°Are these things really important?¡± Smegma asked as he hovered down in front of Uncle Jarred, studying his red face. [Honestly, yes and no but I think there is a lot of underlying stuff that isn¡¯t being said. My parents wouldn¡¯t push this point if there wasn¡¯t. Plus, I¡¯ve been to Jarred¡¯s house¡ªit¡¯s never clean¡­.] Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. My parents and Jarred had continued the ¡®discussion¡¯ as I responded to Smegma. ¡°¡ªextra two-thousand a month isn¡¯t much if you come back to work as a Specialist. That¡¯s all I¡¯m saying,¡± my father stated. ¡°We''re not trying to attack you, Jer,¡± my mom added. ¡°Or Ella. She can still be a stay at home mom, as long as you''re making more money. Or, if you¡¯re both working and you rejoin Gary as a Specialist¡ªyou¡¯ll be out of debt in no time.¡± ¡°The only reason I¡¯m still sitting here is because you¡¯ve helped us out so many times!¡± Jarred answered, his voice threatening. I swallowed a lump in my throat. I had changed the mood of this dinner to this subject and felt a bit of responsibility for where this conversation had gone. Still, I could tell that there were a lot of things being left unsaid. ¡°So, ask about it?¡± Smegma said; once again reading my thoughts. Was a demon-imp a reliable touchstone in human society? Someone to take advice from? ¡°Certainly,¡± Smegma answered my ¡®unspoken¡¯ questions again. ¡°If you don¡¯t ask, they¡¯re going to keep skirting around it.¡± With a deep inhalation and audible exhalation, I drew the attention of the adults at the table. ¡°Can you guys stop beating around the bush and explain what¡¯s really going on?¡± Gary and Clara looked to Jarred. Jarred¡¯s face morphed multiple times, going red from indignant anger, then white and stricken from meeting my parent¡¯s gazes. Eventually I heard him whisper, ¡°Come on guys, it¡¯s his Aunt Ella. He doesn¡¯t need to know¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s an adult now, Jarred. Plus, he¡¯s the one with the Skill that can get you back to Mining as a Specialist. Maybe even with bonuses get enough money to get her some help,¡± my mother said. Jarred stood up and slammed both hands onto the table. ¡°I¡¯m not going to sit here for this. Husk you both!¡± Jarred stormed out of the dining room and made quite a bit of unnecessary angry noise as he put his shoes on. My parents didn¡¯t bother getting up, and instead looked at each other sadly. The door slammed and a car stuttered its engine multiple times. After the ninth or tenth stuttered attempt at starting, I heard a car door slam and some rather prolific swearing. At this point my dad got up and went to go help Uncle Jarred, leaving me and my mother at the table. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked, trying not to listen to Smegma prompting me to ask that exact question. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I should be the one to tell you this. Your father and I don¡¯t even know the whole story.¡± ¡°Mom!¡± I retorted. ¡°Okay, Brodie, but please don¡¯t judge Ella or Jarred. Okay?¡± I nodded and she took a deep breath before starting. ¡°When the twins were born Ella took her maternity leave. She was working at Rummage Portal¡¯s in the same position Jarred currently is working.¡± My eyes narrowed slightly at the way this story was starting. A knot started to form in my stomach, as I predicted the next line my mother said. ¡°As the year of leave was coming to an end, she wasn¡¯t ready to go back to work¡ªor maybe she wasn¡¯t ready to put the twins in daycare. Or both, I suppose. ¡°So, she extended the leave to eighteen months. That meant that she wasn¡¯t drawing a paycheck anymore, though¡ªsince she had already received her maximum allowance of salary from the Canadian Government. Still, with Jarred working as a Miner they were able to make ends meet. Or so Jarred thought.¡± The way my mother said the last line made my already knotted stomach attempt to backflip as well. ¡°Every day that Jarred came home, there started to be Rainforest Boxes on his porch. At first, what Ella was buying was necessities for the kids. Things like diapers, and new clothes. However, that didn¡¯t last as she started buying outfits that would only be worn once before they were never used again.¡± ¡°Oh no,¡± I mumbled, feeling physically ill now. ¡°We held an intervention. Your father, myself and Jarred. We even thought it worked, as we convinced her to start buying second hand clothes from thrift stores, salvation armies and checking the stuff at the Catholic Church. But all we really did was make her hide the addiction. ¡°She got her own credit card, and started hiding her purchases in the basement. It was right around then that your Uncle Jarred inhaled Shilver Dust by accident. He ended up in the hospital for an extended stay fighting for his life. You¡¯ll probably remember some of that¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, he was really sick¡­¡± I answered, recalling those visits to the hospital and seeing Uncle Jarred hooked up to tubes, machines and constantly visited by a Gifted Healer. ¡°Is that what caused the debt?¡± ¡°No,¡± my mother answered sadly, while someone else mirrored those words from the doorway behind me. I spun in the chair to see Jarred there looking strung out, pale, angry and defeated. He continued his eyes meeting mine. ¡°That was covered by the Miner Union insurance, thankfully. It was my loss of income and Ella¡¯s continued spending that put us behind the eight ball.¡± ¡°The what?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s a saying from a sport that many people used to play in bars,¡± my father said as he came into the room behind Jarred. With a hand on my Uncle¡¯s back my father guided him back to his chair. ¡°It just means that we are now fighting an uphill battle to get ourselves out of debt. It didn¡¯t help that I didn¡¯t even know about the second credit card. Plus Ella was beyond distraught at the thought of losing me in some freak accident. As you said, I had been fighting for my life.¡± Clearly Jarred had been in the doorway for a bit. I recalled my mother looking over my shoulder sadly once or twice as she recollected the story. Maybe she hadn¡¯t been ¡®looking¡¯ at the front door, but at Jarred. ¡°She insisted I take a safer job and even managed to talk her boss into letting me take over for her. She argued that spending a couple thousand on daycare or even more for nannies wasn¡¯t worth it, and that she¡¯d stay home. It seemed reasonable¡­¡± Jarred said the last bit while looking pleadingly at my mother and father. ¡°It was, Jarred,¡± my mother said consolingly. ¡°Her hiding her purchases and debt weren''t.¡± Jarred shoulders raised, and a flush swept over his pale face, as he clearly fought with anger. By the cant of his head, and his unfocused eyes, which were directed down at the table, I could tell he was angry at himself, and not my mother. My mother picked up the story as she saw my uncle grow tongue tied. ¡°It was about a year later that the creditors started hounding her, and by association¡ªJarred. By then the Credit Card debt had reached over eighty thousand dollars.¡± Jarred nodded along and picked up the story again. ¡°Yeah, we agreed to garnish my wages to ensure we didn¡¯t have to declare bankruptcy and end up on the street.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been almost fifteen years since then, Jer. Do you mind if we ask what the debt is down to now?¡± My father asked. Jarred swallowed hard and shook his head sadly. I could tell that what he was going to say wasn¡¯t going to be good. Drops of water hit the scratched and stained wood under his hung head, and he stuttered in a breath. My father got up and put a hand on each of Jarred¡¯s shoulders. The physical touch seemed to allow Jarred to mumble, ¡°Two-hundred thousand.¡± ¡°I thought if you paid your credit card debts, they were supposed to go down?¡± Smegma asked, clearly confused. [They should. But one of the most evil inventions of my people is something called compound interest. It basically means that if you borrow money, then you owe back that much, plus a little more. If you borrowed a lot, that ¡®little more¡¯ might not be so little, and tough to pay. It gets added to the original amount¨Cwhich increases both how much you owe in total and the interest both. My guess is that without Ella working, and the continued expenses of the kids¡ªtheir debt has only grown.] ¡°Husk¡­ That¡¯s a plot worthy of Beelzebub himself.¡± Smegma breathed, seemingly awe-struck. I choked, spraying water across the table. A coughing fit took me then, my eyes watering as I fought to get myself under control. [Husking Beelzebub is real? What the actual fu¡ª] A heavy hand slapped my back. ¡°Woah there, son. It¡¯s not that surprising. You¡¯re embarrassing the man. Get yourself under control,¡± he scolded. ¡°And you wonder why we don¡¯t include you in the ¡®adult talk¡¯. Well, show us you can handle it.¡± I was so grateful for the excuse of spitting out my water that I didn¡¯t even mind my dad getting on to me like that. However, I still glared out of the corner of my eye at Smegma. [We are definitely going to talk about this later.] The imp just shrugged and nodded, seeming confused. I turned my attention back to the table. ¡°Yessir,¡± I nodded emphatically. ¡°Sorry uncle Jarred, I was just surprised that¡¯s all. I¡¯ve never even seen that much money. Sorry¡± Jarred waved it off, chuckling. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it kid. I spit out my beer when my wife told me about the eighty thousand, so don¡¯t be so hard on yourself.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s with the fifty thousand in loans you¡¯ve taken from us, to pay back the government for Ella not returning to work?¡± My dad asked, trying, and failing to keep his voice from sounding shocked. ¡°No. Luckily it¡¯s not as bad as all that. The two-hundred thousand is including the money I¡¯ve borrowed from you and Willa. The credit card is still sitting at eighty thousand¡­¡± ¡°Surely, that means he¡¯ll join the crew, right?¡± Smegma asked and I could only shrug. This was a situation far deeper and more turbulent than I could dive into. All I knew was that Uncle Jarred needed help¡ªand a lot of it. ¡°Maybe Aunt Ella even more so,¡± Smegma stated, clearly skimming my surface thoughts. I could only nod. 034 Monday, April 15th, 2069 ¡°So, did you try the meditation or answering the questions I sent you?¡± Evelyn asked after a very lengthy greeting and current mood check. My wince conveyed my answer and she sighed. ¡°You won¡¯t get as much out of these sessions if you don¡¯t try to work with me at least.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve been pretty busy.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have Sundays off?¡± She asked, clearly going over her notes from our previous session. ¡°Yes, well,¡± I said while nodding. ¡°Yesterday kind of became even more of a distraction than work because we had it off.¡± ¡°More of a distraction? Have you been finding yourself distracted often?¡± ¡°Husk this lady is amazing,¡± Smegma said from his perch on the highest shelf. ¡°She can twist anything you say into something else¡­ I think I¡¯m in love,¡± That last bit was said while tossing up a small white kernel into the air and catching it in his open mouth. Where had the husker gotten actual popcorn this time? ¡°I didn¡¯t say that I, personally, was distracted¨Cand I¡¯d appreciate it if you stopped twisting my words. I don¡¯t like it. What I meant was that some things came up during my day off that took my time and attention. I went in for pre-trial prep work, which was just a bunch of ¡®sit there and don¡¯t react¡¯¡ªtraining. Then we had my Uncle Jarred over for dinner and he, and my family dropped a bombshell on me. So, yeah, I was pretty distracted all weekend.¡± ¡°What about the nights after Mining?¡± Evelyn asked and I winced again. Sure, I could have spent those nights meditating and answering the emailed questions. But, I had been looking through the Shop or talking with Smegma. That wasn¡¯t a distraction, was it? ¡°It was,¡± Smegma stated, with a particularly loud crunch of popcorn. That had to be fake right? ¡°I see,¡± she said after my long silence. ¡°I apologize for ¡®twisting your words¡¯. Clearly you haven¡¯t been distracted in the slightest and I¡¯m just mistaken.¡± Smegma fairly squealed, shoving fistfuls more of the salty snack into his stupid pie-hole. ¡°Okay,¡± I cleared my throat. ¡°Well let¡¯s tackle some of the questions now then, shall we?¡± I nodded and Evelyn asked the first question, which also was the last question of her previous session. ¡°You said your dream to become a Mana Bank has morphed into something more. Why is that?¡± I immediately cursed internally. I should have looked at these questions and answered them when I had time to think. Now with my brain consumed with the pre-trial this afternoon, and Jarred¡¯s predicament, I felt extremely put on the spot. Still, I should be able to tell my Psychiatrist the truth. Right? Wasn¡¯t there client confidentiality just like with Lawyers? Smegma encouraged me to ask her. So, I did. ¡°Yes, anything you tell me will stay between us. I do have to give general updates if asked, basically stating whether or not you¡¯ve been attending, or if you need more counseling. Stuff like that.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I answered with a nod. ¡°When the Shop¡ªsorry Morgan Hallsbrad, assaulted me, I had a secondary Awakening.¡± ¡°You did!¡± Evelyn said, sounding shocked and excited, but forcing herself to maintain a level of professionalism. ¡°Anything good?¡± I considered for the briefest of moments about telling her the whole truth. Yet, there was one thing I¡¯d ¡®learned¡¯ from Hollyhood on this matter. Shrinks and Lawyers could break confidentiality if they believed someone was a threat to others or themselves. So, would telling Evelyn about Smegma, and Demonic Vault, fall into that category? From my point of view no, but from others? Maybe. Eventually, I went with the concocted story I was telling everyone. I just couldn¡¯t be sure that telling Evelyn about my ¡®Demonic¡¯ Skill wouldn¡¯t lead to me in a shrink ward, or worse¡ªPermanently Husked of all Skills. ¡°I got a repair mark for equipment¡­¡± ¡°You can repair equipment?!¡± Evelyn said her excitement was higher than I expected. I waved my hands in front of myself to try to explain that it wasn¡¯t that fancy. ¡°No, no. I can put a mark on equipment which allows it to pull ambient Mana in to repair itself.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t pull ¡®ambient Mana¡¯¡ªthe gear pulls¡ª¡±Smegma began even as Evelyn stood up and began to pace. ¡°So, you can place this mark on gear and it will just pull in Mana to repair itself. That¡¯s quite the valuable¡ª¡± ¡°Sorry, I think I used the wrong term,¡± I interrupted. ¡°It pulls¡­ ¡®spilled¡¯ Mana to repair itself?¡± I corrected using the term Smegma was practically shouting from his popcorn eating perch, while laughing. ¡°I¡¯m not sure of the best way to describe it.¡± ¡°What you¡¯re calling ¡®spilled Mana¡¯ is Mana given off by plants, creatures, minerals, Crystals and other stuff as they are being harvested?¡± I flicked my eyes over to Smegma before nodding. Evelyn returned to excitedly pacing. ¡°That is a very valuable Skill, Brodie¡ªand I assume you¡¯ve been using it with Portals, Portal¡¯s, Portalz and your Mining?¡± ¡°Well, yes.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why you don¡¯t want to be a Mana Bank anymore? You¡¯ve found a more lucrative vocation? So, you want to own a company now?¡± Evelyn grabbed her book and began madly scribbling notes even as her questions hung in the air. ¡°What? No,¡± I said, which elicited a derisive laugh from Smegma. ¡°Wrong answer, kid.¡± ¡°So, what is the new dream, Brodie?¡± Evelyn asked, making me realize what Smegma meant. Answering, ¡®yes¡¯ to her previous question would have avoided this follow-up. ¡°I mean, yes, or¡­ maybe. I don¡¯t know. I just haven¡¯t gotten that far, yet. What I do know is that I can now grow my Mana Pool on my own. So, maybe in time I will still want to be a Mana Bank, or own a company, or smite Demons with my magically empowered gear¡­¡± ¡°Good one,¡± Smegma commented. ¡°Demons are an interesting choice of Monsters to choose.¡± Evelyn quickly made some notes, and Smegma¡¯s laughter cut off leaving the room eerily silent in its absence. After she was done with whatever note she took, she returned to the points before my ¡®joke.¡¯ ¡°I see. So, you feel like you¡¯re reassessing your previous dreams? Or are you in fact putting off thinking about them because of something else?¡± ¡°Something else? Like what?¡± I asked. ¡°Like a feeling that anything you want to do could be taken from you¡ªwithout your permission.¡± Evelyn sat back down in her chair with that statement causing the leather to groan audibly. I ran my hand through my hair. That was oddly specific. I assumed it was in reference to the assault. Morgan did try to take something away from me without my permission. Did I have any feelings like that? I shook my head and Evelyn nodded even as she made a new note. ¡°No, I¡¯m not sure that''s it, exactly. I just know I can do more now¡ªand I don¡¯t want to pigeonhole myself into something.¡± ¡°Into something as small as owning a company, when you can do so much more?¡± Evelyn asked. After a brief hesitation I nodded. ¡°Am I¡­ broken? Is there some kind of ¡®Main Character¡¯ disorder out there that I¡¯ve got? I just want to do more, to be¡­ more.¡± Evely smiled. It was a smile full of softly spoken approval and a hint of rebuke. ¡°No. You¡¯re not ¡®broken¡¯. Everyone is the main character of their own story, Brodie Flacarada. Even you.¡± I blinked. ¡°I¡­ never thought about it that way. I mean, even with this Skill I could probably get into the Crafting Classes at Phoenix University. Maybe learn some ways to apply it to Hunter¡¯s gear and still have it work when killing Monsters.¡± ¡°So, the bottom line is that you want to help Hunters in the fight against Portals and Fields?¡± Evelyn asked. I nodded again and she made a note. ¡°So, why do you think that Miners, Cleaners, Herbalists and the like aren¡¯t helping Hunters?¡± I raised my hands defensively even as I strongly denied Evelyn¡¯s ¡®accusation¡¯. ¡°I never said that! I know that gatherers help Hunters too¡ªI just¡­Well, I just want to be more hands-on?¡± Evelyn smiled as she made a new note. ¡°I think we¡¯re getting somewhere. Why do you feel you need to be more ¡®hands-on¡¯?¡± I made a confused face, and she changed the question. ¡°If you had the ability to Enchant weapons with something that empowered them against Monsters¡ªand then you sold that to Hunters, would that be enough?¡± Now understanding what Evelyn was getting at, I shrugged, before licking my teeth and shaking my head. ¡°No, that wouldn¡¯t be enough.¡± ¡°Can you explain that?¡± ¡°I want to be in charge of my own destiny, I guess,¡± I said, trying to feel my way to the bottom of the strange concept that Evelyn evoked in me. ¡°I guess with the re-Awakening I want to be an actual Hunter now.¡± ¡°Oh? Are you thinking of trying to be like ManIron or Cyborg?¡± she asked and I felt my eyebrows raise in consideration. With the ¡®repair mark¡¯ that certainly would be a possibility. Still, the truth and my lie kind of lined up at that moment. So, I nodded. Evelyn made some more notes and then asked a new question. ¡°Why is being a Hunter or directly helping more important to you than providing value in some other way?¡± Her question was punctuated by her tablet beeping, but other than reaching to click off the timer she kept intently staring at me. Seeing as I wasn¡¯t about to get off the hook this time I said, ¡°I think being a Hunter will make me powerful. It will put me in control of my own destiny. I can make it so that my family stops living from paycheck to paycheck¡ªmaybe even solve other issues too.¡± Evelyn didn¡¯t ask a follow-up question and instead scribbled in her book. When she finished she looked back up and met my eyes with an intensity I hadn¡¯t yet seen from her. ¡°This time Brodie, I¡¯m going to insist you follow the meditation exercises I sent¡ªand answer my newest batch of questions. As you know that timer marked the end of our session. So, I¡¯ll see you next Monday?¡± ¡°As long as I¡¯m not dead or in jail,¡± I said jokingly, but flushed when Evelyn tilted her head and made a new note. Smegma laughed uproariously even as he called me a bunch of variations of stupid, along with a healthy smattering of profanity. * * * ¡°To the charge of Second-degree Manslaughter. How does Brodie Flacarada plead?¡± The judge asked, the question appeared rote and clearly spoken often. ¡°Not guilty, your honor,¡± Ms. Stovall said on my behalf. We were currently inside of the Judge¡¯s office, and not in the far larger courtrooms I¡¯d seen through various open doors. The building was clearly old, but the office¡ªunlike the one I was in with Evelyn this morning, carried that age with a level of class and dignity that far outstripped the woman¡¯s mismatched furniture. ¡°This is more like it,¡± Smegma said in response to my assessment of the furniture. ¡°Everything matches¡ªthe books are boring, but look ostentatious and expensive. This person clearly knows how to impress those who are visiting her chambers.¡± I of course ignored the demon-imp, tuning in to the two others in the room; the people I assumed were assigned to represent Morgan Hallsbrad. There was something strange going on. Standing behind the chair was a well-dressed man in a suit comparable to Mrs. Stovall¡¯s blouse and skirt. It was definitely not overly expensive but functional and well kept. Seated in the chair, however, was someone entirely different. I tried to remember the training Mrs. Stovall put me through yesterday, and kept my face neutral as I studied him. The man wore a dark, shiny suit that screamed money. In fact, I was pretty sure that the material was made from Monster wool, cotton, and leather. It made the man look suave and dangerous. I didn¡¯t understand the reason for my feelings of apprehension until the judge looked to the man standing nearby. ¡°Crown Attorney Markham, I assume that you disagree with that, considering that Mr. Varnish is here?¡± Judge Dench said, sounding almost sarcastic. I fought a smile that threatened to break onto my face. It seemed that the Judge was already on my side. ¡°Yes your honor,¡± Markham responded, making a hand and arm gesture at the seated man who fixed his expensive suit and stood up, revealing he was easily as tall as me if not taller. He carried that height with a lithe athleticism that almost made me shiver. ¡°As you already know¡ªMr. Varnish is here on behalf of the Larvae Guild to represent their member Morgan Hallsbrad. The Attorney General, along with the Supreme Court has appointed him as a temporary Crown Counsel for this case.¡± Mr. Varnish was suddenly holding a leather portfolio, making me blink. Had he just pulled that from a Bag of Holding? I searched what I could see of him, and didn¡¯t find anything overt that looked like one of the bulky bags I¡¯d seen the Porters carrying in the Portals. If the man didn¡¯t have a Bag, could he have a Ring, or something far pricier? He did have on an expensive looking watch, but no rings that I could see. ¡°Your honor,¡± Mr. Varnish said with a dip of his black styled hair, interrupting my scrutiny of the man¡¯s jewelry. ¡°On behalf of her majesty the Queen, we will prove that Mr. Flacarada used excessive force to defend himself, and in doing so, seized an opportunity that is highly beneficial to himself.¡± As instructed, I kept my reaction to another blink even as Smegma said, ¡°What the husk is he talking about?¡± ¡°Your honor. Morgan Hallsbrad had a gun, and not only intended to use it but had a history of doing so in past murders.¡± Ms Stovall said, clearly contradicting Mr. Varnish¡¯s attempt to paint me as somehow guilty. ¡°I have to agree with Ms. Stovall, Mr. Varnish; Morgan Hallsbrad has been tied to multiple murders up and down the East Coast of the United States.¡± ¡°That has been grossly misinterpreted, your honor.¡± Mr. Varnish pulled out a piece of paper from the portfolio, not having to sort through it, and handed it to the Judge. She read it quickly while her eyebrows rose. As soon as she was finished, she handed it to Ms. Stovall. Mr. Varnish handed over the next page, again simply pulling it from the next in line. It felt like he was beyond prepared, which caused goosebumps to rise on my skin. This time when the Judge handed the next sheet to Ms. Stovall, she wasn¡¯t handed another. Instead Mr. Varnish said, ¡°As you can see, Morgan Hallsbrad was a Private Investigator hired by a fellow Guild member to investigate the death of a daughter while she was stateside. The next piece of paper further explains his visits to every victim of the crime, which is how the DNA evidence was accidentally transferred to the book.¡± Ms. Stovall snorted. ¡°Judge Dench. The prosecuting counsel here would have you believe that Morgan Hallsbrad visited every single victim and accidentally had their DNA transferred onto the book¨Cmultiple times. If you don¡¯t mind my saying, Mr. Varnish here should go to Vegas if he¡¯s betting on those odds. Not only that, but none of this is proof that Brodie Flacarada used excessive force, your honor,¡± Ms. Stovall interjected. The Judge met Ms. Stovall¡¯s eyes, nodded, and then looked to Mr. Varnish, seeming to unspokenly direct the question to him. Mr. Varnish appeared unphased. ¡°It is my intention to not only prove Morgan Hallsbrad¡¯s innocence of these crimes but show that he approached Brodie Flacarada as a person of interest, with no ill intent.¡± This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Your honor, we aren¡¯t here to judge Morgan Hallsbrad. This pre-trial is to clear my client of any responsibility. May I remind the court that Morgan Hallsbrad was a C-ranked Awakened with a gun!¡± ¡°Mister Varnish,¡± the Judge scowled. ¡°I am going to have to side with Ms. Stovall on this. Morgan Hallsbrad is not on trial here. I will remind you that in this case you are representing the Attorney General and by association the Crowned Queen of England. It is not under your purview to ¡®prove¡¯ Morgan Hallsbad¡¯s guilt or innocence. Confine yourself to the actual case at hand: ¡°Brodie Flacarada claims that he was attacked by Morgan Hallsbrad with a gun, unlawfully Mana Pulled, and defended himself which resulted in the death of his attacker. Morgan Hallsbrad was a C-ranked Awakened and in possession of a weapon. ¡°You have one question you need to answer: What possible reason would I have to allow you to take this to a trial against Mr. Flacarada? ¡°I will further remind you that Mr. Flacarada is innocent until proven guilty, which¨Cas you know, means that the burden of proof that his claims are false are the primary focus for you to prove and not the innocence or guilt of Morgan Hallsbrad. Those murders occurred in the States and another Judge will be presiding over that case. Are we clear?¡± I¡¯ll give it to Mr. Varnish. He smoothly bowed as if he were before the Queen herself. ¡°Forgive me, Judge Dench. I misspoke. I only meant that I would use the proper evidence gathered in regard to Morgan Hallsbrad and use it only as it pertains to Mr. Flacarada¡¯s testimony in order to prove his guilt of excessive force with clear intent. Going forward, I may refer to Morgan Hallsbrad as ¡®my client¡¯, as he is¡ªby proxy the extension of my current client¡¯s involvement in this case.¡± He calmly straightened his suit, continuing on.¡°Your honor, as I¡¯ve already mentioned, Morgan Hallsbrad was a private investigator hired by a grandfather of one of the first victims. He was tracking the killer up the east coast, where he discovered a link to Brodie Flacarada. From what my employer knows he was approaching Brodie peacefully to offer to discuss this issue when things went south.¡± Mr. Varnish handed over a small, leatherbound journal to the Judge. ¡°In here you will find a detailed description of Morgan¡¯s findings from his investigation. The final pages highlight the link between Brodie and the case.¡± I tried and failed to stop my eyes from widening. I did manage to keep my mouth from falling open, but just barely. My eyes found Ms. Stovall who was looking confusedly between Mr. Varnish and the Judge. Once the book was handed to her, she skipped to the final page, as the Judge had. ¡°Let me get this straight. Your client was tracking comments made by the SwiftGram Account he is suspected of owning? Then entered the country illegally to approach Brodie Flacarada after seeing a ¡®flame war¡¯ on one of his posts?¡± Ms. Stovall pulled a paper from her own pack, and handed it to the judge. ¡°This is a document from Border Control, your honor. I have simplified it to individuals with last names starting with ¡®H,¡¯ and entered the country through customs and border control, including all land-bound traffic and commercial flights up to a month before the assault.¡± Judge Dench flipped through two to three pages of the huge stapled stack before dryly looking at Ms. Stovall and dryly asking, ¡°I assume I won¡¯t find Hallsbrad on here even outside of the appropriate alphabetical section?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct, your honor. I believe that Morgan Hallsbrad knew he would succeed in killing my client. Why would he not? As the primary suspect in the Heartless Killer killings, he¡¯d successfully accomplished dozens of murders up to that point. Knowing he would succeed, one of his concerns would be not leaving a trail indicating that he¡¯d crossed the border into Canada at all¡ªjust pop over the border, kill an unknown to the public college kid, and pop back over while leaving no tracks for law enforcement to follow. We know he¡¯s in the country right now¡ªwe have his body, for crying out loud! If this hearing was about me being required to prove that Morgan Hallsbrad crossed the border from the United States into Canada between March 27th and April 1st¡ªI wouldn¡¯t be able to do it. How did he get here? I believe that this gives some insight on how the man has managed to remain at large for as long as he has. He is a ghost. As for the prosecution''s outlandish claims of goodwill and ¡®helpful¡¯ intentions, I have a further question for Mr. Varnish. Why did your ¡®client¡¯ Morgan Hallsbrad need to ¡®approach my client peacefully¡¯, with a weapon behind the trashcans of a darkened alleyway?¡± The skepticism in Ms. Stovall¡¯s voice was so thick I could nearly taste it. Mr. Varnish didn¡¯t react to her comment and instead, dutifully handed over another paper to the Judge and she began to read it instantly. The raise of her eyebrows conveyed confusion and shock to me, and her words furthered it. ¡°The weapon at the scene had its serial number filed off, and didn¡¯t contain a single fingerprint outside of Brodie Flacarada¡¯s?¡± My brain stuttered. That was impossible. Smegma was staring at me, clearly reading my thoughts as they raced through my head. I¡¯d looked down the barrel of the gun which Morgan Hallsbrad had been holding! Ms. Stovall was reading through the page, her eyes tracing left to right as they climbed over the report multiple times. She looked up to the Judge quickly after what could have been a fifth or sixth perusal. ¡°Your honor, the fact that my client''s fingerprints are on a gun that he didn¡¯t own isn¡¯t contradictory to events as told to the court. He was held at gunpoint and used reasonable force to disarm a C-ranked Awakened in possession of a deadly firearm.¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± The prosecutor cleared his throat, handing over yet another document. ¡°Disarmed? The police report here demonstrates only that Mr. Flacarada was in possession of the firearm and was commanded by officers arriving on the scene to drop the weapon. There is no evidence that it was taken from Mr. Hallsbrad. Unless the court has any evidence of that claim?¡± Mr. Varnish asked the Judge. Judge Dench turned and looked at Ms. Stovall who flipped through a few pages on her desk before punching a finger into the bottom fourth of one. ¡°Yes, your honor. A video from the Transit Station captured Mr. Hallsbrad leading Brodie away at gunpoint.¡± ¡°Okay, let me see it,¡± Judge Dench stated as she held up her hand and simultaneously opened a laptop. Ms. Stovall flipped open her bag and pulled out a USB, consulted her page and then handed the USB stick to the judge. ¡°The file is TransitCamFootage2, your honor,¡± she explained and the Judge nodded before clicking around. Once Mr. Varnish could tell she was watching the video he chimed in. ¡°The important part is at ten, fifty-five, your honor. You will no doubt notice that no gun is present.¡± His knowledge of the time in the video and quick direction to it, made my head feel light. What was going on? ¡°What¡¯s he talking about?¡± Smegma said. ¡°You told me the guy had a gun and you just remembered looking down the barrel.¡± [He husking did. I have no idea what¡¯s going on.] There was a long silence, which was finally broken by the Judge looking up at Ms. Stovall. ¡°Ms. Stovall. I¡¯m afraid that while it does look like Morgan Hallsbrad has a hand either in a jacket pocket, or right beside his body, there is no obvious sign of a gun in this video. Do you have any other proof that Mr. Flacarada was held at gunpoint?¡± ¡°Your honor, I also watched the tape and agree that the camera angle and distance from the scene in question isn¡¯t the best. However, with the footage of Morgan Hallbrads stance, and my client testimony, as well as the fact that it is undeniable that Mr. Hallsbrad led my client toward the same alleyway that my client had previously avoided¨CI believe there is enough probable evidence present to assume compulsion.. Let me ask the court two questions: Was there a gun present at the scene of the attack?¡± Ms. Stovall asked calmly. ¡°You know there was, Ms. Stovall.¡± Judge Dench stated, sighing. ¡°We know there was, because that weapon is part of evidence.¡± Ms. Stovall turned her gaze on Mr. Varnish. ¡°If the weapon was at the scene and not shown in this video, where was it? Furthermore, whose could it have been if not Morgan Hallsbrad¡¯s? Let¡¯s not forget, Judge Dench, Morgan Hallsbrad is the number one suspect in the Heartless Killer serial killings. Even after more than sixty-five killings¡ªwhich, evidence is adding to daily. Morgan Hallsbrad is the number one suspect in a case of which the killer was never caught. We have to take seriously the possibility that Morgan Hallsbrad was a capable, cunning killer who would likely be wearing gloves and heavily aware of the possibility of security cameras in public spaces. Logically, he wouldn¡¯t openly reveal the weapon we found at the scene. ¡°Additionally, your honor, as I alluded to before¡ªwe have numerous videos that show Brodie specifically avoiding the alleyway on his way to the transit station, and that Morgan Hallsbrad led him into it after approaching him. Why would my client willingly go with him into an area he¡¯d just recently avoided, despite that path being the shortest route to and from where he was going?¡± ¡°Ms. Stovall, your logic that Morgan Hallsbrad possessed the gun and wore gloves are accusations that would need to be proven in court, if it cannot be clearly demonstrated during this hearing. I will also note that none of your assertions prove that Hallsbrad threatened your client with that weapon. Such accusations require proof. As for the factual evidence you¡¯ve mentioned, I assume I can watch those videos?¡± Judge Dench said. Ms. Stovall consulted her list and then conveyed the relevant file names to the Judge. Mr. Varnish remained silent through the exchange which made me apprehensive for some reason. After another twenty minutes of silence where the Judge confirmed Ms. Stovall¡¯s proof, she turned to Mr. Varnish. ¡°These videos, along with the campus map do make a compelling argument that Brodie Flacarada was led against his will, into an area he had previously avoided. I¡¯m leaning toward Ms. Stovall once again, Mr. Varnish.¡± ¡°This is why it is so important for me to show the court Morgan Hallsbrad¡¯s innocence in regards to the Heartless Killer murders, your honor. If you¡¯ll permit me, I have further evidence that lends itself toward Morgan Hallsbrad¡¯s innocence of the accused assault and thus solidifies the story told in his case journal. This evidence may not show Morgan peacefully approached Brodie Flacarada but it certainly shows that he isn¡¯t the ¡®cold cunning¡¯ killer he is being painted as by the defense.¡± Mr. Varnish hadn¡¯t glanced at me once through this entire meeting with the Judge, but when the Judge glanced my direction, so did the man. I felt like a rabbit might¡®ve when a large wolf catches it in the open. I wanted to shiver but I held it back. The Judge didn¡¯t convey much with that look, but to me it felt like she was sad for me. I wondered why, right up until she held out a hand and said, ¡°I¡¯ll read this evidence first, before I make the final decision, if it''s relevant to this case.¡± The silence that stretched was broken only by Ms. Stovall fiddling with something in her pocket. It wasn¡¯t truly loud, but as the Judge read the manilla folder that had the word ¡®classified¡¯ stamped in red on it¨Cit sure sounded loud. The Judge sighed when she reached the end. ¡°Mr. Varnish. I do believe that this evidence may be enough to clear Morgan Hallsbrad in the cases that the UNMH is bringing against him, but I do not believe that continued activity of a SwiftGram account named ¡®The Shop¡¯ after Morgan¡¯s death and new murders connected to the Heartless Killer in California mean that Brodie should be under any suspicion in the events of this case.¡± ¡°That may be true, your honor, but that isn¡¯t for you to determine. One thing that this does neatly defeat, is Counselwoman Stovall¡¯s assertion that Morgan Hallsbrad is the primary suspect of the Heartless Killer murders, as well as her statements that he would act or behave as a hardened killer, with gloves, foreknowledge of public cameras and their locations. The ¡®cunning killer¡¯ that entered the Country illegally? Come now. To that last point¡ªI have here a flight manifesto that I prepared in advance against the potential of anyone questioning my client¡¯s on entering the country unlawfully or with criminal designs.¡± As he handed over this final sheet of thick official looking paper I felt my throat constrict¨Ctightening down and seeming to stop my breathing from coming easy. Like a roofer with a nail gun, Mr. Varnish continued, puncturing my screaming lungs with his well-prepared, and extremely false case. ¡°The Larvae Guild, of whom Morgan Hallsbrad was an upstanding member, expedited his transportation across the Canadian border via private jet. These documents were disclosed appropriately to both the United States and Canadian Federal Aviation Administration. His entry into the country was validated and verified at the highest levels. ¡°As I also believe I¡¯ve given the court ample evidence to call into question the ownership of the weapon in evidence, it is my statement and assertion that Morgan Hallsbrad carried no such weapon on this flight, nor on his person at the time of meeting Mr. Flacarada, your honor. I, for one, am not convinced that it belonged to Morgan Hallsbrad at all. We only have Brodie¡¯s testimony that Morgan held the weapon for any length of time, and¡ªas we already proved, there was no sign of Hallsbrad holding the gun in the videos, coupled with the fact that Mr. Flacarada was found by the police with the weapon in his hands and his fingerprints were the only ones present on the weapon¡­¡± This time when Mr. Varnish paused. I managed to suck in a breath only due to biological need for oxygen. It came in, stuttering and loud¨Cclearly going against my one day of ¡®don¡¯t react¡¯ training. What in the hell was going on? My eyes were already unfocused and I felt lost. Still, Mr. Varnish didn¡¯t relent. ¡°I believe that this is more than enough grounds for jurisprudence to be compelled to put this case in front of a panel of impartial peers?¡± Mr. Varnish responded far too calmly. I felt a small hand on my shoulder, and with it came a rush of warmth. That¡¯s right, I still had Ms. Stovall. Surely this pre-trial wasn¡¯t going as poorly as it seemed? ¡°Your honor, my client has gone through enough; surely we don¡¯t need to parade a victim in a public trial on top of everything else.¡± Judge Dench looked at the two lawyers and then met my confused, wide eyes. ¡°Jury trials are only for criminal cases. You know that, Mr. Varnish. Your evidence is by majority circumstantial and has not met the prerequisite thresholds. I agree with Ms. Stovall that a victim should not be made to suffer further, Counselman. Unless you can present me with something more, I will move to weigh in on the evidence of Ms. Stovall that supports self-defense.¡± ¡°As you wish, your honor. I would like to enter into evidence video forty-seven. This video shows Mr. Flacarada getting into his car at the mall before going through a second, third or perhaps, even a fourth Awakening after the manslaughter.¡± The Judge blinked and looked at me, then Ms. Stovall before holding out a hand toward Mr. Varnish. As Ms. Stovall had done with the transit cam footage, Mr. Varnish gave her a USB along with instructions about what video to open. ¡°I¡¯ve clipped the video to save your time, your honor,¡± he said to finish. I felt my stomach which felt like it couldn¡¯t twist any more clench tight. I knew what video he must have. It was the one where I got in the car and purchased the first Miner¡¯s Pick¡ªwhere everyone in the parking garage saw my car light up like it was struck by a flash bang. ¡°Is this bad?¡± Smegma asked, as he hovered close to me and looked into my eyes. [I don¡¯t know? I don¡¯t see how a new Skill could change anything.] Even my mental voice sounded lost. ¡°Ms. Stovall, this clearly shows Mr. Flacarada undergoing an Awakening. Have you had him reassessed?¡± I felt the slithering snake of my stomach somehow constrict further. I definitely was no longer an F-rank Awakened. Just based on my Mana pool, now sitting at forty-five points, moved me from high F-rank to high E-rank. Sure the growth was slowing down pretty significantly but that paired with all of my existing and new Skills might put me anywhere from E to B rank if assessed. I fought my own face to stop from reacting as Ms. Stovall replied. ¡°I can neither confirm nor deny the presence of my client undergoing an Awakening. So far, I can see no relevance to this case whether it happened or not.¡± ¡°Confirm nor deny?¡± Mr. Varnish drawled. ¡°The evidence is right in front of your face. If what happened to your client in that car wasn¡¯t an Awakening, then what was it? ¡°You tell me.¡± Ms. Stovall retorted. ¡°As Judge Dench stated earlier. The burden of proof is not on me in this pre-trial. It¡¯s on you, and until you prove to the Judge how this is relevant to the case, I refuse to possibly acknowledge anything that might unknowingly impact him either in this case or going forward.¡± Mr. Varnish looked appreciatively at Ms. Stovall. ¡°Your honor. The reason this is relevant is that the case is being presented as a F-rank versus a C-rank, but not only is Mr. Flacarada possibly far higher than C-rank; I can prove that at the time of his death, Morgan Hallsbrad was no longer C-rank.¡± ¡°What do you mean, Mr. Varnish?¡± Judge Dench asked. Once again, Mr. Varnish entered in new evidence and directed Judge Dench on where to find it. This time he also presented a paper to Ms. Stovall. She quickly read it over and a frown slowly grew into a scowl on her face. ¡°At autopsy, Mr. Hallsbrad was Skilless and below F-rank? How is this possible Mr. Varnish?¡± Judge Dench asked. ¡°We have our suspicions, your honor, but no proof. If Mr. Flacarada would like to go through a reassessment though and prove that he is still F-rank, the Crown might be willing to grant self-defense as a verdict in the manslaughter case.¡± ¡°Your honor, the date of the video where my client allegedly underwent a secondary Awakening is a full two days after the altercation. Even if he did undergo another Awakening at that time, I fail to see how it has any bearing on the case.¡± ¡°She is right, Mr. Varnish. Even if he is of a higher rank now, it doesn¡¯t mean he was then. Just like your client at autopsy being of lower rank doesn¡¯t exactly mean that he wasn¡¯t of higher rank during the assault.¡± ¡°Then I must ask, your honor, if my client was Unskilled at the time of his autopsy, and¡ªas Ms. Stovall here asserts, C-ranked at the time of the alleged attack, then what happened to Morgan Hallsbrad¡¯s C-ranked Skills in the intervening thirteen hours between the events on campus and the autopsy? That is not enough time for the Mana in a Pool to even fade.¡± ¡°I see what you¡¯re implying Mr. Varnish, but without further proof, I will not order Mr. Flacarada to be reassessed. I will, however, be stating clearly, Ms. Stovall¡ªthat in my assessment, the evidence of an apparent Awakening happening to Mr. Flacarada does appear to be potentially relevant to this case. So I¡¯ll ask you; What does this new Skill do, or what exactly was it that happened on this security footage, assuming this was not an Awakening at all?¡± ¡°Very well. My client did, in fact, experience a second Awakening during the events in the security footage. From my understanding and his growing understanding, it repairs Mining Picks from ¡®spilled¡¯ Mana.¡± ¡°So, Mr. Flacarada is able to capture Mana leakage from minerals, ores, creatures and flora?¡± Mr. Varnish asked. Ms. Stovall glanced at me then back up to Mr. Varnish before she answered, ¡°That isn¡¯t what I said Mr. Varnish. From my understanding, his Skill can use the Mana spillage from Mining Mana Crystals in particular to Repair a Pickaxe. That¡¯s our full understanding of the Skill at present.¡± ¡°That¡¯s some excellent tip-toeing you¡¯re doing there Ms. Stovall, and I commend you for it. However, the fact is that we now know that Mr. Flacarada has a Skill that siphons Mana and we only have his word that this Skill works solely on Crystals. What we also know is that there is a body that Mr. Flacarada had recently interacted with and whose ranking after death mysteriously dropped. I submit that he is not telling the full truth and that he likely is able to capture spilled Mana from dead or dying humans as well. This is where we believe Morgan Hallsbrad¡¯s Skills went. The Crown believes that Brodie Flacarada may be a Cannibal or Snatcher.¡± ¡°Holy shit, this guy is good,¡± Smegma said, sounding impressed. [Don¡¯t husking compliment him! Everything¡ª] I hesitated before correcting myself. [¡ªmost of what he said is a lie, and you know it.] ¡°Yeah, I know it, but there is no way that anyone besides you and me can truly know that he¡¯s lying. That¡¯s why I said he¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Ms. Stovall. Do you have any evidence that can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Flacarada didn¡¯t use excessive force in self-defense so he could steal Morgan Hallsbrad¡¯s spilled Mana.¡± Two muscles bulged on the side of Ms. Stovall¡¯s face, but after a moment she looked directly at the Judge and exclaimed, ¡°Yes, your honor. There still remains a time discrepancy. The fact that this Skill didn¡¯t Awaken until two days after the assault. Is Mr. Varnish accusing my client of traveling back in time to ¡®steal¡¯ Morgan Hallsbrad¡¯s spilled Mana?¡± ¡°As I¡¯ve already mentioned Judge Dench, this Awakening could be a third such, and does not need to be the only one that Mr. Flacarada has undergone. In this, I must ask the court, who else had access to Morgan Hallsbrad before or immediately after his death, that had the potential to remove these Skills?¡± Ms. Stovall¡¯s jaw clenched again as the Judge looked to her. ¡°Your honor, when Morgan Hallsbrad was taken to the hospital¡ªhe was taken there alive. There are numerous people who could have and did interact with him during that time. I was not aware of the loss or disappearance of Mr. Hallsbrad¡¯s Skills and therefore did not interview or investigate the circumstances around his death beyond the available medical reports. The autopsy was not available yesterday evening when my office had requested the report. I¡¯m not sure how Mr. Varnish was able to secure a copy where I was not.¡± The man¡¯s bright smile didn¡¯t appear to be helping Ms. Stovall¡¯s mood. ¡°The fact is that the implication that my client was the last person to interact with Morgan Hallsbrad before his death, is far from the truth. However, without a proper investigation, I am unable to determine if¡ªor under what circumstances Mr. Hallsbrad may have lost his Skills during his time at the hospital.¡± Judge Dench sighed tiredly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that lack of time or resources is not a valid argument Ms. Stovall. ¡°Counselman Varnish. Counselwoman Stoval. In this preliminary hearing of the case of Brodie Flacarada vs The Crown Council appointed by the Attorney General and Supreme Court of Canada, I am¡ªat this time, unable to determine the guilt or innocence of the defendant Brodie Flacarada beyond a reasonable doubt.¡± Judge Dench said, her eyes locking onto mine. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I will have to send this to trial.¡± 035 Tuesday, April 16th, 2069 ¡°I¡¯ve got some more bad news,¡± Smegma said, as we began mining the following day. It had been a rather long night of explaining the horrible news of the pre-trial to my family, over, and over again. So, Smegma uttering those words instantly put a spike of hot iron into my gut. [What is it?] I asked as I pummeled an F-rank mana crystal into shards. ¡°Your Strength stat didn¡¯t go up at all yesterday,¡± Smegma grumbled, the simple statement sounding like a pronouncement of death by the tone of the demon imp. I waited for more, even pausing in mining to rub the back of my forearm over my forehead to clear the sweat. Today¡¯s dungeon was all underground. A cave system that likely was extremely deep on the ¡®planet¡¯ we currently were on. Why did I think that? Well, the heat that radiated from the rocks surrounding us, suggested that we were likely closer to the core, than we were to the surface. Or at least that¡¯s what the Lynx guild also believed. Finally, I had enough and prompted, [And?] ¡°It seems you have to be present to receive the Mana Spillage from the enchant,¡± Smegma explained, his voice hysterical, like this news should send me into suicidal thoughts. [Still not picking up what you¡¯re laying down, Champ.] ¡°Well, I mean you could have owned a business and just sat back as your stats and skills came pouring in, Chief.¡± I rolled my eyes. Only a fat, lazy demon imp¡ª ¡°Hey, that¡¯s totally uncalled for!¡± That lazy imp complained. [Whatever. As far as ¡®bad¡¯ news goes¡ªthat¡¯s like a one on the Richter Scale I¡¯m currently reading from. The rest of the shit going on ranks around an eight. Just for reference¡­] I continued to shard when I realized something. Something I probably should have asked Smegma a while ago. [Umm, Smegma you probably know what the locked stats are right?] [Took you long enough. But nope, not a clue, dumb-dumb,] Smegma said as I set up to mine a perfect crystal. I paused and looked pointedly at him, and he got the hint. [We didn¡¯t have a stat called Strength. Crendalar Five had three primary stats, and some hidden ones that only a few people possessed.] My pick tinged into the soil and I felt the head hit the stem of the Crystal perfectly, severing the thing in a single swing. It felt good, brightening my mood, until I realized that Smegma wasn¡¯t going to offer further explanation¡ªwhich admittedly annoyed me. [And those three stats were!] ¡°What the husk do you care, you clearly have seven¡ª¡± I glared at the imp even as I sold the crystal. ¡°Ughhh. Whatever, fine. The three main stats were Martial Power, Magic and Force. Do you need a description of what these stats did too?¡± [That would be fantastic.] ¡°Why do you husking need to know when you don¡¯t have them?¡± I mentally gave the demon a look and he sighed, clearly annoyed. ¡°I guess I¡¯ve got nothing better to do, anyway. Okay, Martial Power was the strength of body and came with a pool of energy we called Endurance. Some people also referred to it as Stamina. In essence it was just a gauge of how long you could continue to physically exert yourself before your body became weakened. You follow me?¡± I nodded, clearly understanding his point thanks to role playing video games. Some of those possessed a stamina bar that you needed to let recharge from time to time. Smegma began picking his teeth with a taloned claw as he continued. ¡°Magic determined how powerful your spells and skills were while also decreasing how much of your Mana pool activation of said skills would cost. It goes without saying that the resource pool for the Magic stat was Mana. Finally, force. This stat was the least understood but also widely varied in use. Force could add damage to physical strikes, magic spells, be used for telekinesis and even just create an aura that would weaken others. It manifested differently for each person, but you could train yourself to have it mimic what others did.¡± About midway through Smegma¡¯s description I realized that like he had thought, his description of stats wasn¡¯t going to help me. Clearly, based on the operating system updates to Demonic Vault, the system had gone through many changes before arriving on Earth. That of course begged the question of why it needed to? ¡°That¡¯s the million-dollar question,¡± Smegma mumbled. ¡°If you figure out why the system does what it does, please let me know.¡± The second part was clearly meant to try to lighten the serious mood. Unfortunately, I had too much ¡®serious¡¯ on my mind, and Smegma¡¯s lame attempt at humor didn¡¯t break me. ¡°Okay, grouchy pants, I¡¯ll leave you alone then,¡± Smegma whined, before flying away through the cavern ceiling. I shook my head, not understanding why Smegma was pouting over my mood. [Cause you¡¯re a buzz kill,] Smegma mentally explained. [You really should stop reading my thoughts then, husktard,] I responded but got no response. I had to assume that this all stemmed back from Smegma¡¯s bad news. I examined why it was such horrible news from Smegma¡¯s point of view and arrived at one conclusion. Smegma had been harboring a hope that I could become powerful quickly by giving people enchanted gathering gear. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. My head shook in exasperation. Nothing in this world was free. I¡¯d learned that years ago when I started my Mana Bank to the stars Swiftgram account. While others had made it look easy. Had made it seem like it was practically handed to them¡ªI instantly discovered and now intrinsically knew, that wasn¡¯t the case. It was the forward-facing fa?ade of an iceberg of hard work. The steady thump and tinging of my pickaxe kept my thoughts company as I began thinking of the actual problems in my life. I was about to be on trial for second degree manslaughter. I was innocent and knew it, so surely the jury would find the same thing, right? I¡¯d seen enough Hollywood crime shows and real life documentaries to know that wasn¡¯t always true. Yet it was pretty farfetched to think that Mr. Varnish was going to be able to prove that I killed Morgan Hallsbrad for his skills. That absurdity raised a far more potent question. Who was behind Mr. Varnish? Ms. Stovall after the pre-trial had been furious with her team and herself. I¡¯d only heard a bit of the barrage she¡¯d been starting as I left her office, but it seemed that Mr. Varnish replacing the state prosecutor was a last-minute thing¡ªthat she felt they should have known about. Which was why the question. Why would someone like Mr. Varnish take on a case like mine? Morgan Hallsbrad had definitely not been a private investigator¡ªdespite whatever paperwork the judge and Ms. Stovall were handed¡­ I worked like that until lunch, my thoughts circling each other uselessly like a boy and a girl at an eighth-grade dance. Every so often Smegma mentally told me how pointless my maudlin was but I ignored the pouty demon¡ªeven sending barbs back his way, when I thought of a good one. ¡°Did you hear?¡± Willa said excitedly as she looked between my father and me¡ªboth of us were eating our portal-ham and American singles sandwiches. I raised my eyebrows and looked at my father who was smiling widely. I shook my head. ¡°Jarred is coming to work with us starting tomorrow!¡± ¡°That fast?¡± I asked, my voice carrying my excitement and surprise. ¡°Yeah, Ella came around. Well, I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t that easy, but the important part is that Jarred is going to work with us¡ªand Ella may retake her position as an office administrator.¡± ¡°May?¡± I asked, attempting to mimic my father¡¯s tone, when he said that word. ¡°She¡¯s thinking about it,¡± Willa chimed in. I groaned and saw both of the two adult¡¯s faces fall in unison. ¡°Honestly, she probably needs a shrink more than Brodie¡­¡± ¡°Willa!¡± my dad said, and I laughed at Willa¡¯s apologetic wince. ¡°Sorry, Brodie, I didn¡¯t mean¡ª¡± ¡°Willa, it¡¯s fine. Honestly, I only have to go to eight more sessions with Evelyn.¡± Willa looked at me with narrowed eyes and then glanced at my father, seeming to look for permission. Which apparently she either got, or took his lack of noticeable response, by me, as an affirmative. ¡°How are you okay with all this, Brodie?¡± Willa voiced. I could tell that she only had my concern in mind, and from the way that my father leaned in¡ªhe also wanted an answer to this question. I guess that¡¯s why he¡¯d not given Willa a shake of his head. Taking a deep breath, I thought about the question, before finally sighing and saying, ¡°I¡¯m not really okay. I was fine with the assault because I beat the guy¡ªprotected myself from him. You know?¡± I got nods and clenched fists in response, and continued, ¡°Now? Now, I¡¯m really lost. ¡°How can the court send me to trial for defending myself?¡± I finished after a pause. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Bro,¡± my dad said instantly reaching over to squeeze my shoulder. Hard. ¡°They will find you innocent.¡± Willa spoke instantly after my father finished. ¡°Someone did die, Brodie. So, they¡¯ve gotta do the dueligigence.¡± ¡°Due diligence,¡± my dad corrected fondly. I chose to point out the rather glaring flaw in their thoughts. ¡°But then why did the Crown Prosecutor get switched with Mr. Varnish?¡± ¡°Did you look into him?¡± Willa asked. I nodded but threw up both my hands to say that the internet had failed me. Which was strange considering that almost all top tier lawyers had websites, SwiftGram, Smilebook, and JackedIn profiles. Ms. Stovall for example. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s new?¡± my dad suggested. ¡°Fat husking chance,¡± Smegma commented from somewhere in the cavern. I licked my teeth and looked around for the imp¡ªpretending to be thinking. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s new. He was too well dressed and frankly good at his job. Ms. Stovall is excellent, but even she seemed surprised by how much effort this guy put in to twisting the facts,¡± I explained. ¡°Maybe he work for mob,¡± Dave added from his seat with Fat Gary. I had kind of forgot their presence because they had been so quiet. I looked at Dave then and found him shrugging as he went back to eating. Clearly conveying that it was just a thought. The fact that the man¡¯s brain went somewhere so dark, likely told a story about his past, but that didn¡¯t make it any less possible. Right? ¡°It definitely fits,¡± Smegma said. My father scoffed and spoke simultaneously. ¡°No way, Dave. Come on, a mobster in Windsor? Why would they care?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Fat Gary said patting Dave on the back in a consoling way. ¡°This Haller guy was from the states right? Operated up the east coast, and ended in New York? Sounds possible. That or cartel?¡± Fat Gary finished in a whisper Dave shivered, and Fat Gary squeezed his shoulder, like my dad had done mine. I decided to change the subject. ¡°Either way, I think this lawyer is pretty well funded, and whoever is behind him seems to want something out of this.¡± ¡°How do you figure?¡± my dad asked. ¡°Well, even if you hired a private investigator to track a murderer, would you care if something happened to the guy?¡± ¡°Depends how long I¡¯ve worked wit da guy,¡± Willa said. At the shocked looks she said, ¡°What? I watch crime shows!¡± ¡°Even then, Morgan Hallsbrad was a piece of shit, and is being tried for multiple counts of murder¡ªwho would be willing to exonerate someone like that? Plus, why isn¡¯t Mr. Varnish representing him in any of those other cases?¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t?¡± my dad asked. I shook my head as answer. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that someone is specifically targeting your case?¡± Willa asked. [I¡¯m saying someone is specifically targeting me,] I mentally said. Refusing to admit that particularly terrifying truth in front of Fat Gary and Dave. To the group I just shrugged, which brought about a pretty profound silence. ¡°Why don¡¯t we start discussing what veins to tap?¡± my dad said, changing the subject. I allowed Willa and him to start assessing even as Smegma flew down to hover beside me. ¡°You know you should probably tell your family the whole truth at this point.¡± I reached up and ran a hand through my sweaty hair. This wasn¡¯t going to be a pleasant conversation. 036 Tuesday, April 16th, 2069 ¡°Why is this one orange?¡± I whispered, far enough away from anyone else that I could speak to Smegma somewhat openly.
Shining Meteorite Rank: Entry-E-Unique Quality: High Quantity: Very Low
¡°It says ¡®Unique¡¯, doesn¡¯t it,¡± Smegma said haughtily. ¡°Okay, so it¡¯s a one of a kind or something?¡± I asked. ¡°That¡¯s what unique means,¡± Smegma confirmed. ¡°So, it¡¯s both invaluable and valueless?¡± I whispered matching Smegma¡¯s tone. The imp was getting on my nerves a bit ever since this morning. So, I decided to piss him off in turn. ¡°Guess, I should ¡®pick¡¯ something else.¡± ¡°First off, that was husking horrible! Don¡¯t pun. Second, it¡¯s motherhusking unique! Like hell you¡¯re going to just walk away.¡± ¡°Hmm, nah I¡¯ll just leave it for you to get.¡± ¡°Low blow, dick-face,¡± Smegma retorted but eventually sighed. ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry for being in a bad mood¡ªbut you have to get why I¡¯m put-out, right?¡± I gave the imp a flat stare and he continued, ¡°You''re telling me that it wouldn¡¯t be awesome to just be gaining Strength constantly until you were totally OP. You could have a literal horde of Miners just farming the Strength Stat for you¡­.¡± [Awesome, sure, but shit is never that easy,] I switched to mental communication as I felt myself growing a bit frustrated. [Smegma, I would love to be a Hunter right now, but honestly nothing is free. The Mining Skill planet isn¡¯t growing anymore. Plus, just look at the Pickaxes. They¡¯ve stopped leveling too.] I held out my Pickaxe which looked far better than it had before but refused to become anything better than ¡®second-hand.¡¯ Still, showing the imp the tool I added sourly, [Just like your billion-Coin Skills. So, let¡¯s pump the husking brakes and take things slow.] ¡°Okay. Okay!¡± Smegma responded, and added the second when I gave him a meaningful stare. ¡°So, you¡¯ll mine the unique husking mineral now?¡± [I will if you tell me what you know about unique husking minerals.] ¡°Ugghhh. Fine. It¡¯s something that the System spawned specifically for someone in a given Dungeon. Because it¡¯s an Ore¡ªit''s most likely for a Miner or Blacksmith or even Trade that deals with metals. Meaning it¡¯s most likely here for you.¡± At my somewhat confused look Smegma threw his hands in the air. ¡°Meaning, it¡¯s likely something that the System deems you qualify for, and will either help you in the future or help you right husking now!¡± [Was that so hard?] ¡°Honestly, who the husk wouldn¡¯t mine a Unique Ore?¡± Smegma countered. [I never said I wasn¡¯t going to mine it. I just wanted to know what I was getting into!] I glanced around me and deemed it safe to mine the vein I wasn¡¯t supposed to be Mining. I looked at the Red Copper about ten feet to my left¡ªthe deposit I was supposed to be Mining, and then shrugged. It was close enough to keep up appearances. Bringing up my Pickaxe, I held it aloft, getting ready to strike where the Mining Skill told me to. Nothing happened, and Smegma face-palmed. ¡°You are totally useless without your Skill. Here!¡± He said while pointing at a spot. I sent the pickaxe through his head, totally missing the indicated area. ¡°Wow. Just wow. Want to actually try, or shall I start dancing around for husking target practice.¡± [Why don¡¯t you put your head where you want me to strike?] ¡°Husking rude! Here!¡± He said seriously, and this time I followed his finger to strike the spot indicated. The pick bounced back and I almost dropped it due to the vibrations. [What the husk?] ¡°Okay, so this isn¡¯t like a normal vein,¡± Smegma said, even as he began tapping a talon on his tooth and studying it more closely. ¡°Ahh, yes, the rock immediately around it, seems to have hardened. Is that a property of the metal?¡± [Smegma,] I tried but clearly the imp was too deep in his own thoughts. ¡°So, if this ore acts as some sort of reinforcement, maybe it is an item that can be added to existing weapons and armor.¡± The imp scoffed after that thought and looked derisively at me, in my second hand gear and just slightly better than second-hand Pickaxe. ¡°What a waste¡ª¡± [Smegma!] I tried again and this time the imp blinked and looked me in my eyes. ¡°Oh, sorry. Try striking it right in the center of the ore.¡± [That¡¯s it?] I asked and Smegma both shook his head and shrugged a bit too excessively. Showing he had no idea, but also didn¡¯t appreciate me questioning his deduction. Well then! I swung sidearm making sure that the pick sailed through a piece of the incorporeal demon, but still landed the point of the pick dead center on the ore. It wasn¡¯t a particularly hard swing, and thanks to my childishness I expected nothing to happen. Thus, when the entire point of the pickaxe sunk into the ore like it was mercury, I almost let go of the handle. Almost¡ªonly because I couldn¡¯t let go of the handle. My hands felt like they were open, but they were somehow not¡ªlike the nerve endings were faulty. My eyes went wide just in time to watch the Ore turn into liquid metal and begin to move. It didn¡¯t drip like a liquid should, but moved over the Pickaxe in an engulfing wave. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what it was here for,¡± Smegma said like he now understood something. I wanted to glare at him and demand an explanation but I couldn¡¯t peel my eyes away from the liquid metal that was flowing over and down the Pickaxe like an alien symbiote. It made its way to the handle and kept coming, inching toward my hands. I tried to scream, but realized that my mouth, like my hands, weren¡¯t listening. Were my eyes even wide? They felt like they should be, but despite my desperate commands to do something, anything¡ªmy body didn¡¯t listen. Smegma caught my terror through my thoughts because he said, ¡°Don¡¯t panic. It¡¯s going to Upgrade the Pickaxe. It must have reached a plateau but you met all the requirements for an upgrade.¡± That calmed me for all of fifteen seconds¡ªbefore the liquid began seeping onto my husking hands. ¡°Oh, well¡ªthat¡¯s not what I expected,¡± Smegma stated as he watched the liquid metal begin coating my fingers. [You husking husk. Do something!] I mentally screamed. ¡°That just means that it¡¯s Upgrading something else, Brodie. Plus, what should I do? You want me to fly through you a couple times?¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Quickly, and with far too much glee, he did just that¡ªlatching onto my face and diving down into my body before his head burst out of my chest, his arms flailing as he screeched loudly. I knew I should never have let him watch that husking movie, but he just kept whining about how ¡®booooring¡¯ it was just watching me ¡®sleep all the time¡¯. Eventually I caved and left the Tablet open with a playlist of chosen movies and the volume turned down while I went to bed. I resolved right then and there to figure out a way to punch this husker right in the face. One day! The liquid metal encased my hands, then my forearms before making its way up my elbows to my biceps where I felt the calm bubble of dissociation lent by my Mental Fortitude shatter. Surely it wasn¡¯t going to consume me¡ªhow much of this metal was there? The prompt had said that the quantity was ¡®very low¡¯. As if the thing was some sort of husked-up tentacle porn hentai bullshit¡ªit made its way over my shoulders and up my neck toward my mouth. Which was conveniently slightly ajar and paralyzed. [If this thing tries to get me to call it onii chan, I will burn down the world.] The thought came before I could stop it, and I quickly shifted to the topic I actually wanted to think about: [Smegma, if I survive this I¡¯m going to husking kill you.] ¡°You¡¯re going to have to get used to shit like this if you want to be a powerful Hunter,¡± Smegma answered. The cool sensation the metal was causing to ripple over my skin moved over my lips and then shot down my throat. It tasted exactly how I would have expected¡ªlike I was sucking on batteries. Thankfully, it seemed to speed up at that point and was almost instantly gone. My body unfroze and the Pickaxe fell to the ground with a clatter and then a clank as first the wood and then the metal bounced off the stone. I retched, for obvious reasons, but somehow managed to stop myself from actually vomiting. ¡°It¡¯s inside your Mental Universe,¡± Smegma said, distractedly¡ªlike he was also focused inside my internal Universe as well. I fell into myself, ignoring my convulsing stomach. Sure enough inside my Mental Universe I was greeted with the rapey alien meteorite metal floating in strangely undulating patterns. Immediately I asked, [What¡¯s it doing?] ¡°Moving toward the Mining Skill, I think,¡± Smegma answered. I glanced at the Mining Skill and found it surrounded by five of the tiny moons that I thought represented my Strength Stat. Had my Strength Stat risen by three today? I opened my eyes and checked it, quickly by calling up my Stats page.
Strength Increased by 1. Strength Increased by 1. Strength Increased by 1. --- Stats Strength: 5 Locked. Locked. Locked. Locked. Locked. Locked.
Confirming that the moons on the metal planet were in fact Strength Stats, and making a note that the Stat page kept a log, I dove back into my Mental Universe. The slowly moving liquid-meteorite metal was just about to reach the Mining Skill when I returned. I held my breath, unsure what it was going to do. I was both anticipatory of something amazing and terrified of something terrible. When the meteorite reached the first moon, it began to coat it. Very much like what it had just done to the Pickaxe and then my skin. Then in a flash the same increase of speed occurred, and the metal planet became more metal. It almost looked like a silver pool from my vantage point. What was that light, though? I scanned the Mental Universe, even as the light began to penetrate my eyelids. Wait¡ªif it was penetrating my closed eyes, then it was outside. I opened my eyes just in time to see the telltale flash of Skill Awakening. Or as it turned out¡ªSkill Evolution. Of course, the flash got everyone¡¯s attention, which effectively gathered everyone around me, as if I had just screamed for help from a bloody murder. I was already beginning to fend off unspoken words of questioning when two things happened. First, I caught sight of my still open Stat window.
Strength is doubled by Shining Meteorite. --- Stats Strength: 10 Locked. Locked. Locked. Locked. Locked. Locked.
Secondly, two very loud, and very echoing bangs resounded through the floor of our chamber and the air. I looked to what was clearly the nearer of the two noises¡ªand found the exit closed. I only say closed because it was clear a door had fallen from the ceiling of the space. Door was a very strange description, but it was a piece of rock that was so smooth, and different than the rock around it¨Cthat it was just that out of place. Like a Castle Portcullis in the movies¨Cthe one that falls straight down. Dreading what I would see, I scanned to the other exit, and didn¡¯t find what I expected. Well, that was mostly because my eyes never made it to the other exit. In the center of the cavern, amidst the scattered shards of F-ranked Crystals, something was moving. No, something was forming. I could see small pieces of loose dirt rolling toward the spot, even as it grew large enough to punch up through the small pile of shards. It was only a small mound, but it was becoming ever larger. ¡°What the husk is that?¡± I asked, directing my question at Smegma but accidentally including everyone. The group followed my frantic gaze and also froze. Whatever they had been about to say was forgotten in the shock of finding a moving pile of rock and dirt. My father found his words and actions first. He began shoving everyone toward the exit. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here. That sound could have been a cave¡ª¡± It was right then that his cajoling and spinning of others turned him around enough to see the ¡®door¡¯ that had fallen shut over the exit. ¡°Oh husk,¡± he said as he began frantically spinning me toward the other exit. ¡°No point dad,¡± I said as I allowed him to move me. I realized that if I wanted to I could stand in place like a bolted down statue, and briefly wondered if that was due to my Strength Stat. Still, maybe that pile wasn¡¯t really anything¡ª ¡°It¡¯s a low-rank Rock Golem or something similar,¡± Smegma stated. ¡°Normally, they wouldn¡¯t be aggressive, but I¡¯m guessing that this one is going to be coming after you.¡± ¡°Why the husk would a Rock Golem come after me?¡± I shouted, completely forgetting my current company. The group froze for the briefest of moments as they took in my words and then double timed it to the exit that led deeper into the mines. The exit to the tunnel that we knew Hunters from Lynx were down. ¡°What was it you said before? ¡®Nothing is free?¡¯ Well here you go, pal. Time to pay up.¡± Smegma shook his head as if I¡¯d only not said anything this wouldn¡¯t be happening. ¡°Everyone start working to break the cave-in,¡± my dad shouted, as we neared the ¡®door¡¯. I nodded¡ªsurely we could break through the door with our pickaxes. Willa was the first one to arrive and with a sliding step she used all of her strength and momentum to drive the Pickaxe into the center of the flat stone door with an overhand swing. The Pickaxe bounced back hard enough that she lost her grip and the Pick catapulted back the way we had come, landing approximately midway between us and the now slightly humanoid looking rock golem. ¡°That¡¯s a System Shield¡ªyou¡¯re going to have to kill the boss, Brodie,¡± Smegma said flatly. Sounding slightly worried about my chances but I didn¡¯t doubt that his assessment was correct, and destroying the Golem was the only choice. I didn¡¯t even get to voice any questions before he responded, ¡°It¡¯s a System Event. Those doors aren¡¯t going to be breakable or open until someone kills the Rock Golem. Since you¡¯re the only one with any chance against it, I¡¯m voting for you!¡± [Did you know this was going to happen when I tapped that vein?] ¡°No. This was my first time seeing a Unique material in person. I was a fighter and then a researcher¡­¡± The mound now had distinct arms and legs and... Was that a head forming? I rushed into my Mental Universe and flipped the Overdraft Skill to Overcharge, before applying it to my weapon. Well, to my Pickaxe¡­ ¡°I¡¯m going to try to distract it,¡± I said but immediately felt my father¡¯s hands grab at my shoulders to pull me back. This time, I didn¡¯t let him. He tried once with more strength and then gave up and yanked at me with everything he had. My shoes slid slightly on the stone but I didn¡¯t break my casual stance. ¡°I¡¯m sorry dad, this is the only way,¡± I whispered before twisting my body to place a hand in the center of his chest. Shoving him off his feet and removing his arms from around me, I began to rush at the almost fully-formed Rock Golem. I could only hope that getting in a first strike would somehow help. After all, I only had ten minutes on Overcharge. 037 Tuesday, April 16th, 2069 ¡°Charging a creature made of stone with a husking Pickaxe isn¡¯t going to work,¡± Smegma shouted, as he sped past my ear. I heard him. I chose to ignore him. It wasn¡¯t like I had other options. ¡°Don¡¯t ignore me! At least gang up on it!¡± My feet slid multiple times as I passed over a carpet of sharded Crystals. Each footfall created a wind-chime like tinkle of the things as they cascaded into each other. It was a strange battle hymn, and I might have truly considered that further if I had time. I needed to strike the Golem before it fully formed¡ªthat was my one advantage. I saw a somewhat clear space in the crystal carpet ahead, and planted my foot into it before leaping the remaining eight or nine feet toward the monster. Its head was just rounding enough to be considered an appendage as I bent my back and raised my Overcharged Pickaxe over my head. Like sit ups in the gym, I started with my stomach and then shoulders before beginning to straighten my elbows, aiming a blow right at the center of the creature¡¯s smooth, rocky head. As if I was watching a drowning puppy in slow motion, the Golem¡¯s head moved. Did it just teleport? ¡°It¡¯s allowed to dodge, you husking moron,¡± Smegma commented, which actually helped me in that moment. I saw the one leg it had left behind, trailing the rest of its body as it swayed back defensively. I changed my target, aiming the Pickaxe point at the place where the rock of the leg met the hip. Hopefully, that was a weak point¡ª The Pickaxe slammed into the rock and drove through it. It was then that I realized I hadn¡¯t considered landing from my leap. That and the contact of a swung Pickaxe with a rather dense rock changed my body¡¯s trajectory. All that to say, I was going to come down sideways. Something hit my sternum, right upper chest, and arm simultaneously before my momentum changed. All those points bloomed instantly in traumatic pain. Then, instead of gravity alone being in control of my body¡ªI suddenly had to deal with gravity and a backhand from a ton and a half of pure Rock Golem. Like a schooner in a crosswind I ¡®sailed¡¯ sideways and hit the ground with all the momentum of my jump and the Golem¡¯s blow. [Good thing this bed of razor sharp Crystals was here really.] I mentally joked. I felt some of the Crystals shift, absorbing the impact as others sliced and cut sharp jagged lines into my forearms, shoulders, shins, knees and hands. I narrowly avoided my more sensitive areas by curling into a fetal position. As soon as I came to a stop, I tried to pull in oxygen, but felt my chest fight me on the action I¡¯d accomplished several billion times since birth. I heard shouting, but my ears felt like they were filled with cotton. Well, I guess this is the end¡ªtoo bad I hadn¡¯t gotten a chance to buy one of the cool Skills from Smegma. My struggle against my own lungs suddenly shifted in my favor, allowing me to pull in some air. However, it felt like I was sucking it down a constricted straw. My brain screamed at me to move, and that if I didn¡¯t a Golem was going to stomp me into a pancake. My body, sans oxygen, wasn¡¯t complying. Again I felt the struggle against my own air supply shift in my favor, and the straw became a hose. With some oxygen now, my body managed a roll, which I thought, in that moment, had saved my life. Turns out I was wrong. I couldn¡¯t tell where the Golem was specifically because my eyes were filled with unshed tears of pain. But from noises that weren¡¯t right on top of me, I did manage to ¡®piece¡¯ together that I wasn¡¯t in desperate danger. Thankfully the rejuvenating oxygen also unfroze my brain enough to start hearing things. Was that the sound of Pickaxes at work? ¡°Get up you husking moron. The others are barely managing to keep it grounded.¡± I blinked my eyes quickly allowing some of the water to leak down my cheeks as I tried to focus on the direction of the sound. Sure enough, Willa, Fat Gary, Dave and my father were all pummeling the creature as it lay on its back. One of its legs was still ¡®standing¡¯ with my Pickaxe embedded through it. My strike must have severed the limb, causing it to fall. In any other battle that would have spelled the end. However, this was a Golem¡ªand I could see the rocks gathering around its leg as well as each of the small ¡®dings¡¯ Fat Gary, Willa, Dave and my father were making. Dings were the only word for them. My father and Willa, with the Enchanted Pickaxes, were managing to carve out bigger sections of rock from its arms and other leg, but I could tell they were all fighting a losing battle against its regeneration. I croaked, ¡°Grab my Pickaxe.¡± No one in the group moved. With an effort of will, I heaved in a breath and pushed myself up to my feet. Thanks to the return of feelings, I could sense the warm sticky sensation of my own blood covering my arms, and legs liberally. I ignored it and shuffle-walked to the Golem¡¯s leg and my Pickaxe in the stone. Heaving I managed to ¡®King Arthur¡¯ that shit out of its ¡®sheath¡¯, I continued toward the downed Golem. My legs didn¡¯t have the strength to jump again, but I figured if I could take off another limb then we could go back to whittling it down. Of course, that was when it swung an arm defensively. Everyone managed to step back and out of the path of the blow, but Dave and Fat Gary¡¯s Pickaxes didn¡¯t have the sense to dodge with them. They broke with a scream of splintering wood. One head sailed away harmlessly. The other punched me in the face. Stars exploded in my vision as I fell on the ground. Again. ¡°Are you husking kidding me?¡± Smegma shouted. ¡°I¡¯m going to laugh about that later, but without those two chipping away¡ªit will be on its feet soon. Get up!¡± Bracing with one hand in the shards, I managed to get to my knees. Thankfully I still held my Pickaxe, but even from my knees I wobbled. I put one foot under me, and felt gravity shift to the left and then right. I shook my head and instantly regretted it, as a migraine almost worse than the original one-ton punch from Mega-Rock over there came back with a vengeance. With the migraine, however, came some semblance of balance and I managed to get up onto unsteady feet. The leg I¡¯d removed was only missing a ¡®shin¡¯ and foot now. I was two steps away and could tell it that my involvement against its regeneration would be a close thing. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Fat Gary and Dave were still swinging at the thing with the broken shafts of their Pickaxes, but it wasn¡¯t doing much. I hesitated for the briefest of seconds before mentally commanding Smegma to purchase two more Miner¡¯s Picks. Sure, there were probably more effective weapons in the shop, and I¡¯m sure if I had time, I¡¯d be overjoyed to scour the husking thing and find them. Time and questions about where the sudden picks had come from, however, were not luxuries that I possessed at the moment. Two Miner¡¯s picks fell at my feet, and I bent down to grab both in a somewhat unsteady grip. With a shouted ¡°Dave!¡± I threw them in an underhand lob in the two miner¡¯s general direction. Dave looked up and snagged one from the air. The other landed on the flailing Golem and was quickly flung away as it waved its arms defensively from the continued barrage of Pickaxe blows. Thankfully, Fat Gary¡ªa name I didn¡¯t bother shouting, ¡®cause it was simply too long for my addled brain, got the message and chased after the ¡®weapon.¡¯ All of that happened in the span of a couple of seconds, which also let me close the remaining distance to the fallen Golem. Grinning, I brought my Pickaxe down on its still whole leg. The pick turned slightly in my hand, but with my added Strength, it still bit in deeply. I had a short-lived and manic question of whether my Mining Skill was providing its own level of assistance, but pushed the thought aside. When I pulled back, I took the creature¡¯s entire quad with me. Then I struck again, and again. And again. People began noticing that my Pickaxe, and my ¡®Strength,¡¯ was having the greatest effect and started shifting spots to allow me access to each limb. Fat Gary had rejoined the four of us at some point, but I just kept wailing down blows, until all four limbs became lifeless stone on the floor beside a wiggling torso. Then I began turning its head and torso into stone chips. The chest was far harder than the limbs and repaired at an increased pace. Still, it was a losing battle against my quickly deforming Pickaxe. That was when I saw why its torso was harder and prioritized in the regeneration process of whatever mind or will that animated the Golem. A large brown orb became visible after I pulled back from one of the strikes that ripped an impressive chunk of the creature away. It looked like a mix between a shiny rock and metal. I¡¯d seen pictures of these in Portal Materials¡¯ class. It was a Golem Core. The thing¡¯s weakness! With a new target I swung again and felt the Enchantments on the Pickaxe for precision guide the deformed point home. The sound of a ringing bell made my exhausted muscles tense, thinking that my tool had just been rebuffed from the rigidity of the Core. But that wasn¡¯t the case. The sound acted like the epicenter of a stone dropped into a pond¡ªonly it was the room that rippled, like waves in water. Sharded Crystals bounced into the air as the wave passed under it. The strange magical percussion caused me to stumble and then fall to a knee, as it passed under me. Afterward, I had a front row seat, as the stone that made up the creature turned to dust¡ªthe relief from seeing that slackened my muscles and I fell to my ass, out of breath. I saw the ¡®doors¡¯ turn to dust as well before falling away as if they were simply an eddy in an unfelt wind. The sound of coughing, shifting Crystals and an odd thumping reached my ears as the four others fell to their asses as well. Well I had assumed all four of the others. Until my father rushed to my side and shouted, ¡°Are you okay? You¡¯re bleeding from everywhere. We need to get you to a Healer.¡± Others came into the room from the deeper caverns. They were covered in a layer of dirt that made the Hunters indistinguishable from the Miner¡¯s unless you looked for the weapons. Well, that and their actions I supposed. A team of three rushed toward us with another five Banks in their wake. ¡°Is this everyone that was in this chamber? Is everyone okay? What happened?¡± A man, with a circular shield, rapid-fire shouted. My dad looked like he was going to indicate me and my need for a Healer, but I grabbed his wrist. He looked at me and I shook my head. Insistently I whispered, ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± As soon as I had the brain capacity to check. I¡¯d run my hands over the ¡®cuts¡¯ on my body¡ªonly to find them already closed. Sure, they were scabbed and sensitive, but closed. If I went to a Healer, they might just discover my Recovery skill. ¡°Look at your Pickaxe, and all the Ores near the walls,¡± Smegma said. I blinked meaningfully at my father and then turned slowly to look at the Pickaxe that was under the palm of my right hand. The shaft was now a dark-brown, polished wood. The head, which had been previously at risk of becoming nothing more than a hammer, was shining and sharp. My father followed my gaze and his eyes widened. He lifted his own Pickaxe and found a similar sight. It was my turn to blink in surprise. I checked the other three Pickaxes and noticed that among them, only Willa¡¯s had changed. Fat Gary and Dave¡¯s literally looked like hammers¡ªor maybe round maces? They had clearly flipped them around at some point when the sharpened point of the pick became worthless to use the spade-side, because even it was nearly bent ninety degrees. Without looking away from the nearly destroyed ¡®new¡¯¡¯ Pickaxes, I said, ¡°Everyone¡¯s okay. A Golem formed in the middle of the cavern.¡± ¡°A what?¡± the hunter shouted and then shifted his gaze to the Monster Core and Golem Core that sat in a pile of stone dust. ¡°And you defeated it?¡± My dad took over explaining the group effort. He left out my ¡®heroics¡¯, thankfully. Tired, I let the explanation fade into the background as I caught my breath. ¡°The wall!¡± Smegma demanded, reminding me of the second part of his earlier comment. His insistence made me scan to the wall where this had all started. More specifically, the Red Copper I had been told to mine. As if I had done what I was told, the Red Copper was stacked neatly in a pile. While I had hit my head¡ªmultiple times¡ªI was sure I hadn¡¯t done that. Scanning further, I found more stacks of Ores, in a whole range of colors. When I say a ¡®whole range¡¯, I mean every husking color of the rainbow. Almost every three or four feet there was a pile of something. I sucked in a breath and pointed at a small stack of vibrant purple Ore. ¡°What is that?¡± My question made everyone in the room turn to look at my finger. I had been meaning the question for Smegma, but something in my tone had instantly drawn everyone. Even the miners who had been examining the piles of Ore nearer the hallway to the deeper caverns turned to look. Everyone first stared at the purple Ore, which clearly hadn¡¯t been visible in the cavern before the fight, but soon people began looking at the green, blue, and orange Ores in turn. Each one hadn¡¯t been visible when we¡¯d decided what valuable ones to tap. ¡°It¡¯s not just this cavern,¡± Smegma said as he floated through the floor. ¡°Every cavern in this place has been automatically tapped of all Ores.¡± Coughing, I relayed that in a round-about way. ¡°Is this the only cavern that this happened in?¡± That sent the miners nearest the exit to the deeper caverns running. Thanks to Smegma, I knew what they¡¯d find. My father had finished his explanation or maybe I had interrupted him, because when I leaned back in satisfaction, I found his intense gaze locked on me¡ª me and my bloody and ripped clothing. I sat back up hurriedly and mouthed, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later.¡± His eyes bugged out, even as his mouth firmed. But he nodded. ¡°You know what probably would have helped you find that Core faster?¡± Smegma said, into the silence. ¡°Your Heat Sense Skill.¡± [Super helpful tip, now that it¡¯s all over.] ¡°You can¡¯t help stupid. Idiot!¡± The imp just always had to get the last word in. 038 Tuesday, April 16th, 2069 Despite the somewhat insane events that happened in our cavern, no one questioned me. Not even as I carried out three Pickaxes¨Ctwo nearly maces, and one more elegant than the one I¡¯d come in with. I think it was probably the fact that the porters had to make several trips outside and then back in to gather everything. They even requested the other Miners to help and lent them Bags of Minor Holding to assist in the task. It turned out that all the Crystals had also been mined in the caverns. Mined perfectly, without sharding, or for that matter¡ªany effort by anyone. The buzz from the Miners and Hunters was pretty loud and constant. Thus, why no one was probably questioning me. My father still insisted on taking me to a Healer. So, after I dropped the Pickaxes in the Ford Escort, I reluctantly complied to a quick once over. A cold sensation traveled from my arm where the man¡¯s hand rested and moved through my body. Goosebumps broke out on my skin, but before I could brush the man¡¯s hand away from the uncomfortable sensation he pulled it back. The sensation went with it. ¡°A fair bit of minor damage, but nothing serious. I can Heal you if you think the discomfort is too great?¡± The man sounded like a sleazy salesman. I gave my father a pointed look and declined the expensive offer. ¡°What do you mean the entire mine is cleared? Like this?¡± Jagger Vance shouted, as he indicated a box filled with perfectly intact Mana Crystals. ¡°Our contract was to shard them. Who¡¯s responsible for this.¡± My father winced, and so did I. Jagger was clearly not yet aware of the circumstances, but I had a feeling he would still be upset after learning what happened. My guess? Well, he had probably negotiated a certain cut, but was now about to lose out on a huge profit. Especially with all the Ores added to the mix. In essence, he¡¯d sold us, his Miners¡ªas three Specialists and thirty laborers¡ªwhen we¡¯d come back with the work of a hundred Specialists or more. I didn¡¯t feel bad for him. I did feel bad for all the bonus money we were going to likely not collect. Of course, a bigger percentage for Portals, Portal¡¯s, Portalz didn¡¯t mean we¡¯d receive larger bonuses anyway. My stomach grumbled, and I pushed the sensation aside. Surely, we¡¯d get something good for this, right? Thankfully the Healer did hand me a few Protein bars, which let me know that my stomach rumble wasn¡¯t nerves¨Cand was obviously audible. Out of misplaced curiosity, I followed in the wake of my father and saw Willa join from another direction as I scarfed down one of the bars greedily. She wore a smile that was far too large, like a cat that caught a canary. Looking at me she tried to whisper, but practically screamed, ¡°A whole unfound cavern became unblocked in that sound-wave-thing. It was filled with D-grade Crystals and True Gold Ore. All of it was laying on the ground, just ready to collect!¡± Jagger made choking sounds as his mouth opened and closed. Then he shouted, ¡°I need to speak to Taz!¡± and rushed off. All three of us watched him go, my father finding his voice first. ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll be able to get more out of Taz?¡± ¡°Not a husking chance. A contract is a contract. It¡¯s his own words thrown back at him. He¡¯ll get a bit more for the D-rank Crystals, since that¡¯s a standard clause¡ªas are most of the Ore values. But they won¡¯t pay more for full Crystals after the fact.¡± Willa¡¯s smile was heard in her voice, making it sound like she was almost happy that Jagger would be ripped off. ¡°If he negotiated for more, would we get bigger bonuses?¡± I asked. Willa and my father¡¯s laughter was all the answer I needed. ¡°I really don¡¯t like that husking guy,¡± Smegma commented as he popped back into space beside me. He had clearly tried to follow Jagger to Taz but had crossed out of range. Shrugging in response to both him and the two fake hyenas, I said, ¡°How much of a bonus do you think we¡¯ll get after that?¡± ¡°Enough to husking retire!¡± Willa stated. ¡°There¡¯s no way,¡± my dad countered. ¡°Bonuses are capped at fifty thousand a person and at two-hundred thousand per Specialist. You can try to negotiate with Jagger but I¡¯m betting he¡¯ll give you the same response Taz is going to give him.¡± ¡°A contract is a contract,¡± they said together. Willa continued by herself after that, her smile falling. ¡°Motherhusker! We are the ones who risked our lives against that Monster. We¡¯re the ones that are down there every day, and Jagger is going to pocket millions?¡± ¡°Maybe he¡¯ll use the money to hire more experienced Specialists?¡± My dad suggested, his voice telling me that wasn¡¯t likely. ¡°Sure, he¡¯ll find some ¡®new¡¯ promising miners, train them up and then sell them off for commission,¡± Willa responded. Both my head and Smegma¡¯s jerked in her direction. ¡°What does she mean? Is he enslaving them?¡± Smegma asked. My brow furrowed more at his interpretation. I knew that wasn¡¯t the case but it still sounded nefarious. Willa thankfully got the hint from my reaction. ¡°Once one of our new Specialist miners is trained up, the boss over there trades them to a bigger team and continues to earn commission from their work. It¡¯s his ¡®business model¡¯.¡± She didn¡¯t really need to add the air quotes to the words with the tone she used but it really drove home the point. This wasn¡¯t a Mining team that ever had a chance of ¡®training¡¯ up. I had never understood just how much of a ¡®dead¡¯ end job my dad was working. ¡°You should offer to go cart Ores and Crystals up,¡± Smegma suggested. ¡°You won¡¯t be stealing what¡¯s worked by your hands!¡± I used a subtle tilt of my head to indicate the far too numerous crates that surrounded the entrance. [I doubt there¡¯s much left. But¡­] If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°I want to go see what a D-grade Crystal looks like,¡± I said as an excuse and began walking toward the aforementioned, far too plentiful crates. Thankfully my father and Willa chose not to follow me. Once there it was easy to ask a passing porter which box held the Crystals. It was also relatively easy to distinguish between Ores and Crystals, thanks in large part to the distinctive blue glow of Mana. The smiling woman I asked practically jumped for joy as she pointed out a group of crates that were set slightly aside from the others. ¡°Wonder if she knows she can only get fifty-thousand?¡± Smegma asked. [I doubt it makes a difference. While she might be disappointed in the cap, it will still be more than she or any of them have ever made before. It¡¯s likely why they signed a capped contract to begin with. Who thinks they¡¯ll actually get to those bonus numbers in a day?] ¡°It¡¯s a payday either way, even though someone else is becoming rich. Huh¡­¡± Smegma said as he lapsed into semi-silence before interrupting himself by noises of contemplation as he hovered from open crate to crate. I made it to one of about five that contained the blue glow of Mana and stared down at Crystals that definitely glowed with a purer light. Where the F-rank crystals had an almost salt-like quality to their crystalline edges, these had significantly cleared. There was still a hint of fog but next to nothing when compared with what I was used to seeing. I reached into the crate and moved them around a bit, pretending to marvel at them. I saw a few Miners and even Hunters doing something similar at nearby crates. I sold the first one from a layer deeper into the crate. ¡°Wow, a hundred and twenty thousand Mana Coins from that. I left the Crystal if you want to try to keep it,¡± Smegma said. I smiled and pulled out the Crystal, setting it on a corner of the crate where two edges met. Surely no one would mind if I took a souvenir. I sold four more from this crate before grabbing the spent Crystal and moving to another. Unfortunately, my first chosen crate was without people nearby but the next few had others surrounding them. After a quick mental discussion with Smegma I decided I couldn¡¯t risk it. ¡°You should buy a Ring or Necklace of Holding,¡± Smegma suggested¡ªhis voice carrying with it a wickedness I found appropriate for the situation. With that I could take multiple ¡®souvenirs¡¯¡­ [What are my options?] I asked as I continued to move from crate to crate. This section, which was set aside, clearly held the priciest wares. That and things that weren¡¯t identified yet. I came to that conclusion as I passed a crate of black Graphenite. It was the same color and texture as the deposit I hadn¡¯t been able to mine a few days ago. Plus, even out of the wall, it still held a nice little plaque to confirm what I was seeing. Two windows popped up in front of me, overlaying that plaque.
Demonic Vault ¨C 2.0.0.1 Miscellaneous Gear Ring of Minor Holding Grade: High-F A ring that has a space inside it of 25 cubic feet. Items can be summoned into and out of this space by mental command. This ring is made with True Silver and can still hold another Enchantment. Cost: 250,000 mC
Necklace of Small Holding Grade: High-E A necklace that has a space inside it of 75 cubic feet. Items can be summoned into and out of this space by mental command. This necklace is made with True Gold and can still hold another two Enchantments. Cost: 500,000 mC
[More space means more misplaced goods,] I mentally sent matching Smegma¡¯s earlier nefarious tones. With that, I purchased the necklace and it flashed into existence, falling into my hand, which was over a Mana Crystal crate. The glow of the Mana hid the flash from most, but a few nearby Hunter¡¯s gave me a glance. I held up the spent Crystal in my other hand and said, ¡°Look what I found.¡± They dismissed me with a snort just as Smegma said, ¡°Oh husk, not this shit again.¡± I turned in time to see the Demon-Imp pop out of existence. The last time that happened¡ªoh shit!
Buyer¡¯s Contribution has crossed two thresholds. Current contribution = 550,000 points Error. Contribution features unavailable. Checking Skill OS¡­ Out of date. Updating to 6.1.4¡­ Downloading¡­ Error. Insufficient Bandwidth to continue. Contribution too low to increase Bandwidth. Attempting smaller packet¡­5.0.18 Insufficient Bandwidth Attempting smaller packet¡­4.3.4 Contribution being consumed to increase bandwidth. 500,000 Contribution points consumed. Downloading¡­ Updating Demonic Vault. Rebooting¡­
My body lit up like I was hiding a floodlight in every cell. With blind eyes, I moved rapidly and threaded my head through the necklace, and then put the Spent Mana Crystal inside. By the startled exclamations that surrounded me, I knew my earlier plan of thievery wasn¡¯t going to work anymore. I thought for just a moment I could make out the exact noise of my father¡¯s slapping shoes, but it wasn¡¯t his voice that I heard first. ¡°He just Awaken again,¡± Dave said. ¡°He is one who land kill blowing on Golem!¡± My father¡¯s voice was next, and it was accompanied by his hands. ¡°You okay Brodie? Did you just get another new Skill?¡± Still blind I answered, ¡°Can we get out of here?¡± My father¡¯s hand lifted off my back for a brief second before he said something more. This one, not directed at me. ¡°Willa, can you stay here and negotiate on behalf of all of us?¡± I felt a slightly smaller, but no less strong hand, squeeze my bicep before Willa answered, ¡°I will. Get Brodie home, Gary. Brodie, I''ll come over tonight for dinner, make sure Gary tells your mom.¡± My vision slowly started returning as I allowed my father to guide me toward the car. I saw the faces of everyone in the parking lot. Not a single person I could find wasn¡¯t looking at me. I hoped that was my imagination, but I doubted it. I couldn¡¯t help but think about how Mr. Varnish had already used that time in the car against me¡­ What would he do with this? 039 Tuesday, April 16th, 2069 ¡°Your son is trending all over social media,¡± Ms. Stovall said, her voice held an odd mixture of emotions. Excited, proud, worried, and nervous. In the time that it took my father and me to drive home, my follower count had doubled¡ªthen tripled before I¡¯d shut down notifications. But not before I had seen the video. The video that was captioned, ¡®Is this the next S-rank?¡¯ The fact that my Demonic Vault Skill still was ¡®rebooting¡¯ left me without a touchstone¡ªSmegma, in this case, to explain what had happened. Surely more followers weren¡¯t a bad thing, right? I¡¯d spent two years of my life, many late-nights, and dedicated days of trial and error to growing a fan base. Now, all that hard work was bearing fruit¡ªright? Even I could tell I was only trying to convince myself¡­ Sitting around our small kitchenette table with Ms. Stovall, who had made an emergency trip to the house, didn¡¯t make my attempts to convince myself very effective. Both of my parent¡¯s expressions were serious, worried, and drained. They looked like they¡¯d lost color and were now the traditional ¡®Canadian¡¯ pale, but that usually only occurred towards the end of winter, and not in early spring. ¡°He¡¯s been trying to grow his followers for years,¡± my dad said, mirroring some of my thoughts. ¡°Surely, this will only help him in the long run?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be honest here, Mr. Flacarada. I¡¯m really not sure what this means. Normally, I would congratulate someone for the meteoric rise that¡¯s occurring, but in the midst of the trial¡ªwell I assume your son told you about the pre-trial.¡± She said it matter of factly, like that was a foregone conclusion. I winced. I had in fact not worked up the courage to tell them the whole story. I figured I¡¯d reveal the whole truth all at once, and them knowing about my ¡®Awakening¡¯ in the car would just be another piece to the explanation. Everyone at the table was looking at me and saw my grimace¡ª ¡°I guess he hasn¡¯t. Brodie, I think it will mean more coming from you¡­¡± Ms. Stovall said. I could tell she was confused by the situation, and wanted a bit of an explanation herself, but felt my parents deserved the whole story more. It was probably also telling that I looked at Ms. Stovall for a long moment after she made her ¡®plea¡¯. ¡°Would you like me to give you some privacy?¡± she asked. Both my parents shifted visibly in my peripherals, but I maintained eye contact with Ms. Stovall. She probably needed to know the whole truth to be effective at her job. Or at least that¡¯s what the TV shows depicted. Plus, she¡¯d rushed over here as soon as she saw¡ªalmost arriving before my father and me. I gave a small shake of my head, and then reaffirmed the motion by saying, ¡°No, you should probably stay and hear this too.¡± ¡°This all started the night the Shop¨Cuh Morgan Hallsbrad attacked me,¡± I started. My parents blinked at my admission, but Ms. Stovall gave a small nod of confirmation, like I had just confirmed her suspicions. More worried about what my parents thought, I turned and addressed them. ¡°It isn¡¯t like I lied. There is just more to the story than I originally explained.¡± My mother gave me a soft look that made my stomach twist¡ªI hadn¡¯t seen this particular look in a long while. I knew what would come next but didn¡¯t interrupt her. With a matching tone to her look, my mother said, ¡°Brodie, that¡¯s an omission and the same as lying in our house.¡± Tears threatened then, even as my windpipe seemed to suddenly have a grape in it. I knew that. I did, but it was also far more complicated than that. Wasn¡¯t it? Even now, the whole truth felt like something of a death sentence. Like I could see the plank extending off of the edge of the ship and knew the waters we were treading weren¡¯t close to land¡ªnot to mention dark, sinister, and shark-infested. I knew in my bones that those black waters held unknown and terrifying creatures beneath its depths. ¡°Ma¡ª¡± my throat attempted to stop me from speaking the truth, constricting down even as my brain urged it to stop. I cleared my throat, and found a water bottle in front of me. The hand that retracted from the bottle was Ms. Stovall¡¯s, and I nodded to her in thanks. Took a sip, cleared my throat and tried again. ¡°Mom, I know that but I think you¡¯ll agree it¡¯s a bit more complicated than that.¡± My voice still sounded slightly hoarse but with that segway uttered I took another sip of water and let the silence mount. A deep breath later I began. ¡°As I said, this all started when I was assaulted by Morgan Hallsbrad. He seemed to have a Skill that he was going to activate using my Mana Pool, by Husking me.¡± My parents gasped at that, and I paused for another sip of water. ¡°Thanks to the information from the cops, I think that Skill was either Cannibalistic or Snatcher in function. My current theory,¡± I said, changing the topic before my parents could interject. ¡°Is that he screwed up, somehow, somewhere, because¡ª¡± My throat again attempted to silence me, and my last word came out like a croak. Water, a cough and then I started again. ¡°¡ªbecause I¡¯m pretty sure I inherited his Skills.¡± My mom¡¯s hands went to her mouth, and my dad¡¯s hands gripped the top of his head. Still, a moment later his eyes and head pivoted to me in a rush. ¡°Wait, you got a repair mark Skill!¡± My brain went blank at the reminder of just how big my lie snowballed. The silence was clearly answer enough, because my dad said, ¡°So, you didn¡¯t get a repair mark or not just a repair mark?¡± ¡°Gary!¡± My mom exclaimed. ¡°I think you¡¯re missing the bigger point. Our son got a Skill that is Cannibalistic or Snatcher in origin.¡± My dad¡¯s face paled so much he looked like he was turning blue. I waved my hands back and forth in front of my face to get their attention¡ªbut also to deny the assumption. ¡°That¡¯s where my theory kind of falls apart. You see what I inherited is a Skill called Demonic¡ª¡± My mom fainted or at least became lightheaded enough to slide from her chair to the floor. My dad jumped up and checked on her. Ms. Stovall pulled out a phone, looking ready to call one-nine-nine. Whether it was to arrest me or help my mom was still unclear. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Husk! Well, this was going almost exactly as I had feared. I was thankful to see my mother was still conscious, but her reaction just seemed to drive a stake deeper into my stomach. Should I have continued to lie? My too calm brain, something I had grown pretty used to, logically explained how that wasn¡¯t possible after the events of the day. The awareness of Mental Fortitude at work reminded me of just how much I¡¯d changed. Just how much had happened in the two and a half weeks since the assault. With some mental coaxing, I managed to start speaking again. ¡°It¡¯s called Demonic Vault.¡± My mother gasped, and I felt my stomach go from a twisted snake, to one coiled and ready to strike. Thankfully I reigned myself in, probably with the help of Mental Fortitude. ¡°Mom, you¡¯re going to have to stop reacting like that, or I¡¯m going to have to stop telling the truth.¡± ¡°Brodie!¡± My dad said, but I wasn¡¯t in the mood for him to blindly defend my mothers current responses. ¡°I get it. I do. But why do you think it¡¯s been so hard to tell you this right away?¡± I said, and immediately felt bad as my mother started crying. ¡°You can¡¯t blame your mother for your lies, Brodie,¡± my father said. My nose sucked in a breath but once again I calmed myself enough to respond without raising my voice. ¡°I¡¯m just saying that this isn¡¯t making it easy for me to¡ª¡± Smegma popped back into existence right in front of me. Blocking my vision of my parents, and the whole room. I had enough time to register that he¡¯d grown again¡ªand quite a bit at that before the screaming started. My mom did faint then, even as my father tried to cover her with his body like a shield. Still, it was Ms. Stovall that I leaped toward, grabbing the phone and stopping her mid dial. Shouting, ¡°No, no, wait!¡± The room devolved from there as Smegma said, ¡°Husk, I can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t even remember how to make myself visible to others.¡± ¡°Could you maybe turn it off!¡± I shouted, even as Ms. Stovall attempted to interpose herself between me and the human sized Demon with bat wings. ¡°He¡¯s part of my Skill!¡± I shouted as my dad, not feeling claws in his back, began to crawl away while dragging my mother. ¡°He¡¯s part of my Skill. He won¡¯t¡ªno he can¡¯t hurt anyone!¡± ¡°I mean I can insult people enough to make them wish they¡¯d be dead,¡± Smegma stated evilly. Then he started cackling and I closed my eyes tight. At least I could no longer say this was going the way that I thought it would. * * * ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that the earth is home to more than just humans?¡± Ms. Stovall asked Smegma. It had taken quite a while to calm things down, and quite a bit longer on top of that for my mother to wake up and be able to be in the same room as the imp¡ªwell full-sized Demon. To call Smegma an imp anymore just wasn¡¯t possible. His body was muscled and toned in a way that spoke of athletes of old, before the System. Those muscles looked honed for combat, but not in a brutish way. More like his body was made for long drawn-out combat¡ªfor battles of endurance and survival. The color of his skin was still black with red, and his pupils, talons and sharp teeth were the same as ever¡ªbut only his bat-like wings seemed to suggest he was anything other than a terrifying human with horns. He looked like a Felguard¡ªwell, it wasn¡¯t like I knew what a Felguard would look like, or an imp for that matter. Maybe all Demons had bloody wings¡­ What surprised me most was just how human his face looked. Sure, he had defined cheekbones, and a cranial ridge just under the start of his horns¡ªbut if his skin was just black without the red accents¡ªhis face would look like a cosplaying black man. Smegma preened, telling me he was listening to my thoughts, and I rolled my eyes. Thankfully he answered Ms. Stovall, instead of verbally poking fun at me. ¡°I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that your world is definitely acting as an asylum for numerous failed races. It would be overrun and conquered if the System didn¡¯t have preventative measures against such things¡­¡± ¡°It would be what?¡± My mom squeaked. ¡°Conquered,¡± Smegma stated firmly, clearly missing the reason for the question he continued, ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad. The Crendalar Cluster would have been conquered too if the System didn¡¯t have checks in place.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think she was asking for you to clarify,¡± I said flatly. My mom was looking faint again, but thankfully Ms. Stovall coughed and returned Smegma¡¯s attention to her. ¡°Can you explain that a bit further for me? What checks does it have to stop¡ª¡± she paused in her question clearly looking for a polite word to use to describe Smegma. ¡°Demons? Invasion?¡± The Demon crowed happily. ¡°Trust me, we aren¡¯t even the race you should be most worried about. But I digress. You want to know what the checks are?¡ª¡± Smegma paused waiting for confirmation. At Ms. Stovall¡¯s nod he smiled, and I groaned. ¡°You and every researcher under the stars, lady. We do know some of the more important ones, though.¡± ¡°Like?¡± Ms. Stovall said with an emotionless prompting voice. ¡°A Portal can only allow one member of a sapient race through, and they must be one rank lower than the Portal to pass through it. A higher ranked individual could go through but then they would be forcibly reduced in power by the Portal, which means they¡¯d lose Skills they¡¯d obtained without control over what they keep or lose. l So, low rank Portal¡¯s can¡¯t be used to cross over for the truly powerful of other failed races without dire consequences. Well they can, but they¡¯d lose all that power. F-rank portals would send them here with no Skills for instance. Even then the one is important. Even during a Portal Break, only one sapient can cross from their indigenous world, all others who try¡ªhaven¡¯t been heard from again. These rules don¡¯t apply for races undergoing the Trials of course¡± ¡°Indigenous world?¡± Ms. Stovall prompted. ¡°Where did you think the Portal¡¯s were taking you? You think you show up onto some alien geography with multiple suns or moons or different constellations in the sky and that it¡¯s all¡ªwhat? Some kind of hallucination?¡± Smegma asked derisively. Ms. Stovall frowned but answered with a commonly held belief of humanity. ¡°We believed that Portals took us to planes of existence outside of our own that are created to house the monsters.¡± Smegma glanced at me and then around the room at the nodding heads of my father and mother. My mother froze when his black pupils crossed over her, but inhaled sharply after his gaze moved on. I sighed and moved to her back to rub her shoulders. While waiting for Smegma to contradict Ms. Stovall I whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry mom, he can¡¯t do anything to hurt you. I promise.¡± She raised a hand to rest atop mine on her shoulder and gave a weak squeeze. ¡°Again, words can hurt!¡± Smegma said but continued quickly, while addressing Ms. Stovall. ¡°I can¡¯t remember everything, but I do recall Brodie telling me that your race wasn¡¯t aware of any locals inside of Portals. Partially, that could be because of your stigma against going inside at night, which I will admit is a good choice. The second, far more likely reason, is that they are here and actively hiding themselves.¡± ¡°Why would they hide themselves if they¡¯re powerful and have greater knowledge of the System than us?¡± I asked. ¡°To avoid a purge,¡± Smegma said. ¡°Plus, anyone they sent over would be A-rank at the highest. That¡¯s one of the biggest reasons that my Abyss Sect made this Skill. We were kind of hoping to give it to someone who was crossing over¡ªso they would possess all of our knowledge and be powerful enough to¡ª¡± Smegma coughed, while glancing at my parents. Then while licking his shark-like teeth with a black tongue mumbled, ¡°powerful enough to take over.¡± Everyone heard him. My father jumped to his feet while pointing an accusatory finger at the Demon. ¡°So, you admit it. You¡¯re evil!¡± 040 Tuesday, April 16th, 2069 Silence descended on the room at the pronouncement. The statement was so absurd that it startled a laugh from me. Ms. Stovall followed suit, and then even my mother chuckled once before Smegma¡¯s evil cackle overrode us all. Four pairs of widened eyes turned on him. Maybe my father wasn¡¯t too far off. When Smegma was in control of himself again he brushed black tears out of his eyes and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think we are any eviler than you humans, elves, dwarves, deep dwellers or mermen. I¡¯m sure there are others I¡¯m not remembering, but I can tell you that all life is the same. Just like you, we¡¯ve all gone to war with each other over differences amongst our own race. Before the system we¡¯ve all had genocides and crusades. We¡¯ve all got history of evil dictators and heroes who rise to oppose them. ¡°The only reason the Abyss Sect wanted to take over Earth was for another chance to ascend,¡± Smegma finished, opening the door to more questions. Which Ms. Stovall asked immediately, ¡°Ascend?¡± ¡°Yeah, like I told Brodie¡ª¡± All eyes turned to me, even my mother¡¯s. And she had to crane her neck back awkwardly to do so. [Thanks a lot,] I mentally sent. [You¡¯re welcome,] Smegma responded before continuing, ¡°The systems goal is to test a species. After an indeterminate amount of time it will deem you humans ready to take on the Seven Deadly Realm trials. When it does that, only your race can compete. So, even if another race did conquer the planet, it would be meaningless to treat you humans poorly. You¡¯re our ticket to a higher plane¡­¡± ¡°But only a few of you who crossed into our world could go?¡± I asked, seeing a flaw in the demon¡¯s logic. ¡°If you were close to succeeding, word would be sent back to Crendalar, and you would find a steady stream of F-rank refugees coming through each portal that opened.¡± ¡°But if only one person can go through each portal, your whole race couldn¡¯t possible cross over,¡± my dad said, skeptically. ¡°The goal isn¡¯t everyone. It¡¯s like lifeboats on a sinking ship. We¡¯ll send over anyone and everyone we can. Races that fail to ascend aren¡¯t really living anymore¡ªjust slowly dying. Still, how many portals are open worldwide at any given time?¡± Ms. Stovall picked up her phone from where I¡¯d put it on the table after everything had calmed down, and the threat of her calling the police had subsided. She answered a moment later after typing something onto the screen. ¡°Estimates say a couple of million.¡± ¡°So, a couple of million refugees a day,¡± Smegma said. ¡°Not just Demons, obviously. But even if only ten percent of the portals lead to Crendalar¡ªthen hundreds of thousands of us could cross over with each cycle of opening and closing portals.¡± ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that lovely,¡± Ms. Stovall said as she slumped back in her chair. ¡°Surely, we need to tell the UNMH or our government about this¡­¡± ¡°What makes you think they don¡¯t already know,¡± I asked. ¡°They do,¡± Smegma added, confirming my suspicions. ¡°It would be impossible for your race to not have met a single local of another planet in the twenty-plus years you¡¯ve been working with the system.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just communicate with your sect and find out?¡± Ms. Stovall asked. ¡°Nope. This skill has some flaws¡ªcommunication being one of them. Theoretically they were supposed to be able to communicate through pricing. Giving me some information on what I¡¯m buying or they could increase items prices for sale as well¡ªbut that hasn¡¯t happened, and I¡¯m not sure why. Still, it¡¯s very limited, so I¡¯m all by my lonesome.¡± ¡°But you said there are other demons already here,¡± my mom whispered. Smegma nodded knowingly. ¡°Remember when I said that every race has internal wars and problems. Well, while I¡¯m sure that there are other demons here. I¡¯m not sure what faction they belong to.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a pleasant thought,¡± Ms. Stovall said, even as she looked meaningfully at her phone, the door and then even our TV. Only due to the sequence could I tell she was still considering trying to reveal this bombshell. ¡°You can¡¯t,¡± I said quietly. Her head spun to focus on me so fast I thought she might be a Hunter. ¡°What do you mean I can¡¯t?¡± she asked. ¡°Client confidentiality,¡± I answered. ¡°All of this falls under that, right?¡± She waffled. I could tell she was thinking that question through to its terminus. Mostly because she spoke out loud to herself. ¡°Client confidentiality can be broken if the client poses a threat to themselves or others. Surely, the invasion of other species would put others in imminent danger.¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Smegma said. ¡°The invasion has already happened. After thirty years, other races have probably penetrated deeply into every power structure you have. If there is a risk anymore, it¡¯s for Brodie, his parents and you, if you try to upset that balance.¡± ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± Ms. Stovall asked. ¡°I can¡¯t threaten even a hair on your head, lady,¡± Smegma said dejectedly, sounding truly remorsefuk about that fact. ¡°He¡¯s just saying that we should be worried about what people will do to cover up the truth.¡± I looked around the room my eyes pleading after my excuse for the demon. I wasn¡¯t really sure if that was what he was saying but those were my own thoughts on the matter anyway. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Ms. Stovall accepted my look, and slowly lowered her phone back to the table face down. That was good enough for me. She did of course add to the gesture by saying, ¡°Okay, I¡¯m not a hundred percent convinced that this doesn¡¯t fall outside client confidentiality but I¡¯m willing to hold off revealing what we just heard for now. ¡°Still, speaking of clients, I came here to discuss the video and its effects on the case,¡± she looked pointedly at Smegma. ¡°Before you started telling the truth and he showed up.¡± She turned Smegma¡¯s gender into a question and I couldn¡¯t help but realize I¡¯d never really asked him about that. Then again, he had called himself a son of a Felguard and an Imp. So, surely that meant he was in fact male. He nodded to Ms. Stovall but otherwise stayed quiet, leaving the ¡®floor¡¯ open to me. I took the hint and asked, ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t checked since I got home but how bad is this?¡± ¡°When I got here, I was worried that Mr. Varnish would use this to further muddy the water. Now? Now, you¡¯ve got me thinking a bit deeper.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± my dad and mom asked in a slightly staggered unison. ¡°Well, if other races have infiltrated the governments, UNMH and other power structures of our world¡ªwhose to say that someone wasn¡¯t aware of what Morgan Hallsbrad¡¯s skills were. If that person exists, wouldn¡¯t it make sense to hire a lawyer to find out more about the person who managed to one up someone who had a literal demon on his side?¡± ¡°Husk!¡± ¡°Language, Brodie,¡± my mom said, sounding a bit more like herself in that moment. ¡°Sorry, mom. But if that¡¯s the case I don¡¯t only have a high-priced lawyer to worry about. I¡¯ve also got whoever is behind him too!¡± ¡°Yeah another evil demon,¡± my dad said jokingly. The comment broke the seriousness one more time, with a few chuckles. It also got my brain to unstick on the conspiracy of the whole thing and ask, ¡°So, what should we do?¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s say that the person behind Mr. Varnish is a demon, for example. From what Smegma said¡ª¡± Ms. Stovall said the word in such a way that let me know she found the choice somewhat distasteful. I winced as she continued, ¡°¡ªthere are other races that would probably oppose his backer. ¡°The trick will be finding them,¡± Ms. Stovall said, after she let a small silence stretch. ¡°Well, I do have SwiftGram and a sudden surge in popularity,¡± I mentioned. ¡°Surely, that will help.¡± ¡°You also have Evelyn Treesong,¡± Smegma added, and everyone turned to stare at him. ¡°You know your therapist.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t questioning who she is!¡± I exclaimed and Smegma either got the hint or read my thoughts to figure out the reason for my incredulity. ¡°I did mention that she has an elven name,¡± Smegma retorted as if that was explanation enough. ¡°But now you¡¯re sure she is elven?¡± I asked, my tone questioning the line of logic. ¡°No, but it¡¯s somewhere to start¡­¡± ¡°Right, so you want me to go in and ask my Psychiatrist if she is an elf?¡± I asked and then continued to further point out the stupidity of that thought. ¡°That will go well, I¡¯m sure. She won¡¯t commit me to a high dose medicated mental institution, with a personalized straight jacket.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be crazy. Not with your A-rank Mental Fortitude.¡± Everyone was looking at me again in an instant and I closed my eyes in exasperation as I sighed. ¡°I guess, I should tell you all the skills I have, and what the repair mark really is,¡± I said, and launched into the whole story I had been trying to tell but kept getting interrupted. This time, at least, everyone let me speak without interruptions. Except, Smegma. That Thirsty Husker was a dick; through and through. * * * ¡°So, you have access to a shop that sells skills, profession gear, weapons and armor? Did I miss anything? Can anyone learn the skills you purchase or just you? I¡¯m assuming the weapons, armor and gear can be used by anyone, based on the mining picks,¡± Ms. Stovall shot gunned out when I was finished. ¡°Uhhh¡ª¡± I began but thankfully was saved by Smegma. ¡°That is something I¡¯m not sure of,¡± Smegma said while tapping a talon onto his sharp teeth. I was happy to see everyone around the dinette shiver, like I had done when I first saw the action. It really was disturbing to see the creature use one deadly killing instrument to pick at or tap another. ¡°At first, I thought he could do with the skills what he wanted, but with each update that Demonic Vault has gone through I¡¯ve had more rules of the current system shoved into my head.¡± ¡°So, wouldn¡¯t that mean you would know whether I could give the skill to other people or not?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, everything I know suggests you can. However, do you remember the mining Enchant destroying itself and then connecting to you?¡± I nodded and a few others at the table, now in on the full story did so as well. ¡°Well, that¡¯s just one example of things the system has scrapped through iterations. Usually, it wants the people undergoing integration to get strong, so buying new skills like this wouldn¡¯t be curtailed. ¡°But why would it destroy an enchant meant to create a Crystal from the Mana Spillage?¡± Smegma asked. ¡°There¡¯s just no telling what the system would or wouldn¡¯t do.¡± ¡°Okay, but that doesn¡¯t stop him from buying weapons or armor and selling it for outrageous profit,¡± Ms. Stovall said. ¡°I think you missed the part where Brodie said that everything combat oriented is prohibitively expensive, and even after the updates he can only purchase high-B-rank skills or equipment at the highest.¡± ¡°Normally, I would agree with that, but you have also said that your people know far more about the system than we do. So, wouldn¡¯t your B-rank equipment be far stronger than what we can produce?¡± Smegma went back to tapping a talon to his teeth. After a moment he grumbled, ¡°You aren¡¯t wrong, but Brodie doesn¡¯t have the connections in place to make sales like that without a middleman. Plus, that would reveal this skill or at least hints of it to others¡ª¡± Smegma stopped mumbling to himself and looked pointedly around the room. ¡°¡ªWhich didn¡¯t go over so well with all of you. And most of you are family. So, I¡¯m guessing that we should keep everything that¡¯s happened in this kitchen. What do you think?¡± Ms. Stovall¡¯s eyebrows climbed as her eyes widened in realization. Then she nodded and said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t tell anyone anything that was discussed in this room.¡± ¡°Does that include the refugees on earth part?¡± I asked. She shrugged. ¡°For now. Still, I think our earlier thought of looking for our own backers in this case is even more important now. If it¡¯s okay with you Mr. Flacarrada, I think it¡¯s time we hired a social media manager.¡± ¡°You really think that¡¯s a good idea?¡± My father asked, clearly thinking that Mr. Flacarrada was referring to him. He realized too when Ms. Stovall transferred her gaze onto him. ¡°Oh, you were asking Brodie. Sorry.¡± ¡°I mean, we don¡¯t really have the money for that¡ª¡± ¡°I think the bonus of four hundred thousand today, should cover it,¡± my father said. My mother who hadn¡¯t heard that part of the story yet, gasped. ¡°You think that¡¯s big news. Your husband and son killed a¡ª¡± ¡°Get husked, Smegma.¡± I shouted interrupting him and earning an intense stare from my mother. ¡°Brodie, do you want me to wash your mouth out with soap like you were five?¡± my mother said pointedly. I didn¡¯t think that was totally fair¡ªI¡¯d just saved her from fainting again. Still, my head fell¡ªI didn¡¯t like upsetting her. Ms. Stovall saw my hangdog expression and saved me thankfully. ¡°Well, if you have the money, you can pay upfront, or my offices can. We will of course attempt to go after Morgan Hallsbrad¡¯s estate to recoup costs.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said. ¡°When do we start?¡± ¡°Tonight,¡± Ms. Stovall answered and reclaimed her face down phone from the table with a fervent glean in her eyes. 041 Wednesday, April 17th, 2069 ¡°First thing tomorrow morning, head over to Sparkle Legion. After discussing your circumstances¡ªshe opened brackets here to tell me that she didn¡¯t discuss anything confidential, just the broad strokes the public already had access to,¡± I read, including Smegma, and my parents in the ¡®conversation.¡¯ From the time stamp on the email, Ms. Stovall had gone back to her office after our meeting last night and likely worked through the night on my behalf. Of course, that also meant whoever I was meeting with tonight kept late hours, or she had talked to them early in the night before deciding on what ¡®package¡¯ we should be getting. I kept reading wanting to know that decision myself. ¡°We believe that you need more than just a simple campaign aimed at gaining followers. You need a narrative, and the ability to tell your story. To curry public opinion, and hopefully, if it comes to that, outrage on your behalf. You¡¯ll be meeting with Kristen Franzke and Geneva Agnos. They are a team I¡¯ve worked with before, and are fantastic at their jobs. ¡°She then just lists the address and says I¡¯m going for the full Sparkle package, whatever that is¡­¡± I was already pulling up the website to see what options Sparkle Legion had, and what the chosen package offered. I scanned the title headers before arriving at the Premium, best value, option¡ªmeaning it was the most expensive of the bunch. My face obviously conveyed the sentiment because my dad whistled. ¡°That good?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know the name of the company, but it¡¯s their premium package. Remember I tried to get Aesir Living to work with me a few years back but after the initial call they stopped picking up?¡± ¡°Yeah, your father and I were trying to figure out how we were going to be able to put up a couple thousand dollars a month for the videos they were going to help you shoot,¡± my mother answered over her coffee. Running my tongue over my incisor behind closed lips, I once again chose to not tell them that it was not a monthly fee. It was a thousand dollars for four videos, which could have lasted anywhere from four days to, at most, two weeks. And that would have been with me cutting the videos to make quick attention-grabbing pieces in between the posts. Not to mention a thousand dollars was Aesir¡¯s cheapest package. I think their premium was twenty-five hundred. ¡°Look here, they are going to write the scripts for videos, monitor the posts, adjust content, remaster audio and even color adjust. On top of that, they offer something called image Sparkle. It¡¯s a hyperlink.¡± I clicked it and heard my parents stand up to read over my shoulder. I flicked my hand and cast the screen onto the small TV, which turned the old contraption on. They made it to my back before I managed to use the slow technology to my favor. I stopped reading aloud though, allowing my parents to take in the information themselves. ¡°Does she think I need this?¡± I asked when I reached the bottom of the jotnotes-format description. The gist of it was that they were going to create a public facing image for me that would negate any bad rumors. I scrolled back up and read the first line, ¡°¡ªwe offer a Targeted solution to targeted attacks.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ominous, oooooooooo,¡± Smegma said, joining the conversation on his usual derisive terms. This time since my parents could see and hear him, they gave him a wide eyed look. ¡°I don¡¯t think sarcasm is the best approach here,¡± my dad said, scolding the demon like it was me. I smiled, hearing words from Gary that I hadn¡¯t heard since I was in my mid-teens. Smegma made a rude gesture, and my mother scoffed. ¡°We do not tolerate language like that in this house!¡± ¡°What are you going to do about it? I¡¯m kind of stuck here, lady,¡± Smegma answered. My mother narrowed her eyes, clicked her tongue but then picked up her phone. I started laughing, knowing that she was googling a way to deal with the incorporeal demon. I kind of even hoped she found something. It would be very helpful to have a punish option for the little¡ªnever mind¡ªlarge shit. His new size was going to take some getting used to. To be honest, I¡¯d woken in the early morning hours due to my bladder informing me it was time to be emptied. When I stood and made my way into the bathroom, I¡¯d discovered a human sized, winged demon standing in the shower. It was embarrassing to admit but I lost bowel control for the tiniest of instances and may have peed a little in my boxers. It didn¡¯t help that I¡¯d heard my mother screech first thing in the morning as well¡ªtelling me that she had also, discovered a bathroom-demon. There was a good possibility that was why she was in a bad mood. ¡°With all of this, I doubt I¡¯m making it mining,¡± I said to change topics. I got some weird looks because I¡¯d gone from laughing to semi-serious, but I shrugged them away. ¡°Do you think you and Willa could use those other two picks in the trunk a bit today?¡± My dad nodded but didn¡¯t look at me. Instead, his eyes followed Smegma, as he subtly floated toward my mom. From her smirk I could tell she also noticed the demon as well. Just before he hovered around behind her, she clicked the side button of her phone and responded to my question, ¡°What pickaxes, Brodie?¡± I felt my face break into a smile, and said, ¡°I got two new ones yesterday, but they got pretty beat up¡ªumm, mining ore. ¡° My mom¡¯s eyes narrowed again, and she dove back onto her phone. Knowing it wouldn¡¯t take her long to find an article that covered some of the events yesterday I hurriedly said, ¡°Dad, she did say first thing this morning. Think we can get breakfast on the way?¡± My dad nodded hurriedly and joined me in a ¡®hurried¡¯ walk out of the kitchen and back up our narrow stairs to change. I was back to the front door first, having not even considered what I was putting on. I¡¯m sure my mentors in fashion over the years would threaten me with a knife if they heard, but I was trying to avoid a real knife. ¡°A golem! A golem was killed by five miners!¡± My mom shrieked from the kitchen. I heard Smegma start cackling. ¡°You better tell me you had no part in this Gary!¡± ¡°Oh, your husband and son had more than a part in it,¡± Smegma crowed. I closed my eyes and adjusted the meaning of first thing in the morning. Surely breakfast and in by nine-ish was fine¡­ Right? * * * ¡°I needed a day off anyway,¡± my dad said as he pulled into a spot beside a business high rise. ¡°Plus, this way I get to hear about all the things Sparkle is going to do for my son.¡± ¡°Can we call it Legion if we¡¯re going to shorten it?¡± I asked, morosely. This morning reassuring my mother that I was okay, and that stuff like that wasn¡¯t common in Portal mines had taken all of my energy. ¡°I think Sparkle fits better,¡± Smegma said from the backseat, where only I could see and hear him. It turned out that he could only turn it on or off¡ªnot be selective of who was included. So, since we were out in public and a human-sized, bat-winged, demon would cause a few commuters to join me in the loss of bowel control department, Smegma was ¡®invisible.¡¯ ¡°You¡¯ve talked enough today,¡± I said angrily confusing my father. I pointed to the back seat as way of explanation. It was thanks in huge part to the demon that we were late enough that my father had to call in ¡®sick.¡¯ The husker had literally egged on each and every one of my mother¡¯s over-the-top reactions. ¡°I really hope the next evolution in Demonic Vault makes you corporeal so I can punch you in the face!¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Smegma smiled evilly reminding me of his sharp ass teeth. I scanned down to his talons and decided internally to retract that wish. Smegma¡¯s smile was joined by a contented growl from deep in his throat. He¡¯d heard that admission, it seemed. ¡°Let¡¯s head up,¡± I said, my tone losing any heat it had held with Smegma and returning to morose. The exterior of the building was old¡ªlike pre-system old, which immediately made me a bit worried for what we were walking into. Still, with how expensive Aesir had been, I could get behind a cheaper brand that did the same thing. I guessed. ¡°Why is it such an ugly brown?¡± Smegma asked. Now out of the car I switched to mental communication to respond. [It¡¯s brick. Very old brick, at that. So, the color likely faded.] ¡°Are you saying that a large brown checkered building once had a nice coloring?¡± Smegma responded, sounding like he was questioning brown as a color choice as a whole. I didn¡¯t bother responding, considering that I somewhat agreed with the shit disturber. The lobby of the building wasn¡¯t much better, with a small entryway, a drug store, and a coffee shop. The interior windows had bars on them for Selfless¡¯ sake. A bulletin board with white plastic letters gave a rundown of businesses in the building and where to find them. Sparkle Legion was on the second floor¡ªanother small hit to their standing in my books. To be in a shitty building like this, and not even be the penthouse¡­ We moved to the elevator bank. Four ancient looking contraptions, that were divided into two per side and pushed the up button. Only to discover that the button didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Do you think the light is out?¡± my dad said. ¡°That guy behind the cardboard desk is sticking his nose a bit too high in the air,¡± Smegma interjected. Since I was getting ready to respond to my dad, it took me a moment to find the desk Smegma mentioned. It wasn¡¯t cardboard, but it was particle board. Clearly, someone had put together a cheap Rainforest or Aeki desk. The sign on top that read ¡®security¡¯ in computer generated font, had a black marker underneath that added, ¡®& Information.¡¯ I took it all in, my eyes finishing on the very smug looking worker. He was leaning back in his chair, and had even gone as far as putting his feet up on the desk. The particle board bowed under his old but newly shined ¡®combat¡¯ boots. ¡°I think we need a card or permission to go up,¡± I said, responding to my dad¡¯s earlier question. He¡¯d also noticed the worker. I heard a resigned exhalation from him, as he also realized we were going to have to deal with the man in the power tripping station. He did take the lead, though, which made me appreciative. We¡¯d both had a long morning, but only I still had to listen to Smegma. Whether that was the reason or not I chose to take it as such. ¡°Hey!¡± Smegma said, his voice filled with mock outrage. He even went as far as to hold a taloned hand over his heart. ¡°Okay, okay,¡± he said chuckling in response to my thought of, ¡®point proven.¡¯ ¡°We¡¯re here to meet with Sparkle Legion,¡± my dad said, as we approached the ¡®counter¡¯. The security guard ignored the question, waiting until my father was directly in front of the desk before slowly taking his feet down, and standing up. ¡°Can I help you with something?¡± he asked, overly sweetly. ¡°His smile looks like that of a snakes,¡± Smegma commented. [You two have a lot in common,] I thought at the demon. ¡°Yes,¡± my dad responded to the man. His tone was stiff, and I could see his hand open and close itself a few times to dispel frustration. ¡°We are here to meet with Sparkle Legion.¡± ¡°Oh, we have a company called Sparkle Unicorn here?¡± the man asked. ¡°Let me just check the book and find out what floor they¡¯re on.¡± ¡°The second floor,¡± my father said pointing at the sign. ¡°And it¡¯s Sparkle Legion.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry, I didn¡¯t understand your accent,¡± the security guard said smugly. My jaw clenched. We didn¡¯t have an accent, which meant the asshole was essentially calling out what area of town my father grew up in. I rolled my neck dispelling my rising ire. ¡°Ahhh, here it is. Sparkle Leg-on, you¡¯d think a company that worked on public image would make sure they spelled their name right in the directory.¡± At this I frowned. Even from here I could see that each entry was handwritten in the same style. Plus, the ¡®I¡¯ he was skipping could also be seen. Still, the choice to insult a business in the building seemed strange to me. My father¡¯s head tilted in confusion as well, but neither of us bothered responding. Not feeling more needed to be said. ¡°Honestly,¡± the security guard said, in a conspirator¡¯s whisper, ¡°I know a couple better options for Public Image if you want their contacts. From what I¡¯ve heard Sparkle Legion is going under.¡± There it was. The other shoe. Why would he be bad mouthing a business in his own building? A business that likely paid a portion of his salary. Because he had an angle. My father looked at me questioningly, unsure how to respond to the offer. I shook my head, willing to trust Ms. Stovall and at least meet with Legion. To the security guard, I said, ¡°We have an appointment, but if it goes poorly, we¡¯ll take you up on that.¡± ¡°Sure, sure,¡± the guard answered, giving me a up and down, before addressing my father again. ¡°Just remember you want the best if you¡¯re going to spend hard earned money. Someone like Aesir Living. My cousin works there, and she¡¯ll get you in right away.¡± ¡°Could you make the call and let Kristen or Geneva know we''re here,¡± I interjected, causing the guard to glance back at me. My dad stepped back slightly to show that he was ¡®standing by me¡¯ in that decision. The man shrugged after my dad made the move and then handed over a keycard, without making any phone calls. ¡°It isn¡¯t like they have any other clients. Just head on up.¡± Reaching out I took the card and spun away. Smegma made the comment I was feeling. ¡°Did that seem off to you?¡± I chose not to answer until we were behind the dinging elevator doors. ¡°That seemed very odd to me,¡± I said, including my father in the conversation¡ªeven though he couldn¡¯t have heard the question. ¡°Me too,¡± he answered. ¡°What possible reason could a security guard have for trying to poach clients?¡± The ride up was short enough, that I didn¡¯t get a chance to respond before the doors opened. Then the sliver of the floor I could see made my response catch in my throat. It looked like a floor undergoing renovations. Cubicle walls were stacked to a side, as were some office chairs, desks and even pizza boxes. ¡°Is this the right floor?¡± Both my father, myself and even Smegma checked the digital display to discover that this was in fact the second floor. I heard the sound of heels on carpet before I saw two women come into view. While they were only ¡®walking¡¯ it was quick enough to tell me that they were rushing to greet us. Taking the initiative I stepped out from the elevator, and gave a slight wave to put them at ease. We weren¡¯t about to ride it back down and let dickish McGee down there have the satisfaction of being ¡®right.¡¯ We¡¯d at least hear them out. ¡°You sure?¡± Smegma asked in response to my stubborn thought. ¡°Dickish McGee, may have a good reason for trying to get us better representation.¡± My dad stepped out but stayed firmly behind me, trying to show the women without speaking who they should be greeting first. I appreciated the gesture, knowing that due to age, most people would speak to him first, even if they knew I was the ¡®client.¡¯ ¡°Brodie Flacarrada?¡± one of the women greeted and asked with her intonation. I nodded and they both broke into wide smiles. ¡°Glad you made it past ¡®Security,¡¯¡± she said. Once the distance was closed she extended her hand and said, ¡°Welcome, introductions first. I¡¯m Geneva Agnos, and this is Kristen Franzke¡ªwe¡¯re social media managers and are excited to start working with you.¡± Hesitantly I reached out and shook her hand. ¡°Thanks,¡± I started slowly then deciding on a tack continued. ¡°This is my father Gary. You mentioned security, though. Does that mean you¡¯re aware of him trying to poach your clients to go elsewhere?¡± Kristen cursed under her breath even as Geneva¡¯s face fell. I hadn¡¯t realized at first, just how tired the two women looked. With make-up and their hair done up I had taken them to look like well-dressed business women. Now, I looked closer. Geneva had dark red hair, bordering on brown. She wore a knee length black skirt and a pinstriped shirt that both accentuated her curves but made them business appropriate. All and all she looked like a woman who was in control of her outward appearance. At least she had looked that way when she was smiling. Now, with her face fallen into a frown¡ªthe dark circles under her eyes, and frown lines were a bit too apparent. I scanned to Kristen and found the top of her blonde head. She was looking at the ground, and her pale skin was flushed from what little of it I could see. She wore dress slacks, and a white blouse that would have sparkled if she didn¡¯t distinctly lack that characteristic in the moment. Geneva corrected her expression almost instantly, when she saw my scrutiny and forced on a smile. With a nod she said, ¡°Yes, we are aware. This is the eighth security guard that¡¯s taken the job. Strange how they all have nieces, cousins or nephews who work for our competitors¡­¡± My eyes went wide. ¡°I smell a juicy story,¡± Smegma crowed as he hovered around the two women. ¡°Who do you think they pissed off?¡± Frowning now, I sucked on my teeth. After the interaction downstairs, I was absolutely sure that the person they¡¯d ¡®pissed off¡¯ was from Aesir Living. I took another look around the ¡®office¡¯ seeing it in a new light. Seeing it for the fight, that these two women were waging with a bigger company. Sure, they were losing¡ªbut they hadn¡¯t given up. My heart felt like it swelled on their behalf. I may later discover that it was misplaced, but I immediately felt a connection with the two. I too was going up against someone who had too much money and powerful connections. All I said though was, ¡°Is there a place we can sit down to discuss strategy.¡± Kristen¡¯s red face became visible again. There was a moment of hesitation displayed by them both before they broke into wide grins. Were those tears in their eyes? ¡°This way,¡± Geneva said. 042 Wednesday, April 17th, 2069 ¡°Ms. Stovall has caught us up on your situation. The very first thing that we need to do is paint you as the victim in this,¡± Kristen said, pulling up a slide on the projector. The slide showed a few viral SwiftGram personalities who had made their names by sharing stories that painted them as victims in one way or another. ¡°These people here are examples of successes for this strategy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m familiar with all of them,¡± I answered but then followed up a bit more seriously. ¡°Yet, none of them are on trial for murder.¡± ¡°Self-defense!¡± Geneva corrected gently. ¡°While that¡¯s true,¡± she continued. ¡°What we are looking at is proof that the formula works. The trick if you will. Why did Jesse Barnes, for example, get to keep his house, even though the bank foreclosed?¡± ¡°Well, he not only created enough public outcry toward the bank that they had to listen, but he also got enough in donations using Fund Me Now,¡± I answered. Kristen nodded, but chuckled a little bit, letting me know that I had missed something. She didn¡¯t leave me guessing for long. ¡°No, Brodie. What he did that led to all that, was share his story. He let people into his problems without oversharing or crying for help. He was a victim without the victim mentality.¡± She clicked the next slide and some of what she just said appeared on screen. ¡°The formula here is telling the truth. Making sure you¡¯re aware of each public ¡®fact¡¯ and giving your audience an explanation. It¡¯s not about trying to ask for help, but just letting interested, concerned people into your life.¡± Geneva picked up the thread and continued, ¡°The key is being aware of the public¡¯s lean on an issue and giving them your version. Remember, you¡¯re the victim, but we want to avoid the more negative connotations that come with that sort of label. You have a story of the events that the people can¡¯t get anywhere else. Only you can tell them exactly what happened that night, and only you can share with them what you went through, before, during, and after.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the problem, though,¡± I said. ¡°It would just be my retelling of a story that is being twisted by the opposing counsel.¡± ¡°Not twisted well enough!¡± Kristen said while holding up a finger. ¡°We spent the entire night going over the case, and it has several glaring facts that work in your favor. First, Morgan Hallsbrad currently is on trial in the United States for forty-six murders that span across the eastern seaboard of the country. Second, Mr. Varnish and his firm ¡®Black and White¡¯ are only taking on your case.¡± ¡°How is that a fact that works in my favor?¡± I asked, not putting together the puzzle pieces. ¡°If used correctly,¡± Geneva said as the slide flipped again. ¡°We can paint this as a case of David vs Goliath. Of a hero who saved future victims and is now being prosecuted and persecuted unfairly. Then, we hopefully evoke the question of ¡®why is a high-powered firm from California representing Morgan Hallsbrad outside of their own country in Canada¡¯, but has nothing to do with the much larger ongoing case in the United States?¡± ¡°With enough fans looking into it, we might even be able to force a response,¡± Kristen added to Geneva. The two seemed to work better together than Volt and Flair. My face twisted into a frown. ¡°Surely, me telling my story out of the blue isn¡¯t going to go over well.¡± ¡°Definitely not, we¡¯ve got a lot of work to do before then. This is the end game,¡± Kristen stated. ¡°First, we believe that the people will want to know what Skill you received. They¡¯ll want to know what you do. They¡¯ll want in on your day-to-day life and to feel as though, in some small way¡ªthat they¡¯re a part of it.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± I said, again pretty sure that showing myself Mining in Portals wasn¡¯t going to ¡®capture¡¯ people the way they described. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking.¡± Geneva smiled and flipped the slide again. This one was titled ¡®Your Groomed Image.¡¯ Smegma suddenly bolted forward. ¡°She does? Is it a Skill? You think it''s higher rank than mine? Does she know about me?¡± He started wildly waving his hands in front of her face. ¡°This is a strong illusion if she¡¯s from Crendalar Five¡­¡± He swung back to face me, his eyes wild. ¡°BATTLE STATIONS!!! Get ready to launch Proton Torpedoes on my mark!¡± [Dude. Calm down. It¡¯s just a saying on my world.] I struggled not to roll my eyes as both Geneva and Kristen were still looking directly at me. [It basically means ¡®I can tell by the look on your face what you must be thinking right now¡¯, and she was right.] ¡°Aw.¡± Smegma¡¯s ears somehow wilted. ¡°That¡¯s lame. I was kinda hoping for¡­ I don¡¯t know¡ªsomething more exciting than all this Sparkle nonsense.¡± Biting my tongue, I worked my face into an expression of earnest interest as I looked toward the two women. ¡°People already know you¡¯re a Miner that just Awakened after a dangerous, and most importantly¡ªlifesaving fight in a Portal. The buzz already exists, now you just need to use it. The question is what Skill you Awakened and how we''re going to market it to fit your blue-collar persona.¡± ¡°Blue-collar persona?¡± I asked not getting the reference. ¡°Sorry,¡± Kristen said and held up a phone. ¡°I forgot that you haven¡¯t been online to see all the comments. Right now you¡¯re being hailed as an ¡®everyman¡¯ hero. What we would call a ¡®one-of-us¡¯ reaction.¡± She paused for a second and rummaged on her computer with the mouse pad before changing the slide to one that fit that discussion. ¡°On that note, we think your photos and dream of becoming a Mana Bank fit but only as a sort of launchpad and need some trimming. I think we want more of an underdog to greatness arc for you.¡± ¡°For example,¡± Geneva said, edging in before I could say anything. ¡°This picture here and that one there show you in ¡®tropical¡¯ locales. We think you should delete them. That¡¯s not relatable to the general public, and while we know that those are green-screened, the common man doesn¡¯t.¡± I blinked and immediately identified at least twenty other pictures with the same problem. Surely, people wouldn¡¯t actually think I went to these places just for a photo, right? I tried putting myself in someone else¡¯s shoes and realized the problem immediately. It didn¡¯t matter. People wouldn¡¯t click on the photos and see my descriptions or tags. They may just scroll through the thumbnails, just like I did on the first inspection of a person. ¡°And the one with a helicopter view will make it seem like I¡¯m living a glamorous life,¡± I concluded and saw both women¡¯s smiles grow. ¡°But we spent a good deal of money to get those photos taken and edited,¡± my dad said, entering the conversation for the first time. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Mr. Flacarada, we aren¡¯t suggesting never using them again. Here at Sparkle Legion, we work in phases. In phase one we need to set Brodie¡¯s foundation. He needs to be an everyman who has been victimized and is continuing to be targeted. In phase two or three we¡¯ll give the fans what we call a ¡®payoff¡¯. Show them what they¡¯ve accomplished for him. ¡°That¡¯s when we plan to put those back up, but without the description saying it was a photo shoot. This will be your rags-to-riches story. We¡¯ll use them to create super-fans that will stay by your son¡¯s side for life.¡± ¡°They¡¯re thinking in terms of ¡®fans for life¡¯, and you¡¯re worried about getting locked up. The dichotomy is amusing,¡± Smegma said while chuckling. I held up a hand to get the women¡¯s attention back on me. ¡°I think the focus should be on the trial. We¡¯ll deal with the other stuff if I don¡¯t end up in prison.¡± ¡°Absolutely. We¡¯re fully onboard with that. That¡¯s why we¡¯re saying phase two or three. We¡¯re prepared for every possibility¡ª¡± Kristen paused and looked flustered for a moment. ¡°This plan helps you before, during, and after the trial¡­¡± ¡°Even if I go to jail?¡± I said, trying to save her from having to say it. She nodded sheepishly and flushed red. ¡°Exactly. Even if that happens we¡¯ll make sure the public is up in arms¡­¡± The rest of the meeting was spent getting to know me better and then brainstorming for video ideas. In the end, the ladies said they wanted to take away what we¡¯d done today and think about it, but they did hand me a ¡®Cannonball 360¡¯, one of the best Instagram cameras for athletes and Hunters. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. As Geneva handed it to me she said, ¡°Wear that around with you as you mine, and get some shots of coming home, eating dinner¨Cthat kind of thing. We¡¯ll clip out anything too personal, unflattering, or anything that would inadvertently dox you. No matter what we start with, you¡¯ll need some footage to clip together between expositions. Try to show the mining Picks with the repair marks. Maybe even a before and after if you can manage it?¡± I¡¯d used the public lie with them for now, not wanting the whole world to react as my mother had. Then again, Willa hadn¡¯t made it for dinner to meet the Demon last night¡ªso, that could be an interesting conversation. ¡°It can only hold about forty-eight hours of video on the internal memory, so upload the videos to this virtual drop-box once every two days.¡± She held out a small card. ¡°We¡¯ll handle the editing after that. Well, once we create a script. Also, as soon as you try out your newest Skill and know what it does, call us. Okay?¡± ¡°New Skill?¡± I asked, confused. Her brows furrowed at the question. ¡°The one you got in the video that just went viral? You lit up like the Fourth of July. Everyone¡¯s wondering what you got.¡± Momentarily shocked, I nodded and accepted the business card that held a scannable QR, which would likely take me to a digital dropbox. I had totally forgotten that, to the world I¡¯d had an Awakening, and not an Upgrade to an existing Skill. ¡°Oh! Everything¡¯s been so crazy that I¡¯d nearly forgotten about that.¡± They looked at me like I¡¯d grown a second head. Right. Who¡¯s going to forget about gaining a Skill? ¡°I was sort of¡­ bleeding all over the place and just glad to be alive¡­¡± Their looks of confusion transitioned to ones of concern and understanding. ¡°Right,¡± Kristen cleared her throat, seeming embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s easy to forget that the stuff in the video is real and not some movie about an action hero or something. Sorry. Are you¡­ okay?¡± ¡°Everyone made it home alive and safe, so I¡¯m better than okay. I¡¯ll make sure to let you guys know what I find out about the new Skill though,¡± I said into the awkward silence. The silence grew and I was looking for a way to exit the conversation and office when my dad coughed. ¡°We¡¯ll let you ladies get back to work,¡± he said and stood from the mesh-backed office chair. ¡°Come on, Brodie.¡± Thanking the women, I got to my feet and they took the hint. Geneva and Kristen walked me and my father to the elevators before Geneva finally blurted, ¡°We¡¯ll send you an email with the Dropbox link as well so don¡¯t worry about losing the card. In that email we¡¯ll attach the contract. We¡¯ll need it signed before we start work.¡± My hand slapped my forehead involuntarily. Of course, a contract and agreement to work together. No wonder it had gotten so awkward there for a moment. Chuckling, I said, ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to do that. I¡¯ll sign it right now.¡± Both women breathed a sigh of relief. * * * Greb-shak, or rather, the construct who retained Greb-shak¡¯s memories, watched the proceedings of the night and day. While he joined the conversation at times, mostly when prompted to do so, he was distracted. There were multiple reasons for that distraction. First amongst those reasons was that he wasn¡¯t alive. Not really. With his new memories gained from Upgrading Demonic Vault, came the realization that he had sacrificed his body, Skills, and power to create the very Skill that linked him to Brodie. He could vividly recall his team of researchers and him making that decision together. Memories flashed through his mind of them selflessly sacrificing nearly their entire team of thirty Abyss Sect¡¯s most brilliant minds. He could also now recall the mathematical error that he¡¯d only noticed after the Ritual that they had worked and sacrificed for had begun. The System destroyed and banned out-of-date or obsolete Skills with each new integration, trying to ¡®better itself for the inhabitants¡¯ of the given tested world. Greb-shak sneered at that thought, knowing he disliked the System but not having all the memories to fully understand why. He did have one complaint he could still recall, though. The System depicted itself as benevolent. As always updating itself for peak efficiency¡ªto give the new world a ¡®better¡¯ chance at Evolution. The one memory Greb-shak could recall, was his feeling toward that sentiment. The System wasn¡¯t kind or benevolent and new worlds weren¡¯t given the ¡®optimal¡¯ chance to Ascend. No, new worlds were husking petri dishes. He shook off that emotion, which stemmed from watching his people slowly erode. They had slowly transitioned from a society mostly adapted to the System, to one scorned by it. He shook his head and body vigorously to truly clear the rising disgust. Back to his memory of the Demonic Vault¡¯s Skill creation. Unfortunately, that was all he knew¡ªthey had started creating the Skill. Something went wrong, and bam everything after that was blank. But he was here, and the Skill was functioning¡ªalbeit with some¡­ issues. So, surely it couldn¡¯t have gone entirely wrong, but without the ability to remember anything more¡­ He was left pondering. Clenching his fist, he deliberately let his talons puncture into the meat of his palm. It didn¡¯t bring him pain like it once would have, but the familiar action still helped calm him down. The second distraction stemmed from a decision he had to make. A decision he had already made once but hadn¡¯t had the knowledge he currently possessed while doing it. He¡¯d chosen sub-Skill options for Brodie, picking what would be best for him¡ªnot necessarily what was best for the Abyss Sect¡¯s champion. Admittedly Overdraft wasn¡¯t the worst choice he could have made, but he could remember his tiny ¡®imp¡¯ brain thinking that picking it would increase the skill Demonic Vault faster¡­ Now, after the most recent Update and pulsing with new energy in his soul, he knew that there were so many better options. Also, offering Brodie Extraction, a Skill designed to take Skills from enemies¡ªwell that wasn¡¯t optimal for the Abyss Sect or the kid. He wasn¡¯t out there hunting for beasts or his fellow humans to take their Skills, and the Sect didn¡¯t need new Skills¡ªthey needed Mana. Admittedly, in that regard, Brodie¡¯s choice to mine Crystals was actually working in the sect¡¯s best interest. So, could Greb-shak use that and cater the next sub-Skill choices in the right direction? That was only his second distraction, and not the one that consumed most of his thoughts. The third overwhelming problem stemmed from the first but was also entirely separate. What was the situation of the Abyss Sect? Of Crendalar Five? Of Demons in general? He had to admit that his earlier ¡®posturing¡¯ inside of the meeting with that Stovall woman, was just that. Sure, he did believe that other races were on this planet, but normally he wouldn¡¯t divulge that. Except for this one all-consuming worry. Where were the Demons? They should be pretty husking obvious if they were on ¡®Earth.¡¯ While his appearance was a bit unique¡ªnot many Felguards would ever consider bedding an Imp, and other Demon¡¯s appearances would certainly stand out amongst frail humans. The closest he could think of on his planet would have been the Orcs, or maybe the Hobgoblins. But even they would scream ¡®alien species¡¯ or ¡®monster¡¯ to the inhabitants here. So, thus his biggest worry of what happened to his Abyss Sect was compounded with the question of what happened to his entire people¡­ Brodie was downstairs discussing the day with his parents. He was clarifying some things that they didn¡¯t understand and conveying information from follow up emails Geneva and Kristen sent. So, Greb-shak was alone in the bedroom¡ªwell, in the shower specifically. He liked the device. It was somewhat of a novel idea and looked relaxing to him. Crendalar was a planet filled with sand and possessed limited water. So, their ¡®showers¡¯ consisted of body scrubs with sand. Sure he couldn¡¯t interact with this ¡®shower¡¯ but he could imagine, and that relaxed him and let him think. While he didn¡¯t approve of the practice of ¡®therapy¡¯ in general, he did admit that there were some things that had intrigued him during Brodie¡¯s discussion with the Evelyn ¡®Maybe Elven¡¯ Treesong. One of the more interesting ideas was of organizing your thoughts into a journal or some systemized format. With how scattered his mind had been of late, he felt like getting the various ideas, fears, concerns, and vague, patchy memories into some kind of order would be beneficial. The main problem with that idea was that he was incapable of writing or otherwise seriously interacting with the world, but one thing he did have access to, was the System-like notification windows of his Shop. He could massage some of the features that had been intended for custom ordering to create a functional notepad where he could organize his headspace. He¡¯d found that speaking his thoughts aloud, even to himself, seemed to help clarify them. Since the Shop was intentionally designed to be able to be operated through mental intent, he was able to dictate his notes directly. After several nights binge-watching StarTrip¡ªUltra Deep Space Forty-Two, he¡¯d found that the idea of the ship Captain¡¯s Log really appealed to him. He could interact with replicas of any item in his Shop¡ªa feature that allowed him to showcase his wares to potential buyers. Among the items there, he¡¯d found a small, crescent-shaped Spent Mana Crystal that resembled one of the communication devices among the members of the Starship Energize and used the replica of it as a focus for his attention. Unfortunately, he¡¯d been mortifyingly caught in the act the previous night. After the initial shock had passed, he¡¯d taken up the policy of ¡®it¡¯s only awkward if you make it awkward¡¯, and refused to be shamed. The shower was relaxing and the makeshift journal was, ughh¡­ therapeutic, but he now had exactly what he needed: time, space, and a place to think. He shook his head and muttered, ¡°Yeah cause I¡¯m not chasing my own wings right now.¡± Sighing heavily, he decided to try taking a meditative breath, something that was wholly unnecessary in a body that didn¡¯t truly exist, but maybe, like the talons into his palm, the action would help calm him. It didn¡¯t really work, but it did reset his internal loop of distractions to the beginning. ¡°Well, there¡¯s only one problem that can be handled right now,¡± he said to himself. ¡°Two decisions to make that should help Brodie stay alive and grow. Maybe if he stays alive long enough, I¡¯ll find answers. Then again, if I make the wrong decisions, he could turn out like that Morgan guy and wind up getting himself husking killed.¡± If ¡®Smegma¡¯ had hair, he would have started pulling it out of his scalp like he¡¯d seen that Jagger Vance do on a few occasions. Instead, he reached up and tugged on his horns worriedly¡­ 043 Thursday, April 18th, 2069 ¡°So, remember that talk we had about trust?¡± Smegma said, as a way of greeting me as soon as I opened my eyes. My eyes were still foggy with sleep but they narrowed as I tried to focus in on the demon. I found a shadow that looked like it had wings, and decided to transfer my apprehension onto it with the look. ¡°I¡¯m over here, dumb-dumb.¡± Smegma said this from near the window which made me aware I was glaring down his overly enlarged shadow. ¡°Good morning to you too,¡± I said dryly, attempting to cover the embarrassment. ¡°So, what¡¯s all this about trust?¡± ¡°Well, I need to admit to something, but it requires a bit of backstory,¡± Smegma responded. I could hear in his voice a bit of embarrassment as well, which surprised me. Had I ever heard that from the demon before? I sat up and moved to the edge of my bed, before giving him a nod. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure where I should start, so bear with me, okay?¡± Another nod. ¡°I¡¯m not a living creature¡­¡± He left that statement hanging in the air. I waited for more. When it didn¡¯t come I said, ¡°And?¡± ¡°Well, I thought I was a living creature when I first appeared with you,¡± Smegma added, giving me a bit of context but leaving me confused as to the direction he was taking. Why did him being alive or not matter? I didn¡¯t interrupt, knowing he could see my confusion from my pursed lips and blinking eyes. ¡°It¡¯s an important distinction because it will help explain why I did what I did, later. Still, when I arrived Demonic Vault was an out-of-date skill, and the version of me you interacted with didn¡¯t have all the knowledge I do now.¡± ¡°Meaning you¡¯re learning from being in our world?¡± I asked, trying to clarify his story a bit. ¡°No, well yes, but no for the purposes of this story. Each time the skill has updated, I¡¯ve gained more memories from my life on Crendalar Five. Some of those memories are just pieces of things I already knew but they fill and firm the picture. Still, with this latest update, I gained a huge chunk of time back from when me and my team were creating this skill.¡± I opened my mouth to cut in with a question, but Smegma held up a hand. ¡°Wait, just a second. I now understand that it has multiple purposes. That the skill was meant to support my Abyss Sect and the recipient who awakened with it.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said quietly. ¡°That¡¯s always what I thought it was, though?¡± I followed up when I saw Smegma had stopped speaking. For the first time, I could see a bit of disappointment in the demon¡¯s black eyes. Was it directed at me or himself? Since he was looking at the old carpet floor I was leaning toward the latter. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you this. After the first upgrade I believed that this skill was solely for the betterment of the Abyss Sect. That we would use it to essentially strip this planet of resources and send them back home to continue living the life we did before our Ascension Failure. I now understand that Crendalar Five failed to ascend eons ago. That this skill was created for the inhabitants of Sective Agora. And that something terrible happened during creation.¡± His eyes lifted then to meet mine and I was shocked by the depth of emotion they contained. Smegma was scared, sad, hurt and worried at a bare minimum. My skin broke out in goosebumps. This powerfully built monstrous looking creature was terrified¡ªsure through context I could tell he wasn¡¯t scared of anything of this world¡ªbut for him to be this shaken up highlighted the seriousness of this conversation. I bit my tongue to stop from offering any meaningless speculation. Smegma didn¡¯t need my concern. This was clearly leading somewhere, and my guess would be that I¡¯d understand more of his emotions if I listened. Sure enough, Smegma gave me some more information almost immediately. ¡°I don¡¯t fully remember what happened during the skill creation, but I do know that no response has really come back from the Abyss Sect on the Monster Cores we sold. At first, I believed that was because they¡¯d already gotten some from my previous owner. Now, though? Now I¡¯m worried that they might not even be alive anymore.¡± His eyes never left mine. Something leaked from his eye. It looked like over used oil from an engine it was so thick and black. It took me a moment to realize the demon was crying. ¡°While I¡¯m mostly sure that the demonic race from the Crendalar hive has lived on, I have no idea what changes they must have gone through in those long years. With this latest update I¡¯m also aware of three other planets that failed the ascension since Crendalar. Sective Agora was the planet directly after us, and it is home to the Elves. The Elves like the humans were all ¡®one race¡¯ but categorized themselves based on skin color, eye shape or color, and ear shape. ¡°The second planet after Crendalar was Slithera a planet similar to Sective Agora in that it was vibrant in plant life, but different in two major ways. It had a great deal more water, both in its seas and on it¡¯s ¡®land¡¯ creating a higher water table and mostly swamp like living areas. The people who lived upon this world were Lizardkin¡ªwhich were a caste like culture. The older a Lizardkin lived the more powerful their bodies became¡ªstarting from what they called kobolds, and growing to eventually be as large as a Felguard and called Dragonkin. ¡°The next planet was Uther¡¯s Edge, a planet so close to its own sun that its inhabitants lived underground, only venturing to the surface for resources for a few hours a day. You were mining on it when you discovered the Shining Meteorite. The inhabitants of this world were Dwarves, and categorized themselves by how deep into the earth they lived. ¡°Finally, the last planet I can recall taking the trials after Crendalar was called Morgraine. It was a planet which contained high amounts of Nitrogen in the atmosphere. Similar to where we are now. However, what I can remember is unlike the other races I¡¯ve mentioned, the inhabitants of Morgraine breathed Nitrogen and not Oxygen like the others. This was considered very promising¡ªsince differences can lead to power. ¡°But that¡¯s all I can remember. Even what the race of creatures on that planet were eludes my memories. I can see on your face that your questioning why I¡¯m telling you all this, and what it has to do with my story.¡± I nodded with a half grin, trying to apologize for my lack of patience. ¡°Let me get to the point. Somewhere after Sective Agora, and maybe even after Slithera I realized that what the Demons of Crendalar will benefit from most is if the skill-bestowed-individual Ascends. Meaning, that my primary goal should have been helping you become stronger¡­¡± He let that rather disturbing statement hang in the air, allowing me to make the realization of what he was saying. My half smile vanished, and I felt my empty stomach bubbling with a simmering anger. I clenched my blankets in a fist and managed to ask my next question without raising my voice. ¡°Are you saying that you have been ripping me off on Mana Coins?¡± ¡°No,¡± Smegma shook his head vigorously. ¡°Not that.¡± ¡°Then, you¡¯ve somehow made me weaker?¡± I asked, my anger puttering a bit as I failed to understand Smegma¡¯s point. ¡°Not really, no. I just was given a choice to make after the last update¡ªand I didn¡¯t consult you¡­¡± ¡°What choice did you make after the last upda¡ª¡± the Overdraft and Extraction options for sub-skills came to the forefront of my mind. Had Smegma somehow offered me duds for skills?¡± ¡°Wait, are you saying that Overdraft and Extraction were shit sub-skills?¡± ¡°No, but you¡¯re on the right track. Those two skills weren¡¯t the only options you had,¡± Smegma admitted. I leaned back on my bed, trying to understand why this conversation had built up so much. Smegma continued hurriedly though, likely trying to head off an angry response from me. ¡°I scanned through the options that were offered and picked two that would hopefully start making the Abyss Sect more Mana.¡± I licked my lips starting to piece together the tale, and what Smegma was saying. Still, I didn¡¯t feel any anger toward him for some reason. I scratched at an itch above my ear, before I responded. ¡°Okay, sure¡ªbut they were still strong options?¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Definitely, but I¡¯ll admit I knew you weren¡¯t going to take Extraction. I manipulated you into taking Overdraft.¡± ¡°So, you manipulated me into taking a Skill that has unlocked a stat for me, and helped my family?¡± Smegma made a face that told me I was correct but missing something. ¡°Okay¡­What are the other options then?¡± I asked, needing to understand what I missed out on before investing an emotional response into it. My brain was clearly doing its too calm logical deductions, but it was immensely hard to fault the Demon considering the results. Not only had I destroyed a Rock Golem, I¡¯d also gotten a skill that could turn my families and friends lives around. ¡°I can¡¯t share the list with you, I¡¯ve tried multiple times. It seems when we created this skill we wanted to have control over its development¡ªso, we left the decision to the curator of Demonic Vault. Then he can offer the options individually to the user¡­¡± ¡°So, you?¡± I asked and Smegma nodded. Even more reason I couldn¡¯t get upset. He¡¯d made a decision he was supposed to have made. Plus, if this was leading where I thought it was, he was now including me in the next sub-skill choices. ¡°Does this mean we have another sub-skill to choose?¡± ¡°Two, actually.¡± I stood up from the bed and practically left the ground as my knees locked out. Did I had two more sub-skills to choose? I couldn¡¯t curb my excitement considering just how much Overdraft had done. ¡°So, is there a reason why you¡¯re including me in the decision this time?¡± I asked as I began to pace. ¡°I think I included other wielders in this decision before, so you probably would have been included either way. However, I¡¯ve also reached a bit of a wall. I¡¯ve been looking through the options all night. The problem is that I¡¯m unable to decide what direction will lead to the best results. What direction will allow you to discover more about the Abyss Sect, and keep you growing to challenge the Deadly Realm tests.¡± ¡°Do you have it narrowed down, then?¡± ¡°I have several directions to choose from but I don¡¯t know all of the variables¡ªin fact, I¡¯m not even sure I truly know any of the variables¡­¡± Smegma and I stared at each other, as I stopped my pacing. I scanned my room, my eyes eventually landing on my laptop. ¡°I have to go to work today, but I could start transcribing what sub-skills there are to my computer. Than later tonight we could go through them.¡± Smegma rubbed at a ridge on his head. ¡°There are about two hundred options¡­¡± ¡°Well shit. Then I guess we¡¯ll go over all the options tomorrow or the day after.¡± Smegma smiled widely displaying his sharpened teeth and I shivered a bit before joining the demon. I should probably get started if there were that many choices. * * * ¡°What do you husking mean we¡¯re not getting bonuses from yesterday?¡± Willa shouted. The target of her ire was Jagger Vance. He hadn¡¯t looked happy before Willa had confronted him, either¡ªso, now he just looked constipated and angry about it. ¡°It wasn¡¯t my choice you Selfless piece of shit!¡± Jagger shouted back. ¡°Oh, please tell me how this isn¡¯t the fault of our Greed CEO? The same asshole that husked three mana banks before his father cut him off?!¡± Jagger¡¯s face went so red, he became a tomato. A very angry tomato. He jabbed a finger into Willa¡¯s chest and growled, ¡°That is not the entire story, witch! If you speak another husking word about what you don¡¯t understand I will have you out of my company so fast¡ªit will make your head spin.¡± My dad, also beat red in the face, grabbed Willa¡¯s shoulder and pulled her back only to take her place. ¡°The whole mining team will just leave if you don¡¯t hold to your contract terms, Jagger! Yesterday¡¯s haul likely made you hundreds of millions¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ve made husking nothing! Everything from the dungeon yesterday was confiscated by the UNMH for an ongoing investigation. What investigation they were talking about, the Windsor PD department hasn¡¯t seen fit to tell me! So, not only do I not have the ores, and crystals¡ªthey¡¯ve also taken the goram plants¡ªand monster parts!¡± ¡°What?¡± my dad asked as he involuntarily stepped back. ¡°But if they take the monster parts and plants, won¡¯t they be reducing the value?¡± ¡°Yes, they are, and they wouldn¡¯t even concede anything to Taz. I¡¯ve got my lawyers on it, but they¡¯ve said that the powers that be are keeping their mouths shut tighter than a Hellclam!¡± ¡°Surely, you can front us the money?¡± Willa said, her voice carrying a hint of her earlier heat. I would probably say it had transitioned to a complaint. ¡°For all I know they will never return any of the material. There were at least eight unknown ores in there and just as many stacks of unknown materials that presented as rocks. If I front you the money and get nothing back¡ªthen I¡¯m out almost a million dollars!¡± ¡°What should we do then?¡± Willa asked, her voice now entirely devoid of anything other than pleading. ¡°Just keep working¡ªif they return the ores, I¡¯ll immediately make good on my bonuses. In the meantime, I¡¯m sure you can earn some more bonuses with your fancy new picks.¡± I looked down at the pick in my hand, realizing that Jagger believed we had all gone out and ¡®spent¡¯ the bonus on new gear. I had to admit that the picks did give that impression. I looked over to my right, at Uncle Jarred. He was looking back and forth between the speakers while holding the original Mining Pick from the shop. Well, a particularly bad specimen of the original Mining Pick. He currently had one of the Pick¡¯s I¡¯d purchased during the Stone Golem fight, leaving me with one remaining. Which I had left in the car¡ªunable to bring myself to hand it out, with everything that was going on. There was just too much of a chance of it ending up in the hands of Mr. Varnish¡ª ¡°You think it was Mr. Varnish that seized the ore?¡± Smegma asked, his voice carrying the surprise at my revelation that I also felt. To stop any further argument on that matter, just in case others made that connection, I rushed forward and grabbed my dad. ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± I said. ¡°Let¡¯s just get to work, and see what happens¡­¡± Jagger was still upset with our little group of ¡®Specialists, and his wide angry eyes fixated on me for a moment. That was all it took for him to discover something. ¡°Is that a Camera?¡± he shouted. ¡°You know that any recording equipment must be cleared by the site super, right Gary?¡± I could tell that he was trying to find any avenue for some quick ¡®revenge¡¯ but unfortunately, he had landed on something that was truly going to hurt me if he took it away. I looked helplessly up at my father, who blinked first at me and then at the three-hundred- and sixty-degree Cannondale Camera on loan from Sparkle Legion. He got the hint and put on a fake smile before turning to address Jagger. ¡°Jagger, he¡¯s a kid and this is for a project for his second year of school¡ªwhen he goes back.¡± Jagger¡¯s face softened a little bit, but he still shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t care! The level of liability a camera brings into a Portal is too high to ignore. People second guessing decisions, from comfortable office chairs, of people who were in the thick of a dangerous situation. If the kid wants to bring in a camera, he has to sign all the proper forms!¡± ¡°Well, that should be fine¡ª¡± my dad began but saw my paling face. ¡°Oh shit,¡± Smegma said, reacting to my worry, and not the conversation. ¡°Good, then go talk to the super and leave me the Husk alone.¡± Just as we turned to leave Jagger shouted, ¡°Willa!¡± which drew all of us up short. Willa of course more so than the rest of us. She turned back to Jagger and he motioned her to follow him. ¡°You will be getting a write up, before you go anywhere!¡± Willa looked back to us and rolled her eyes in a way that told us all that she¡¯d been through this song and dance before. My dad¡¯s cough sounded suspiciously like an attempt to cover a laugh. The group split, though, Willa following Jagger into his trailer and my father leading the way to what I assumed would be the super¡¯s trailer. It wasn¡¯t a trailer. Just a beat-up old Dodge Caravan. It was in better shape than my mom¡¯s car but just barely. The man practically guffawed when we asked him for permission to bring the camera inside. Turns out the forms were supposed to be printed by home office and onsite. Turns out the super didn¡¯t know where they were¡ªso, he said to just start recording once we were inside the mine¡ªbecause he couldn¡¯t guarantee that the Gecko Guild, the group that owned the dungeon, would want images of the terrain or possible creatures to be leaked. I waited until we were alone again then I voiced my earlier concern. ¡°Dad, what if the confiscated ores and crystals has to do with my trial?¡± My dad stared, his face paling with each second. He gasped in a lungful of air when he realized he¡¯d forgotten to breathe. ¡°Surely, a self-defense case wouldn¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°I think, it¡¯s pretty clear that Mr. Varnish or whoever is behind him is trying to make this a bit bigger than a self-defense case¡­¡± ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve stepped into a TV show,¡± Jarred said. ¡°Do either of you care to explain what the hell is going on?¡± My dad looked a bit too shaken up to speak so I took up the duty of explaining the situation to Jarred. He knew some of the story, thanks to my father, but learning about the massive value of confiscated ores and the escalating manslaughter trial, definitely shook him up as well. ¡°You didn¡¯t actually kill him for his skills, though,¡± Jarred said when I finished. He didn¡¯t really make it a question but I could hear it all the same. The stated-question did startle my father out of his shock, though. ¡°Jarred,¡± he crowed, ¡°that¡¯s my son!¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t talked to the kid in years, I¡¯m just making sure!¡± he answered, even as he looked to the pavement at his feet. Today the portal was inside of a Catholic Church¡ªwhich made the whole thing highly political. I wasn¡¯t totally aware of why, but I could tell that the mood of everyone was subdued as we waited to be escorted inside. I had to wonder if the Gecko Guild, which was a pretty small entity, somehow was related to the church. I figured they must be, since the Catholic Church had both the pull and the money to have their own team if they wanted it. My dad¡¯s phone ringing beside me cut off my conversation with Smegma discussing the church, it¡¯s beliefs and why I believed that the Gecko Guild was contracted or owned by them. ¡°Morning, honey¡ª¡± my dad said before the speaker blared in his ear and cut him off. It was loud enough that I heard the first couple words, and could make out my mother¡¯s voice. ¡°None of the cards are working! I can¡¯t even get¡ª¡± that was all I heard before my father stood up straight and moved a little ways away from the group. 044 Thursday, April 18th, 2069 Smegma, ever curious, followed my dad and relayed what he could hear of the conversation. Which was enough to understand what was happening. My parent¡¯s financial accounts were all frozen. My mother had been unable to purchase a cup of coffee on her way to work today. I frowned when that news was relayed to me. Surely this didn¡¯t have anything to do with¡ª My phone rang in my pocket, and I distractedly fished it out, before glancing at the screen. Disaster Dave¡­ With a lot of hesitation, I sent it to voicemail. I would call him back once I had a better handle on what the husk was going on¡ª My phone immediately began ringing again, and the caller was, unsurprisingly, Disaster Dave. This time I picked it up¡ªa little annoyed. ¡°Dave, I¡¯m kind of in the middle of¡ª¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m also kind of in the middle of something!¡± Dave shouted over me. ¡°The police just showed up at school and escorted me out of husking class, Brodie.¡± ¡°What?!¡± I hissed, even as my lungs seemed to clench in my chest. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m currently being held for questioning!¡± Dave shouted. I waited, but other than heavy breathing, Dave seemed to have gone silent. I asked the obvious, thinking I already knew the answer, since he had called me, but needing the confirmation all the same. ¡°Questioned about what?¡± ¡°The night that you murdered Morgan Hallsbrad,¡± Dave said, stressing the word he would never have used to describe the events from his previous knowledge of events. ¡°You know that greed jumped me, right?¡± I responded, pleadingly. I needed Dave to be on my side¡ªI hadn¡¯t realized how much I needed it until this moment¡ªas my heart beat erratically and felt like it wanted to claw its way into my stomach. ¡°Of course, I husking do, but the police won¡¯t let me go and that¡¯s the wording they¡¯re using. They haven¡¯t confiscated my phone or placed me under arrest, and have assured me that I¡¯m merely ¡®detained¡¯, but they also just said they can hold me for questioning for up to twenty-four hours. They keep saying thinly veiled things about spending my night in holding. But like they¡¯re making it out to be worse than the drunk tank, Brodie. I¡¯m man enough to admit that they¡¯re scaring me.¡± ¡°Hold on, I¡¯m going to three-way-call my lawyer,¡± I said placatingly, my stomach was both relieved that he was safe and bubbling with rage at my friend¡¯s response. I expertly pushed a couple of buttons on my smartphone and soon could hear the ringtone. ¡°I¡¯m already on the phone with your father¡ª¡± Ms. Stovall said as a greeting. Hearing the dismissal that line of conversation would lead to I blurted, ¡°The police are detaining my friend Dave for questioning related to the night of the assault. He¡¯s on the other line.¡± ¡°Okay, are you near your father to let him know he¡¯ll be on hold longer or should I jump over and inform him,¡± Ms. Stovall asked. Glancing around I couldn¡¯t see my dad and assumed he¡¯d retreated to the privacy of the Ford. ¡°You should jump over and tell him. I can¡¯t see him.¡± A moment later she was back and ready to be linked in with Dave. I clicked the combine calls and introduced the two. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll send an associate down to the station immediately, Dave. From this point on, you tell them that you won¡¯t answer any more questions without a lawyer present¡ªunderstand?¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± I heard a huff of complaint at what I assumed was Dave¡¯s use of the word ¡®ma¡¯am¡¯, but a moment later Ms. Stovall was talking again. ¡°Okay, I have to get back to the call with Brodie¡¯s father. Sit tight for now. My associate will bring you back to our offices once she arrives and gets you released. Brodie¡ªI¡¯d start heading to the car. Neither you nor your father will be working today.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said and heard her click off the line. I glanced at the screen and confirmed Dave was still on. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll see you at Ms. Stovall¡¯s office,¡± I said, as a way to follow up. Dave thanked me a bit too liberally for something I felt was a situation I was wholly responsible for, which made me uncomfortable. Not to mention that if he made just one call to his powerful family¡ªthey¡¯d get him off just as quickly. I figured I would have to take him out for some Pho or Sushi to make up for it. Wait¡ªI couldn¡¯t do that if my accounts were also locked¡­ After hanging up the phone, I pulled Willa aside and explained what was happening. She immediately checked her financial apps and sighed in relief when she still had access. Jarred stood nearby looking at me, then Willa and then in the direction he knew my father had parked. ¡°Wow, this is pretty intense,¡± I heard him say as I started to walk away. ¡°Brodie didn¡¯t outright say it, but I think the bonuses being withheld is due to him,¡± Willa whispered back. My teeth and fists clenched as my eyes watered. It felt like I was a cursed Item. Something that seemed good for the people who found it at first, but was now causing them endless problems. Just to be sure of my assumption, I pulled out my phone and opened my banking app. Sure enough, I needed to ¡®call my financial institution¡¯ to resolve some sort of problem. When I got into the car, my dad was off the phone and staring blankly out the front windshield. He glanced at me as I slammed the car door, then put the key in the ignition and started it without saying anything. Just after he put it into drive he said, ¡°We have to go by the home office and pick up your mother.¡± That was it. I felt frustrated, disappointed and angry. I wasn¡¯t even sure what I wanted him to do¡ªbut I definitely knew I wanted more than this. Still, my Mental Fortitude worked overtime to point out just how illogical that thought was¡ªso, I managed to bite my tongue before saying anything I¡¯d regret. Instead, I gave a red faced, fist-clenched, nod. * * * ¡°You¡¯re going to have an aneurism,¡± Smegma said, unhelpfully. I glared at him as my body shook from how tightly every muscle was clenched. I¡¯d thought I was disappointed and upset when my father couldn¡¯t do anything¡ªwell, now I was doubly so when Ms. Stovall seemed to also not have a solution. Wasn¡¯t that her job? Dave sat beside me, shrunk in on himself. My father and mother were across from me and were pale as they heard Ms. Stovall carefully dictate the next steps forward. ¡°Your family will get a stipend of about a thousand dollars to cover food, and¡ª¡± ¡°Our monthly rent is double that alone¡ªhow are we going to keep our house?¡± My mom asked, her face impossibly paling further. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°I have a meeting with Judge Dench tomorrow to flesh out what exactly the budget you need to live. This is just a temporary prepaid credit card. So, what I need you two and Brodie to do, is come up with exactly the amount of money you need per month. Put in about a thousand dollars of leeway so we can allow Mr. Varnish to knock it down, to an amount commensurate with the kind of pressure he¡¯s attempting with this stunt. This should only be a temporary freeze regardless, since based on what I was informed of, they are looking for a lump sum payment that would indicate Brodie was paid to kill the ¡®private investigator.¡¯¡± ¡°Was it Mr. Varnish who also seized all the materials from the Portal?¡± My dad asked, his voice smaller than I¡¯d ever heard. ¡°Yes. That, unfortunately, is a separate issue. I will bring it up tomorrow, but other than the expirable goods, I doubt I will be able to get the Judge to release what Mr. Varnish will no doubt be claiming as evidence.¡± ¡°Evidence of what, exactly?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°Likely,¡± she sighed. ¡°Evidence that you are capable of destroying Boss-class monsters, and therefore more powerful than you¡¯ve been letting on, and helping to invalidate any claim on being out-classed in the confrontation with Hallsbrad. It would further weaken your self-defense plea in regards to the degree of force you used to protect yourself.¡± I didn¡¯t like where this was heading. ¡°What does the items and materials have to do with anything?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t. Not really. But there is some plausible argument that, with the unidentified nature of some of the materials, that something there could have some possible bearing on the situation.¡± She shrugged. ¡°The truth is, that confiscating everything complicates your life and those around you, and if it can strip you of your pillars of support, you¡¯re potentially going to be in a weaker position, socially, emotionally, mentally, or any number of areas, when going into your trial.¡± I cursed, gritting my teeth in frustration. ¡°Language,¡± my mother whispered half-heartedly. ¡°What about me,¡± Dave whispered urgently. ¡°The cops know that they have to come to my offices to request you come in if they want to question you further¡ªso, you should be able to return to your life.¡± At Ms. Stovall¡¯s words, Dave swallowed and then proffered his phone. I could tell that Swiftgram was open, and could read the headline. ¡®Phoenix Academy class interrupted by Police involved in murder investigation¡­¡¯ As if that wasn¡¯t bad enough, he flipped to another app, and I saw a message that I¡¯d read on my own phone. Call your banking institution for more information. Dave¡¯s accounts were also seized. We were currently sitting in a large meeting room that could easily seat twenty people, but only contained the five of us. The table was heavy oak, and the chairs were beyond comfortable. The only thing that I didn¡¯t like was that the walls surrounding us were all glass¡ªit made me feel like a fish in a tank. An assistant knocking on said glass and all of us turning to look at the noise didn¡¯t help that feeling. Smegma chuckled and added, ¡°Dance puppets, dance!¡± The comment almost startled a laugh from me, which actually did wonders to unclench my muscles and relax me. Ms. Stovall excused herself but was back in a moment before any conversation could break out. She was holding a yellow post-it and looking right at me. ¡°Brodie. Mr. Varnish would like to have a settlement meeting this afternoon at his offices,¡± Ms. Stovall conveyed, her voice a little bit confused, but I could visibly see her collecting herself. ¡°It¡¯s likely a good idea to at least go and see what he wants¡ªI doubt he¡¯ll show us any of his cards but you never know.¡± ¡°Can we also attend?¡± My parents asked in near unison. ¡°That¡¯s up to Brodie. He¡¯s an adult¡ªso, you aren¡¯t required to be there.¡± I nodded to my parents after Ms. Stovall¡¯s words, conveying that they could attend. However, my father cursed under his breath a moment later. ¡°I¡¯ve already taken yesterday off work.¡± My dad said, clearly frustrated. ¡°And with two Specialists missing¡­ I think it¡¯s going to have to be just your mother and you, Brodie. Is that okay?¡± I nodded, even as Ms. Stovall handed over a card to my parents, which I assumed was the promised stipend . ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. With this meeting request, I can roughly guess what Mr. Varnish is doing. This strong-arm tactic is somewhat common when you want to spook the defendant and then try to reach a favorable agreement. The only oddity here is that you aren¡¯t really a defendant, and he should know that¡ªso, what he¡¯s after, I can¡¯t say.¡± I told Dave I would call him after the meeting, intending to share with him exactly what happened. My friend still seemed shaken up, and he was also the only one in the room that wasn¡¯t glancing around continuously. I knew that was because everyone else knew Smegma was around and invisible. It might be time to change Dave¡¯s status from outside of this little group and finally bring him into the fold. If there was anyone I should trust¡ª I walked out of the room, intending to invite him to my parents place later. Now there was just a meeting with the man who had quite literally turned my life upside down since he¡¯d entered it. Husking Mr. Varnish. * * * ¡°Good afternoon, Mrs. Flacarada. Brodie,¡± Mr Varnish said. The man was in a silver suit that looked like it was for anything but business. While it had a tie, and undershirt, and all the accouterments of a traditional suit¡ªit was also clearly freaking armor. ¡°Is he expecting an attack?¡± Smegma, noticing the same, asked. I very pointedly didn¡¯t glance at the Demon but did convey the question all the same. ¡°My suits are always multipurpose. As an A-rank Awakened I can¡¯t say where my day might take me. Do you like it?¡± Mr. Varnish asked, his tone conversational. ¡°I can give you the card of the Crafter who designed it.¡± I raised an eyebrow and glanced first at my mother who looked as lost as I was and then Ms. Stovall who was appraising Mr. Varnish in a new way. ¡°An A-rank?¡± She said, giving voice to the question that was written across her scrutiny. ¡°What has you practicing law if you are also called upon to deal with Portals and Fields?¡± ¡°Ahh, trying to fish for information, Ms. Stovall?¡± Mr. Varnish asked with a wide smile. ¡°I must disappoint you, in that regard,¡± he continued as his smile became a bit more neutral. With a wave of his hand, he ushered us into the building, which, unlike Ms. Stovall''s, was a standalone. Ms. Stovall¡¯s offices, like Sparkle Legion, were inside of a high-rise. Admittedly, Ms. Stovall¡¯s were far more extravagant and better staffed, but this building was strange. It had no exterior markings, and from the outside it could easily be mistaken for a warehouse. Only the doors, which we had just been greeted at, gave away that it was something more. Two solid wood doors that stood about fifteen feet in height, adorned the street-side of the ¡®warehouse¡¯s¡¯ sheet metal. While I could see a glimpse into the building from the open door when Mr. Varnish greeted us, walking in still had my breath catch in my chest. There was a small entry chamber that couldn¡¯t be more ostentatious. Every piece of furniture, down to the plants, were clearly Portal products. Matching Portal products. Clearly, this was meant to be a waiting room, since it had a large Castenork Desk, with a secretary behind it. The chair she sat in looked more like a throne with wheels than it did an office desk. Honestly, I¡¯d seen leather armchairs in magazines that didn¡¯t look that comfortable. ¡°I think that¡¯s Bovine hide,¡± Smegma said, as he also stared at the chair. ¡°All of them are.¡± I nodded. The color of the leather was just too foreign to be from earth cows. Bovine was a term now used exclusively to describe creatures that resembled cows in Portals. Things like Minotaurs or massive Bulls. Or anything in between. The Demon¡¯s words did make me scan the rest of the seats, and I immediately felt myself comparing the matching chairs and tables to Evelyn Treesong¡¯s waiting room. This was definitely a display of wealth and status¡ªand I had no doubt Smegma approved. Mr. Varnish also walked slowly enough that we got plenty of time to ¡®get a feel¡¯ for the place. Once through the side doorway consisting of more Castenork, it didn¡¯t get better. The lights in this area weren¡¯t even electric. No, instead, each office was surrounded by glowing Mana Crystal Glass¡ªsomething I didn¡¯t even know existed until¡­ right now. ¡°Are those Mana Crystals?¡± My mom asked, as I swallowed the lump in my throat. They didn¡¯t just look like Mana Crystals. From the relative lack of any visible frosting in the glow¡ªthey were high-rank Mana Crystals that had been somehow converted into glass. ¡°Yes, they are,¡± Mr. Varnish answered. ¡°We''re still trying to figure out how to add tint to the glass, since we would love to personalize the colors more, but it makes up for our lack of windows.¡± ¡°You say ¡®ours¡¯, what exactly is the company you work for?¡± Ms. Stovall asked, trying once again to mine some information. Mr. Varnish just chuckled as he continued to lead the way down the hallway. We soon arrived at a meeting room like Ms. Stovall¡¯s, but surrounded by Mana Crystal glass, which I had to admit I liked far better. Even as we approached, I couldn¡¯t see anything of the internal layout. Same with the offices, I realized, as I looked back to the nearest closed door. When the door did open, I was greeted with ten people, most seated on the same side of the table. A table made of Portal Ore and Mana Crystal Glass¡ªI immediately felt out-gunned. What the husk did these guys want? 045 Thursday, April 18th, 2069 ¡°It appears we came understaffed,¡± Ms. Stovall commented, her voice cold. I could tell there was a threat of something in those words, but I couldn¡¯t have said what. ¡°Not to worry Ms. Stovall, these two here are a Clerk and Reporter that Judge Dench sent over. The two there are Ashley Laurent, and Jasmine Bell, my co-counsels.¡± Mr. Varnish went around the table introducing people. I will admit that I had dismissed the Court Clerk and Reporter, simply due to the lack of polished dress, when compared to the other individuals around the table. I gave them a brief glance now but moved on to Ashley and Jasmine. The former was a red-headed woman in a very white blouse, and the latter, a mulatto skinned woman with beautiful curls and a matching white blouse. Smegma also followed the introductions. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s some type of Portal Spider silk.¡± I ignored him as Mr. Varnish moved on. ¡°This is Mr. Jacob, he¡¯s here on behalf of Morgan Hallsbrad¡¯s business.¡± Mr. Varnish pointed out a man who was getting on in years but clearly still had a great deal of wealth, based on his deep blue suit. Mr. Jacob appeared bored to be there, which was odd if he had any sort of positive relationship with Morgan Hallsbrad. ¡°Why? Cause you killed him?¡± Smegma asked, without a hint of tact. [You know damn well it was self-defense.] ¡°These two are Aurome and Seleff, two active Hunters from the Larvae Guild, which Morgan was a member of.¡± Mr. Varnish finished his introductions with the only two men in the room that seemed to give off a more intense aura than the A-ranked Hunter-Lawyer himself did. Aurome was in a t-shirt and jeans which should have been even more out of place than the Reporter and Clerk, but instead only served to make him fit in even more with the wealth and power on display. He had long black hair that was pulled into a bun atop his head, and while his features were oriental in origin, his eyes blazed a feral blue. Whether that was an effect of the Mana Glass or just his natural eye color, I couldn¡¯t tell. The reason I considered the gaze feral could also be due to the man¡¯s massive frame. Simply put, he was huge. Seleff, on the other hand, wore a robe. I would have called it a bathrobe, without a sash, but for the metallic rainbow glint that ran over the purple material every time I shifted my gaze. After looking closer, I was forced to mentally call the thing armor, and with the funny matching Beret and glasses, I thought he might be attempting to look the part of a wizard. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever seen a man as pale-skinned as he was, that wasn¡¯t an albino. Since I lived in Canada where the sun took a six-month vacations, that was saying something. ¡°The way the wannabe wizard is looking at you makes me uncomfortable,¡± Smegma said. I turned my head back to the man in question at the Demon¡¯s comment, and saw him give a small head shake to Aurome beside him. Clearly that was meant to convey something, but I couldn¡¯t tell what. ¡°¡ªas you can see, Ms. Stovall, everyone here is involved in this case in one way or another.¡± Mr. Varnish finished. I realized then that the Court Reporter and Clerk were the only two seated ¡®neutrally¡¯ at the foot of the table. So, at least we were only outmanned by two more people. ¡°It¡¯s not like you can complain,¡± Smegma said. ¡°If you had the money, I¡¯m sure you¡¯d also have a whole team of lawyers.¡± [That¡¯s just it, though. Who¡¯s paying the bill for this? The Larvae Guild? Mr. Jacobs?] I mentally thought. [Something is off.] ¡°I could have told you that right after this guy showed up in the pre-trial. Still, you¡¯re right. Why is he showing you these connections and hidden cards? Although, the man in charge doesn¡¯t have to be in the room. In fact, they are nearly unequivocally not. Whoever¡¯s behind this, they¡¯re clearly comfortable pulling strings from the darkness.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll grant you that everyone can be said to have some stake in things here, but it does seem slightly improper, Mr. Varnish,¡± Ms. Stovall said, still not moving to take a seat. ¡°Especially since I¡¯m yet to receive an offer to go over.¡± We¡¯d discussed this a bit on the drive over. According to Ms. Stovall, it was much more common to send an offer to someone first so they could come in with an idea of what they wanted in order to settle a given dispute. At Ms. Stovall¡¯s best guess, this should be a lowball offer from Morgan Hallsbrad¡¯s estate to try to keep hold of more wealth. Still, I could tell from her tone when she explained that piece of information, that something was off. I could even infer what. Who went to all this trouble for a bit more wealth to be held from a victim? ¡°Please, have a seat,¡± Mr. Varnish said, clearly ignoring Ms. Stovall in favor of directing his words toward my mother and I. Neither of us moved. ¡°Suit yourselves,¡± Mr. Varnish said as he moved to take an empty chair in the very center of the metal table, right between his two co-counsels. ¡°Ashley, why don¡¯t you tell them the offer?¡± Ashley theatrically pulled a piece of paper from one of her many overly large manilla folders. I would have rolled my eyes if I wasn¡¯t so interested in what she was going to say. ¡°If Brodie Flacarada pleads Guilty to Second Degree Manslaughter, we¡¯re willing to commute his sentence to one year of Guild Arrest, that means¡ª¡± My mother¡¯s gasp was the first thing that cut into the offer. ¡°Now hold on a second,¡± Ms. Stovall stated, cutting over my mother¡¯s slight squeal and Ashley¡¯s ¡®settlement¡¯ offer. ¡°This is a cut and dry case of self-defense. You might have managed to get this through the pre-trial, but you have no evidence that can prove this wasn¡¯t an accidental killing or justifiable homicide in self-defense.¡± ¡°I¡¯m clearly missing something here,¡± Smegma frowned. ¡°Is a year of ¡®Guild Arrest¡¯ really that big of a deal?¡± [It¡¯s something generally reserved for the most dangerous Awakened criminals.] I glared across the table. [Think about it. You¡¯ve got a weapon in the form of a very dangerous person. Do you destroy the weapon?] ¡°Ah,¡± Smegma nodded, seeming to understand. ¡°No. You put the weapon in the hands of your warriors and point it at some Portal or other. I take it that the survival rate of ¡®Guild Arrest¡¯ is rather low? You were worried about years of this¡ªprison. So, to be immediately against a year under some ¡®Guild,¡¯ I¡¯m guessing¡­¡± [No.] I frowned. [You nailed it. The survival rate is terrible. Generally not at the beginning of an Awakened¡¯s ¡®arrest¡¯, but the closer to the end of the term, mysteriously, the higher the rate of death.] ¡°Makes a morbid kind of sense, I suppose.¡± Smegma shrugged. ¡°Do you release the dangerous criminal, or ¡®take care¡¯ of them before they can be released back into the civilian population?¡± It did make a terrifyingly efficient type of sense, one that I had no desire to submit myself to. The whole table, except my mother, who was breathing heavily, stayed silent after Ms. Stovall¡¯s statements. So, she continued, ¡°If this is what you had us drive out here for, we¡¯ll be leaving immediately. I want this on record that the opposing counsel called us here to make spurious offers. Good day.¡± Mr. Varnish simply smiled and stood up. ¡°As you wish, Ms. Stovall. I¡¯ll see you out, but remember this offer is only good for twenty-four hours. After that, we will begin digging deeply into every facet of Brodie¡¯s life.¡± Ms. Stovall looked toward my mother and me. I was staring at Seleff and Aurome. Something was nagging at me about their presence and the subtle exchange between them. I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that they were why this settlement offer was made. Had they simply wanted to get me in a room with them? That didn¡¯t fit, since they hadn¡¯t really done anything since I¡¯d arrived¡­ Except the ¡®wizard¡¯ looked at me through those glasses of his, and then¡­ what did him shaking his head at Aurome signify? [Can you tell if there¡¯s anything special about the wizard¡¯s glasses? Or maybe if he¡¯s cast some sort of spell? I get the feeling that they¡¯re here to look for something, but the only thing I have with me is¡­] ¡°Me.¡± The Demon finished thoughtfully. ¡°They could be magical. Not that magical if they¡¯re supposed to spot me and can¡¯t. It could be possibly looking for some kind of energy signal, or maybe even be some sort of advanced tool for telling them a person¡¯s Ranking.¡± [What?] My eyes widened. [You think something like that exists?] ¡°Pfft. Do you think that the best, most state-of-the-art technologies are the ones out in the public for everyone to use? Of course it¡¯s possible.¡± [So, what do you think it means that he shook his head at his scary hulking buddy over there?] The Demon shrugged. ¡°No clue. You¡¯re right about one thing, though,¡± Smegma said, adding to my thoughts. ¡°As soon as you get out of here, find out what this Larvae Guild is.¡± I nodded to Ms. Stovall in answer to her unspoken question, telling her that I was ready to leave. I was somewhat surprised my mother hadn¡¯t already done so, but quickly realized how pale and shaken up by the ¡®offer¡¯ or perhaps more accurately¡ªat the veiled threat than she already was. I put a hand on her back to get her attention and then motioned to the door with a jerk of my neck. A sudden thought struck me. I leaned over to Ms. Stovall and whispered quickly into her ear. She leaned back a moment, studying my face. I nodded. She cleared her throat. The people around the table turned to look at her. ¡°You said my client had twenty-four hours to decide to either accept or reject the Settlement offer?¡± Mr. Varnish raised a not unpleased eyebrow. ¡°Why yes. Of course. Would you like to take a copy with you?¡± ¡°We would, thank you,¡± she caught eyes with me once more, and I nodded again. ¡°We would like to step outside to personally deliberate over the details. It¡¯s a bit¡­ rather crowded in here.¡± Mr Varnish chuckled smoothly. ¡°By all means. Take as much time as you like. I assure you, all of the chairs are beyond comfortable and I¡¯ll have our staff come by to offer refreshments in a moment.¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. I felt bad that my actions only seemed to make my mother seem more unsteady on her feet, but I had a reason for asking for this. [Smegma, stay behind in this room as long as you can. See if they talk about anything once we leave. Mainly those two.] Mr. Varnish politely led Ms. Stovall, my mother, and me out of the room. * * * Smegma watched for long minutes as the people around the table cleaned up pages, and put them inside non magical leather bags. He wasn¡¯t sure why they each looked so different and ¡®stylish¡¯ when they clearly were mundane. Still, it wasn¡¯t the ¡®lawyers¡¯ and court reporters he was interested in. He hovered right behind and watched the two Hunters from the Larvae Guild. Even their Aura¡¯s were leagues above the Hunters he¡¯d seen from the Lynx and Snow Bird Guilds. Only once most of the people around the table had left did the two look at eachother. ¡°So, he didn¡¯t inherit Demonic Vault?¡± Seleff asked Aurome in a whisper meant only to carry to his Guildmaster. It was in a different language as well, but through the magic of the System it was easily translated for Greb-shak. Aurome licked his lips before a half smile came onto his face. Greb-shak could tell that the man was both excited and delighted by something. That was the type of smile he¡¯d seen on numerous people¡¯s faces when they manipulated events, results, or others to get their way. ¡°He may not be a Cannibal at all, but seeing him,¡± Aurome responded, his voice deep and guttural in a way that conveyed power to Greb-Shak. The man didn¡¯t bother whispering. ¡°I¡¯m starting to see why Morgan went after him. He has the aura of a monster. It¡¯s small right now, but even I felt twinges of bloodlust from it when he looked at us at the end. What was the boy¡¯s highest known Skill?¡± ¡°Mental Fortitude was his highest.¡± ¡°Do we have any information on what Brodie originally Awakened with?¡± Aurome asked in English, and the few people remaining around the table practically jumped out of their seats in their hurry to find papers. A tug at Greb-shak¡¯s naval was all the warning he got before he popped into existence halfway from the building to the SUV Ms. Stovall had driven them here in. Smegma was furious. Information was power in conflicts like this, and these idiots had gone to the car? ¡°What in the hell, go back you imbecile,¡± Smegma shouted at Brodie. Brodie gave a small controlled wince and glanced behind Smegma. Smegma turned and found Mr. Varnish escorting the group to the car. He was chatting with Mrs. Stovall, and between them was Clara, Brodie¡¯s mother. She looked light headed, and Smegma couldn¡¯t tell if she was acting or not. [We stalled as long as we could. All of us used the bathroom, and my mom even sat down for a bit¨Csaying she felt faint. But Mr. Varnish offered to call an ambulance and when we declined he offered to escort us to the car. It was strangely insistent on his part. Do you think he knows?] ¡°No,¡± Smegma responded, still wanting to shout at the kid for pulling him away. However, if it went the way Brodie said it did, they had little choice. Other than faking a more serious dilemma that may arouse suspicions if caught. Thinking he might know what was happening, Smegma asked,¡°Is there Skills that you¡¯ve heard of to listen in on rooms like that?¡± [Not really. Since people usually don¡¯t have more than one Skill. And no Mana Bank is going to be working with someone. However, we do have technology like the computers and cameras that can¡­] ¡°That¡¯s less likely to be the cause, but I think Varnish may have suspected something when you all stalled for time.¡± [Okay. Did you get anything?] Brodie asked as soon as he had an explanation. Greb-shak studied this guileless somewhat simple-minded human. The aura of a monster? He smiled to himself even as he responded, ¡°Normally, I¡¯d charge for this kind of information.¡± Brodie rolled his eyes discreetly, trying not to draw Mr. Varnish¡¯s attention. Smegma chuckled, seeing Brodie exasperation. Then continued, ¡°That Seleff guy can somehow read one of your Skills. From context, I think it¡¯s your most powerful Skill. They were specifically looking for Demonic Vault, I think, but Mental Fortitude is higher because of,¡± he shrugged. Those memories, if they existed, hadn¡¯t come back to him yet. [So, they wanted an excuse to get me in a room and read my Skills? Why wouldn¡¯t they just wait for the trial? Or bump into me accidentally?] ¡°No clue, dumb-dumb. Did you figure out where this Larvae Guild is from?¡± [No. They don¡¯t have a website or listing I can find in the UNMH database. There¡¯s some chatter about them on Readit but the threads were locked with minimal activity. One post claimed they¡¯re from Europe, but that wouldn¡¯t make sense.] Greb-shak considered telling him about the absurdity of the last thing he heard but chose to leave it. Brodie, thinking that this Aurome man thought of him as a monstrous potential or ¡®monster¡¯, period wouldn¡¯t help anything immediately anyway. [Should we drive back to the front and pretend we forgot something inside?] Brodie asked, and Smegma shook his head. He doubted they¡¯d still be talking at that point, and it would only draw more suspicion from Varnish, if they did. It wasn¡¯t worth it. * * * Dave moved his food around his plate with his fork as the table continued to discuss what was going on in the case. I watched him doing it, trying to put myself in his shoes. I could tell he was not happy with something but what exactly that was, I couldn¡¯t say. He¡¯d probably tell me in time once he collected his thoughts. I tuned back in just as Ms. Stovall finished saying, ¡°¡ªa threat for sure.¡± I mentally replayed the conversation and realized she was talking about Mr. Varnish¡¯s final words to us as he moved to escort us out. My dad picked up the thread she left hanging. ¡°So you¡¯re thinking it¡¯s going to get worse?¡± ¡°I would be prepared for it to, yes. That offer to commute Brodie¡¯s ¡®sentence¡¯ wasn¡¯t completely fabricated¡ªbut for them to make it, shows some of their intentions in this case. Since the trial date isn¡¯t set yet, my offices can¡¯t start looking through what they have¡ªbut I think their goal is to make life so bad that you might be willing to plead out to make them stop. That or I¡¯m missing something¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re missing something,¡± Smegma said with his usual lack of decorum. ¡°Those two from the Larvae Guild just wanted Brodie in the room for some reason. I was able to stay behind and listen in for just a few moments. We discussed it on the drive back from your office. We have to assume that Seleff can see people Skills in certain contrived circumstances. I figure it''s either those weird-ass glasses he was wearing or maybe he has a Skill with circumstantial activation?¡± ¡°Do those exist?¡± Ms. Stovall asked. Smegma blinked at her and then around at the table before face palming. ¡°Yes, they exist. For example, he could have something like a Diplomacy Skill, which would trigger only if two parties are sitting down to discuss the terms of a deal. Then he might get extra information on the other side of negotiations or something. The fact that you all aren¡¯t aware of how to even see your Skill Cards is unreal.¡± ¡°Wait¡ªSkill Cards? Does he mean; see our Skills without going to the UNMH and spending outrageous amounts of money?" Dave exclaimed, as he perked up. I started to nod but then realized I had a Spent Mana Crystal in my Necklace of Holding. With everything that had happened since I stole it¡ªI¡¯d forgotten. I continued my nod, with a small stutter, one that Dave didn¡¯t miss. I shrugged to my friend and then said, ¡°I don¡¯t think discussing this more without a trial date is going to do much. I¡¯m going to head upstairs with Dave and fill him in on some of the¡­ other stuff.¡± I could tell that my parents weren¡¯t thrilled that I was excusing myself from further speculations, but Ms. Stovall stood up and said, ¡°Brodie has a point. I¡¯ll make sure to get your accounts unfrozen tomorrow, or at least get a proper monthly amount allocated for living expenses. I¡¯ll look into the Larvae Guild through legal channels and figure out why they aren¡¯t registered with UNMH, as well. Brodie, it¡¯s even more important that we get some videos uploaded to SwiftGram¡ªso tomorrow, make sure you wear your camera.¡± Nodding, I motioned for Dave to stand up as I did so. Together we headed up to my bedroom. Dave snaked his way into my office chair when I was holding the door open for him. I gave him a look before sitting on the floor with my back leaning against the footboard on my bed. ¡°You seemed distracted after Smegma showed himself to you.¡± Dave¡¯s smile fell and he scanned the room for the Demon. When he located him, he shuddered for a moment but then cleared his throat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I know I shouldn¡¯t be jealous but¡ª¡± He cut off mid-sentence and stared at the carpet, clearly looking for words. When he looked back up, he gave a shrug that said he hadn¡¯t found the right words but he was going to try. ¡°I just wish it had happened to me, is all.¡± At my frown, he hurried to explain. ¡°Sure, there¡¯s a lot of bad shit going on in your life, but to have a Skill like that. Husk, Brodie¡ªyou could become a world-renowned Hunter¡ªprobably even a Ranker.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not how it''s worked so far,¡± I said flatly, letting some of what I was feeling from the last few days enter my voice. Even to my own ears my voice sounded weary¡ªtired. ¡°Well, it could,¡± Smegma said. At my sigh he continued. ¡°What Brodie didn¡¯t explain is just how expensive Skills are. So, while it could work like that¡ªhe would need astronomical amounts of money. But, Mr. Mopey there has another rather big possibility he also didn¡¯t mention.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Dave asked, still sounding a bit hurt and jealous, but responding to Smegma¡¯s prompting due to the friendly ribbing in it. ¡°He may be able to purchase Skills for others as well!¡± ¡°We¡¯re not sure on that!¡± I shouted, cutting off Dave¡¯s excitement before it could mount. I only half-succeeded, so, I changed the subject as well, ¡°Smegma and I actually have a couple things to go over. Wanna help?¡± Dave nodded a bit too vigorously. It made me smile, even as I motioned for Dave to pass me my school laptop from where it rested on the bookshelf. As soon as he looked away and stood up I snaked the chair back from him. He made a small, annoyed grunt of protest but then pulled over a bedside table to sit on. He had been in my room enough to feel at home, and we¡¯d used this exact setup for a few projects in first year. ¡°Which option did we finish with?¡± Smegma said lazily, which caused both Dave and I to look over. The Demon had chosen to lie on my bed¡ªwhich was a pointless gesture, sure, but just seeing Smegma on my covers made my skin crawl for some reason. I couldn¡¯t even have honestly told you why I was adverse to the Demon¡¯s choice of locations to hover, but maybe it was the way he lay on his side with his hand resting against the side of his head as if to say ¡®paint me like one of your french girls¡¯. Goosebumps raised on my skin unbidden. I froze for long enough that Smegma glanced at me, just as I realized what else was disturbing about the view. I had never really taken a closer look at Smegma¡¯s feet before. Now, I was aware of another deadly weapon the creature possessed. And this was a race that failed to Ascend? I shivered before shaking myself out of the moment and glancing at my screen. ¡°You had just given me the information on Finder, but give me one sec as I catch Dave up with the options.¡± I spent the next twenty minutes going through the twelve sub-Skill options Smegma already conveyed to me and giving Dave the brief description Smegma had relayed. Dave¡¯s excitement had returned once he realized what exactly he was helping with. I could tell he was still disappointed, and slightly jealous¡ªbut an inner focus I¡¯d come to know in first year overrode those emotions, either channeling them into something productive or truly countering their energies. Dave asked questions¡ªthat¡¯s just who he was. It was why I liked him so much. The proto-typical skeptic, he was never a hundred percent sold on anything. Just as an example, there was a contingent of people that believed the monster invasion was a government conspiracy but had no real facts to support it. I¡¯d seen Dave have a totally rational conversation with a man about it, where he just asked pointed questions that continually poked holes in the wild theory. In the end, the man hadn¡¯t changed his views on the topic but I could tell he was flustered. Simply put, Dave had a great mind for things like this. A thought process that looked at the presented information and dissected it in ways mine didn¡¯t. We spent another forty minutes, bringing the time spent up to an hour total with him doing just that. By the end of it, I was smiling, because I had needed this. Smegma of course was annoyed. Whether it was because he hadn¡¯t thought of possibilities Dave brought up, or because he wasn¡¯t being relied upon by me as heavily for speculations about each sub-skill, I couldn¡¯t say. But I did know at least one thing. Dave had started by asking questions of Smegma, and eventually stopped. Why? Well, Smegma was only given a sub-Skill and a paragraph of a description. He didn¡¯t have more information. After five answers to that effect, Dave had started speculating without including the Demon. On second thought, I guess I knew the reason Smegma was unhappy. 046 Thursday, April 18th, 2069 ¡°So, we¡¯ve narrowed it down to four options?¡± Dave reiterated. Yawning, I moused over to the ¡®keeper¡¯ page on the Accel Sheets app I had used. It was one in the morning, and we hadn¡¯t taken a single break from our current mission. Since my mouth was occupied with a second, larger yawn, I held up five fingers to convey the correction. ¡°What was the fifth again?¡± Dave asked. ¡°Buffs, Classes, Crafter, Merchant and Titles,¡± I answered sleepily. ¡°Oh right, Merchant was because you would get a percentage of Mana Coins for every sale you make in real-world currency?¡± Dave asked, trying to recall the speculation he¡¯d made a few hours before. ¡°That¡¯s not how it¡¯s going to work,¡± Smegma said haughtily. ¡°The description states it will allow Brodie to buy and sell equipment from other System-approved merchants using accumulated ¡®worldly wealth¡¯. That single sentence makes it clear to me.¡± ¡°Clear in what way?¡± Dave asked, not trying to upset the Demon but clearly succeeding since he was questioning again. ¡°If the System is involved then Demonic Vault isn¡¯t the Skill that will be affected. He already can buy and sell wares from the Abyss Sect¡ªso why would you assume that means he¡¯d get Mana Coins, which is a currency we developed.¡± ¡°I¡¯m simply speculating that he will either gain access to other Merchants outside of the Abyssal Sect that will accept our world''s prevalent currency, or somehow if Demonic Vault is the approved Merchant, some real world-wealth will somehow transfer over.¡± ¡°Abyss Sect,¡± Smegma said pointedly, correcting Dave¡¯s mistake. Dave nodded his head in affirmation to the correction. Then snapped his fingers as if he thought of something. ¡°If it¡¯s the latter, it could work by funneling the Mana to your sect, or something so both sides win. From what we¡¯ve discussed tonight, the System doesn¡¯t seem to be unfair.¡± Smegma went quiet. I couldn¡¯t quite tell if it was because of his concern over his Sect or if Dave¡¯s logic had made him truly reconsider. Still, I didn¡¯t want either one of them making the hard decision that this choice was the best. My gut instinct was telling me the exact opposite, in fact. ¡°I still don¡¯t think this is the right choice,¡± I said. ¡°To make this a viable Skill I would need to start a business where I¡¯m selling and buying materials. Not only is that unfeasible at this specific moment, I doubt it will ever be possible. Becoming a conglomerate or powerhouse in the sales world isn¡¯t easy. I¡¯d need connections to powerful people, Guilds and more.¡± ¡°At a bare minimum you¡¯d need powerful backers or a substantial amount of capital to even get started,¡± Dave added. ¡°Exactly. Imagine me trying to compete with HBC or Wallsmart or even larger companies. I¡¯d get blown out of the water.¡± ¡°Not if you¡¯re offering something unique,¡± Smegma said quietly. The tone in his voice made me pause. At the silence that statement brought, Smegma looked up with his black eyes. Seeing mine and Dave¡¯s undivided attention he quickly said, ¡°You¡¯ve said that getting new Skills in this world doesn¡¯t work the same as Crendalar Five. You don¡¯t get Card Shards that can be collected and combined into a given Skill. I now can recall that the System changed Skill acquisition quite heavily with each new integration. So, while I am sure that there is a method to get new Skills out there¡ªit either hasn¡¯t been discovered yet, or it is being kept a secret by the rich and powerful.¡± ¡°But what if Brodie can actually buy Skills from Demonic Vault and transfer them to others!¡± Dave added excitedly. ¡°Now, you¡¯re selling something that is currently unique and powerful. Once word gets out, individuals will come to you. Then you don¡¯t need backers or multiple powerful connections. You just need to start with one and use word of mouth.¡± Dave clicked his tongue, which was a sure sign he had thought of an argument to Smegma¡¯s point. ¡°There are still some rather glaring unknowns in that,¡± he began disappointedly. ¡°First, I doubt American Greenbacks will convert directly over to Mana Coins. So, you¡¯d be asking the first buyer to purchase in Mana Crystals to ensure that you can get a Skill from the shop.¡± ¡°More than just that. If this was possible, wouldn¡¯t Morgan Hallsbrad, with an actual business called ¡®The Shop,¡¯ have been selling Skills? Also, someone with access to that amount of Mana Crystals is already going to be A-rank or higher,¡± I added, seeing where Dave was headed. ¡°Good point on Morgan, but he may not have taken the Merchant sub-Skill, or better yet¡ªhow do we know he wasn¡¯t selling Skills? But back to the Skill sales. You aren¡¯t even sure that the Skills in the Shop will be transferable. But let¡¯s say they are¡ªlet¡¯s further say you have a Skill that someone with the proper funds would want or might make them more survivable. What¡¯s the highest rank you currently have access to, Smegma?¡± Dave asked. ¡°High-B,¡± Smegma said proudly. ¡°What¡¯s the cheapest B-rank skill?¡± I asked, letting my voice carry the weariness I felt. ¡°Half a trillion Mana Coins¡­¡± Smegma replied dejectedly. My inhalation became loud as I tried and failed to hold onto the budding excitement that their conversation had ignited in me. On my exhalation, I was back to my earlier exhausted equilibrium. ¡°Okay, so we¡¯ll revisit Merchant later?¡± ¡°Another fallacy. Just because you¡¯ve gotten access to a sub-Skill with each Upgrade doesn¡¯t mean you will on the next one,¡± Dave joked. I ignored him pointedly by pointing out the first of the Skills listed on the ¡®keeper¡¯ page. ¡°What do we think about Buffs?¡± ¡°It¡¯s great for others,¡± Dave replied, even as he chuckled at his own joke. ¡°I really don¡¯t love it. Just like Merchant, if you were going to start your own business it would be pretty fantastic. Or if you were a Hunter and it worked as we speculate¡ªagain, fantastic. Right now¡­¡± Dave left that hanging and I nodded. The paragraph we knew about the Skill seemed to be about me sharing my Stats or Skills with others in a radius around me. That had been what drew us to putting it in the ¡®keeper¡¯ section. What if I could share my Mining Skill with all the Miners in the Portal? Or if I gained a powerful Skill from Demonic Vault and could give it to other Hunters. Hell, even sharing my Recovery would be a huge boon for any Hunting team. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. However, what would that gain me right now? Nothing. I didn¡¯t own the Mining Team. So, increased production would only benefit Jagger and the Guild who hired him. Attempting to join a Hunting party was even less beneficial for me. It stemmed back to the problem I¡¯d faced when wanting to find a permanent Mana Bank partnership. Just applying to join a Team as an untested F-rank was going to be difficult, if not outright impossible. That or it would likely put me in a horrible situation where I¡¯d be slaved out to possible greeds. I shuddered at that thought. ¡°Next is Classes,¡± I pointedly said, changing the topic with no room for more debate. ¡°Enables a Class bestowal by the System,¡± Smegma said simply, either recalling the simple description or reading it again. ¡°It sure is lacking in description,¡± Dave agreed. ¡°But there are a few things I think are inferred by the wording.¡± I nodded seeing the implication I believed he was mentioning. ¡°By the System?¡± I asked to confirm. Dave nodded, and Smegma did as well. ¡°This sub-Skill has the possibility for the greatest immediate effect. But it could also be a huge dud.¡± ¡°Dud?¡± Smegma asked. ¡°It means that it could be worthless.¡± ¡°Ahhh,¡± Smegma said but then shook his head. ¡°No, the System, while the bane of worldly existence has always been somewhat fair. If something is bestowed by the System, it is powerful and earned. Like the unique Ore that Brodie got.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± Dave questioned. ¡°Here¡¯s another question, then. Why did Brodie earn the unique Meteorite thing that spawned a Golem which almost killed him?¡± I laughed at the chippy add-ons that Dave tacked on to his question. Smegma narrowed his eyes, unsure if Dave was poking fun at him, the System or Brodie. ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to confirm it yet, but I think his Mining Skill was ready to Evolve and the meteorite was an Evolution catalyst¡ªa huge waste, I might add, that you used it for a Rank F to E evolution, but there¡¯s no guarantee the System would have presented you with another opportunity. Also, if you use the mid-rank Crystal in your necklace, you could confirm this theory!¡± ¡°Right, right,¡± I said as I pulled the mid-ranked Spent Mana Crystal out of the Necklace of Holding. I¡¯d put off doing so immediately upon getting upstairs, not wanting to distract Dave, myself or Smegma from the task of sorting through sub-Skills. Now that we had them narrowed down, it was probably the right time. ¡°That¡¯s a Mana Crystal?¡± Dave asked. I nodded and he frowned. ¡°Why don¡¯t I see clear Mana Crystals often?¡± ¡°Because your idiot race breaks them into tiny pieces and then burns them to extract the mana,¡± Smegma practically cursed. ¡°Wait¡ªso that¡¯s why we haven¡¯t discovered the uses of them yet, and why there aren¡¯t many whole Crystals on the market?¡± Dave said, growing excited again. At my look he elaborated. ¡°From my understanding you can create these at will?¡± Licking my lips from his tone I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m rethinking the Merchant option,¡± Dave explained. ¡°This is a far simpler product that you could create endlessly. Everyone down to the elderly would want to buy one¡ªif just for the novelty of knowing their inborn Skill.¡± ¡°You¡¯re suggesting I undercut the UNMH market on Skill appraisal?¡± I asked skeptically. ¡°Husk,¡± Dave said, his excitement dying on the word like a fly in a zapper. ¡°I was simply thinking that it would be something that would sell endlessly, giving you hundreds of millions of transactions, which goes directly to the Skill description, but you¡¯re right. That only works if you¡¯re still alive.¡± I could tell, like me, Smegma was thinking the original concept through, because he was tapping a talon on his teeth. I shelved the issue for now, and began channeling Mana into the Crystal, even as I said, ¡°Regardless, I¡¯ll at least try to grab one for you tomorrow.¡± Dave¡¯s face broke into a smile, even as he turned away with his cheeks flushing. The silence only lasted because both of us made a point of studying the screen and the descriptions of the sub-Skills until the Mana Crystal glowed brightly enough to distract us. Thinking of finally learning what my Mana Pool Skill was had me holding my breath. The very first Card on top was something new. The picture of a shimmering wall, that grew old, was rebuilt, crumbled, and became bigger, flashed over its aquamarine backing. Believing this to be Mental Fortitude, I turned it over, glanced at the title and then put it aside to stare at the next card. It was red and orange, with ¡®cracks¡¯ of black running through it. The decal reminded me of cooling magma. At first, I was distracted enough not to see the image that the card created in the pattern. Then because the image pulsed, I saw it. Mostly because one expects a heart to beat, I supposed. The cracks resolved in my mind into dark, black metal chains that seemed to constrict around the organ. Swallowing against my newly dry mouth, throat and lips, I slowly turned over the card.
[Locked] Dragon Heart Skill Type: Secondary Pool, Skillsteal Skill Rank: High-B-Rank A dragon heart is one of the most mysterious organs in existence. While it can act as a Mana, [Locked], and [Locked] Pool it is so much more. Each Dragon Heart has its own unique properties and sub-Skills, depending on the Dragon it comes from. Dragon Heart¡¯s effects are multiplied by [Locked] and [Locked] stats. Sub-Skills: Mana Pool (Growth) ¨C 45 / 50 Skill Copy & Cannibalism [Locked] [Locked] [Locked] ¡­
The list of ¡®locked¡¯ sub-Skills continued until there were eight listed. Since I couldn¡¯t stop staring at the card, I double-counted, just to be sure. ¡°What in the¡ª¡± I tried to say, but it was more of a croak than a sentence. I swallowed again, wetting my throat before trying once more. ¡°What in the world?¡± No answer came and I looked over my shoulder to find Dave and a Demon both staring at the card with wide, shocked eyes. My gaze snapped Dave out of his stupor first. ¡°What the hell?!¡± he said, mirroring my own sentiment. That exclamation got Smegma to start. ¡°By the Horned!¡± he said, using a curse or reverent prayer I¡¯d never heard him utter before. My throat had gone dry again, and smartly I swallowed before I tried to speak this time. ¡°Do Dragons exist?¡± ¡°Until this exact moment?¡± Smegma stammered. ¡°I would have said no¡­¡± ¡°But now?¡± Dave asked, and I could hear the smile in his voice before even glancing at him. ¡°Get husked,¡± Smegma said playfully, going as far as to chuckle at himself and the situation. ¡°Still, if I¡¯m reading this right¡ªthen you don¡¯t have an actual Mana Pool. That¡¯s why it started in the F-rank and has been growing. Plus, the Skill Copy & Cannibalism ability must have unlocked¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, quickly cutting him off before he could sour the mood. There would be plenty of time for that later. Right now, I was marveling at the potential this Skill had, and wanted to stay on that topic. ¡°How is this Skill B-ranked? It seems insanely strong. If this is what the System considers B-rank, then I have no idea what an S-rank Skill would even look like. Also, it seems to suggest that there are two other ¡®pools of power¡¯. Do you know what they are, Smegma?¡± ¡°It''s B-ranked right now¡ªwith your Mana Pool and Skill Cannibalism unlocked. We don¡¯t know what rank it will end up once all those sub-Skills are available. As for the various resource pools? I have a guess. Remember when I told you about the three Stats on Crendalar, and the pools they unlocked?¡± ¡°Oh!¡± I said, looking at the locked options again. So, I could unlock Force and Endurance pools through my Dragon Heart¡­ I paused as my own heart stuttered over the word ¡®my.¡¯ I could feel a surge of warmth start in my chest, at the thought. It was my Skill. Something I had been embarrassed by in the past, when I¡¯d thought it was an F-rank. Now, it had suddenly morphed into something I was proud of. Something that, by the reaction of Smegma, made me rare and unique¡ªpossibly as much or even more so than the Demonic Vault Skill. That pride dried up when a sudden realization soured the mood. ¡°Is this why Morgan Hallsbrad came after me?¡± Smegma¡¯s widening eyes were answer enough. 047 Thursday, April 18th, 2069 ¡°What if Morgan Hallsbrad was a Skill broker?¡± Smegma said while scratching his ear. ¡°But instead of buying the skills from the shop he had the Extraction sub-skill and was taking powerful skills from people.¡± ¡°You¡¯re thinking he had Extraction, and Merchant?¡± Dave said, as he pulled up the information on Extraction. With wide eyes he then pulled up a browser window and moogled the murders that had plagued the eastern coast of the United States. I couldn¡¯t speak for Smegma or Dave but the growing pit in my stomach told me they were onto something. ¡°Ahh, but a lot of the dead were F-to-D-Ranked,¡± Dave said after a quick pass over an article. ¡°Excuse me if I don¡¯t have faith in your worlds measurement standards,¡± Smegma answered as he gestured to me. I began to nod in agreement before freezing¡ª ¡°No, Dave¡¯s still got a point. Why would Morgan attack people that were rated as F-rank. Wouldn¡¯t it be more likely that he targeted me by coincidence?¡± ¡°What if someone he worked for could read skills?¡± Dave countered, his voice sounding like he was still thinking through that theory. ¡°Like the guy you said was at the meeting with Mr. Varnish!¡± Smegma¡¯s black eyes widened as he pointed to Dave in acknowledgement. ¡°The skill Diplomacy I mentioned wouldn¡¯t work, because of the requirements¡ªbut if someone had Eyes of Truth or similar¡­¡± ¡°Eyes of Truth?¡± I interjected, wanting some more information. ¡°It¡¯s a skill that can see information about the target. At low ranks it showed us Crendalarians the names of targets. Then as it ranked up it would start to give more¡ªlike Mana, Force or Stamina Pool figures. Eventually even listing skills.¡± Smegma paused for a moment looking distant, then added, ¡°But it was prohibitively difficult to rank up.¡± ¡°Still, it doesn¡¯t have to be the same skill,¡± Dave said, taking up the string Smegma had left hanging. ¡°If we''re right, all the owner of the skill has to do is have passed by these targets, seen their skills, and marked them as something more valuable then the UNMH believed. We can¡¯t prove any of this¡ªfor example where would this person have come across Brodie?¡± Up to that moment I had felt like the threads of a mysterious tapestry were being untangled and woven together to paint a picture¡ªbut with Dave¡¯s last line they started to knot back up. Right up until I actually replayed what I had been doing the days leading up to the attack. The long days waiting in line to see Arnando. With a brush of my wrist I took back my laptops mouse pad and entered my own search. The dates for Arnando¡¯s photoshoots came up and I resized the window to place it beside the articles list of homicide victims. My heart started beating rapidly, thumping in my ears even as I felt my feet and hands go numb. The dates mostly coincided¡ªwhile only some locations did. However, my family had driven to Toronto for the shoot, and the attack had happened in Windsor. So, location could be in the vicinity¡­ The room was silent as I pulled up a map and checked some of the locations. I started dropping pins and stared as the pattern began to snap into place. Some of the dates weren¡¯t perfect because two or three victims fell inside the range of the shoot. ¡°Husk me!¡± Dave hissed. ¡°It¡¯s Arnando!¡± That statement bounced me out of my shocked stare and allowed me to hear some of my own thoughts on the matter. ¡°I doubt it,¡± I said. ¡°Why would a world renowned photographer be involved in something like this. He shouldn¡¯t need the money¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but how many staff members were at the shoot? How many other participants?¡± Dave asked. Smegma had been staring between the screen and me while staying quiet to that point. Every so often he would vigorously scratch at his head¡ªlike there was something there he wanted to remember but couldn¡¯t. ¡°We should probably show this to that Stovall woman,¡± he said, breaking his silence. ¡°Maybe she can pull some strings to investigate the picture shoot guy.¡± I nodded to Smegma¡¯s point but then returned to Dave¡¯s to address both of them. ¡°Well, there were thousands for sure¡ªso if it¡¯s a ¡®participant¡¯ it would be pretty easy to hide amongst the crowd.¡± Dave held up a finger. ¡°But would there be a list of people who got pictures taken multiple times over every event?¡± I shook my head. ¡°This time you¡¯ve presented the fallacy,¡± I said jokingly. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have to get pictures taken each event. Just be in line or milling about for a few days. There were so many people there I don¡¯t think I would recognize anyone, other than the people who immediately surrounded me.¡± ¡°What if the skill has requirements like Diplomacy, though?¡± Smegma countered. ¡°Like the guy had to use a tool or circumstance to read peoples skills. Was there anyone acting oddly?¡± Smegma paused but then sheepishly added, ¡°Other than paying absurd sums for images of themselves¡­¡± ¡°You just couldn¡¯t let that opportunity to go by?¡± I said distractedly, over Dave¡¯s guffaw. My mind was buzzing as it tried to pull up memories from my peripherals on the days leading up to the photoshoot. I could recall some assholes arguing with each other over saving spots. A woman breaking down into hysterics because she¡¯d woken up with acne on the morning she was supposed to head in. But nothing stood out as odd to me. Right up until I recalled that moment with the drunken man, as I left. It had been around noon and while the people could drink whenever they wanted¡ªit wasn¡¯t like this was a football game and he was tailgating. Plus, his yellowing skin and eyes suggested he spent a good deal of time in that state¡­ Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Did it fit? I conveyed the interaction to Smegma and Dave, silencing the two, who had both begun taking turns poking fun at my ¡®life¡¯ choices. I amended an earlier thought that had only included one of them. Who needed enemies with friends like them? ¡°That would certainly be an odd requirement?¡± Smegma stated and questioned simultaneously making it clear he wasn¡¯t convinced by my discovery. ¡°It¡¯s somewhere to start,¡± Dave said. ¡°Put this all in an email to Ms. Stovall. Let her and her team sort through it for now. Even if you don¡¯t find the Skill Identifier guy, you¡¯ve already showed that the attack was premeditated. That should drastically strengthen your self-defense case, right?¡± I shook my head almost instantly. Already seeing how Morgan¡¯s presence would be explained away. ¡°They¡¯re claiming he was a Private Eye investigating the murders. So, they could just say he was aware of this information, right?¡± ¡°Sure, but there¡¯s a huge hole in that excuse. You¡¯ve been to a single one of these photoshoots. So, why would he suspect you?¡± Dave countered and I felt my eyebrows rise in appreciation. I nodded and opened up an email to Ms. Stovall. An hour later, I¡¯d put everything I could think of into the email, and the three of us sat in silence¡ªthinking over the bombshell of a discovery we¡¯d just made. Dave of course couldn¡¯t let the moment of appreciation last. ¡°We should be husking detectives!¡± ¡°Yeah, sure, the Police need you two like I need a body,¡± Smegma said derisively even as he started laughing. Me and Dave exchanged a look, and smirked. ¡°Why so you can touch yourself?¡± Dave began. ¡°Oh, that makes sense,¡± I added. ¡°I¡¯ve always told you a good wank will make you less grumpy¡ª¡± Smegma growled, which cut me off¡ªand simultaneously caused me and Dave to erupt in laughter. I might have felt bad for the Demon if he wasn¡¯t always doing shit like this to me. A moment after even he joined in with our laughter. ¡°Okay, can we get back to sub-skills, now?¡± Smegma said a bit too quickly. Clearly wanting to change the subject. I nodded and opened back up my Accel Spreadsheet. ¡°I think we were on Classes¡ªbefore we discovered my new skill¡ªoh shit!¡± I picked the stack of cards up from my desk and flipped to Mining.
Mining (Evolvable) (11) Low-E-Rank As you mine you slowly improve your understanding of minerals, ores, and crystals. As this Skill grows this individual will notice improvements to all actions related to Mining. This Skill is multiplied by the Strength stat.
Two parts of the card stood out to me and I pointed at the bottom where the line, ¡®Current max level reached until Evolution Condition is reached.¡¯ Was missing. Then at the rank. ¡°You were right Smegma it leveled up." ¡°I know I was right, I¡¯m a genius!¡± ¡°At touching yourself at night,¡± Dave chimed in, which caused me to snort while trying to remain serious. Smegma transferring a menacing black eyed stare on my friend broke me and I started laughing again. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll both pay for this,¡± Smegma whispered. But again quickly shifted the topic. ¡°So, Classes?!¡± ¡°Right, right,¡± I responded mirthfully. ¡°I think you have to take it,¡± Dave stated, surprising both me and Smegma. ¡°What? Why?¡± I answered, instantly sobered by the level of confidence in my friends tone. I knew Dave was smart, so surely he had a reason for saying that. ¡°If the system is going to give you a class, and you have a skill called Dragon¡¯s Heart, and Demonic Vault¡ªisn¡¯t it likely that you¡¯ll get a husking epic class?¡± ¡°Not how it works,¡± Smegma interjected quickly. ¡°He also has Mining, Mental Fortitude and Recovery Skills¡ª¡± Either my wince or my mental scream warned Smegma because he cut off. Dave was staring at the cards in front of me. I realized I hadn¡¯t told him the names of my other inherited skills. I handed him the cards and he pursed his lips as he accepted. I could feel the waves of suppressed jealousy from him as he flipped through. It was one thing knowing I had multiple skills and another to see them¡ªon literal display. After he finished, he neatly stacked the cards but refused to look up. A strange click sounded, and it took me a few words into what he said to realize he¡¯d clicked his teeth. ¡°I still think you have to take Classes. Mining is low level when you compare it to the top four. One C-rank, Two B-ranks and an A-rank, would have to have more input on what the system grants¡ªsurely.¡± He still hadn¡¯t looked up from the cards, in his white knuckled hands. I realized he was fighting off his internal jealously fiercely. I also realized that the silence wasn¡¯t likely to be helping so I hurried to answer. ¡°I¡¯m not the expert on the system but that logic makes sense.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right, but only if the system is taking the skills into consideration with the class choice. It could be using your actions to select it. And what do you think you¡¯ll be doing for the next weeks, months and years?¡± ¡°Mining,¡± I said but Smegma¡¯s comment seemed to have also roused Dave. ¡°Sure, but with your logic is circular. Should he wait until he is a Hunter to take Classes?¡± Smegma shrugged while showing his three fingered palms, the gesture saying, ¡®of course¡¯ to me. ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s so circular. How long will it take him to buy one of your skills if he doesn¡¯t take a good sub-skill to help him? I would argue that becoming a Miner Class would still get him to his goal of a Hunter faster¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s not wrong,¡± Smegma said, turning to me. ¡°We¡¯re also not the one making the final decision.¡± I let my mouth fall open and my eyes widen as I pointed at the Demon. ¡°Did you just admit you might be wrong?¡± ¡°Oh, get Husked! I swear I will turn invisible again and make you repeat everything I husking say!¡± That got a laugh out of Dave and then shortly after myself. This time I brought us back to task. ¡°Let¡¯s go over Crafter and Titles.¡± ¡°If you take Crafter, I think it will be better to take Merchant,¡± Dave said as he pointed to the description on the screen. ¡°Grants the skill Crafting. Crafting will allow the user to make items from all Crafting Skills. However, it will only grant knowledge based on Stats that are associated with said skill, no matter the level of Crafting.¡± I read aloud. Then added my two cents, ¡°Not to mention I only have Strength unlocked. So, if I¡¯m reading this right I might gain a High-F-Rank Blacksmith skill¡ªif that¡¯s based on Strength¡­¡± ¡°Still, it isn¡¯t like you can¡¯t grow your stats,¡± Smegma countered, while looking uninterested. I could tell he was playing Devil¡¯s Advocate and didn¡¯t really want me to take the skill. It had only made the list because of the Merchant sub-skill after all. ¡°Moving on,¡± I said pointedly and saw Smegma smirk. ¡°Titles¡­¡± ¡°This is instantly the most promising and the riskiest sub-skill,¡± Smegma said, but sounded excited. ¡°I think it will pair with Classes well, like Merchant and Crafter. However, none of us have ever heard of a system title before. And that¡¯s saying something in my case.¡± Dave and I looked at each other pointedly again, both probably thinking the same thing. ¡®Did the system award something from touching yourself?¡¯ Smegma gave us both the middle finger, having read my thoughts, but he continued, ¡°So Titles might be extremely difficult to acquire which would likely make them more powerful as well¡­¡± ¡°What if you just take one sub-skill for now?¡± Dave suggested. ¡°You just said that I need to take Classes to become a Hunter faster. Surely taking two sub-skills is the same premise?¡± I responded. ¡°I¡¯m not saying not to take two¡ªI¡¯m just saying take one¡ªsee how it functions and then reassess. Smegma¡¯s right. Titles has the potential to pair with what we assume Classes will do, but who¡¯s to husking say?¡± I pointed to my friend in acknowledgement of the thought, and then looked to Smegma who nodded introspectively. That was good enough for me. ¡°So, Classes then?¡± ¡°Classes,¡± Dave and Smegma said in unison. 048 Thursday, April 18th, 2069 ¡°Smegma? Nothing happened,¡± I said, after waiting what felt like an entire minute. ¡°Of course nothing happened, you moron, I haven¡¯t done anything. It¡¯s asking me to confirm my choice, and I¡¯m reading through the terms of service.¡± ¡°Oh, just click accept, those never get enforced,¡± Dave said, his nonchalance at his admittance a bit worrisome. If Smegma wasn¡¯t in my peripheral vision I wouldn¡¯t have noticed his incredulous stare that I hoped matched my own. Dave looked at me and then Smegma, ¡°What? They don¡¯t!¡± ¡°No, you likely just haven¡¯t broken one yet¡­¡± I said as if speaking to a child. Smegma looked at me and a lightbulb seemed to go off behind his eyes. ¡°Who cares about the ¡®terms of service¡¯ you humans have husking created? This is the System! It has infinite resources and punishes all transgressions. Ever heard the saying dick around and find out?¡± ¡°No, that term doesn¡¯t husking exist,¡± Dave said sourly. ¡°Well, it did on Crendalar. You know what it got changed to?¡± ¡°Smegma, you do realize I just learned about other planets today, right?¡± Dave answered. ¡°It was rhetorical asshat! The saying changed after the System arrived and it became, dick around and lose the dick!¡± I grabbed my member unconsciously from the tone and pointedness that Smegma used. When I looked back to Dave, he was doing the same. ¡°Exactly, stupid child. If you ever get terms of service from the System, read them carefully¡­¡± ¡°Gotcha,¡± Dave said, risking his precious man parts to un-cup them and fire a finger gun in confirmation at the Demon. We both sat in silence waiting for Smegma to finish. ¡°Nothing too worrisome¡ªbasically just says you can¡¯t have two Skills that give you a Class. The only problematic line says that once a Class is selected it can¡¯t be changed until the allotted time period and that if a new Class is selected before that time, you will lose all Skills and ranks of any Skills associated with the Class.¡± ¡°Why is that worrisome?¡± Dave asked before I could. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t really say what that time period is. Still, it¡¯s more about losing the Skills. It means that the first Class you choose might be one you can¡¯t change out of.¡± ¡°But these Classes still come with Skills!¡± Dave said. ¡°Can¡¯t or shouldn¡¯t?¡± I said as a follow up even as Smegma talked over us both. ¡°It does seem like a very powerful sub-Skill, and that¡¯s what worries me. There is no way to know. Like if Brodie chooses a Class in Mining, and because of the Skill, he is able to create an amazing life for himself¡ªthen he may never change Class because he grows comfortable and doesn¡¯t want to lose the Skills he¡¯s gained and grown.¡± ¡°That¡¯s still a good thing, you goober!¡± I exclaimed in exasperation. ¡°Now accept and move on.¡± ¡°Oh, husk,¡± Smegma said. ¡°It takes two sub-Skill slots.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Dave asked, seeming to be torn between thinking Smegma was joking or not. ¡°Why would I make that up?¡± ¡°Cause you¡¯re a goober!¡± I enunciated the word for the second time. ¡°Do you even know what that is? Cause I have no idea,¡± Smegma said. ¡°Me either, man,¡± Dave intoned with a look of concern. ¡°You really should have just called him a greed-pig or something, man. You trying to watch your language or something?¡± ¡°My parents are home, so yes,¡± I said. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve probably failed multiple times already. Well¡­¡± Dave retorted, then tried to think back on our conversation. ¡°Maybe not?¡± ¡°Who gives a shit?¡± Smegma said. ¡°They¡¯re just sounds you¡¯re making with your mouth¡­¡± ¡°His mom gets offended¡­¡± Dave explained. ¡°Okay, but isn¡¯t being offended by something a choice?¡± Smegma asked, sounding seriously confused by the explanation. ¡°Yeah, and she chooses to be offended by bad language,¡± I answered. ¡°And we kind of live in her house¡­¡± ¡°So, you¡¯d get kicked out for making noises a family member finds distasteful?¡± Smegma asked and began tapping on his teeth in thought. ¡°We Demons killed our siblings and our parents praised us.¡± ¡°How does that even remotely compare to¡ª? You know what? Nevermind. Can we just move on?¡± I asked, not wanting to get into a discussion about the differences between Crendalar and Earth. ¡°So, I¡¯m still choosing it?¡± Smegma said, snapping out of his tangent. ¡°It¡¯s only sounding more powerful to me,¡± Dave said, chiming in with his two mana shards. ¡°Agreed,¡± I said. Smegma shrugged and then popped out of the air. There was a literal noise that accompanied his disappearance. ¡°Very funny Smegma. Where is he?¡± Dave said. ¡°Actually he vanishes when stuff happens with the Skill. This is probably not a joke, since I also can¡¯t see him¡± I answered. Smegma flew through the floor back into the space he¡¯d previously occupied, flipping Dave and I the double birds before vanishing again. ¡°Is he actually gone this time?¡± Dave asked. I held my breath and shrugged¨Cunsure how I¡¯d missed him phasing through the floor. No response to Dave¡¯s question came, mentally or otherwise. A way to check occurred to me and I dove into my Mental Universe. There I found movement around the Demonic Vault Skill. A planet was slowly growing around the sun that was the Vault Skill. It appeared to be golden in color, and I could see a ring of some kind forming around it as well. Whether the golden ring of debris was feeding the planet''s growth or being created as well, was tough to tell ¡°He¡¯s definitely gone this time,¡± I answered. ¡°Any idea how long it will take for him to come back?¡± Dave asked and I re-entered my Mental Universe. I took my time assessing the growing golden planet. At the speed it was going, it would take weeks to get to the size of the Overflow planet. Maybe only a few days to get to the Mining Moon? ¡°Ahhhh,¡± I said while still observing. ¡°It looks like it¡¯ll be a while.¡± ¡°What¡¯s ¡®a while¡¯?¡± Dave asked. ¡°Enough time to sleep on it?¡± I answered. ¡°Oh shit, is it already midnight! You mind if I crash here? I kind of don¡¯t want to be seen on campus right now anyway¡­¡± For the first time since earlier in Ms. Stovall¡¯s office I heard the worry in Dave¡¯s voice over the day¡¯s events. ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡± I asked. ¡°Honestly, no. I know I¡¯m overreacting, but every time I think about going back to that class and seeing the students'' faces again¡ª¡± Dave shivered. I swallowed a lump in my throat¡ªsomewhat knowing a muted version of that. It was a worry I had after the assault on campus¡ªright up until I ''inherited¡¯ Mental Fortitude. ¡°Even if it isn¡¯t me you should talk to someone about it?¡± ¡°Like you and your shrink?¡± Dave began and then shook himself before holding up both hands. ¡°That came out wrong. I¡¯m actually curious if it¡¯s helping. I didn¡¯t mean to be derisive. I¡¯m just husking pissed this shit happened to me.¡± I waved away the apology that his words contained but didn¡¯t outright say. ¡°Honestly, I think my Mental Fortitude is helping more, but yeah¡ªit has been kind of nice talking to her about it. I have another session in a few days. I could ask her if she¡¯d see you.¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°I don¡¯t have the money for that, Brodie, and you know I don¡¯t want to ask my parents for more money.¡± Dave¡¯s parents had kind of been an off-limits topic since I¡¯d met him in first year. So, I let that drop and suggested, ¡°Maybe you could sue the police department for unlawful actions or something?¡± Dave tilted his head back and forth a few times, waffling on that thought. Then his neck-jerked back up and he stared at me. ¡°Do you think maybe I could become a Specialist Miner as well?¡± ¡°Umm, honestly, it¡¯s kind of as easy as handing you one of the Shop¡¯s Miner¡¯s Pickaxes and making sure you balance out smashing Mana Crystals to keep it repaired, but are you sure you¡¯d want to? Would your parents be okay with it?¡± ¡°Not forever, nah, but maybe for a semester like you. Plus, if I drop out now I could still get a full refund for classes¡­¡± Dave answered. He wasn¡¯t looking at me and seemed to refuse to meet my eyes which told me that he wasn¡¯t sure of his decision. It was also why I started when he jerked his head up to look me straight in the face for a second time. ¡°You haven¡¯t said it outright to your parents, or me, but you¡¯re stealing from the job site to buy the Picks aren¡¯t you?¡± My jaw clenched so fast and hard that I heard my teeth click closed. Dave chuckled and continued, ¡°Thought so. Your dad might suspect something too, but doesn¡¯t want to say it. Anyway, maybe I can help?¡± At my twisted mouth, he hurried to say. ¡°If it helps you buy Skills faster, it may get me a Skill faster too, if you can transfer them like we¡¯re hoping¡­¡± ¡°Okay, but I can¡¯t guarantee that you¡¯ll be hired. It isn¡¯t like it¡¯s my company.¡± ¡°I mean, with what you are doing for Portal¡¯s cubed or whatever, it kind of should be.¡± I laughed even as my logical brain pointed to the fact in Dave¡¯s joke. I¡¯d had that thought myself, numerous times. Sure, there were some complications here and there, but why couldn¡¯t I start my own Mining Company? Deciding a nod was a sufficient answer, I stood up and pulled out a foam mattress cover from my closet. It was only for a twin, but we¡¯d kept it after I got a new bed so someone could take the floor without being too uncomfortable. ¡°Bro. That¡¯s so sweet of you to take the floor for your esteemed guest. I¡¯m touched.¡± He wiped a fake tear from the corner of his eye. ¡°Get husked, Dave!¡± I answered, and we laughed softly as we went through a familiar routine where we both got ready for bed. The fact that Dave had a toothbrush here in a drawer should explain how often we¡¯d done this last semester. ¡°I¡¯m starting to feel like your girlfriend man,¡± Dave said as he pulled out some pajamas that were also left from a previous sleepover. ¡°You really should have had a pretty lady over by now¡ªyou know with the way you look.¡± ¡°Yeah, ''cause that will go over well. Hey let me introduce you to my parents¡ªnow let¡¯s go upstairs. It¡¯s why I kept pestering you to borrow your room¡­¡± ¡°No hanky-panky on my bed, bud.¡± ¡°Oh, so you finally are admitting you¡¯re still a virgin.¡± ¡°First,¡± Dave said with a raised finger. ¡°I never claimed to not be a virgin. But second, it¡¯s none of your husking business!¡± The night continued like that until we were both laying down. I couldn¡¯t speak for Dave, but I was asleep almost instantly. It had been a rather long day. * * * Friday, April 19th, 2069 ¡°You¡¯re fired,¡± Jagger said, pointing at me as soon as I stepped out of our car. It was so sudden and abrupt that I looked behind me, just to be sure he hadn¡¯t meant someone else. Dave stared at me with wide eyes. Spinning back in a hurry, I asked, ¡°What? Why?¡± Even as my dad shouted, ¡°What the husk do you mean Jagger?¡± ¡°He¡¯s fired, Gary! That¡¯s what I mean. He¡¯s the reason they confiscated our goods. And someone at the WPD said if I kept him around it would just keep happening!¡± Willa, who had gone red in the face, slammed her Pickaxe into the parking lot. ¡°You mean the ¡®goods¡¯ that were only available because he killed that Golem and saved the lives of your workers? Those goods? If you even think about pulling a stunt like this, we¡¯ll get the union involved.¡± ¡°First, you¡¯ll be paying for repairs of this asphalt. Second, he is still in his probationary period, so getting the Union involved won¡¯t change the fact that he¡¯s fired. Done. Finito. Kaput. Go be someone else¡¯s problem, kid. Let your father and angry aunty make money because you¡¯re just costing me.¡± My father¡¯s face looked like he had just eaten something sour but he still placed a restraining hand on Willa¡¯s shoulder. It didn¡¯t look like he was forced to pull her back, which was at least somewhat of a blessing. However, his next words made me blink and replay them. ¡°Then we all quit.¡± In the mental replay of that moment, I realized that he had been speaking on behalf of the Specialists and not the whole crew. However, that seemed like one and the same thing, based on how Jagger started stuttering. ¡°You can¡¯t do that,¡± Jagger eventually got out, even as his face morphed to resemble something reptilian. ¡°You can¡¯t afford to live without this job, especially if your wife loses hers too.¡± The creak of clenched fists on leather, Pickaxe handles and straight popping knuckles was audible in the silence¡ªas everyone who had been in earshot reacted to that threat. My father¡¯s eyes grew so hard I stepped back from beside him. I had never seen him like this. It was a mood beyond anger. Not hot, but deadly cold. If that stare had been directed at me, I believed in that moment I would have frozen solid. Jagger noticed the temperature change too and tried to match my father¡¯s look but failed. Probably because my father growled, ¡°Watch me, you piece of shit.¡± Or perhaps it was because Uncle Jarred and Willa simultaneously said, ¡°I¡¯m done with this bullshit!¡± And then again maybe it was the look of the milling crowd. ¡®Shocked¡¯ was a mild descriptor of some of the faces. Aghast, maybe? I stared around and swallowed to wet my throat, even as I rushed to my father¡¯s side. ¡°Dad, you can¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°I can. I will not let anyone threaten my family. Let¡¯s go, guys.¡± Willa, Jarred and my dad spun in sync¡ªlike it was a practiced action. That of course left me and Dave staring at Jagger. Thankfully, his glare was on my father¡¯s back, which gave us time to spin and take a few jogging steps to catch the retreating adults. ¡°You¡¯ll regret this, Gary! No one is going to hire you in this town, and you can¡¯t afford to live anywhere better.¡± There was a pause before Jagger yelled after us again, ¡°Even if you find a job, I¡¯ll outbid the company on every contract they try for!¡± My father literally shook because he was clenching his fists around his Pickaxe so tightly. I also noticed two hands on his back¡ªone from Jarred and the other from Willa¡¯s to stop him from turning back. The exit was a bit anticlimactic because we had been literally a step or two from the car when Jagger had ¡®ambushed¡¯ me. ¡°Meet at Miner¡¯s Incorporated?¡± Willa suggested when she realized that we were already at the Ford Escort. Everyone nodded, and the group split up. Dave, myself, and my father jumped into the Ford and the exit was made even more sad, when the car didn¡¯t start on the first or second try. Thankfully the third time was the actual charm¡ªand it gave my dad time enough to calm down. I wasn¡¯t sure what would happen if he slammed the accelerator. My guess was that the engine might fall out, and with how tense I still felt, I didn¡¯t really want to find out just how embarrassing that would be. However, I truly didn¡¯t know what embarrassed meant, until a few hours later. * * * ¡°That slimy see yoU Next Tuesday!¡± Willa hissed. Everyone at the table nodded their heads, clearly knowing who she was talking about. ¡°It makes total husking sense,¡± my dad said. ¡°You two should go get your jobs back. I can¡¯t have both your families suffering because of my outburst.¡± ¡°Your outburst?¡± Jarred said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t work for that snake if he doubled my wage. No, even if he tripled it.¡± I looked to Dave, who was somewhat shrunken in on himself again. As the newest Specialist, he hadn¡¯t offered anything to any discussions all day. For that matter, neither had I. With that realization, I took a stuttering breath to convey a similar sentiment to my father¡ªbut a hand atop mine where it rested on the old stained oak table drew me up short. Willa squeezed my hand hard enough to make me jump. ¡°Hey, what the hell?¡± ¡°No, Brodie. We aren¡¯t going to get our jobs back. Plus, your mom is on her way here. We¡¯ll all move to a new city together if we husking have to. If that asshole thinks he owns us, it''s better for us all to get out, right guys?¡± Willa ended by looking at the other three at the table. Everyone but Dave nodded. He still clearly had the option to return to school on Monday and I wouldn¡¯t blame him. It seemed like getting involved with me right now meant throwing your life into a blender. ¡°Why don¡¯t you all start your own company?¡± Dave asked, so quietly that I barely heard him. Silence broken by the bartender cleaning glasses followed his whisper, and I realized everyone in the pub had heard him. Not that there were many people here. ¡°It isn¡¯t possible?¡± Willa said. ¡°Right, Gary?¡± My dad nodded sadly. ¡°We don¡¯t have the capital for it. Willa and I considered it a long time ago¡ªbut we needed at least half a million.¡± ¡°Not to mention if the police are seizing assets, they¡¯ll likely block a corporation bid,¡± Jarred added. ¡°Can we get Ms. Stovall to intercede on something like that?¡± I asked. ¡°Maybe?¡± My dad said, ¡°But that doesn¡¯t solve the problem of the capital.¡± ¡°Well, between the three of us aren¡¯t we owed six hundred thousand?¡± I countered. My dad blinked and looked at Willa. She was open mouthed and staring at me. I quickly added, ¡°It¡¯s your money, Willa. I¡¯m just saying¡ªwe could have the capital.¡± ¡°I mean,¡± Willa stammered. ¡°I kind of need that money, but if we could cut an asshat like Jagger out, then surely we¡¯d all be making more, right?¡± She said the last, looking at Jarred and my dad. ¡°That¡¯s only if Jagger pays you the bonuses,¡± Jarred said softly. The table went silent as everyone¡¯s head fell. Then he looked to Willa. ¡°Plus even if you manage to start a company it doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll be making more money,¡± he explained before further dampening the mood. ¡°Not to mention, we won¡¯t have connections to large Guilds either. So, there would be a ton more danger and lower percentages. You¡¯d need a building too, right? We have no idea what the overhead on a company like Portals, Portal¡¯s, Portalz is¡­¡± ¡°Actually, we do,¡± my mom said as she strode from the closing door toward us. She was carrying a dark brown box, which indicated she had emptied her desk. However, when she slammed it down on the table and pulled out a folder from the top I realized what it must contain. ¡°I¡¯ve been managing their books, and inputting their contracts for years. I¡¯d say I¡¯ve got a pretty good idea of how to run the backend, as well as a rather extensive client list.¡± ¡°How much did you hear?¡± My dad asked, pointing at the doorway. ¡°Just Jarred¡¯s thoughts, but I had the same thought after you called to warn me. I took copies of all my draft work since everything else is the intellectual property of P-three. I realized halfway here that we wouldn¡¯t have the money to hire lawyers to create contracts¡ªor even the ability to secure a loan either, but I assume you all thought of a way to at least scrounge up the funds?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± I admitted. ¡°We have a thought¡ªyou know the bonuses that we are owed¡­¡± My mom smiled at me appreciatively. ¡°With some work, we might be able to get a loan with that as collateral. Right?¡± ¡°What¡¯s to say that Jagger will still pay us those bonuses?¡± Willa asked, quietly, repeating Jarred¡¯s earlier thought. The whole table in unison sighed heavily. My mom said the obvious, ¡°He has to, though. It¡¯s in the contracts you all signed.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯ll make it easy, though.¡± My dad answered. ¡°Husk!¡± My mom swore. I gasped. Dave gasped. Everyone else smiled at the two of us. My mom never swore! 049 Friday, April 19th, 2069 ¡°Employment Insurance will cover Clara,¡± Ms. Stovall said. ¡°Unfortunately, you walking out on the job is going to make it hard for me to get the Union involved, Gary.¡± ¡°He threatened Clara in front of everyone!¡± My father exclaimed. ¡°We¡¯ll try to get you a lawyer to handle a case against him and with sworn testimonies, I might be able to convince the Union to cover your salary, Gary. But you realize that what legal coverage you have is already being used up with your son.¡± Ms. Stovall¡¯s face was deadly serious, making everyone stay silent. My dad sighed sadly as she turned to Willa but included Jarred and Dave with a hand gesture. ¡°You three have no recourse. You weren¡¯t threatened, and you two are under probation. Yes, Jarred, even though you¡¯re returning to the Union.¡± The glass-windowed meeting room went quiet, and I looked around searching everyone¡¯s faces. Dave was the most expressive, likely thinking about returning to school on Monday. Jarred was the next person showing his feelings¡ªlooking both empathetic and furious with those of us around the table. Willa was a strange mix of emotions, hard to read but for a few. Anger, certainly from the red flush and piercing gaze, maybe some stubbornness too? Then there was something that might have been fear or nervousness in the set of her shoulders, looking ready to hunch forward in defeat. As I said, it was a strange mix. My father met my eyes and nodded. Why had he done that? I stared at him, and he spun his hand in a circle indicating I should get moving¡ªWhat? When it clicked, I flinched back in my chair. He wanted me to tell her about the plan to start a Portal Mining Company? ¡°Ummm,¡± I stammered, managing to get all eyes focused on me, which didn¡¯t help. ¡°We were¡ª¡± I coughed and managed to get my voice to come out solid again. ¡°¡ªWe were thinking that we should start our own crew. Maybe even leverage our bonuses from the other job, if we¡¯re able¡­¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you be able to leverage your bonuses?¡± Ms. Stovall asked. The question shocked me enough that I looked to my dad and Willa. ¡°Cause the court confiscated everything as evidence?!¡± Willa said, in both question and exclamation. ¡°And Jagger isn¡¯t paying the bonuses?¡± Ms. Stovall responded with widening eyes, even as she began scribbling on a legal pad. ¡°He is required by contract to pay out the bonuses regardless of if the goods sell.¡± She went to a side table, clicked a button, and said into an intercom. ¡°John, bring in the Union contracts!¡± She turned back around to see all of us staring at her. ¡°It¡¯s in the contract. I¡¯ll have to check the exact verbiage, but Jagger can¡¯t withhold bonuses if I¡¯m right. It¡¯s a clause to stop him from holding onto metals or ores and claiming they didn¡¯t sell¡ªto avoid paying the workers.¡± A sigh of absolute relief left the lungs of three people around the table. Smiling, I turned to Dave. ¡°At least the Unique Experience and killing the Golem won¡¯t go completely to waste!¡± ¡°Wait¡ª¡± Ms. Stovall pointed at me. ¡°Say that again!¡± ¡°Say what again?¡± I asked. ¡°Did you say that the Ore haul was triggered by a Unique Experience?¡± Ms. Stovall asked, very pointedly. ¡°Uhh? Well, yeah¡ª¡± I answered and saw everyone around the table look at me with wide eyes. I realized I hadn¡¯t yet admitted this part to everyone, just assuming they knew. ¡°My new Skill was ready for Evolution¡ªand I found something called Shining Meteorite. When I struck it with the Pickaxe¡ª¡± ¡°New Skill? Evolution?¡± Willa and Jarred mouthed at each other. I realized they still weren¡¯t in on the whole story yet. ¡°You didn¡¯t say it was Unique!¡± My dad semi-shouted over them. His volume was a mix of excitement and concern. ¡°How do you know it was Unique?¡± ¡°Uhhh,¡± I answered ¡®smartly.¡¯ This would have been a good time to have Smegma here to help me come up with a lie. As it was I figured a semi-truth wouldn¡¯t hurt. ¡°My Skill,¡± I began, stressing the word to let the people fully aware of the Demonic Vault Skill, make the connection. I felt bad for Willa and Jarred but figured I would include them eventually. ¡°I managed to Awaken an F-rank Mining Skill, which grew from the rank of low-F to high, but stopped. I¡¯d heard somewhere that sometimes the System gives people opportunities to Evolve Skills or gain Stats, and the Mining Skill allows me to see what some minerals and ores are called.¡± ¡°Oh and their ranks,¡± I added when people looked confused. ¡°How many Skills do you have?¡± Willa asked. ¡°Umm,¡± I began, thinking of Dragon Heart, and Demonic Vault. Did that count as a single Skill or multiple because of all the sub-Skills? Technically, was Demonic Vault a Skill under Dragon Heart because it was what had ¡®stolen¡¯ it? ¡°Depending on how Skills are classified you could consider me to have one or as many as seven.¡± ¡°What?!¡± My dad exclaimed loudest, which drowned out everyone else in the room, who uttered similar sentiments. All but Dave. ¡°Does that include--?¡± Dave started to ask but I cut him off. ¡°Yep! Anyway, it was a Unique Ore for sure. And I can confirm that my Mining Skill has Evolved after it.¡± I turned back to Ms. Stoval, half-way desperate to keep Dave from spilling the beans on my new Class system. Let¡¯s just stick with one mind-blowing revelation at a time, shall we? ¡°Why did you ask about that?¡± ¡°All Unique Experiences and kills in Portals belong to the person who received them, unless they have signed a contract with the Guild as a Hunter. In this case, you were a worker who got attacked by a Monster, and killed it¡ªso we can definitely claim the Golem Heart and Monster Core as your loot¡ªwell you and the people who were involved¡ªit¡¯s all of your loot. However,¡± she held up an emphatic finger. ¡°A Unique Encounter triggered by an individual rewards the individual with all the benefits that derive from it. I assume that the Golem and all the ores mining themselves out of the walls was part of it?¡± I nodded and pointed out to the parking lot below. ¡°Any Pickaxe that was in good repair also changed upon defeating the Golem. The Golem spawned after I struck the Meteorite and the gong when I struck his heart was what caused the Ores to mine themselves.¡± Ms. Stovall began furiously scribbling. After a moment she looked up, ¡°How many Specialists were in the mine?¡± ¡°Just us three,¡± my father answered, despite the question being directed at me. ¡°And how many veins could you have all tapped in a perfect scenario with the tools you had with you?¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°We¡¯d been doing one per day, but could have managed two each if they weren¡¯t hard Ores, or two difficult ones if we were comfortable with more damage to our Picks than we could repair from working Mana Crystals for a work shift,¡± Willa answered this time. ¡°Okay, so best case scenario, six deposits.¡± Ms. Stovall confirmed as she continued scribbling. When John came into the room with a folder, she tapped the table next to her and then said, ¡°John, we¡¯ll need my husband in here, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°John two-point-oh, coming right up.¡± ¡°Mr. Stovall, please,¡± Mrs. Stovall said, with a bit of exasperation. I couldn¡¯t tell what was bothering her with John calling her husband by the shared name, but from John¡¯s smile I could tell that it was not something that worried him. ¡°As you wish, Mrs. Stovall, I¡¯ll send the big guy in!¡± He said and somewhat fled the room. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh at Mrs. Stovall¡¯s rolled eyes. I thought perhaps I was starting to understand the situation. Mr. Stovall probably didn¡¯t care for formalities, where Mrs. Stovall did. It made me like them both more. Mr. Stovall, for letting his coworkers call him by his name and Mrs. Stovall, for allowing the joking to happen with minimal reaction. It humanized her even more. That wasn¡¯t the only reason for my Cheshire smile. I truly had possibly just gotten the canary¡ª ¡°Don¡¯t get too far ahead of yourself, Brodie,¡± Mrs. Stovall said. Then she smiled herself. ¡°I personally suggest that we settle with Portals, Portal¡¯s, Portalz. If your end goal is to start a company, it will get you the capital faster. It will also let Jagger Vance keep a good chunk of the money, which will probably make him fight less, when faced with the possibility of losing everything.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± I said, confused. ¡°I think I¡¯m missing something here. Jagger complained that his contract with the Snowbird Guild meant that he was getting stiffed on any real benefit from the extra materials. So that means that Jagger doesn¡¯t have the biggest stake here, when it comes to those materials and ores potentially belonging to me. How is that going to affect everything, if it¡¯s not us versus Jagger Vance, but us versus the entire Snowbird Guild? The door swung open and a big and tall man entered. When I say big, I don¡¯t mean overweight but I also didn¡¯t mean gym muscled. Because he was tall, he carried his weight well¡ªand by the size of his shoulders, I could tell a great deal of that weight was muscle. It was probably something that girls at school would call the perfect dad bod. It was a physique built to be able to keep them warm at night but also get shit done when it was needed. His smile and manner of dress immediately marked him as jovial and happy to me. ¡°Hey cupcake¡ª¡± he began jokingly but stopped midway through when Mrs. Stovall raised an eyebrow threateningly. ¡°What¡¯s got you asking for the big guns?¡± ¡°They need a lawyer who specializes in Portal Law, but you¡¯ll need to take a commission on winnings, only. I hoped you¡¯d have time,¡± Mrs. Stovall replied, and I could hear the sarcasm building. ¡°You know since this case shouldn¡¯t go to court.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± John responded. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Well, first of all, it will be a bit of a joint effort. I¡¯ll be working to get the court to release some seized ores and materials. They¡¯re being held as evidence in a murder that happened weeks before. You¡¯ll be negotiating with Mr. Vance, and Taz from Snowbird¡¯s to settle with twenty percent after paid bonuses and your fees.¡± ¡°Ahh, so you¡¯re giving me the easy task?¡± John responded mockingly, even as he pulled out a chair. As he sat down, he asked, ¡°This isn¡¯t a conflict of interest?¡± ¡°Not according to the definition, which is all we really care about. We don¡¯t represent Portals, Portal¡¯s, Portalz, but the Miner¡¯s Union.¡± John nodded and then rolled his chair to a side desk to get a legal pad and a pen. ¡°Okay, fill me in.¡± Mrs. Stovall primarily did the talking, helped at times by the group and me. At the end, John had a page and a half of notes. He unfortunately was wearing a frown. ¡°How can you prove that it was a Unique Encounter to Evolve your Skill?¡± ¡°Umm?¡± I questioned back. ¡°Does Ore normally mine itself?¡± Dave said, speaking for the first time. Everyone around the room looked at him and nodded in agreement, but John scratched his five o¡¯clock shadow. ¡°It certainly does not, but that could be seen as a product of defeating the Golem¡ªwhich I could also use to claim the ore as loot!¡± John started stoically but quickly grew more excited. ¡°Either way the ore and materials would belong to Brodie. Of course, a Unique Encounter would be better, though. Do you have an Awakening record with your Skill before the event?¡± I shook my head, even as Mrs. Stovall winced. ¡°I can see by my wife¡¯s reaction you haven¡¯t. May I ask why?¡± ¡°Well, now that you fall under client confidentiality as well, you certainly can,¡± Mrs. Stovall said lovingly. ¡°However, Brodie, is there anyone in this room that doesn¡¯t currently know everything?¡± My eyes found Willa and Jarred¡¯s. ¡°Only two, but I¡¯ve been meaning to tell them.¡± ¡°Okay, Smegma,¡± Mrs. Stovall said the name distastefully, clearly understanding the meaning behind it, and held her hands out to the side theatrically. When no Demon popped into existence, she looked at me questioningly. ¡°Ahhh,¡± I sputtered. ¡°He¡¯s kind of¡­ missing at the moment. He¡¯ll be back though.¡± I turned to Willa and Jarred. ¡°You¡¯ll just have to believe us when I say that I have a Skill called Demonic Vault, and with it I have something of a snippy Demonic butler that follows me around mostly invisibly.¡± Jarred¡¯s face morphed into a distasteful look, as he mouthed ¡®Demonic¡¯ to himself. Still, after a quick moment he shrugged and seemed to tune back into Dave, who was speaking. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing he isn¡¯t here to hear you say that,¡± Dave said while chuckling. ¡°He¡¯s more of the Skills¡¯ curator. Maybe, point of interaction? Sentient interface? Something like that.¡± Jarred¡¯s face seemed to grow less wary with each normal interaction of those who¡¯d met Smegma. I shrugged, while chuckling myself. ¡°Either way, despite how dangerous he looks, he isn¡¯t actually in our plane of existence and can only verbally inflict damage.¡± John looked at Mrs. Stovall. ¡°Shami, is he for real?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen the bat-winged, horned, annoyance myself. Honestly, I think the Demon said it was the spawn of an ¡®Imp¡¯ and a ¡®Felguard¡¯.¡± ¡°Holy crap. It¡¯s like Dragons of the Coast!¡± John exclaimed, almost standing from his chair as he leaned toward me. ¡°You think he¡¯ll be back, right? I want to see this thing. It¡¯s going to be badass inspiration for when I¡¯m DMing!¡± ¡°You guys still play that game?¡± Jarred asked, confused and slightly alarmed. Whether that was from Smegma¡¯s description or the ¡®game¡¯ he mentioned I wasn¡¯t sure. ¡°We do. It¡¯s online, for the most part, but my main group has found that almost every creature in the game has roots in this System. It¡¯s rather uncanny. That¡¯s why I wanted to see¡ª¡± ¡°I can tell you right now, that it doesn¡¯t look anything like I expected,¡± Mrs. Stovall said, her own excitement matching her husband¡¯s. ¡°Still, I can¡¯t wait to see how you use the likeness one day!¡± Eventually, the group got back to business, and Mrs. Stovall filled John in on the problems that had arisen because of Mr. Varnish. ¡°I¡¯m only telling you this in case he tries to put a spanner in your case as well.¡± ¡°Other than the shoddy excuse that it could conceivably be ¡®evidence¡¯, he doesn¡¯t have much to stand on. Make sure you argue Slim Shot versus Righteous Guild. If they plan to hold the evidence back, then the court needs to at least put-up twenty percent of its value in cash for the use of the aggrieved. That will usually get them to smarten up.¡± ¡°I will. Although I¡¯m hoping Carterman versus Rainbow Stars will be enough. That¡¯s the only case I can think of where the court held evidence from a Portal in the wake of an alleged crime. However, in that situation, the evidence spoke directly to a stolen item. In this case, I think Mr. Varnish will try to claim that Morgan had a Mining related Skill that was also ¡®stolen¡¯¡ªhowever, I¡¯ve gone through everything and there is no record of it.¡± ¡°You sound like you don¡¯t need my help,¡± John said humbly, and stood from the chair. ¡°I¡¯ll start putting some motions together and serve Jagger with everything tonight or tomorrow. Don¡¯t worry Brodie, if Jagger is sensible, we should have this all taken care of this week.¡± John left, and Mrs. Stovall turned to me as she also stood. ¡°As John says, most of the evidence and legal ownership stuff should be straightforward. At least for the purposes of acquiring capital to start a company. As for the murder trial, you should talk to Sparkle Legion again and let them know about the changes going on.¡± I glanced down at the camera that was still on my chest. It was still recording. I¡¯d turned it on when I¡¯d gotten in the car this morning. ¡°Holy shit!¡± I said, realizing that not only was this conversation on it, but so were Jagger¡¯s threats. ¡°This thing recorded Jagger firing me.¡± Mrs. Stovall¡¯s smile grew very large. ¡°I¡¯ll let John know what you have, after you talk to Legion. I think you might get more than we originally thought. However, Geneva and Kristen might want to use some of the footage for sensationalism. You¡¯ve been unjustly persecuted, after all. So, let¡¯s start with them.¡± Mrs. Stovall began collecting her papers into bundles and Dave spun to me. ¡°Can I come with you to Sparkle Legion?¡± ¡°Hell yeah! I¡¯ll call them now to see if they¡¯re available.¡± They were. 050 Friday, April 19th, 2069 ¡°Yeah, just stand there with the school in the background,¡± Kristen said. It felt kind of awkward staring at the Phoenix Academy across the street, but at least Dave was beside me. ¡°Why do I suddenly feel like a Japanese school-girl shooting for her Only Friends?¡± I complained, trying to burn off the nerves of being back here. Honestly, the nervousness wasn¡¯t because of the attack. I was surprised by that. It was because I realized that I¡¯d felt like I¡¯d come so far from my old life as a mild-mannered college student and I didn¡¯t want to get sucked back in, as if the school was some blackhole waiting to swallow me up. Kristen snorted. ¡°Stop it. You¡¯re making the camera shake.¡± We¡¯d arrived at Legion just to be ushered toward a computer and shown a video. It was a masterfully edited piece from news and other sources¡ªstarring Morgan Hallsbrad. They¡¯d left some scenes in to depict what they wanted to add¡ªand this scene was one of them. Clearly Mrs. Stovall had already informed them of a great deal. ¡°How are you feeling about maybe taking us through what happened in the alley?¡± Kristen asked, her voice filled with concern. It was still sunny outside, and even if it was dark I doubted the alley would be able to cause me any fear with Mental Fortitude. So, I shrugged, and then pointed to the campus housing Dave stayed in. ¡°We can start at Dave¡¯s place, since that¡¯s where I was before it all went down.¡± ¡°Perfect!¡± Kristen exclaimed with excitement but then modulated her tone a bit. ¡°But if it gets to be too much, we can stop at any time.¡± ¡°Too bad you deleted those messages and blocked the Shop,¡± Dave said. ¡°It would have been a good piece to add¡ªsince it¡¯s part of SwiftGram.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t want to promote that it was on the Gram that he was targeted. The video would get taken down faster than we can upload,¡± Kristen corrected. ¡°Plus, we could get them if we really wanted. We¡¯ve decided to use a fake, third party program and just make it look like they were chatting there.¡± ¡°Good thinking,¡± I replied, realizing I had been on the same wavelength as Dave, and that Kristen and Geneva had thought this through a lot more than we had. Still, I was relatively confident I would have arrived at the same conclusion if I was editing the footage. That or my brain was a bit preoccupied with studying the school, and rehashing what had happened here. Yes, with Mental Fortitude, it was spookily calm and logical, but even the sound of the bus brought images of the events that happened near the transit station. A chill ran up my spine as I relived some of those memories, but it was because of my recollection of the fear I¡¯d felt in that moment. Not because of anything I was feeling now. We went up to Dave¡¯s room, and he gave a quick tour, before we posed for some shots of us watching TV. Sitting there Dave asked, ¡°Won¡¯t the waning daylight make it a bit off?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll adjust the lighting to look like night. It¡¯s why I pulled the blinds and turned the lights on too. The next bit will be more of a retelling and I¡¯m really not sure how much of it we can use, but it will be good to have for future snippets and advertisements, if this video gets the traction we¡¯re hoping for.¡± That wasn¡¯t the subtlest of hints, so I took it. ¡°Well, after seeing the news about a serial killer in New York, I decided not to take the shortcut back. I¡¯ll show you.¡± We walked the campus heading through the quad and seeing the jubilant, tired, and free students along the way. I found it strange. To think I would be with them having lunch or heading to class if¡­ A few students called out to Dave, distracting me enough to snap me out of my spiraling thoughts. Still, even the ones who also knew me didn¡¯t wave. I wasn¡¯t sure if I should feel hurt by that, until Dave said, ¡°I would have mentioned it earlier, but you look different, man. Like stronger, and taller or something.¡± I laughed. ¡°I¡¯m the same height I always was, and I¡¯ve actually just been mining, no gym.¡± ¡°Dude, your arms are jacked, if nothing else. It¡¯s part of the reason I wanted to get in on the whole mining plan with you,¡± Dave responded with a wink and flex. Kristen smirked behind us while leveling the 3d camera in our general direction. It was difficult to have a normal conversation after realizing everything was on film, and I could tell Dave had seen it too. Still, we didn¡¯t have to go far to arrive at the doors that led to the campus¡¯s wide sidewalks. I moved through the moderate traffic of students before arriving near the exact spot that Morgan had ¡®ambushed¡¯ me. I turned to the alley behind me, and could almost see his shadowy figure step into the lamplight. I stretched my neck and jaw feeling them tighten up at the recollection. Then I began my story. I paused numerous times as my memory of the events made me picture it again. Still, the replays had no sharp edges, which I was thankful for. By the faces of Kristen and Dave, though, the pauses made it seem like I was traumatized, which could only be a good thing for the video. I knew enough about acting to lean into it here and there, not embellishing the story, but making sure I replayed the emotions I had felt in that moment¡ªa gun leveled at me, threats of Husking being thrown around, actually being assaulted and Mana-pulled. I was exhausted mentally and emotionally when I finished. Kristen dropped us back off at the house in her somewhat older Volkswagen Bug. Even as she coasted to a stop in front of my driveway, she was looking at me with sympathetic eyes. ¡°I¡¯m going to get this up tonight or tomorrow morning. Be ready to respond to messages, and set up a CashPal account¡ªsend me the link for donations.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already got one, because I was hoping for some donations from my Swift a while back. I think I got a hundred bucks, actually.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Perfect, let me take a quick picture of the QR code and the link then.¡± Kristen didn¡¯t elaborate on the possibilities of me getting any money from this, but I could tell she was staying silent so I didn¡¯t get my hopes up. You just never knew with Swift. Geneva and her might be fantastic at their jobs, but having a video go viral needed a bunch of factors that no one could control, even if the people behind the video were the very best at their jobs. Walking in the door I wasn¡¯t prepared for the group of excited people speaking over each other in my far too-small kitchen. It seemed like my father and mother had made some phone calls. Fat Gary and Dave were there along with a good portion of the other miners I¡¯d seen over the two and a half weeks I¡¯d worked with Portals, Portal¡¯s, Portalz. The conversation stopped when Dave and I walked in but only to give us a quick acknowledgement and continue. Dave and I stood in the doorway listening, and it was as I suspected. This had to do with the prospect of us starting a new company. It also turned out that without Specialists, Jagger had lost the job they were on today, and once again ¡®temporarily¡¯ laid off the non-Specialists. Everyone seemed excited to leave P-three. Probably because right now all the pieces were lined up, like a bit of a perfect storm. That mood lasted until we received a phone call from Mr. and Mrs. Stovall. They were coming over and their tones didn¡¯t make it sound like it was to deliver the good news. Because of confidentiality we were forced to excuse everyone but Dave, Willa, Jarred, my mother, father, and me for the meeting. Mrs. Stovall looked between everyone, but Mr. Stovall just stared at me. After a moment he said, ¡°Were you aware you unearthed about twelve new minerals, ores and materials?¡± My head shook before I thought twice. Then I realized I needed a bit more of an answer and said, ¡°Well, I did see a bunch of colored ores I¡¯d never seen or heard of, but I wouldn¡¯t have been able to say they were ¡®new¡¯.¡± ¡°Did you also know that the Portal closed after your encounter? Even without the Snowbirds beating the boss?¡± I stared at him wide-eyed even as I let my much more emphatic shaking head give answer. He continued, ¡°The Snowbird¡¯s had been certain this might have been a permanent Portal. And an F-to-E rank permanent Portal is basically a money printing machine, not to mention a fantastic training ground for their recruits.¡± ¡°Why are you bringing all this up?¡± Dave asked. John nodded and hiked a thumb over his shoulder, indicating the people outside of this room. Not the Miners that just left but the world in general. ¡°Well the UNMH has staked their claim on the new materials, and ores. They¡¯ve also expressed interest in the Golem Core and Heart.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great news! They¡¯ll pay top dollar¡ªright?¡± My dad said, his tone going from excited to confused as the Stovalls¡¯ faces fell. ¡°It is great news, but the prestige and top dollar¡ªmaybe even his hatred toward you all¡ªhas Jagger hiring big name attorneys. He¡¯s going to turn this into a fight, which could be great for us in the long run. Precedence will be in our favor, but as soon as he files, the evidence will be frozen in place till the trial ends. Due to the contention of ownership, the Crown also won¡¯t put any money up anymore.¡± ¡°In a way, Mr. Stovall¡¯s filing hurt my case,¡± Mrs. Stovall concluded. ¡°While I can go after Jagger for the bonuses¡ªmy guess is he will try to bundle everything together under this case to avoid paying you. It seems like something he¡¯d do out of spite.¡± My father explained what had just happened with Jagger losing the contract and laying off all his miners. Mrs. Stovall nodded to herself when he finished. ¡°That would certainly do it. Jagger has basically lost an entire arm of his company, which he relies on to get contracts. None of the big guilds like to hire piecemeal if they can help it. Why have Cleaners from x, miners from y and herbalists from z if you can get them all in P-three.¡± ¡°But surely he¡¯ll need money to hire Specialists then?¡± My mom suggested. ¡°Well, in the long-term, sure¡ªhe¡¯s going to need to rehire, which takes time. But if you¡¯re hoping to wait him out or put him in a financial bind then¡­ Nah, he has the capital without it. So, he¡¯ll just go into his own accounts if needed. He can survive this easily. The problem is, can you all?¡± John said, looking at us in concern. ¡°How long are we talkin¡¯ here?¡± Willa asked. Jarred nodded along with her. ¡°If the courts are expedient, which they never are, at minimum a month. If this drags on, which will certainly be Jagger¡¯s tactic¡ªas long as a year.¡± Jarred whistled at John¡¯s timeline. ¡°Ain¡¯t no way I can make it that long without a job and that bonus,¡± Willa said, and Jarred joined in right on her heels with the same admission. ¡°Us either,¡± my mom and dad said. ¡°Do we have any recourse?¡± My mom finished. ¡°Not yet, but there¡¯s a few avenues we can explore,¡± Mrs. Stovall said. ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up, but we might be able to try to get per-diem payments against the value of the Ores. The problem is that they would come from a third party, and you¡¯d all be paying out the nose for them.¡± Everyone leaned forward but John coughed politely. ¡°Additionally, it¡¯s a bit of a gamble. We¡¯re pretty sure that you¡¯ll end up with possession of the Ores, but if you don¡¯t. You¡¯d owe back that value¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no other way?¡± I asked. ¡°Sure,¡± John began. ¡°There are several, but they are all either even more distasteful than this, or long shots.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Mr. Varnish seems to want something from you Brodie. If you figure out what it is, then maybe we can get him to not only let off the gas, but also help you.¡± Another head shake, but this time I was joined by most of the people around the table. Even Mrs. Stovall. ¡°He wants Brodie to plead guilty, Mr. Stovall.¡± I could tell she wanted to say John but changed it out for a very pointed almost barbed use of the professional address. ¡°He clearly was acting in self-defense.¡± ¡°As I said, it¡¯s distasteful, but I think the ¡®plead guilty¡¯ portion might be a play to get the second part of the offer,¡± John said slowly. ¡°The community service under the Larvae Guild?¡± My mom asked. ¡°Where do they even operate?¡± ¡°Europe,¡± John admitted and everyone around the table made wide eyed, transferring looks between John and me. I shook my head. ¡°I figured, but you asked. The other way would be to start renting the Pickaxes you can purchase. It would¡ª¡± ¡°I only have the five of them and can¡¯t buy anymore for a bit. Not without Smegma. Also, I don¡¯t want to start giving them out. What if someone discovers that it isn¡¯t really a repair mark. It¡¯s already risky having only people I trust use them¡­¡± ¡°So, we should go with the third party per-diem option then? Should I be asking for everyone here or just the Flacarada¡¯s?¡± Mrs. Stovall asked. Everyone looked at me, and it took me a second to realize why. Technically, I owned all the Ores, not them. So, they needed my permission. ¡°I assume this means that the bonuses will also be impossible to get, at least in the short-term if it''s going to likely get tied up in this whole mess with the mining materials?¡± I asked. John and Mrs. Stovall nodded. I made a gesture to include the Miner¡¯s that just left. ¡°Then I vote for everyone here for per-diem, and they still get their bonuses,¡± I said without hesitation. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll do our best,¡± John said with a fond smile. He pushed off our kitchen table as he stood. ¡°Probably a good idea to wait on the bonuses though. If we leave Jagger with a percentage he will still be required to pay them¡ªjust saying.¡± I nodded to the large man, taking his suggestion. Sure, I wanted everyone paid their bonuses but if they already were going to get them from Jagger, I was greedy enough to want to keep more money for our new business. 051 Monday, April 22nd, 2069 My phone¡¯s buzzing woke me up, and I growled in frustration. I normally wasn¡¯t bothered by the thing. Most days I was able to sleep through almost anything¡ªhowever, if my half-wakeful brain was to be believed, this wasn¡¯t the first time the husking thing had gone off. I silenced it and passed back out even as Dave, sleeping on the spare bed again thanked a higher being for me finally realizing and shutting it down. * * * Everyone sat at the breakfast table, our house somehow becoming the morning meeting spot now that we were all out of a job. I wondered if Willa and Jarred had explained the situation to their families¡­. ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep at all these last few nights,¡± my mother complained as she dished out Roc Scrambled Eggs onto plates. How she managed to cook for Willa, Jarred, Dave, my father and I from our fridge was almost magical in that she must have predicted that this would happen. I couldn¡¯t recall a conversation at the pub? ¡°I really don¡¯t think Brodie should be doing this.¡± She said this last bit to my father despite me sitting right there. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m at the table!¡± I complained and then countered with, ¡°Also Mr. and Mrs. Stovall are pretty confident that we have precedence behind us in this case.¡± Dave, who had been staying here all weekend, put up a hand to forestall a response and even talked through a mouthful of eggs when he realized he couldn¡¯t hold it back until he swallowed. ¡°Either way, if you start a company with the money, then even if you don¡¯t get the Ore, you¡¯ll have the ability to pay it off in time. It takes money to make money. Right?¡± My father, who had been the one about to respond, made a ¡®waffling¡¯ gesture with his head, moving his neck back and forth. ¡°Ahhh, maybe. You heard John and Mrs. Stovall yesterday. We likely won¡¯t get the big contracts from large Guilds. We¡¯ll be forced to scrum it out with the other start-ups.¡± ¡°What if we give an offer for Taz and the Snowbirds to keep some of the Ores?¡± Dave suggested. I blinked, having not considered leveraging the windfall that were the Ores in that way. To my surprise Jarred shook his head. ¡°Nah. First, the big Guilds don¡¯t really ¡®need¡¯ money from a single F-ranked Portal¡¯s Mine. Otherwise wouldn¡¯t they have the Specialists down there everyday till it was cleared out. How many Portals do you think Guilds like Snowbirds clear weekly?¡± ¡°At least one to two,¡± Dave suggested, and Jarred chuckled¨Cshaking his head. ¡°One or two a day,¡± my dad answered. ¡°Snowbirds and Lynx in particular have about ten different teams going at any one time. That¡¯s the only reason a company like P-cubed can even survive. The best ranked Portals get sent the best Gathering Companies. It¡¯s one of the reasons P-cubed rarely ends up in anything above F-rank Mines, or Gardens. It¡¯s why we¡¯ll likely only get hired by those small Guilds with a new company.¡± My mother gasped, which made me and Dave stop focusing on Jarred and my father to see what had happened. I¡¯d been expecting her to perhaps have spilled some eggs, or maybe burned herself a bit accidentally. Instead, I found her pale and scared. ¡°Gary! You can¡¯t work for the small guilds again; it was part of our agreement!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked, trying not to sound patronizing or belittling of my mother¡¯s reaction. She wasn¡¯t usually one to overreact, but this certainly seemed like one to me. ¡°You¡¯ve seen how dangerous Mining can be,¡± my dad explained. I narrowed my eyes and nodded waiting for further explanation. ¡°Well, with the small Guilds you should multiply that by at least two.¡± ¡°Moogle says it''s ten times as dangerous!¡± My mom added right atop his words. ¡°That¡¯s from InfoPedia, and I wouldn¡¯t trust it. Still, I can¡¯t argue that it¡¯s more dangerous. Brodie, Dave, have either of you ever seen a low-ranked Guild in operation?¡± My dad asked. ¡°Do the movies count?¡± Dave asked. I realized what he meant as well. It was a popular plot where an F-ranked Hunter joined a low-ranked Guild and helped them rise through opposition to the upper Ranks, changing the lives of everyone and getting the girl. A chuckle escaped my mouth as I thought about how the girl always seemed to not understand her powers until the hero came along. Then bam, she was really an S-rank. ¡°I doubt it¡¯s like Comet Rising,¡± Willa said through fits of giggles. Dave flushed red and became fascinated with his eggs. ¡°It is nothing like how Hollyhood depicts it, at least not in Windsor,¡± my father confirmed. ¡°There are reasons it is widely considered more dangerous to work for lower ranked Guilds. Most F-D ranked guilds use firearms inside Dungeons and have only one or two truly skilled Hunters. Because of that they rarely clean out mines thoroughly, and even if they send a protection team in with you. Now, remember¡ªyou¡¯re in a mine¡ªfilled wall to wall, floor to ceiling with highly bullet-reflective materials called rocks. You wind up just as likely to get shot by them as killed by a monster in a dangerous situation.¡± ¡°And they never have healers!¡± My mom added, seeming to be speaking from experience. At mine and Dave¡¯s raised eyebrows she pointed to my father. ¡°Gary used to roll with a low ranked Guild as one of those suicidal gun-jockeys. It was before we met and I put a stop to it.¡± My father grabbed her hand and she leaned in for a kiss. Dave and I let them have their moment and ate some eggs in the meantime. Still, I could feel my disappointment and anger simmering at this admission. When my father resurfaced, he coughed to bring our attention back. ¡°That¡¯s when we made the agreement. I became a Miner as long as I could work for a big corporation.¡± ¡°How come you never told me this?!¡± I demanded. This whole time I¡¯d been dreaming of being a Hunter and he¡¯d never even shared that he used to kind of be one. ¡°It was a different time back then, Brodie. I joined up under the propaganda that ¡®every little bit helped,¡¯ taking the risk to protect others. Nowadays things are much more stable, and while the low-rank Guilds still operate, they are pretty ineffective. They¡¯re more of a militia than an organized force like Lynx or Snowbirds.¡± ¡°Still, you two always discouraged me from becoming a Hunter and barely allowed me to try to become a Bank,¡± I countered. ¡°That¡¯s pretty hypocritical.¡± My Mental Fortitude didn¡¯t allow me to be too upset, but I still felt hurt by my parent¡¯s actions. ¡°Brodie, I was in those Dungeons¡ªit was dangerous, and frankly terrifying, and I never Awakened a Skill under duress. You think I was going to let my kid gamble with his life for a chance at a Skill?¡± My dad answered, his own anger evident. Heat rose in my chest, but thankfully my mind pushed it down. It told me that he was coming from a place of love, and even had me replaying his words with a different meaning. He had nearly died, and by the sounds of it¡ªnumerous times. ¡°Either way,¡± Dave cut in. ¡°Now you have multiple Skills that will open any door you want in the future, so you have even less need to become a Hunter if your goal is gaining Skills.¡± My father and I stared at each other for a moment longer before I nodded, accepting his reasoning, but not entirely happy with it. Just because he had given up on his dream didn¡¯t mean¡ªI cut that thought off. It sounded like he was forced to give up on his dream, and without that I probably wouldn¡¯t be here¡­ Husking Mental Fortitude¡ªI wanted to be upset, but it already felt like I¡¯d known about this for months and come to terms with it. It was both eerie and gratifying in this moment. It wasn¡¯t like I would have stayed angry for long¡ªI just wished I¡¯d known sooner. It was just another example of my parents trying to push me to become an office worker. More of my parents trying to protect me¡­ like parents¡ªI corrected. I¡¯m sure Evelyn would have a field day with this information later today. ¡°Okaaayyy, totally changing that subject¨C my earlier point still stands. As long as you start a business you should be able to pay off the debt in time,¡± Dave said, cutting in once again, which dispelled any further awkwardness. ¡°Plus, didn¡¯t you say you can buy other tools? Like Gardening Trowels, Sheers or Skinning Knives?¡± ¡°I can. However, I know nothing about those trades. For that matter, I knew barely anything about Mining. Like, there are so many more tools in the mall shops I wouldn¡¯t even know where to begin¡ª¡± ¡°Ahh, you mean the wedges and sledges?¡± My dad said, sounding like he was using a term that was common and also described the drills, bits, etcetera. I nodded at him, and he smiled. ¡°Mining does have the cheapest overhead to enter, but most other unskilled trades don¡¯t have to deal with tool breakage either. So, while there are more tools to purchase¡ªmany cleaners and gardeners slowly accumulate a set and stick with that for years. Many family men or women don¡¯t bother upgrading either. ¡°Just like Mining, there are Specialists with better tools or Skills to handle tougher hides or plants that are either dangerous or easily destroyed when trying to harvest. Clara and I discussed me moving to Gardening in the past. It¡¯s simply easier to slowly become a Specialist in that field. However, since everyone becomes one if they stay long enough¡ªthe pay is only slightly better than Mining. Way less bonuses too.¡± ¡°What why?¡± I asked, meaning the bonuses. Luckily, my mom and dad got my meaning. My mom took over the explanation from there. ¡°There aren¡¯t that many plants that sell for high prices. Ores for weapons and manufacturing are always in demand and Hunters will pay a lot¡ªbut most of the plants, and meats are sold to grocery stores. The hides of monsters can sell for a great deal, but it has the same problem as mining. If they are tough enough for armor then you need a Specialist to harvest them.¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I¡¯m assuming there¡¯s some nuance there,¡± Dave mumbled around a forkful of egg. My mom and dad nodded but my father held up a hand. ¡°All that to say, I bet you could get by with just trowels and skinning knives to cover the Gathering and Harvesting department at first,¡± he said while changing his held-up hand to a pointing finger. ¡°It just might work, and offering a ¡®total package¡¯ type of solution for Guilds would certainly be working towards better contracts¡­¡± ¡°Then we will need even more start-up capital,¡± I said. ¡°If we could start with Mining and build up to the others, there¡¯s a good chance¡­¡± I still couldn¡¯t bring myself to tell my dad and mom I¡¯d been stealing Mana Crystals from the jobs. Then I realized it might actually be the perfect time, with them both currently at odds with P-cubed. ¡°There¡¯s one thing I still haven¡¯t told you two¡ª¡± at their concerned looks I hurried to add. ¡°Or anyone, well except Dave.¡± I could tell that didn¡¯t help. I took a moment to collect myself and then made the admission. ¡°I¡¯ve kind of been stealing Mana and some Mana Crystals from each job to pay for the Picks.¡± My mom¡¯s mouth fell open, but my father¡¯s only reaction was slightly raised eyebrows, comically widening eyes and a bit of a smirk. He clearly already knew, or at least suspected. I addressed my mother with what I said next. ¡°The currency for the Demonic Vault Skill isn¡¯t Greenbacks. It¡¯s Mana Coins. To get them requires offering up Mana in exchange for the currency at a one-to-one ratio. I can¡¯t get them in any other way.¡± ¡°When you say Mana and Mana Crystals, is there a difference?¡± Dave asked even as my mother plopped heavily into a seat beside my father. I kept my eyes on her out of concern as I answered. ¡°Well, the Crystals have wild Mana inside of them. So, I can sell the Mana inside and keep the Spent Mana Crystal. It¡¯s how I identified my Skills the other day. Remember?¡± ¡°Oh right,¡± Dave said, sounding like he had asked the question on my parents¡¯ behalf. A glance got me a wink which told me that he had. ¡°The wild Mana is why people can¡¯t use the Mana inside the Crystals like their Pools right?¡± The table chuckled, hearing his sarcastic tone, and all being let in on his earlier play acting at not remembering. It was a well known fact that Mana Crystals couldn¡¯t be used as a source of Mana for a Hunter. Well, they could¨Cif the Hunter wanted to have his Skill burned out. The laughter slowly died away, and in it¡¯s wake I could feel my mother struggling with my admission. ¡°Under the circumstances, I can¡¯t say he did anything wrong honey,¡± my father said while grabbing my mom¡¯s shoulder comfortingly. ¡°It¡¯s still theft!¡± My mom hissed. ¡°From a dickwad,¡± my dad responded, which startled a laugh out of me and Dave. My mom looked at him with shock written across her face and then let her head drop, as she joined in with a small chuckle of her own. ¡°You aren¡¯t wrong,¡± she mumbled. I could tell that the thought of us not being contracted to low-ranked Guilds for long was helping her. ¡°Out of curiosity,¡± Willa said sweetly. ¡°What happened to that five thousand dollars I paid you?¡± ¡°Uhhh,¡± I stuttered, as she and my father grew intensely interested in me and my reddening face. I started waving my arms to forestall them from jumping to conclusions. ¡°I really did spend it on Monster Cores to sell to Smegma! When he gets back he¡¯ll tell you!¡± ¡°Yeah, right!¡± Dave said, then realized how that came out, mirroring me in crossing his arms quickly back and forth to stop people from misinterpreting. ¡°I meant the little shit will likely say the exact opposite if it gets Brodie in trouble.¡± Willa and my father looked at me seriously for a long moment but eventually nodded their heads. It was like they were saying, ¡®We¡¯ll trust you for now.¡¯ It was a very serious look which made me tense¨Cright up until Willa cracked a grin, and punched me in the arm. * * * ¡°So, you¡¯ve discovered that your parents had lives before you came along, and that they even sacrificed parts of them on your behalf?¡± Evelyn asked, her word choice was pointed and intentioned. ¡°Yeah, I mean I¡¯m not upset about the fact that he was a Hunter. I¡¯m just kind of disappointed he or they chose to keep that from me, even though they knew my dream.¡± ¡°Disappointed?¡± Evelyn asked, seeming to be badgering. I felt a twinge of irritation and instantly knew what she was going for. This was her trying to see if I was ¡®sugar-coating¡¯ my reaction. I simply shrugged. ¡°I was angry for a moment, but realized they did it out of love. That they just want what¡¯s best for me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a very mature reaction,¡± Evelyn said as she made some notes. ¡°How long would you say it took you to calm down and reach that conclusion?¡± Another shrug. ¡°Couple of seconds? No more than half a minute?¡± Evelyn¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, but she made a note and schooled her features so quickly I almost thought I imagined it. ¡°Let¡¯s get into why you were sent to me then, shall we?¡± I nodded and she continued with multiple questions. ¡°How do you feel now that you are facing a trial? How are you handling the fact that it has become so public?¡± I blinked, trying to interpret the question. It felt like it was worded strangely but in the end, I decided to take it at face value. ¡°Well, I know I didn¡¯t do anything wrong¡ªso I¡¯m not overly worried about the trial. I don¡¯t love the fact that people I don¡¯t know may see the trial or case reports in retrospect and form opinions without all the facts, I guess? But it is going to be a closed door trial, from my understanding.¡± Evelyn blinked this time, her vivid green eyes studying my face between each blink. ¡°Is that why you are trying to control the narrative?¡± This time my head tilted along with my noticeable confusion. My therapist shouldn¡¯t know about the marketing team I¡¯d hired. She explained a bit further. ¡°You know, with SwiftGram, and SmileBook.¡± Ah. So she didn¡¯t know about Sparkle Legion specifically, but she noticed the changes in my social media presence and was clearly smart enough to deduce what we were going for. ¡°Oh, well kind of. That¡¯s mostly a company we hired to try to sway public opinion before the trial starts. It¡¯s what Mrs. Stovall suggested, and what Sparkle Legion will be working toward.¡± ¡°This guy stopped a criminal who¡¯s killed dozens of people? I call bullshit!¡± Evelyn read off her book. My head flinched back from her involuntarily before I realized she wasn¡¯t voicing her thoughts. ¡°What was that?¡± I asked slowly. ¡°It¡¯s one of probably a dozen negative comments on the video you posted last night,¡± Evelyn explained. My eyes widened and I began digging into my pocket for my phone. Evelyn must have made the connection because she asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡± By the time she¡¯d finished her question I¡¯d seen the screen notifications. Fourteen-thousand notifications¡­. ¡°What the husk?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t swear in my sessions, Brodie,¡± Evelyn scolded. Her tone pulled my attention from the screen. ¡°How do I have fourteen thousand notifications?¡± I asked even as I opened SwiftGram and checked the post. ¡°Twelve million views?¡± ¡°How come you didn¡¯t know?¡± Evelyn countered my questions. ¡°I silenced my phone last night, ¡®cause it woke me up. Then this morning Dave and I went right down for breakfast¡ªI didn¡¯t even pick up my phone off the charger until my dad and I left to come here.¡± ¡°Well, this is unexpected. How do you feel right now?¡± Evelyn asked her pen poised to start furious note taking. I took a moment, leaning back in my chair and thinking about that question. How did I feel? There was certainly a spark of concern¡ªespecially with the highlighted negative comment, but¡­ Mostly, I felt excited. Finally, I had a viral video. That flame of excitement puttered in the wind of reality though. The reason I wanted the viral video was so I could use it to become a Mana Bank. Now that viral video was letting the world know I was on trial for manslaughter. I couldn¡¯t say I loved fourteen million people knowing and judging that. But I hadn¡¯t watched the video¡­ ¡°I¡¯m kind of excited,¡± I explained. ¡°I¡¯ve always been looking to get a post to go viral. I¡¯m also worried, since I haven¡¯t watched the video¡ª¡± ¡°Worried?¡± Evelyn asked as she scribbled away. She had to be noting more than my words since I hadn¡¯t said much. ¡°Well, I assume they depict me well, but since I haven¡¯t seen it, and there are negative comments...¡± I let that thought hang in the air and listened to Evelyn¡¯s pen on her page. It didn¡¯t take long before she looked up at me. She seemed to be expecting more. ¡°Uhhh, I feel okay?¡± I tried. ¡°You sound like I just told you that the weather will be nice tomorrow.¡± Evelyn pushed. I raised both hands palm up, not sure what more she wanted. I already said I was excited, didn¡¯t I? Evelyn took a deep breath and sighed it out. ¡°I¡¯m confused, Brodie. Your dream was to become a Mana Bank, because you couldn¡¯t be a Hunter. Now, you¡¯re knocking on the door of becoming famous, which should get you a Bank Partner, and you seem unconcerned. Plus, you seem only mildly interested in how it will affect your trial¡­¡± ¡°Well, I trust what Mrs. Stovall and Sparkle Legion are trying to do?¡± I said, making it a question. ¡°These are rather big events, though. Life changing. Is there something new going on in your life that currently has your focus?¡± Evelyn tried. After a moment I gave a shallow nod and looked to the floor. ¡°Kind of. We¡¯re thinking of starting our own Mining Company.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Evelyn exclaimed. ¡°And you¡¯re downcast because?¡± ¡°Well, we were going to use our withheld bonuses for startup capital, then¡ª¡± I explained the situation in detail. Evelyn¡¯s eyes grew wider and wider, and she took pagefuls of notes. It also exhausted almost the remainder of our session as she dug deeper into my feelings about each occurrence. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m pretty bummed out about how hard it all seems to be. Like nothing is easy?¡± I explained in answer to her asking me a question about how the courts withholding the money made me feel. ¡°It¡¯s like every-thing and body is against the group of us little people. You know?¡± Evelyn nodded sagely. ¡°It is an unfortunate truth,¡± Evelyn intoned, sounding like she was speaking from experience. ¡°The wealthy and strong suppress the weak. Just remember that sometimes it isn¡¯t intentional. Sometimes, they do it with a similar motivation as your parents did¡ªto protect. Unconsciously, they make a decision that takes things away without necessarily meaning to. Like the UNMH and the Ores.¡± ¡°Are you saying that Mr. Varnish and Jagger are somehow doing this accidentally?¡± ¡°No, not at all. They sound like jackasses. I just don¡¯t want you to get completely jaded,¡± Evelyn said with a smile. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. When our mirth died, Evelyn said, ¡°Have you worked on your meditation? Any notable spikes in emotions?¡± ¡°No,¡± I admitted guiltily and then added,¡± but also no on the second one.¡± I could tell that it didn¡¯t make it better. ¡°Maybe we should try something else since I don¡¯t see a journal here with you. I¡¯m going to start a text group with you, okay? I¡¯ll check in daily¡­¡± ¡°Sure, I might not get back to you right away if I¡¯m in a Portal.¡± ¡°Or if you silence your phone,¡± Evelyn chuckled and indicated my phone that was still held in my hand and the climbing notifications. ¡°I did just realize I can probably just silence the app¡­¡± I agreed, and stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll see you next week?¡± ¡°Good session today, Brodie. I hope things start turning your way,¡± Evelyn said as she too stood and turned toward her desk. As I walked to the door I stopped. Things turning my way? Words came out of my mouth unbidden. ¡°What do you think I should do if they don¡¯t?¡± A deep silence settled across the room and I nearly turned around to see the expression on the woman¡¯s face, but I was still locked into my own thoughts of what might come in the future. Finally, a soft, concerned tone answered me that rose every hair along my arms and the back of my neck like a premonition. ¡°Survive.¡± 052 Monday, April 22nd, 2069 I¡¯ll admit, I started scanning through the comments before watching the video. Partially because I wanted to wait and have the first viewing with Dave, if possible. But probably more so because I was vain and needed to know what people were saying. Or perhaps I just was too eager, and this was my coping mechanism for¡ª Nope. Mental Fortitude and my logical brain firmly diagnosed me as vain. Honestly, this Skill was beyond frustrating. From my peripherals I could see my father giving me side-eye and a look I had long since learned was one of concern. I ignored it, for now. He¡¯d get an explanation along with my mom and Dave. Willa and Jarred too, if they were at my place.
DailyGrind: This kid deserves some sort of medal not a trial!
5111 Likes
Replies¡ª352
Rebecca Delayney: Wait, you can be tried for murder when someone was trying to kill you? Da husk is going on.
752 Likes
Replies¡ª492
Anders Mole: Surely this is fake news. An F-ranked stopped a C-rank Suspected Serial Killer? Fat chance.
123 Likes
Replies¡ª2001
Grim Men Guild: Check your CashApp. This scumsucker killed a sibling of a member. We¡¯ve pooled some money and sent it on. Great work!
3521 Likes
Replies--121
L33T P3N15: My man did a no-hit run on the last boss. Bro is clearly hacking! Someone check his computer!
2971 Likes
Replies--1473
I blinked. Not only was the most negative comment I¡¯d found so far, just disbelief in the feat itself, it looked like people were arguing for me in the replies. Still, it was the mention of sent cash that had me stopping. Opening my CashApp, I found five-hundred dollars sitting there. No money from Grim Men, though¡ªso, I felt a little disappointed. Still, the five-hundred was made up from a large amount of five to twenty-dollar donations. I shrugged, and closed out of the app. While it was fresh on my mind, I shot a group message off to Geneva and Kristen, thanking them for posting the video. I had two missed calls from them though and chose to instead dial them back. ¡°Morning Brodie,¡± Geneva said, but left no space to follow up as she continued. ¡°We¡¯re at your house already. You two on your way back?¡± ¡°Uhh, yeah,¡± I answered dumbly. ¡°Perfect. We¡¯ll see you soon. Since you hadn¡¯t yet commented, we thought a watch party might be in order.¡± ¡°That sounds perfect. Is everyone there?¡± ¡°That or on the way. Your mom, Willa and Dave are filling us in on the start-up you¡¯re working on. With their permission we¡¯re recording. I¡¯ve got to go, see you soon.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± My dad asked even as the line disconnected. I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked at it dumbfounded. ¡°Sparkle Legion is at the house. I think they¡¯re interviewing mom, Dave and Willa?¡± ¡°Ahh, what did you call that? B-roll?¡± ¡°Well, yeah that¡¯s the name of stuff that might not get used¡ªbut Geneva said it¡¯s about the company startup¡­¡± ¡°Huh? We aren¡¯t even sure that¡¯s going to happen,¡± my dad answered. ¡°Exactly, but there was something about her voice¡ªlike she was really excited about it.¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s something to go with the firing?¡± ¡°The faster you get home, the sooner we¡¯ll find out!¡± ¡°Kid, if I push down on the gas pedal anymore, we''ll be BintStoning it home.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a BintStone?¡± I asked. ¡°Oh my god, I never showed you BedRack, I¡¯m either really old or failed you as a parent. Suffice it to say, my foot will go through the floor if I push down the pedal any harder.¡± The Ford Escort hiccuped to emphasize his point. * * * ¡°¡ªnow the boy who survived is being tried for Manslaughter and the opposing counsel is claiming Morgan ¡°the Shop¡± Hallsbrad was only a Private Eye. Like and follow to stay up to date on this incredible story!¡± The video ended and I stared at the suggested content that popped up as the screen faded to a dark off-gray. There was a link in the video comments, and just from the amount of likes I could guess I¡¯d gained more followers than I had before the video¡ªprobably a great deal more. Geneva closed her laptop with a broad grin. Despite watching it on such a small screen the room was silent as we all processed it in our own ways. Mrs. Stovall was the first to respond. ¡°That was fantastic Mrs. Agnos, Mrs. Franzke. Superb work as always.¡± She had been a bit of an unexpected arrival, at least for me. I looked at Mrs. Stovall trying to figure out why she seemed so serious, even in her praise. ¡°Yeah, that was husking fantastic,¡± Dave exclaimed, his voice filled with the kind of excitement I expected from everyone. Mrs. Stovall probably had news about the case and requests, I supposed. My excitement fell a bit as I realized it probably wasn¡¯t good news. I only realized I was staring at Mrs. Stovall when the silence grew. Everyone was looking at me, it seemed waiting for a response. Everyone but Mrs. Stovall. I forced a smile onto my face and addressed Geneva and Kristen first. ¡°That was better than I could have ever dreamed of.¡± Then I turned back to Mrs. Stovall. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Mrs. Stovall?¡± She winced. ¡°That obvious?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯d have expected some excitement from you, since this was all your idea.¡± She gave a small smile and nod but immediately grew serious again. ¡°I¡¯ve got some great news, but also some bad news. I¡¯m going to start with the good news.¡± I for one didn¡¯t miss how she downgraded great to good, but she continued without waiting for confirmation. ¡°We¡¯ve managed to get a few companies to show interest in the Ores¡ªespecially with the UNMH offering top dollar for the unknown materials. So, you¡¯ll basically have your pick of lenders.¡± She paused for a moment, everyone knowing that what was about to follow would sour the first part. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be so serious. ¡°The best we could do is one cent on the dollar up front, and it¡¯s from the Larvae Guild. Everyone else is bidding lower, and Mr. Stovall and I both don¡¯t like that their name is even in the ring, it just feels like they have another play.¡± She let that hang in the air, and I blinked. She was still frowning deeply. ¡°There¡¯s more isn¡¯t there?¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. She sighed. ¡°The Union Benefits are about to run out and we won¡¯t have access to sue the Hallsbrad estate till after all the trials finish. I¡¯ve pulled Mr. Stovall in to help start putting that together but having him and I working on two different cases¡ªalong with Sparkle Legion is burning the funds faster than anticipated. John is working on commission in the Portal Ownership case but the offers just aren¡¯t as high as expected. So, he¡¯s been forced to pull back a bit. John and I were discussing options this morning¡­¡± She once again let the sentence hang in the air but her look at Geneva and Kristen gave everyone context for what had been the final decision. ¡°You¡¯ve got to stop paying for Sparkle?¡± I said, voicing the conclusion I had reached. Geneva and Kristen wore bright smiles, despite the news. Even as Mrs. Stovall nodded dourly at my pronouncement, I transferred my attention to Sparkle Legion. ¡°You don¡¯t seem upset about that?¡± I couldn¡¯t help the apprehension in my voice. Maybe, the video had taken a ton of resources, and wasn¡¯t getting the response they wanted. Maybe, they were pumping advertisement dollars into it, and that was why it had so many views. Maybe¡ª ¡°You might want to check your CashApp, Brodie,¡± Kristen said with a chuckle. I pursed my lips and narrowed my eyes. I began pulling my phone from my pocket as I gave an answer. ¡°I did on the way home. It¡¯s got five hundred dollars, and I doubt that¡¯s enough to keep you two! Not with the video I just saw.¡± Their smiles didn¡¯t waiver, which I found strange. Dutifully, I pulled up the app. The balance had climbed to a thousand, but that wasn¡¯t exactly wealth. I turned the screen to both women, biting back the ¡®I told you¡¯ words and keeping my face devoid of expressions that might convey it. They had worked hard and honestly, if I ever had enough money in the future I would hire them in a second. I¡¯m sure I failed but despite my face''s expression of disbelief, their expressions only grew more amused. They looked at each other and then Kristen said, ¡°You¡¯ll want to check the pending donations.¡± The phone spun in my hands so fast that I knew the laughter that followed from them was at my expense. I didn¡¯t care. It sounded like they weren¡¯t worried about getting fired, and that could only mean¡ª Right at the top of the screen was a donation for five-hundred thousand dollars. From the Grim Men Guild. My mouth fell open as I scanned past it and saw a donation of ten thousand, then a thousand. It kept going, and I scrolled through quickly, trying to keep a mental amount but failing after the donation numbers stopped becoming whole amounts. Why so many people were sending one-thousand, three-hundred and thirty-seven dollars and thirty-six cents, was beyond me. However, on a quick count there were at least forty with that sum. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± My dad and mom said together, picking up on my facial expressions. Everyone else was also studying me waiting for a response. Closing my mouth to wet my tongue I croaked, ¡°Therccckk.¡± I closed my mouth again, swallowed and salivated for a moment before starting again. ¡°There¡¯s probably seven hundred thousand dollars in donations here.¡± ¡°More than we expected, but not more than we thought would come in over time,¡± Geneva said, even as the people around the table all reacted. My mom and dad stood up abruptly, Dave whooped and slammed hands onto the table, Jarred wore a proud fatherly smile, and Willa shouted, ¡°We can start the company!¡± Mrs. Stovall coughed politely after Willa¡¯s exclamation. ¡°I am going to be the devil''s advocate here. Brodie, I don¡¯t think you should use this money to start your company. You should probably put it aside to pay for Sparkle Legion, your friends salary replacement, and us Lawyers. Otherwise, you¡¯re back to taking ten cents on the dollar from the Ores. It¡¯s your money and your choice, though.¡± For the first time since he arrived, I wished Smegma was here. I wasn¡¯t sure what his opinion would be, but I felt like he would have some valuable input. Instead, it was just me. I figured a company would, in time, get me more Mana Coins, and that could cascade to something huge, but so could winning the ownership of all these Ores and getting top dollar¡­ ¡°Mrs. Stovall, how much is the Larvae Guild offering?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, the Ore is valued at seven and a half million on the low end. So, you¡¯d only get seventy-five thousand, so basically a pittance, with a contract to make up ten percent of the difference in value later, if you win the case. According to experts, it could be worth as much as seventy five million, which means you¡¯d get seven and a half million at ten percent, but no matter who we talk to they aren¡¯t willing to take the risk that you will be the one who ends up with legal possession of the materials. Partially because the UNMH has staked the claim, meaning they will get the unknown Ores at their estimated values. Secondly, Mr. Stovall and I believe someone is manipulating the bidding, or putting out false information¡ª¡± ¡°We can help with that! Propaganda is sort of our thing,¡± Geneva said instantly. ¡°Do you think they would let us get in to see all of the materials? It would be great to have a shot of it all, for our next video anyway.¡± Mrs. Stovall nodded even as she scratched her head. Her voice finally gained an ounce of excitement, ¡°That might help, if they¡¯re sowing misinformation about the Ores. And we should be able to get permission to send in a team to catalog everything for our records. We¡¯ll likely be fined a bit for releasing information on the contents, but it won¡¯t be that bad since, until proven otherwise, we have legal standing that they are Brodie¡¯s property. It might be our best play. Let me talk to Mr. Stovall and see what he thinks. Don¡¯t start the company until I get back.¡± ¡°How long are you going to be gone?¡± My dad said from where he had been pacing behind his chair. ¡°A few hours at most,¡± Mrs. Stovall laughed. ¡°It was just a saying.¡± She left the room at near a jog as her heels would let her. ¡°So, now that she¡¯s gone we¡¯re startin¡¯ the business, right?¡± Willa said immediately upon her leaving. My head swiveled to her in concern till I saw the huge joking smile. ¡°Just kiddin¡¯. Still, I don¡¯t think any of us here want to leech off you, Bro. So, think about it. Maybe we can budget, or take loans or something.¡± My dad and mom looked at me, their faces concerned until they were finished reading my expression. Then they both broke into grins that felt loud enough that I could almost hear their thoughts. It likely mirrored my own. ¡°Willa, Jarred, and even you Dave¡ªlet¡¯s see what we can do, but until this money runs out¡ªwhat¡¯s mine is yours.¡± Jarred waved his hands for a moment and opened his mouth, likely to protest, but my mom cut him off. ¡°No way, Jarred. You quit your other job to work with P-cubed cause we said it would be good for you. You aren¡¯t saying no. Still, I¡¯m with Mrs. Stovall, why not use this money to fund the open cases and your friends, then when we get the Ores, we can start a company with multiple branches from the outset¡ªand really stick it to Dicker Wimp.¡± It was clearly a play on Jagger Vance, which made me smile. She wasn¡¯t one for swearing, and this was clearly an attempt to still insult the man without calling him too severe of a name. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be best to start a company right away, though,¡± Dave said seriously, causing the mood in the room to change. ¡°Honestly, it might be the best choice¡ª¡± ¡°No!¡± Jarred, my mother and father said in unison. Willa looked at them with a frown, which Dave and I mirrored. ¡°What do you mean, no?¡± Jarred looked to my dad, who nodded at him, before looking at the three of us. Geneva and Kristen were staying out of the conversation for now and just recording¨Cit seemed. Instantly I became a bit self-conscious, but my dad broke me out of it with his next words. ¡°Maybe, you¡¯ll all listen this time if we give you more details. Jarred¡­¡± ¡°Working with small Guilds is a cluster-husk, Brodie. It¡¯s always run by some idiot hopped up on what limited power he husking has, and if that sounds bearable, let me tell you, it ain¡¯t. Almost every run back in our Hunter days we lost Tradespeople, right?¡± My dad nodded, which also prompted Jarred to continue. ¡°At the time I didn¡¯t think much of it, because we clearly tried our best, and all the people who died knew the risks. We all did. Now that I¡¯ve seen the way top tier Guilds run things, there just isn¡¯t a comparison you¡¯d understand. Think Hunter Wars but it¡¯s a pro team against¡ªI don¡¯t know¡ªa group of high schoolers with basic training.¡±= ¡°That bad?¡± Dave said aghast. ¡°You were a Hunter too?¡± I asked incredulously right on top of him. ¡°He was, but got out a bit sooner than I did,¡± my dad explained. ¡°I told him not to tell you. Let¡¯s not get into that¡­¡± My dad cut off abruptly and made a head motion to the camera. ¡°Actually, I think it would be good footage,¡± Kristen said. Geneva nodded along but my father shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s family issues, and the line needs to be placed somewhere, ladies.¡± The tone he used was the same one he¡¯d lectured me with in the past, when I¡¯d been gushing out ideas to gain followers on the Gram. At the time, I hadn¡¯t thought he was right. Now, after my experience with Morgan, I was far less confident in my naive assessment from merely a year before. Geneva conceded the point with a polite dip of her head but kept recording. ¡°So, we¡¯re waiting for the¡ª¡± Mrs. Stovall came back into the house without knocking, which surprised everyone. Partially because of the noise the screen door made, but mostly¡ªat least for my part, because it hadn¡¯t taken her long at all. ¡°We chatted in the car,¡± she explained breathily. ¡°Mr. Stovall is on his way to do some budgeting. There just might be a way to fund Sparkle, us, and start your company¡ªif you keep it to a Mining branch only.¡± My parents and Jarred winced but the rest of the people in the room grew excited. My dad of course was the first to speak up. ¡°The risk just isn¡¯t worth it, Brodie.¡± To my surprise, it was Geneva that responded. ¡°With the videos we¡¯re going to make, I think that the risk will be mitigated quickly.¡± ¡°How so?¡± my mom asked, skeptically. ¡°Well, you know how P-cubed gets ahead by offering multiple arms of tradesmen under a single contract.¡± Kristen replied. My mother acknowledged Kristen¡¯s words with a nod and a casual affirmation. ¡°Well, what if we can offer publicity by a famous SwiftGram, SmileBook and other social media star?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know?¡± My father said, ¡°Guilds surely won¡¯t care¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to stop you right there Mr. Flacarada,¡± Mrs. Stovall said. ¡°I can tell you that the best Guilds in the world and area care very much about Social Media.¡± ¡°So, this could actually work?¡± My mom and Jarred said, after looking at each other. ¡°Not instantly, but after we get some footage!¡± Geneva crowed excitedly. ¡°John seemed to think so also,¡± Mrs. Stovall answered, and I realized that she used his name, forgetting her insistence on formality. She must be very excited or happy. Interlude 1 Another Place¡ªA Different Time Amty-Oha poured over the reports she¡¯d received. She must have missed one from her Larvae Sect on Crendalar. Surely, it was here¡ªeven though this was her ninth to ninetieth look through the pile. It had to be her mistake! ¡°My sweet Succubi,¡± Lorant-Axe crooned from his own desk, right beside hers. ¡°It is not there, they did not send it.¡± ¡°But how could they have fought all seven of the Trials and given us nothing to help our chances?¡± Amty-Oha asked, her voice furious and incredulous. ¡°They would not abandon us!¡± ¡°Perhaps they did not have time to send in a report. Maybe the System blocked it. Perhaps we are not as valuable as we thought. There are many reasons they could be missing,¡± Lorant-Axe reiterated, using several of the points he¡¯d made before. Amty-Oha glared at him, and he added. ¡°That does not mean we will not succeed, my tyrannical love!¡± She rolled her eyes at his placation. He might be right, but the chances of them succeeding weren¡¯t great. Not now; not anymore. Her fist clenched onto the top report, crumpling it slightly before she stopped herself and straightened the paper back out. She knew the words on it by heart. A report from the Elves¡ªher Larvae Guild members. By all metrics, it was a report of success in the first Trial, but for someone who knew every spec of dust dwelling within her Guild¡ªit spelled a disaster. Sure, it was only a loss of twenty percent of the raiding party¡ªwhich was within acceptable limits¡ªbut it was the specific members they¡¯d lost that were the problem. Not a single ¡®tank¡¯ remained. She¡¯d carefully grown the elite Elves over thousands of years. Her Jaegars had been the strongest reported by any in the Larvae Sect from Crendalar, and amongst them, the Tank Jaegars were the ones she poured the most resources into. Followed closely by the Healers. How had she done it? She¡¯d collected the Card Shards like all the other groups that went off-world from Crendalar. She¡¯d paired Shards into sets, and discovered new ones¡ªthat she¡¯d reported back. Amty had even followed numerous guides and strategies for taking down known Portal Monsters. But none of those were the reason she¡¯d created the strongest Guild with the best chance to Ascend. No, Amty had discovered a secret¡ªone she doubted any other Crendalar Demon knew. This one secret was what had made it possible for her to hand groom Tanks and Healers¡ªand everyone else, for that matter. Amty-Oha had met an Elven woman who knew of another Demon on Sective Agora. That claim didn¡¯t surprise Amty. Many other Sects would have used Portals to establish forces here. Still, wanting to establish diplomatic relations with those of similar goals, Amty had asked to meet the Demon. Aurora Skysong¡ªthe elves name, had only seemed to consider for a moment before an Imp had suddenly appeared in the room with them. An Imp, who claimed to be a Felguard-Imp named Greg-shak, from an ¡®Abyss Sect¡¯ Amty hadn¡¯t heard of. Through discussions, she¡¯d discovered a few reasons why she¡¯d never heard of them. After inquiries on Crendalar Five, she¡¯d discovered even more reasons she¡¯d never shared with Greg-shak. Still, how his Sect had created two Skills was both fantastical and phenomenal. The idea to sell wares and use them to collect Mana, was profound. The execution, however¡­ was lacking. Especially in the second candidate she¡¯d found¡ªlikely the first Skill version created. Her surprises weren¡¯t finished though, Greb-Shaks or Aurora¡¯s Skill grew with the amount of Mana sent back¡ªsent back to where? She and a select few surviving members of the Larvae Sect on Crendalar never discovered. She¡¯d hoped that her spies could find this Treasury, but other than a massive crater, nothing remained of the Abyss Sect¡¯s compound. Still, despite that failure it didn¡¯t mean she wouldn¡¯t use the surviving gifts it created. And she had. Her and Lorant had used them¡ªwell it perfectly. Surely, they were the Larvae Guild deemed the strongest, with the best chances to Ascend. There was perhaps a single failure¡ªbut surely it wasn¡¯t truly that bad. No, Amty had been able to pair Legendary Skill combinations together¡ªwithout having to get lucky with Card Shards. She even sported the most wondrous of those Skills herself. The fact that the Abyss Sect had even created their own Skill, and her race still failed to Ascend infuriated both her and Lorant. Still, they¡¯d consoled themselves with the fact that now was their time! Now they¡¯d prove themselves and become Elder¡¯s upon ascension. But how in the Deepest Hells had it all gone wrong? Was it when she killed Raylight Cloudbreeze? No, it couldn¡¯t have been. Still, where had that second Demonic Vault Skill gone? She¡¯d never even told Lorant about it¡¯s existence¡ªso surely no one else could have known¡ªcould have pulled it from his Heart Deck before she got to him. Maybe she should have tried with Aurora before¡ª Between two claws on the page, one name amongst the casualties glared at her accusingly. One name, that made it impossible for her to salvage the situation. The same name that had made it all possible¡ªand the likely reason why so many of her Elites had died. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Aurora Skysong¡­ ¡°Surely, we can still salvage this,¡± Lorant said, seeming to read her very thoughts. ¡°There are other Elven Guilds¡ªboth Elven and Demonic Sects with strength that we can align with.¡± That was what all these other reports were. Pages and pages about other Guilds and their personnel. Their backers. She clenched her fangs together, and stated, ¡°None of them can hold a candle to our Larvae Guild!¡± Lorant grimaced and looked her right in her purple eyes. ¡°Could have held a candle, sweets,¡± he said somberly. ¡°What made us the best is now gone. We have twenty-six days to enter the Second Trial. ¡°Now!¡± He shouted the word after a pause startling her. ¡°Do you want to start working toward Ascending, or will you continue to cry over the useless dead Elves?¡± Amty looked at Lorant with wide eyes. He was right about them needing to start preparing for the Second Trial but so wrong about the useless Elves. She nodded her head and fished out a report on a Guild called Treewall. It had the best chance to plug the holes in their Larvae Guild. As she handed it over, she addressed the comment he¡¯d made. ¡°You can¡¯t call them useless. my love. Without them we can do nothing. Only the inhabitants of the Ascending Race can come back through the Portal without losing a portion of their power. Even with our strength, if we enter the Trial only one of us can return¡ªand as an A-Rank at best¡­¡± Lorant scoffed. ¡°We are Universe Powerhouses. Surely it wouldn¡¯t degrade us that far!¡± At Amty¡¯s pitying look, the Felguard growled. ¡°Then we should have taken the Demonic Vault skill from Aurora! Why did you leave such a valuable skill with an Elf.¡± There were a lot of undertones in that scrutiny of her decision. Primary amongst them was the hint of Lorant¡¯s true thoughts. If one of them possessed the Demonic Vault Skill¡ªthen they could enter Portals, downgrade to A-rank and climb back to S and beyond. Surely he couldn¡¯t have been the one who took Raylight¡¯s Skill in that case, right? He was idiotic, but Amty didn¡¯t correct him¡ªdidn¡¯t mention that they perhaps couldn¡¯t take the Skill? He wasn¡¯t always the greatest ¡®thinker,¡¯and she didn¡¯t want to confuse him. Surely, he¡¯d forgive her for withholding the existence of the second Skill, right? Instead, she focused on the fact that he had questioned her choices. ¡°When we began, we didn¡¯t know just how powerful that Skill was! We didn¡¯t know it could Upgrade as it did! How could we suspect its growth! If I remember correctly, you even called it worthless, because Greg-Shak was an Imp and ¡®how could a Sect with an Imp be powerful!¡¯ Right?¡± Lorant stood quickly, using clenched fists on his table-top to push his thickly framed body to its feet. The wood was not meant to handle his strength and weight. It splintered and then shattered in a rain of fragmented wood. ¡°You dare speak the Name of the Abomination!¡± Amty stood and glared at the Felguard, matching his rage. His race was and always had been a tribe of Warriors. One that believed in the purity of blood. As such, a Felguard procreating with a race so far below them¡ªan Imp¡ªwas an affront to Lorant. An ¡®Abomination.¡¯ She didn¡¯t tell him how much she sometimes dreamt of him possessing even a portion of the intelligence of that Felguard-Imp. Surely she loved him for himself by this point¡­ ¡°You just said how powerful of a Skill that ¡®Abomination¡¯ created!¡± Amty shouted back. ¡°You Sandy Hypocrite.¡± Amty could tell that her words stung and confused Lorant. Partly because if he continued to speak on the Abomination¡¯s mixed blood¡ªit would belittle their own pairing. He¡¯d made that mistake in the past, and even though he was more muscle than brains¡ªhe wasn¡¯t entirely stupid. Still, she¡¯d effectively changed the subject away from their need to take the Demonic Vault Skill¡ªshe was pretty sure they couldn¡¯t. Lorant took a deep breath and looked down to his throne of a chair, before brushing it clean of splinters. He then sat, and found the crumpled report on the floor. The one on Treewall she¡¯d handed him before he¡¯d ¡®raged.¡¯ She took a deep breath and sat down as well. This was their way. They¡¯d fight, and then use the simmering anger to move forward. Lorant began to nod at the choice she¡¯d made. ¡°Ahh, I see your thoughts. Double the number of Tanks and Healers to plug our gaps. It should work.¡± ¡°Focusing on the front line, to allow our backs to conquer all!¡± Amty recited. If only the Larvae Guild had followed her suggestion for its own Ascent Trials! * * * Amty looked deeply into Lorant¡¯s red eyes. ¡°Even without the help of the Larvae Sect, we can use what we¡¯ve learned from the first two trials here to Ascend!¡± Lorant fought his urge to roll his eyes. This woman infuriated him. Sure, she was intelligent, and all of her plans for Sective Agora seemed the best option when proposed. But surely she could see how her prejudices and hang-ups cost them and the useless Elves? He didn¡¯t say any of that, though. Instead, he stared back into her eyes. Lorant wasn¡¯t committed to his plans yet, anyway. He could find a Time Bubble on Sective Agora that contained these Dwarves, a race deemed strongest of the options they¡¯d found. He could follow her in time. If that was the next S-ranked Portal off -world he probably would. But, he couldn¡¯t stop the wriggling worm of a thought that blamed her for their failure either. What he did say, though, was, ¡°I will follow you through when the next high-ranked Time Bubble appears. I look forward to seeing the rebirth of the Larvae Guild!¡± ¡°When you next see me, you will be the weaker in our pairing. Are you certain you don¡¯t want to go through first, my sweet,¡± Amty-Oha asked. This question did make him grimace. That was true, and the one part of his plan that held the biggest frayed thread. Thankfully, he¡¯d learned the buttons to push to stop her from pulling on it. ¡°I am but a mace, while you are a sword. I can only destroy things, but despite how deadly you are, you are also useful in other mundane tasks. Such as cooking¡­¡± An elf had once lamented poetically about a sword to him, and he¡¯d stolen what he could recall of that imbecile''s views. He knew he¡¯d butchered it, but thankfully Amty expected him to mix idioms. She smiled up at him, ¡°And your father said you had a muscle for a brain! You¡¯ve grown so much!¡± Lorant flushed with heat, both from anger and embarrassment. Amty thankfully mistook it for the latter and leaned in for a kiss. He returned the kiss deeply, lifting her off the ground, and beginning to pull at her clothes simultaneously. Amty chuckled with her mouth still latched onto his. She pulled away long enough to say, ¡°A little privacy please,¡± to the remaining servants of their once powerful Larvae Guild. Then she dove back into Lorant¡¯s affection. He would miss this¡ªif he chose not to follow her to this Ulther''s Edge¡­ 053 Friday, April 26th, 2069 ¡°¡ªwe don¡¯t want juror twelve, but neither will Mr. Varnish. So, that just leaves a few others who could swing either way. Do you think the Social Media hopefuls will be for or against you due to the sudden surge of success?¡± Mrs. Stovall whispered. ¡°I don¡¯t know. From my perspective I love a good success story but do harbor some bitterness when it¡¯s just someone flaunting their sexuality.¡± ¡°So, people of the opposite sex are probably out,¡± Mrs. Stovall marked the box with two ¡®x¡¯es to convey the two young women who both had some minor success with social media. I frowned at her interpretation of the words until I realized she was somewhat right. Whenever I felt bitter about blatant sexuality use it was from women. Thanks to Mental Fortitude giving me some context, I realized something further. The reason behind it was because I was never going to be able to duplicate what they were doing. So, I wasn¡¯t bitter at their success but at success that had a road map I couldn¡¯t duplicate. Interesting. That thought brought me to another. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± I began, also in a whisper. ¡°With how much publicity this trial is going to get, thanks to Sparkle they might actually be on our side?¡± It was tough to think about the fourteen jurors, the way Mrs. Stovall seemed to want me to, but surely if they gained some online clout from being included? ¡°While you might be right, that also creates a swing,¡± Mrs. Stovall whispered back. ¡°Based on what will be better for followers they could go against the grain or flow to stand out. But with a closed door trial they may mess up and reveal something they shouldn¡¯t¡ªwhich would garner a mistrial. So, Varnish may remove them for us?¡± She changed the x¡¯s to question marks. With raised eyebrows I nodded. Those were points I hadn¡¯t considered but could immediately see. That was a very popular tactic of successful Swift stars. If you were the voice of ¡®dissent¡¯ then you were guaranteed to attract like-minded people. However, it was a very dangerous game. Since, if you were in the vast minority of the opinion, you also burned a huge portion of potential followers, and sometimes even current ones. ¡°We would like to excuse Juror twelve and eight,¡± Mrs. Stovall said as she stood up. I guess she¡¯d fallen on not counting on Mr. Varnish to remove the two young women. I guessed a mistrial only favored the person who was losing¡ªwhich hopefully wouldn''t be us. As she hoped, Mr. Varnish removed Juror two, but also removed three others that included one we really liked. Well, one that Mrs. Stovall really liked. It went back and forth like that, with the opposing councils questioning the new jurors, until the final fourteen were assembled. By that point I was so turned around on who we liked and disliked that the ones up there all looked like snakes in the grass to me. Mrs. Stovall¡¯s look of annoyance didn¡¯t help much. Why was she annoyed? My guess was that it was the massive amount of wealth on display from the other side. They had four people at the table with laptops and four others sitting directly behind them in the seats, not seeming to give any direction but passing folders over at request. On our side, there were just three people. John, the assistant or paralegal, Mrs. Stovall, and me. Still, this was just the beginning of the trial that Mrs. Stovall claimed could stretch as long as a month, depending on what Mr. Varnish had up his sleeve. Part of that was because we assumed he would attempt to extend it¡ªsince he had greater resources. Another part was because we suspected dirty tricks. The other reason was that the court would take weekends off. Which was good for our budding Mining business. It had been a work-week since the decision was made and we had our first contract which would likely stretch out over the weekend. It actually started this afternoon, since today would only be Juror selection. There was one big problem with that though¡­ Unfortunately, Sparkle Legion wasn¡¯t going to be able to pull off a miracle until we at least had some footage of the new company. They¡¯d released three other videos, which depicted the firing and then Phoenix-like rise from the ashes, of starting our own Mining company, but we¡¯d discovered that wasn¡¯t enough for a big Guild to take note¡ªat least, not yet. The Guild we took our first contract from was D-rank, which my father and Jarred assured us wasn¡¯t good. * * * Watching the members of Mirage gear up, was like watching a thirty-year old crime movie. It was both impressive and surreal, as they efficiently velcroed themselves into armor, strapped on harnesses, and began loading themselves up from the trunks of their impressively expensive looking cars. Still, no matter how impressive the cars were, they didn¡¯t compare to the ATV¡¯s of Lynx and Snowbird. This Portal was in the center of a public park and from rumor, only contained Lizardmen, which meant it was F to E rank. That would also be the reason why Mirage was allowed to tackle it. Lizardmen weren¡¯t exactly known for being bullet-proof. In fact, each Lizardkin alone wouldn¡¯t amount to more than an awakened child. The complication with fighting them was that each one did possess a Skill, and they fought in groups. With the chaotic nature of Skill distribution, you just didn¡¯t know what you would get. Either way, according to Mirage the Dungeon had been cleared and at the farming stage¡ªso, we could enter and handle the Ores and Minerals. My father walked back to our quiet group. A quick look around told me that we were all nervous, including him. ¡°Echo-five, says that the mine is nearly atop the entrance, so we won¡¯t have to make much of a trek. I think he¡¯s wanting us to bring more gear in, since the haul won¡¯t be bad,¡± my dad stated as he pulled even with our small circle. He shrugged and motioned to the five Pickaxes that were either being held in hands or leaning against the cars. ¡°It isn¡¯t like we have more tools, though.¡± Dave¡¯s head fell and he stared at the ground as his face flushed red. I winced as I noticed most of the others mirrored at least a few signs of his embarrassment. I wished Smegma was here¡ªmaybe I could buy a few things¡ªno he only sold the Pickaxes. ¡°Guys,¡± I said slowly, giving myself time to think of what to say next. ¡°Smegma doesn¡¯t sell anything other than these Pickaxes, which tells me that his Sect didn¡¯t think they needed wedges and sledges or anything else, really. Let¡¯s be confident and blow the Mirage Guild away!¡± That perked up Willa and my dad at least. Jarred and Dave, on the other hand, refused to meet anyone¡¯s eyes. I knew the reason for Dave¡¯s worry. He had never Mined before and didn¡¯t feel like he fit in. Jarred was a total mystery, though. He probably had as much experience as the other two¡ªso, maybe he had used better tools in the past? Then I saw his shabby beat up Pickaxe in comparison to mine and the others, and winced at myself. It was one stage above driftwood, thanks to him only getting a few days in with P-cubed. I placed a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Ours all looked like that to start too. Plus, Dave¡¯s is worse.¡± Dave looked at his mace like Pickaxe with a frown. ¡°Yeah, why is mine beat into nothing more than a morningstar?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that Pick is a hero. It helped smite a Golem,¡± I mumbled. ¡°Smite? You mean pummel, surely,¡± Dave retorted, some of his normal cheer returning. My father gave a muted laugh but saw what I was attempting and hiked a thumb over his shoulder to two other groups in the parking lot. ¡°The Gardeners and Cleaners say they¡¯ve worked with Mirage before. According to them, they are one of the best militarized Guilds out there. Echo-five only has a communication Skill and a Mana Pool, so they don¡¯t rely on a single-Skilled guild leader for their reputation. Even watching them suit up is impressive, compared to what Jarred and I did.¡± Jarred chuckled then. ¡°You mean when we ¡®smote¡¯ the monsters with hails of gunfire ?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget our copious use of grenades,¡± my dad added. The joking really helped lighten the mood and we entered the Portal in high spirits. The Portal was a dark green, like thick algae on top of a dying lake. It was a color I hadn¡¯t seen before, and wondered where we were headed. Smegma would probably know. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. I checked my Mental Universe and clicked my tongue¡ªthe Classes¡¯ Skill looked like it was formed, or at least, had stopped growing. What was keeping the Demon? For that matter, what was keeping my Classes¡¯ sub-Skill from activating? We passed through the Portal and arrived on the other side in ankle-deep sludge. My first thought was that it was mud, but I quickly changed that descriptor because of the color and smell. I bent down and touched it. Slimy, and thick, but definitely not dirt mixed with water. I turned my hand into a cup and pulled some of it up to examine. The water surrounding the green was clear, possibly even drinkable¡ªafter a thorough boiling. It just was so filled with algae that it took on the same consistency. ¡°Oh, come on,¡± Dave complained as he lifted one foot and then the other out of the water. ¡°These were white work boots,¡± he added at everyone¡¯s look. He got no pity from the others who were all wearing worn mining gear with nearly ruined work boots. Truly, if mine didn¡¯t have ETM41 in the toe and sole they¡¯d probably be in multiple pieces. Our company, currently unnamed, didn¡¯t have the funds to purchase new gear for the five of us just yet¡ªplus I was holding out hope there might be some in the Demonic Vault Shop. ¡°This way,¡± a group of five heavily armed and nearly identical looking men said as they waded to us. Each one carried a weapon that was clearly mass produced, but just as clearly made from Portal Ore. Which likely meant that the bullets inside were also of harder material than simple Earthly metals. My father took the lead, and the trip was extremely short as Echo-Five had said. The only reason I hadn¡¯t seen the rocky hill rising out of the sludge from the entrance was because it was behind the Portal as well as multiple petrified trees. The step from the sludge to dry land felt amazing. But the climb out of the sludge and up the steep slope to an entrance made me glad we didn¡¯t have bags of sledges and wedges to lug up. I turned on my three-dimensional camera and then took Sparkle Legion¡¯s high-grade Lightstone, currently on loan, out of my pocket. Placing it in the holster, I entered the cave. To my surprise, it wasn¡¯t truly necessary and I hurried to shut the stone off. The walls glowed with a smooth, verdant light. The source? Thick banks of glowing moss. I moved closer and studied the stuff. It was like a carpet, but despite the amount, it looked familiar. I reached out a hand and felt the same texture as the slimy algae outside. Except this one was dry and clearly growing larger. I hurried to catch up to the Mirage Hunters when I realized they had continued moving as I stopped to take in the sights. My dad nodded at me as I jogged up beside him. ¡°Since we only have the two good Lightstones, this is kind of nice.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll all probably be in a single chamber though,¡± I responded. My dad shook his head. ¡°Nah, this Portal¡¯s pretty small. So, the caverns¡ª¡± he cut off as we entered the first ¡®cavern¡¯. What he had been about to say was evident. It was more of a widening in the tunnel than a true cavern. In that widening space, Crystals carpeted only the floor, and while the walls held a few¡ªthey were only poking through between large patches of moss. In fact, I should have already noted another difference in the mine. The hallways, which in other Portal¡¯s had been covered with Crystals, were entirely clear of them. ¡°One of you here,¡± one of the heavily armed men said. We all looked at Dave, since he was the newest, but at his confused expression I recalled he hadn¡¯t Mined before. With a voice I¡¯d worked on for social media I confidentially said, ¡°Okay, we¡¯ve got a Specialist trainee here. What do you think about leaving a second guard here with us for a short while? I¡¯ll show our new Specialist the ropes and then move to catch up.¡± The man who spoke and I assumed was the leader, motioned at a subordinate with a hand. ¡°Jack, you escort the cocky kid. The rest of us will head further in.¡± I guess my ¡®confident¡¯ voice needed some work. Willa and my dad held snickers back with the help of hands, even as Jarred chuckled out loud, and mouthed ¡®cocky kid¡¯ at me. ¡®Family¡¯, I thought. Pretty soon the group was around a bend and out of site. I turned to Dave. ¡°Okay, so I¡¯ve placed my ¡®repair mark¡¯ on your Pickaxe¡ªso all you¡¯ve got to do is shard, Dave. The more you do, the more the Pick will repair. Once it¡¯s repaired enough for the business end to become roughly pointy, I motioned at my own, try targeting a few stems.¡± I saw the two Mirage members look at each other and hurried to continue. ¡°The Pick will repair faster if you mine whole Crystals. The more it repairs the more Ore¡ª¡± I paused then realizing that with the thick moss on the walls unadorned with crystals, we couldn¡¯t see what Ores were hidden underneath them. Thankfully, my Mining Skill identified at least one in the room. I nodded to myself and then hid the way I cut off speaking by continuing to say. ¡°I guess the first lesson I should teach you is how to clear a place to stand.¡± That was the first lesson taught to me, after all. Within five minutes I¡¯d shown Dave how to clear a place to stand, and with a single swing of my Pick, also demonstrated where to find the stem in the lettuce-like lattice Mana Crystals. Dave looked like he wanted to protest me leaving still, but the impatience and disappointment on the faces of the two men convinced him to just try his best. I heard his next swing as me and Jack moved through the tunnel the others went down. We passed Willa in the next ¡®cavern¡¯ and then Jarred, before we arrived at one with my father. He had just finished clearing a space to stand and motioned me over. ¡°You take this one,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll head in deeper.¡± I shook my head. If anyone should head deeper, it was me. I had an unlocked Stat, and¡ª¡°You will stay here or we might as well just cancel this company business right now!¡± My dad said sternly. It felt a lot like I was a child throwing a tantrum in that moment. One where my parents would threaten to turn the car around if I didn¡¯t stop. Rolling my eyes, I responded, ¡°Yes, dad.¡± Sure, I might have made it dramatic, but it got a chuckle from Jack and my father¡¯s Guild Guard¡ªso, I figured it was worth it. Plus, I hadn¡¯t yet told anyone but Dave about my unlocked Stat. When my dad started walking, his guard¡ªthe leader of the Mirage¡¯s group down here, followed and I took up the already cleared spot. My first swing produced another full Crystal, and I heard a grunt from Jack. After another four swings and four stems hit, Jack whistled. I¡¯d noticed a while back that with the addition of the Strength Stat I could power through the rock easier. Plus my new pickaxe seemed to reduce the need for additional force. ¡°I didn¡¯t really believe you were actually a Specialist,¡± he said after the noise of appreciation. ¡°But you¡¯re just as fast at taking them out whole as others are at sharding. Mind if I take a video to show Echo?¡± I shrugged. That could only bring us some additional notoriety, surely. I kept working and had soon cleared my way to one wall. I hadn¡¯t sharded a single Crystal and I could tell from Jack behind me that he was becoming more and more excited by that prospect. ¡°Are the others as good as you?¡± ¡°They have way more experience, but are also more likely to stick to the contract. So they¡¯ll probably just shard.¡± ¡°Husk, really?¡± Jack said, and then looked up and down the tunnels that led out of the small cavern. ¡°You good here on your own for like ten minutes?¡± He asked. My nod seemed to release him and he hurried up the way we had come first. I hoped he was about to negotiate on our behalf, but suspected he was going to tell the others to aim for full Crystals with no thought to increasing our cut. Either way, it worked for me. I was left unattended. I bent down and placed as many full Crystals as I dared into my Necklace of Holding. By the time Jack returned, I had cleared more than half of the room, all of them full Crystals. He looked at the spoils greedily and then pointed angrily behind himself. ¡°You go tell the others to stop sharding dammit.¡± I shook my head emphatically. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m just a worker. You should go chat with the boss.¡± My motion down the deeper tunnel released Jack again, and he took off. I smiled. This was going the way we hoped it would. My dad would likely ask to talk to Echo-five and hopefully negotiate as much as five percent more out of the man. If not, I¡¯d also start sharding. With low rank Crystals, it was always a quantity versus quality debate. Large Guilds like Lynx and SnowBirds simply expected as much Sharded as the ¡®normie¡¯ miners could do¡ªwhen they were in Low-rank mines. That and a few ores. This way, the Hunting Team could move on to the next Portal. Maybe it would have a higher Ranked Mine, Garden or Monsters¡­ ¡°Holy shit!¡± A familiar Demon¡¯s voice gasped. It was immediately followed by the noise of a sucking breath and then an exaggerated inhalation. ¡°How long was I husking gone?¡± I spun to find Smegma gasping in lungful¡¯s of air that I was pretty certain he didn¡¯t need. I raised an eyebrow but hurriedly said, ¡°Make yourself invisible if you aren¡¯t already. Someone¡¯ll be back in a few minutes.¡± Smegma nodded but stayed doubled over, seeming to almost be in pain. I wondered again just how real the creature was. The fact that he breathed and was clearly in pain, spoke to him being more alive than he claimed. Sure, he couldn¡¯t interact with our Plane but that didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t alive in another, right? [You were gone a week,] I thought to the Demon. [I was starting to wonder what was taking so long.] ¡°I was putting together a massive puzzle again! With sharp edges! Other than that, no husking clue,¡± he answered, his voice filled with clear frustration. His breathing did begin to come under control as I kept working. Before his reappearance, I was hoping to have finished this small chamber by the time my minder returned. Thankfully, Smegma didn¡¯t continue speaking and instead stared down the tunnel Jack had recently rushed down. My dad soon strode into view with a large smile. ¡°I¡¯m going to head up and negotiate with Echo-five. Can you finish my chamber after yours¡ªsharding only!¡ªuntil I get back.¡± He morphed his grin into a grimace before my eyes and studied the room, seeming disappointed. I got the hint and looked to the ground ashamedly. ¡°I¡¯ve told you before that we stick to the contract, son.¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± I answered, and schooled my features to try and not smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon¡ªI hope,¡± my dad said. Jack switched out with the leader of the group as my minder, and I frowned until I realized that the video of me mining was on his phone. I switched from full Crystals to sharding and thought I saw a disappointed frown cross the new minder¡¯s face under his half mask. However, that could have been my imagination. 054 Friday, April 26th, 2069 ¡°A week! It felt like hours¡ªWhat the hell did this Skill do?¡± Smegma asked. In response, I just paused at the bottom of a sharding-swing and looked at him pointedly. He blinked his black eyes and then nodded calmly, as if to say, ¡®Oh! Right! I¡¯m the one that should know.¡¯ A moment later, he was frowning. ¡°You¡¯ve got to come in here and take a look. I can¡¯t interact with the new Skill-planet in your Mental Universe at all.¡± Thankfully, sharding took no concentration at this point. Still, trying to picture my Mental Universe while my eyes were open to track the Pick¡¯s next target wasn¡¯t easy. With difficulty, I did manage it, after about three swings. The ¡®planet¡¯ was easily half the size of the ¡®sun¡¯ that was the Demonic Vault Skill. It was a white that was almost blinding with the backdrop of the void black behind it. Around the planet was a large ring, like Saturn, but on closer inspection wasn¡¯t an asteroid belt. To be honest I couldn¡¯t tell what substance it was, but if I had to compare¡ªit seemed closest to ice. Mentally, I prodded the planet and found that nothing happened. I tried all the tricks I knew; all two of them, like ¡®flicking¡¯ my Mana Pool with mental fingers and trying to pass my hand through it. In both cases, I was rebuffed like the planet was a solid object. [Mana Conduit?] ¡°Give it a try,¡± Smegma replied. I scanned over to my Mana Pool, or maybe it was my Dragon Heart Skill? Either way, the small galaxy had fifty stars orbiting around it. I hadn¡¯t been able to drain the Mana into Demonic Vault while Smegma was away or this Classes sub-Skill was forming. So, fifty was a full Mana Pool. The stars seemed to vibrate as they orbited around a black center, and even mentally approaching the space gave me the sense of an impending static shock. [What¡¯s going on with my Mana Pool?] I asked, when I realized the Mana itself, also felt electrically charged¡ªalive¡ªor perhaps just poised for something? ¡°I can¡¯t touch your Mana Pool,¡± Smegma reminded me. ¡°What does it feel like? How much are you up to?¡± I conveyed the indescribable feeling as best I could and heard the sound of talon tapping a tooth even as I kept sharding Crystals. I didn¡¯t look to the imp, too focused on maintaining my dual-focus as it was. ¡°Fifty is the verge of Evolving to the next level¡ªso maybe it¡¯s ready to upgrade or something?¡± [But my Dragon Heart is already B-grade, right?] ¡°True. Still, the Mana Pool looks more like a sub-Skill than the actual function of Dragon Heart. So, it won¡¯t upgrade the entire Skill, but something involving it will probably create a breakthrough.¡± [Helpful as always,] I responded dryly, as I made the conduit to the new Classes¡¯ sub-Skill planet. When I took my finger off the ¡®straw¡¯s¡¯ end, like I had with Demonic Vault¡ªthe planet rejected the Mana, and the uncapped straw began to dump Mana into my Mental Universe. I flushed with heat as a feeling of exhilaration hit¡ªfollowed nearly instantaneously by nausea. I plugged the straw. It was my turn to breathe heavily. [What the hell? It didn¡¯t take the Mana.] ¡°Okay, don¡¯t sound so aghast. It just means we must activate it in some other way. Still,¡± Smegma said, leaving the word hanging as he tapped talon to fang. ¡°It has to need Mana, Martial Power, or Control or something¡­¡± The tapping intensified, seeming to try to match the noise of me sharding crystals. ¡°Try creating a conduit from Demonic Vault to it.¡± Still feeling nauseous, I first tried to figure out what to do with my current conduit that had a mental thumb plugging it. I floundered, and even stopped sharding, closing my eyes to try to focus on a solution. My gorge felt like it was slowly rising and forcing up my quick lunch, from after the trial, in the process. Unfortunately, my stop was noticed by the leader of the minder¡¯s. ¡°Everything okay?¡± ¡°Just taking a quick break,¡± I said, even as I heaved in and out lungfuls of air. Thankfully, Smegma also noticed at that point that something was wrong. ¡°Create a sort of positive ¡®pressure¡¯ and force the Mana back into the Pool,¡± he coached. ¡°Think about it as low- and high-pressure systems. The Mana will take the path of least resistance¡­¡± he kept speaking using idioms that had no meaning in this context but helped all the same. Eventually, with his help, I succeeded and noticed a side effect of creating a draw, or gravity around my Mana pool. The spillage was also sucked back into the pool faster. The effect happened in reverse as my nausea turned to exhilaration and heat before dissipating entirely. Once I knew the ¡®straw¡¯ was empty, I moved it, placing the unplugged end in Demonic Vault and the other side into Classes. When I unplugged it, nothing happened, and I opened my eyes. [Well it¡¯s there,] I said lamely. [Now what?] ¡°No husking clue, maybe try sending Mana to Demonic Vault?¡± That of course worked, but converted it to Mana Coins. Smegma noticed first. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this interesting? Your dad''s returning. I¡¯ll keep thinking on this.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t finish this chamber yet?¡± My dad asked in passing. I realized I only had one or two deposits left, but also realized that behind my father were all the minders and the others from our new company. Even Dave had finished before me¡­ I started to feel embarrassed but told myself he had the smallest chamber. Still, I turned this into an opportunity and asked, ¡°So, am I sharding these or¡­?¡± ¡°No more sharding. We got an extra two-percent if we keep them whole.¡± My dad nodded with a paternal smile and I quickly tapped the stem of the two before joining the group. I could tell the plan was to move deeper since everyone was here. ¡°Who¡¯s coming to pick up the shards and crystals?¡± I asked as I fell in behind my dad. I also studied Dave and Jarred¡¯s pickaxes¡ªthey were both looking much better. Nowhere near as nice as Willa, mine and my father¡¯s but, far better. ¡°Someone will be down soon with a Bag of Holding,¡± the leader that had been watching me said. He looked slightly disappointed and I wasn¡¯t sure if it was because of the negotiations or my break. Either way I nodded and the group went down to the final ¡®worked¡¯ chamber which my dad started. He had maybe a quarter left to do, and Dave with his minder was left to finish up. ¡°Do your best to not shard, but don¡¯t worry if you mess up a bit,¡± my father said. ¡°We told him that you were new to the crew. It factored in the negotiations.¡± He said the last rather proudly, clearly happy with how things had gone. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. The group continued on from that room and passed through two more, leaving Willa and then Jarred behind with their gun-toting Hunters. As the leader, my father, my original minder, Jack, and I continued deeper. Something noticeably changed as we moved into the next hallway between caverns. I looked around trying to figure out what my brain had clued into, but not immediately seeing it. Smegma had though. ¡°The moss is growing brighter.¡± I stopped and looked around, trying to figure out what could be causing it. My dad, and the other two stopped and took note of the wall too. The leader asked the obvious question first, ¡°Why is it brighter?¡± There was one patch of moss that shone at about three times the lumens of the rest. I found it thanks in part to Smegma floating near it, and my own eyes slowly clueing in to the odd phenomenon. Smegma made a motion with his hand to brush it aside. It didn¡¯t work, but I dutifully dug my fingers in and pulled. The moss tore away with a bit of effort and soon I was staring at a shining surface. It almost looked like frozen water. However, it wasn¡¯t blue, but a metallic yellow. I pulled away more of the moss and the others came over to study what I was revealing. The leader again asked the obvious, ¡°What is it?¡± As I pulled off more moss it became clear that it wasn¡¯t a natural deposit. Or I guess it became clear that it was more than just a mineral deposit. There were carvings on it that depicted stick-like humanoids surrounding a massive, coiled creature. The oddity was that, where I would put two legs for a stick figure human, these images instead had one thick line that curled to a point under them. The creature in the center resembled a snake, the more of it I revealed. Mostly because it was a large coiling figure with the telltale segments I¡¯d come to expect from a snake¡¯s underbelly. However, if these humanoids were human-sized, then this creature was hundreds of feet long. The more of the mural I revealed, the more the story grew. The single-legged humanoids had weapons and were fighting the creature. It was coiled either in defense or between strikes. ¡°What planet are we on?¡± Smegma asked, cutting into my thoughts. ¡°No idea,¡± I responded, meaning it for both the leader and Smegma. I continued mentally to the latter. [Outside, there are petrified trees and about a foot to two feet of water filled with this same algae-plant thing.] ¡°Oh, a lost world, then.¡± Smegma said, looking up at the ceiling of the hallway. At my look he continued, ¡°Likely a world that took it¡¯s Trials before Crendalar.¡± [Do you know what the stuff this drawing is made of is?] ¡°No, but it can store Mana. It probably hasn¡¯t had any until the Portal led here, and is only now reabsorbing some, ever since the System created the dome.¡± I knocked on it with a knuckle and it gave off a tinkling thud that made me think it was crystalline. Offhandedly to my father, I said, ¡°We think it¡¯s storing Mana.¡± ¡°We?¡± Jack said. Even as the leader narrowed his eyes over his face mask. ¡°Sorry, I think it¡¯s storing Mana,¡± I corrected, and didn¡¯t have to fake my embarrassment. ¡°If it¡¯s storing Mana, it¡¯s value would be astronomical,¡± my dad said. ¡°The problem is whether it has been modified to store Mana, or if it''s a natural property of the materials,¡± Smegma warned. I didn¡¯t understand why that distinction would be important so asked for some more information with a mental poke. ¡°Well, if it¡¯s natural you can take it out of here in pieces, dumb-dumb. If it¡¯s modified, it¡¯s likely that it will only store mana in its current configuration as essentially, an art piece and you probably need the whole fixture. Husking moron.¡± Ahhh, he was back. I guess being absent for a week and recovering from popping back into existence could only last so long. It had been enjoyable while it lasted though¡­ I conveyed what Smegma said in my own words, adding, ¡°The problem is that it¡¯s clearly been modified. So, whether it''s the mineral that absorbs the Mana or what these people did with it¡ª¡± ¡°People?¡± All three Hunters in the room said in unison. ¡°This should just be a piece of decoration created by the Portal, surely,¡± the leader stated derisively. I looked to my father trying to convey that what I was about to say wasn¡¯t true. ¡°Right, sure. What the Portal did to it. I was just getting caught up in the story the Portal created here. All I¡¯m saying is that we either have to take it out of here as one full piece or, if the mineral is absorbing Mana, it will still be fine in pieces.¡± ¡°Ahh, right. If it¡¯s been modified then the Enchantment is what¡¯s valuable, and if not, it¡¯s the material itself,¡± Jack said, knowingly. ¡°Smart,¡± he complimented. Smegma scoffed at the man directing his praise at me, but thankfully had begun studying the mural again. ¡°Clear the edges,¡± he directed, his voice clearly expressing that his words were not a suggestion. They were orders. I conveyed his words and as a group we managed to uncover the entire piece of metallic yellow crystal. ¡°Oh,¡± Smegma said, once he saw the edges. I studied them too. It was jagged, familiar almost like¡ª¡°It¡¯s a Fused Mana Crystal! High-grade at that.¡± [How high?] I asked. ¡°No way of knowing. I think it¡¯s an old iteration of Crystals, from before Crendalar. Still, the sheen of it leads me to think it¡¯s above B.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s a Mana Crystal¡­¡± I said, making sure not to use the collective ¡®we¡¯ again. I then tried to touch the Metallic Yellow Crystal and sell the Mana inside. I figured that if it dimmed suddenly on my touch, I could claim I didn¡¯t know what happened. Still, I needn¡¯t have worried because nothing happened, which could be because it was still inside the wall. ¡°Bullshit, kid,¡± the leader exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s too big, and it¡¯s the wrong color.¡± ¡°No, I think he¡¯s right,¡± my dad said and pointed to the edges. ¡°I don¡¯t know how it¡¯s so big, or why it¡¯s yellow¡ªbut the lattice edges are definitely Mana Crystalline in design. So, it¡¯s either a Crystal or they wanted to make it look like one.¡± ¡°Either husking way, it''s valuable, right?¡± Jack exclaimed looking excitedly at the leader. ¡°Yeah, if our esteemed Miners can get it out of the wall in a single piece¡­¡± the leader answered while narrowing his eyes at us. I couldn¡¯t see his mouth but I felt the scowl. Smegma shook his head. ¡°It wasn¡¯t designed to be removed. You can get it out of here in pieces, and I might even be able to find the fuse points, so you get some full Crystals, but as a whole piece. Husk no! I doubt any Miner could¡­¡± My father was looking at me, seeming to be hoping for an affirmative answer to the question. I shook my head sadly. ¡°I think the Portal fused a bunch of crystals together. There isn¡¯t a stem and it likely wasn¡¯t made to come out in a full piece. We can break it up¡ªmaybe even get a few full-sized Crystals but it would be a ton of work. We¡¯d likely want everyone.¡± The last part wasn¡¯t exactly true, but if we were going to shard a high-ranked Crystal, I wanted Dave and Jarred¡¯s pickaxes involved for the repair and possible Upgrade from the likely vast quantities of residual Mana released from a High Ranked Crystal.. ¡°Figures. That should teach Echo to hire the riff-raff,¡± the leader said scornfully. My dad gave the man a pointed tight-lipped smile. He didn¡¯t seem to care. ¡°You stay here with these two, Jack, I¡¯ll go get the others.¡± As he walked away I could hear him muttering, ¡°Husking waste of good luck, cocking-bullshit.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind him,¡± Jack said as his leader walked away. ¡°He¡¯s in a bad mood.¡± He then waited for the leader to no longer be visible before whispering, ¡°Plus he¡¯s in a ton of debt, so this would have been a huge help.¡± ¡°It already will be. Whatever grade this thing is, it¡¯s up there.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Harvested some D-ranked Crystals a few days back and they didn¡¯t make my hair stand on end anywhere close to how this thing¡¯s doing right now. We walked into a D-ranked Dungeon and will be coming out with Crystals at least a rank above that, so forgive me if I¡¯m a bit unsympathetic that we can¡¯t perform another miracle.¡± I turned back toward the massive Crystal with a frown. ¡°Still, it does suck to ruin it, I¡¯ll admit.¡± My dad shook his head sadly, and I assumed he was thinking along the same lines I was. Was everyone other than high-ranked Hunters and celebrities in debt or just scraping by? ¡°It¡¯s the same on any world that has a hierarchical society,¡± Smegma answered my thought, despite me not needing him to. ¡°The good news is that it falls apart in time, thanks to the System. You just can¡¯t maintain something like that when power is so readily available.¡± [Yeah, I don¡¯t think our Systems are acting the same. Plus, I don¡¯t know what hierarchies you¡¯re thinking of, but societies are built on them. The pre-System ones might fall apart but new ones just get built in their stead. Even with the System those power structures won¡¯t be based purely on personal power or Ranking¡¯s. No matter how powerful one person is, capable people can gather together many strong people together for a common cause. Being one against the world is all well and good in the movies, but I don¡¯t see it ever working out in real life.] ¡°I think you¡¯d be surprised at how powerful single individuals can get under the System, but you¡¯re not entirely wrong, either. It¡¯s rare for one to defeat the many. However the System doesn¡¯t care if it''s one or many that are strong enough to pass the Trials. It cares about results. If your civilization is one that births a god¡­ well congratulations. It¡¯s the entire goal of the System as far as us Demons could find. It wants you to become powerful. It wants you to Ascend. The System is made to advance civilizations, or...¡± [Deem them failures and let them slowly die out,] I finished for him when he cut off. He nodded, while pointedly studying the mural. 055 Friday, April 26th, 2069 With my Mining Skill, and Smegma¡¯s understanding, I did most of the work to remove as many full Crystals as I possibly could and pointed out the places for the others to strike and shard fused connectors. ¡°This is deep,¡± Willa said, as she carefully chipped out a section to expose another large chunk and the visible part of what once was a Crystal Stem. ¡°Still, you sure it be Crystal, Bro?¡± I was mid swing near an edge, cracking away stone to expose a stem for myself when she spoke. I let the pick slam home and smelled the ozone as a spark flew, but paused for a moment between swings to answer. ¡°Not sure, no¡ªbut relatively confident. If it is, it¡¯s likely very old, and that should make it rare. Hopefully valuable and rare¡­¡± ¡°You sure that this won¡¯t be confiscated too?¡± My dad whispered from beside me. I took another swing before glancing at the minder¡¯s from Mirage, then shrugged as the stem shattered with the sound of the shattering tail of a Rupert¡¯s Drop. The Crystal didn¡¯t fall free, and I began looking for the fuse points that needed to be broken away. ¡°These edges will give us the most whole pieces of material,¡± I said as if directing the others to focus there. I¡¯d already said something similar a while ago, so it wasn¡¯t some great epiphany and a scoff from one of the five minders made me roll my eyes. I turned to face them and said, ¡°We¡¯ll be done in about ten to fifteen minutes. You might want to get that porter down here.¡± As I spoke, I bent down and pretended to study a full Crystal amongst the shard. As I picked it up to show the men, I used my other hand to send another to my Necklace of Holding. In my best, ¡®I told you so¡¯ tone, I addressed the leader, ¡°It sure looks like a Mana Crystal, doesn¡¯t it?¡± I left unsaid my own doubt to that effect. I¡¯d tried and failed to send the Mana inside the ¡®Crystal¡¯ to the Demonic Vault¡ªso I was even less sure what this was, even though it looked very much like a Mana Crystal in a different color. Regardless, I knew it would still be valuable outside. He snatched the Crystal from me and squinted at it, ignoring my comment, and me. His lackeys crowded close, and I saw another opportunity. I ¡®pocketed¡¯ two more of the basketball-sized B-ranked or higher Crystals. I didn¡¯t dare take any more. The leader got fed up with the crowd from one excited breath to the next. ¡°Buzz off ya flies. Jack, go get the porter. Viccar and Etien go scout the next cavern. We don¡¯t all need to watch these men sweat.¡± ¡°And ladies!¡± Willa said pointedly under her breath. She wasn¡¯t usually one to speak quietly in these situations, and I gave her a look. She discreetly motioned to the leader, making it clear she didn¡¯t like him¡ªand simultaneously was getting a strange vibe from him. Like her talking back might be somehow a threat to the group. Blinking, I simultaneously felt my stomach drop. I hoped she was wrong and that she was just being overly cautious thanks to the rumors and stories Jarred and my dad told. Still, the asshole was unlikeable. ¡°I¡¯ll follow the two to the next cavern,¡± Smegma said, picking up on my internal thoughts. ¡°See if they discuss anything worrisome.¡± It took another twenty minutes before we were finished, but to my surprise no one had returned. Neither Jack and the porter or Etien and Viccar. I studied the metallic yellow Crystals on the floor as I mentally sent, [Everything okay, Smegma?] The imp popped back into view beside me, and his expression immediately put me on edge. ¡°The next cavern is huge. Larger than any we¡¯ve been in so far; including the ones with the Lynx or Snow Birds Guild. It¡¯s filled with Crystals, but the two who went to scout got too far away to hear more than them speculating about how much this stuff will be worth. I was waiting for them to come back, but I couldn¡¯t see where they went.¡± ¡°Where the husk are Etien and Viccar?!¡± The leader growled, seeming to realize that we were done with this section and that his two ¡®scouts¡¯ were missing. The late realization from the leader made me dislike him more. Shouldn¡¯t he have noticed before I did¡­ Slapping feet from the opposite direction the two minders were lost down echoed down the hall to us, and pretty soon Jack arrived at a run. ¡°Echo-five says that the Boss is moving, and he needs us all now! They can¡¯t send porters!¡± ¡°Husk!¡± the leader said, and looked to the tunnel that led to Etien and Viccar. ¡°Jack, go get those two. Aaron, and I will head up. You lot, keep mining.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not part of our contract, we were guaranteed protect¡ª¡± The leader was in my father¡¯s face so fast, that I stepped back. His hand was on his sidearm at his waist, which was a strange way to communicate a threat considering he had a strapped AK-47-esque weapon draped in front of him. ¡°Listen, here! This is husking protection! You want the Boss to collapse the entrance to this mine with you lot inside?¡± My father didn¡¯t flinch back and met the man¡¯s steely stare. ¡°You and I both know that¡¯s a stretch. We can leave and come back once the all clear is given. The Portal out is close by.¡± The click of the holster being released sounded louder than the picks on stone moments before. ¡°If I tell you to keep mining, you keep mining. Do you understand me, Pooler?¡± Willa gasped, and I frowned. That was a particularly offensive name to people who Awakened with only the Mana Pool gift. It was rarely spoken anymore in pleasant society. There were just too many of us Mana Pool Awakened¡ªand thus public opinion was heavily swayed by us. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. My frown was because I assumed every Hunter in here would also be classified as a ¡®Pooler.¡¯ So, the insult was even more nuanced. Like a superiority complex, against Awakened who didn¡¯t strap on weapons like these men did. My dad¡¯s jaw was clenched but he nodded slowly, while the leader waited, meeting his eyes intensely. After a time, the man re-clipped his holster and strode from the hallway. My dad followed his departing back with eyes that threatened retribution. Still, the leader and Aaron were soon out of sight and despite not having seen Jack leave, he too was gone. We were essentially by ourselves, with the threat of Jack, Etien and Viccar returning. I studied each of my groups in turn. Willa, and my father wore expressions of rebellion, where Jarred and Dave both stared silently down to the ground. I, for one, was somewhat happy with this turn of events, and said, ¡°You do realize that being left alone means we can sell more Crystals to Demonic Vault, right?¡± ¡°We talked about this Brodie,¡± my dad instantly answered, his voice hard. ¡°This isn¡¯t a race! We work our way up¡ªyou slowly work your way up. Remember?!¡± It was my turn to look at the ground. ¡°Then what are we going to do?¡± I asked, as I studied the metallic yellow carpet of shards and Crystals. ¡°Once Viccar, Etien and Jack come back and leave, we¡¯re also going to go. Then we will never be working with Mirage again,¡± my dad said. ¡°Wait, we decided they were the best of the offers Legion could get for us. Plus won¡¯t that stop us from getting a good reference from them?¡± Dave asked as his head popped up. ¡°Better to be alive and workin¡¯ to better our reputation, then dead,¡± Willa countered. Jarred nodded, while Dave and I looked at each other. I agreed with Dave. We hadn¡¯t seen a monster down here yet¡ªclearly, Mirage had done a good job clearing it out. Surely it was safe enough, even without minders. We hadn¡¯t had Steady Jural in the same cavern as us or other Hunters when working with Lynx or Snow Birds. Of course, that reminded me of the King Leeches and the fact that Steady Jural had died protecting the deepest cavern. ¡°Listen to your father, but I do suggest we take as much of this stuff as we can,¡± Smegma said, while indicating the carpet of Crystals. ¡°You might not be able to sell the Mana inside for some reason, but it definitely has Mana.¡± [The Hunters are coming back,] I said, even as I studied the carpet again to see if I could get away with more, without it being noticeable. After a moment I shook my head but did think, [Once they¡¯ve left us, I¡¯ll take a few, maybe¡­] ¡°Okay should we go back to the last couple of caverns, though, as we wait,¡± I said, thinking we could still sell many full Crystals from those locations. ¡°Yeah, but we stick together,¡± my dad ordered. We all nodded and moved back up the tunnel. We were finished Mining the nearest small cavern, and we still hadn¡¯t heard or seen anything from the direction we¡¯d come. I was up to twenty thousand Mana Coins in the Demonic Vault, thanks to my very sticky fingers. One issue did seem apparent, looking at the leftovers. Without sharding, it was easier to identify my theft. Still, I wasn¡¯t too worried¡ªthanks to the moss. A quick brush of the hand covered a great deal of the small visible stems that adorned the walls. Sure there weren¡¯t many there, but it would definitely help hide the missing Crystals. ¡°Next cavern?¡± I asked, but only to break the eerie silence. ¡°Something is wrong,¡± my dad answered. He was staring back down the hallway with the Metallic-Yellow-Crystal-Mural. Everyone nodded. ¡°Do we go check it out, or get the hell out now?¡± Jarred asked. I could tell, his question was again just meant to be a prompt. ¡°We¡¯re getting out of here,¡± my dad sternly answered. He instantly spun on his heels and started walking¡ªthe action and words more than enough to get everyone else to follow. Dave fell in beside me. ¡°Look how good my pick looks,¡± he said, brandishing the aforementioned mining tool. It was even starting to darken in the handle¡ªwhich was interesting, considering ours only did that after we rang the Golem Heart. Otherwise known as defeating the Rock Golem. ¡°I felt it steering my swings a bit, when we were working on the Mural. Isn¡¯t that annoying?¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, I was trying to shard, and it was clearly wanting me to hit elsewhere.¡± ¡°Mine didn¡¯t do that,¡± Jarred said, butting into the conversation. ¡°I did feel it steer, but it made the swings more precise.¡± ¡°Ask Dave where he was aiming,¡± Smegma said, still invisible¡ªin case the Hunter¡¯s suddenly popped up. I conveyed the question and Dave shrugged. ¡°In the general areas you or the others indicated.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why,¡± Smegma answered. ¡°He¡¯s not being specific¡ªso the Enchant is choosing the best spot for him. If you know the best spot and aim for it¡ªit directs the point there. The Enchantment is essentially a pseudo-Skill and works on intention.¡± Again, I conveyed the response from Smegma, and Dave¡¯s eyebrows raised. ¡°Is it reading my thoughts then?¡± Smegma started laughing and I couldn¡¯t help the smile that broke onto my face. I had something reading my surface thoughts¡ªso, this wasn¡¯t a big concern for me. Still, the smile didn¡¯t last, because the others concerned looks sobered me instantly. Smegma didn¡¯t stop laughing but did manage to shake his head as he said, ¡°No, no. It¡¯s more experience, I guess. Your father, Willa and Jarred are already aiming at the right spot¡ªso they won¡¯t feel much. Only minor corrections. Dave intends to strike a wider spot and thus the pickaxe corrects further¡ªand if that area has two or three good strike points it will pick one at random. Thus the intentions.¡± My smile was returning, as I opened my mouth to correct the meaning from a moment before¡ª The ground under my feet rumbled. It happened again, and again in quick short bursts. ¡°Is that an Earthquake?¡± Dave asked before I could. ¡°No, the husking Hunters are using explosives. It¡¯s closer than we thought¡ªwe better start running!¡± My father matched his words as he increased his pace to a jog. The sound of slapping work-boots on Crystal piles and stone echoed out of rhythm as each of us moved individually. Right up until everyone planted those feet, and slid over the carpet in unison. We came to a stop even as an extremely loud crash echoed down toward us. We were just passing through the cavern I¡¯d mined this morning. So, three from the exit. A cloud of dust followed the sound, and I just managed to pull up my mask and avert my gaze before it crashed over us. Some of the others began coughing and cursing having not been quick enough. I stood still waiting for the dust to settle. The few peeks I did make, showed me nothing but a grayish green haze, surrounding me. Smegma seemed to either be able to see or guess what happened because he soon said, ¡°The entrance collapsed!¡± Everyone made noises of distress¡ªtelling me that he had made himself visible, not that they saw him. But they clearly heard him. 056 Friday, April 26th, 2069 It took long minutes for the smoke to clear even a fraction. The first thing I heard was Dave coughing. I knew the sound, since the kid frequently hit his bong when I was over gaming. ¡°Dave, put your mask up. It will help,¡± I said, through the cloud. ¡°Who said that the entrance collapsed? They made it sound impassible but how could they know?¡± ¡°I said it, you imbecile¡ªand while I can simply float through the debris if Brodie gets close enough. You all won¡¯t be able to,¡± Smegma retorted, his voice the equivalent of a sneer¡ªthat I felt. In response, my soul wanted to shrivel up, and I hunched my shoulders as if to mirror the desire with my physical body. ¡°Is that Smegma?¡± Willa asked, having only heard of the Demon to this point. ¡°Do ya know if there¡¯s another entrance?¡± she quickly asked a follow up to her rhetorical question. ¡°Let me just fly off and find one. Poof I¡¯m right back beside you because I can¡¯t go more than a hundred meters from the kid! Idiot,¡± Smegma answered. ¡°Okay, who pissed in your cheerees! Dickwad!¡± Willa responded. ¡°Why is it taking so long for the smoke to settle?¡± My dad asked. I could hear that he was trying to use a commanding voice, and it might have worked for people who didn¡¯t know him well. But amongst this group, that only included Dave and Smegma. I certainly could tell how worried he was. ¡°The airflow from the entrance is probably cut off,¡± Jarred responded stoically. ¡°Goes toward Smegma¡¯s point of how bad the collapse was¡­¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if he mispronounced the name due to the cloud, his mask, by accident or intentionally, but it did break me of my inaction. ¡°Smegma can you try to lead me to the others?¡± ¡°Sure thing, oh faithful leader,¡± Smegma said mockingly, but did as instructed. I saw a darker shadow amongst the white and gray-green particles of dust, no more than inches from me. As it moved, I hesitantly moved to follow, sometimes taking half steps and returning to the start until I found the right direction. After the first step it became easier because Smegma stayed a course, and in short order I bumped into Dave, Willa, Jarred and then my father. Now holding hands, I said, ¡°Can you bring us¡ª¡± ¡°This way,¡± Smegma said from inches away, and I repeated the process, knowing he had read my thoughts and was bringing us to the deeper caverns; where I hoped there was less smoke. Gradually, the smoke did grow thinner and soon we were out into a hallway with no noticeable smoke, unless you looked closely down the length of said hallway. We kept moving until we came onto the cavern that we¡¯d mined before deciding to try an escape. Once there, we stopped and realized we were missing some things. ¡°I dropped my lunch box,¡± Dave complained. ¡°Me too, man,¡± I retorted, looking back up the tunnel. I could really use some food right about now. Jarred and Willa had their coolers still but a quick look inside and a head-shake told us that they had already finished the portions intended for a mid-afternoon snack. That would put us on a timer¡ªwait does Demonic Vault have anything to eat? ¡°Umm, nothing mundane,¡± Smegma answered but the accompanying bone tap made me know he was thinking. Soon enough a red screen popped up in front of me. ¡°Cheapest thing we have.¡±
Mana Apple Low-C-Rank This apple will increase Mana Capacity and Recharge rate by 1% for 240 hours. This effect can stack up to five times and resets with each apple eaten within the time limit. The apple is considered a perfectly balanced meal plan for an entire day, but should not be abused. Cost: 20,000 mC Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
After I was finished reading Smegma continued, ¡°We have others for Martial Power and Control but they would be less worthwhile to purchase. Same price.¡± Twenty thousand mC a day per person, if we were stuck down here long enough to need them. That was one hundred thousand a day or more if Etien, Viccar and Jack returned. That was also more than five times what I currently had saved. I looked at the Crystals strewn on the floor and quickly walked around selling them. The way we had come probably had at least another twenty-thousand, and the lunch boxes as well. Everyone¡¯s eyes followed me, and I looked down the hallway that led deeper, thinking of the metallic yellow crystals. When I had thought through the options I said, ¡°I think we¡¯ll be okay. I can buy some food from the Demonic Vault¡¯s Shop, and we can survive on one a day. ¡°Unfortunately, they cost quite a bit of Coins, so we¡¯ll need to go back and sell the Crystals and shards above. I¡¯ll try again to sell the Metallic Yellow ones but it didn¡¯t seem to work before. Smegma thinks the Mana is tainted somehow but maybe when I don¡¯t need to be so discreet?¡± Smegma shrugged at my words, seeming to say, ¡®it¡¯s worth a try.¡¯ Still I was more concerned about getting out of here, so asked, ¡°Do you all think Mirage will get us out of here quickly and I should leave the Crystals for them?¡± Everyone just stared at me, and I quickly realized my Mental Fortitude was working overtime. Jarred did oscillate his eye-daggers between me and Smegma, and I could tell that the Demon¡¯s appearance disturbed him, but I dismissed it by thinking of something else. Willa for example was studying the Demon but seemed appreciative of his look. Well, maybe not appreciative, but not fearful or angry. Maybe even my Recovery was working overtime too¡ªDave wasn¡¯t the only one coughing lightly as their lungs fought to clear stone dust. After an awkwardly long silence, Smegma said, ¡°Seeing as how there were explosives that went off and the result was collapsing the entrance, I¡¯m not even sure the Guild is going to be helping us out at all. Regardless, it won¡¯t help to hope. Let¡¯s plan for the worst¡ªthose guys seemed like assholes anyway.¡± Jarred shivered, and I winced. I knew that Smegma¡¯s appearance was disturbing at first, but since Mrs. Stovall and everyone so far hadn¡¯t reacted poorly¡ªI¡¯d kind of figured it wasn¡¯t so bad¡­ I also couldn¡¯t help the winces his less than thought out words brought on. I would much rather have hoped for the best and planned for the worst¡ªbut now I was sure everyone was thinking that Mirage would abandon them. I had come to terms with that already, but the paling faces of the group told me they hadn¡¯t even gotten to that thought yet. My dad collapsed onto his ass. ¡°I knew we shouldn¡¯t have taken a contract with a Low-ranked Guild!¡± My feet took a step toward him before I could think better of it, but Willa held up a hand and went to him first. ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡ªwe¡¯ll get out of here when they clear the Boss and the Dungeon closes.¡± She made a ¡®shooing¡¯ motion, directing me to return the way we had come and collect the Crystals and lunchboxes. Feeling my heart disagreeing with my brain, I did so. I knew then that if I went to my father, he would insist on holding me for long minutes, distracting me from further actions. Smegma obviously joined me and after the next nearest chamber was forced to direct me again, making conversation impossible and the work slow going. Still, I had over a hundred thousand points by the time I had the lunch boxes and was turning to head back. The dust had also begun to settle enough that I was able to see Smegma up to five feet. By the time I got back I could tell the others had reached a few conclusions. My dad leveled me with a steely gaze. ¡°We should wait for the dust to settle and return to the entrance.¡± I blinked at him, even as I lowered the lunchboxes to the ground. Dave immediately snatched his up and dug inside to have a granola bar. I saw the others looking at my father and then me from my peripherals. ¡°Do you really think Mirage will come to rescue us?¡± ¡°Three of their Guild members are down here too, so yes.¡± My dad¡¯s voice carried all the assuredness I would need to hear, usually¡ªbut this time I was far too skeptical to believe him. ¡°Where are those three Guild Members?¡± I asked, pointedly scanning the room. ¡°Surely, they had some way to communicate or locate members?¡± My dad frowned and looked at the walls. ¡°Not down here they don¡¯t.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re hoping they¡¯ll dig out the entrance for Guild members that may or may not be alive? Plus, didn¡¯t Willa say we¡¯d get out when the Portal closed?¡± ¡°We concluded that they must have beaten the Boss already, and if it hasn¡¯t closed yet¡ªit likely is a permanent Portal or has another Boss that Mirage will go looking for.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± I answered, while looking at the others. They all shrugged, accepting my father¡¯s decision. I felt my face contort into a scowl. ¡°No,¡± I said softly but then repeated firmly when I felt the building storm that was coming. ¡°No. You haven¡¯t come to terms with the situation yet. We can¡¯t go back. We can only continue forward for now. If they clear out the entrance, then they¡¯ll still come deeper, right?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve thought it out, Brodie.¡± My dad countered. ¡°Three Hunters delved deeper and haven¡¯t returned. Going down there is too dangerous!¡± My father unleashed that gathering storm trying to use volume to convey his point. ¡°We have something they don¡¯t,¡± I said, having already considered this. ¡°What?¡± I pointed to the Imp-Felguard Demon, and he smirked before taking a bow. My father looked at the smug Smegma and then at me. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be husking kidding, right?¡± 057 Friday, April 26th, 2069 ¡°Are you sure we should be following that thing around?¡± Jarred asked, in a whisper that was easily overheard in the silence of the tunnels. ¡°It could be leading us into the depth of Hell.¡± I¡¯d momentarily forgotten that Jarred was a somewhat ¡®reformed¡¯ Catholic¡ªhis wife being the huge driving force behind it¡ªbut this comment brought that little fact back. Just as I decided to keep quiet, and not exacerbate the issue, Smegma said, ¡°Yes, because my only goal in this quasi-life is to drag the pure into my depravity.¡± Jarred didn¡¯t turn around but I did see his shoulders climb up to his ears, even as his fists clenched. Mentally, I scolded Smegma, [Leave him alone. He¡¯s Catholic.] Smegma gave me a look that said he didn¡¯t care, but he did stop poking the man. I counted that as a win. Soon, we were in front of the pile of Yellow Mana Crystals, and I took a deep steadying breath through my nose. To my surprise the dusky smell of stale mine air, and algae wasn¡¯t as strong. In fact, I thought¡ª ¡°Do ya smell fresher air?¡± Willa exclaimed, confirming my thought. I nodded even as the others took testing sniffs. Unfortunately for Dave that set off a round of coughing but he managed to nod along with the others. ¡°Well dat removes one worry. At least we ain¡¯t gonna run out of oxygen down here.¡± ¡°Perfect,¡± Jarred said skeptically while looking at Smegma. Thankfully, my dad interrupted the man from saying anything more with a hand on the shoulder and a pleading look. Once my father was sure that Jarred wasn¡¯t going to antagonize Smegma, he looked to me and the aforementioned Demon. He gestured at the Crystals scattered across the ground. ¡°Try again to sell those Crystals and see where we¡¯re at after.¡± Mentally I crossed my fingers, before bending down. I placed my hand on the nearest full Crystal and willed it to the Demonic Vault Skill. The Crystal didn¡¯t move, and I looked to Smegma. ¡°Still a problem? Any idea what¡¯s going on now that we can do this openly?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Smegma said. ¡°It¡¯s like it doesn¡¯t exist, according to the System. Or like you¡¯re interacting with something that¡¯s¡­ useless?¡± Frowning, I tried a few more and then some shards but got the same result. ¡°Well that¡¯s bullshit." Everyone stared at me, and I could only shrug in response. Smegma had put on his thinking face, and I could tell that he could only speculate as to the reason, but still asked, ¡°Any idea why this isn¡¯t working?¡± ¡°Several, but the most likely is that the System doesn¡¯t recognize it. It¡¯s obsolete.¡± I checked my total mC and found I was at a hundred and ten thousand¡ªwhich was both good and bad news. Good because we had a day¡¯s worth of food, and bad for the same reason. We only had a day, unless we got more Crystals, which meant going deeper. Just a glance at Jarred, Willa and my father told me that was going to be an argument. ¡°We¡¯ve got to go deeper,¡± Dave said, seeing the problem instantly. ¡°If we don¡¯t have the funds from these Crystals, we have no choice.¡± For some reason my dad glared at me, and so I threw up both of my hands in frustration. ¡°We don¡¯t have a choice, dad.¡± ¡°There¡¯s always a choice, son,¡± my dad said. Willa stepped back indicating she was stepping out of this conversation, but Jarred nodded his agreement and actually stepped up beside my father. ¡°Those are just husking words,¡± I said heatedly. ¡°Sure, we can choose to go back to the cave-in and wait¡ªcount on others to dig us out. But what if they don¡¯t come?¡± ¡°God has a plan for us all,¡± Jarred said, his tone so sanctimonious I felt my eyes roll. ¡°So, god is going to dig us out of here?¡± ¡°Believe in the goodness of man,¡± Jarred answered. ¡°Jarred, that¡¯s bullshit. We¡¯ve already seen that Mirage isn¡¯t exactly pure of husking heart. What if God¡¯s plan is that we need to fight to survive and only then he will help us?¡± ¡°I can tell you right now, that god¡¯s from higher realms aren¡¯t watching this one. There is only the System, and it only rewards those who push to better themselves,¡± Smegma said, his voice calm, but morose. His words carried the weight of his people¡¯s failure to Ascend. Jarred¡¯s head fell and he didn¡¯t open his mouth to retort, but my dad did. ¡°Brodie, if we don¡¯t take the safest route and something happens I¡¯d never forgive myself¡ªeven if we survive.¡± ¡°If we take the safer route and then are forced to scramble for resources when we¡¯re weak, something will happen. And whatever that something is, it¡¯s bound to be made worse because of our exhaustion,¡± I countered. My father and Jarred stood there like walls that couldn¡¯t be reasoned with. Neither had a retort to my words but I could tell neither was willing to stand down. I played a final card. ¡°I¡¯m going deeper, no matter what you say. You¡¯ll have to fight me if you want me to stop. So, would you rather come and keep me safe or stay here?¡± My dad¡¯s eyes widened and he opened his mouth multiple times, closing it again like a fish gasping for breath. Jarred¡¯s head snapped up at my words though and he pointed at me. ¡°Do not be deceived by this hellspawn, Brodie. Having finally seen the ¡®Demon¡¯ I am now sure that this is a test. If we go back, God will reward us.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m not going back, Jarred.¡± Jarred looked at me sadly, even as my father also studied me. After a time, my father pulled Jarred aside and tried to talk to him. In such a small hallway, I heard everything but tried to ignore it¡ªinstead placing the ¡®obsolete¡¯ Crystals and shards into my Necklace of Holding. They might be useless to Smegma, but Earth was a different animal. In the end, even with Willa¡¯s help¡ªJarred decided to return to the upper caverns. I will admit that his decision did make me rethink mine for a fraction of a moment, but whether it was through personal conviction or Mental Fortitude-assisted logic, I knew I was right. As the group naturally began to separate I turned to Jarred. ¡°Here¡¯s two Mana Apples they¡¯ll¡ª¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Have you never read the bible, Brodie? I will not be tempted by Apples!¡± Jarred practically shouted. After the ¡®confirmation¡¯ dance with Smegma, I had purchased two for him, and was proffering the bright blue fruits in his direction. I let my hand drop and looked around seeing Dave¡¯s lunch box. ¡°Dave, give him your lunchbox, please.¡± Dave, who was in the process of slinging it over his shoulder, froze, and then scrunched up his face, before walking it over to Jarred. ¡°There is half a sandwich and a few granolas in there. It isn¡¯t much.¡± ¡°Thank you, Dave,¡± Jarred said. He opened his mouth again to add something but then seemed to think better of it. Instead he just turned away and began walking back up the hallway. Just before he was out of earshot, he did call back, ¡°It¡¯s never too late to make the right decision. God forgives mistakes.¡± ¡°He does,¡± I agreed, trying to meet him on terms that he understood. ¡°Don¡¯t let your pride prevent you from following after us if you¡¯re ever in a position where you feel like you made the wrong decision, and I promise I¡¯ll do the same, okay Uncle Jarred?¡± He froze for a moment, his back stiff, before resuming his steady walk. With that our party was down to four people and Smegma. The looks I got from Willa and my father pleaded with me to change my mind, but I couldn¡¯t. They weren¡¯t thinking rationally as far as I was concerned. We either had to find another exit, or find a way to survive for multiple days until someone did dig us out. Plus, just like my father had told Jarred in their sidebar¡ªthe earlier Hunters from Mirage that had gone to scout might still be in front of us. Not meeting their eyes, I started walking down the tunnel to the next chamber. It was the one that only Smegma and I knew was massive, and out of place in an F-ranked dungeon. It was so big, in fact, that the algae moss stopped effectively lighting the space, and Willa pulled out her Lightstone. As soon as it lit up and everyone saw that this wasn¡¯t a normal small cavern like the earlier one¡ªthe arguments resumed. Well, my father and Willa attempted to restart it, but I rather effectively diffused it by ignoring them and continuing on, with or without them. The floors and much of the walls were covered in Crystals, which meant we could survive quite some time with some work. Still, we needed something more. The Mana Apples may satiate hunger, but what about thirst? ¡°We need to explore and find water if it¡¯s down here,¡± I said, looking at Smegma. The Demon nodded and floated off. He soon was out of the range of the light, and I licked my lips. The cavern was definitely larger than any I¡¯d personally been in before. Even as Willa and my father opened their mouths to start another conversation¡ªI pointed to the Crystals nearest our feet. ¡°Let¡¯s mine these while Smegma scouts.¡± From the clenched jaws I could tell that they disagreed, but when Dave shouldered his pick and moved to get to work, they grudgingly did as well. ¡°No sharding, if you can help it!¡± I commanded as I joined them. Smegma returned after about ten minutes, shaking his head. ¡°I made a semi-circle from here, but there isn¡¯t anything but more Crystals. Let¡¯s move and I¡¯ll keep going.¡± We did so, several more times, and I watched as my mC count climbed to over a hundred and twenty thousand. We had just moved and I was hoping it would get to one-thirty when Smegma rushed back before we could even start mining again. ¡°Don¡¯t¡¯ make any noise,¡± he whisper-hissed. ¡°There¡¯s a White Goblin village in a gorge fifty meters from here.¡± ¡°What?¡± My dad hissed. Smegma just pointed in the direction he¡¯d returned from. ¡°Just over there. Also, they captured at least one of the Hunters.¡± ¡°What?!¡± My dad hissed again and Smegma rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m starting to see where your son got his intelligence,¡± Smegma said dryly. My father¡¯s face went red, but whether it was anger or embarrassment I couldn¡¯t tell. Thankfully if it was anger, he kept his outburst contained. ¡°Wait¡ªdoes that mean there¡¯s water?¡± I asked, realizing that if Goblins were surviving down here, then there must be. ¡°A small stream runs through the town, and there is a cave lake in this direction,¡± Smegma answered. ¡°Water bottles,¡± I ordered and held out my hands. Dave instantly handed his over, and Willa moved to follow suit before my dad held out a hand to stop her. ¡°I should go,¡± he said. ¡°Smegma and I are linked¡ªhe can¡¯t guide you like he can¡ª¡± ¡°I should go,¡± my dad said again, his tone brooking no argument. I stared at him helplessly. I knew that he could be stubborn since I had that bone too. Thankfully Smegma said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s close enough that I can guide him even if you stay here.¡± My mouth fell open and I stared at Smegma, who shrugged in response. In explanation the Demon said, ¡°You literally just thought you couldn¡¯t win this argument¡­¡± * * * Greb-shak led Gary and his extremely poor-quality Lightstone to the cave lake. It wasn¡¯t far, but he also wasn¡¯t sure if the White Goblins would have patrols. He tried to convince Gary to turn the stupid beacon light off, but Gary said he needed to see. At least he was willing to wait as Greb-shak ranged out ahead before coming back and moving again. One thing that the Demon had thought, but didn¡¯t give voice to when pushing for Gary to go in Brodie¡¯s stead, was the simple fact that Gary was much more expendable than Brodie himself despite that fact that if things came down to a fight, Greb-shak had no doubt that Brodie would prove the more capable fighter. That had been made clear in the fight against the Golem days ago. None of that mattered, though. Greb-shak was a practical Demon. While there was no meaningful connection between himself and his own spawn-donator, he knew that humans had weird concerns about close relatives, so he¡¯d kept his full motivations to himself. Perhaps more importantly though, he needed to set this ¡®dad¡¯ straight on the priorities of survival¡­ If they had walked the hundred meters straight it would have been a trip that lasted a few minutes at most, but this way¡ªit had already taken ten. Still, they made it to the water without issues. Gary studied the lake, which was white and cloudy. He then combined the leftover water into two of the bottles before filling up the remaining four with the cloudy stuff. ¡°Why are you doing that?¡± Greb-shak asked, quietly. Gary motioned for them to move away and waited about ten steps before whispering, ¡°Water can have contaminants in it. With the white color it could have bacteria or hard minerals harmful to humans.¡± Greb-shak narrowed his eyes. ¡°The System does not poison water. The White Goblins could have, I suppose, but this is upstream from their village¡­¡± ¡°Maybe Demons can drink this without boiling it first, but humans aren¡¯t as resilient.¡± Gary answered even as the others came into view. ¡°Well, that¡¯s obvious.¡± Smegma shook his head. ¡°But when was the last time you heard about a human getting sick from water?¡± Gary froze for a split second in his walk, and Greb-shak realized that this behavior was a holdover from before the System. Despite agreeing that Gary was the best fit for the scouting mission, Greb-shak knew that Brodie needed to get stronger. With his Skill Cannibalism and Goblin¡¯s penchant for having a wide variety of Skills along with the fact that they were humanoid, and the tiny issue of survival¡ªhe knew that there was a significant chance that Brodie would need to fight. Even if that meant giving the boy a little nudge. He couldn¡¯t have parental sentiment getting in the way. Greb-shak knew that not only Brodie¡¯s survival, but his own, and the rest of the humans in the Dungeon¡ªmay well come down to how the holder of Demonic Vault capitalized on his advantages. The Skill his team had created was a force multiplier, and with the shocking foundation of the boy¡¯s Dragon Heart Skill, he knew that Brodie Flacarada was his own, and what remained of his Sect¡¯s best chance of survival. Which means he needed the boy alive, and the best way of remaining alive was becoming strong. Still out of earshot from the other three, he added, ¡°You need to stop thinking of your son as weak, Gary. He¡¯s stronger than you, and was the best choice for this little mission. Your ideas about your son, like this water, is a mental block and if you don¡¯t start trusting your kid¡¯s decisions, then the chances of everyone¡¯s survival is going to plummet.¡± Dave waved to them, likely seeing the Lightstone, but Gary stayed frozen. Finally he looked at Greb-shak. ¡°I¡¯ll try¡­¡± 058 Friday, April 26th, 2069 ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan?¡± Dave asked, after we had moved to an area in the cavern furthest from the White Goblin village. ¡°Well, we have to boil¡ª¡± my dad started to say but was quickly cut off by Smegma. ¡°I¡¯ve already told you, that¡¯s unnecessary. Moronic-man!¡± My eyes widened, and my mouth fell open as Smegma insulted my father. There were two reasons for my surprise. First, my father didn¡¯t even want to go deeper, and it had taken a lot to convince him to not join Jarred. So, antagonizing him seemed stupid. Second, he was my father. I would never insult him, and Smegma kind of felt like an extension of me. I started scolding the Imp, mentally explaining why he should stop, but to my shock, I was interrupted. Aloud. ¡°No, Brodie, I won¡¯t spare him because he is family. Act like an idiot and you get treated like a flesh Demon.¡± ¡°What kind of idiom is that?¡± Dave asked, under his breath, which at least stopped Smegma¡¯s glare at my father. ¡°Flesh Demons chose to become boneless through a ritual. They believed that it would make them invincible and harder to injure. Now they are essentially slimes with vulnerable organs.¡± Dave made a disgusted face, but I only had eyes for my dad. He gave me an appreciative smile and a shrug. Seeming to say that he and Smegma had already had that conversation. He even went as far to gesture to the cave around us, and I took it to mean, ¡®plus, where am I going to get fuel for a fire?'' I nodded to him, accepting his gratitude for the implied support I offered. I had mentally scolded Smegma after all. However, I disagreed with the second part. Mana Crystals could burn¡ªsure it was like using Jet Fuel to start a fire, and¡ªoh, that¡¯s what he had meant. If we started a fire down here, we may just start an inferno. I nodded, at my own misinterpretation. It wasn¡¯t like we needed a fire anyway. ¡°How about some weapons to defend ourselves?¡± Willa offered, pointing at Smegma. Everyone understood what she was asking, and I nodded. A bit of mana pulled up the red windows.
Demonic Vault 4.3.4 Crendalar Five ¡ª Abyss Sect¡¯s Wares Skills Consumables Armor Miscellaneous Currency: 165,092 mC (mana Coins)
¡°What¡¯s the cheapest weapons available? Something with range, preferably,¡± I asked Smegma, hoping for some direction. ¡°First, unless someone has a hidden magic Skill, I wouldn¡¯t suggest a ranged weapon. It may be effective against White Goblins, but ranged weapons lose efficacy if you don¡¯t have a Skill to support them. Plus, almost all of them require ammunition or Mana supply. Take this one for example¡­¡± Smegma sent me a window.
Precise Crossbow (1) Low-F-Rank This crossbow has the enchants for precision and self-repair. This weapon is made from D-rank material and will not be able to Evolve past D-rank. Ammunition not included. Cost: 1,000,000 mC
I stared at the screen taking in the fact that a low-F rank weapon was unaffordable. ¡°Are you trying to rub in the fact that I can¡¯t even afford an F-rank weapon? Plus, how is a weapon a hundred times more valuable than a Miner¡¯s Pick?¡± ¡°No, dumb-dumb, that wasn¡¯t what I was trying to show you! I was pointing out that you need ammunition, and we don¡¯t sell Crossbow Bolts. So, your ranged weapon thought is almost as moronic as boiling water.¡± ¡°What the husk does that matter if I can¡¯t even afford the weapon, idiot!¡± I countered. ¡°Well, if I¡¯m honest you can¡¯t even afford an Evolvable Enchanted dagger¡ªand the Abyss Sect didn¡¯t put in anything more useless than that. The reason why they are more expensive is simple if you think about it. Where did we get Card Shards on Crendalar to combine into Skill Cards? Oh¡ªthat¡¯s right, the husking Monsters. Picks and other Gathering tools were pretty useful, but only in the sense that we needed Ores and Crystals to keep our society going. We needed Herbs and Fruits for potions and pills. We needed Monster meat to eat. So, yeah we created them, but they¡¯re pretty common since we could change out Cards as needed. For example, the Demons would clear a Portal, then flip Cards and strip mine it. Everyone had Gathering Tools and Skills that were low ranked but they were considered relatively useless. Either way, the buying a weapon idea is entirely out the husking window, shit-for-brains. I¡¯m just making a point!¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Pointedly ignoring Smegma, I turned to Willa. ¡°Well, we can¡¯t buy any weapons to defend ourselves,¡± I said very dryly. Willa put a hand to her mouth to suppress a chuckle. My father and Dave laughed openly. While they couldn¡¯t see the windows, it was clear where Smegma and my conversation led. Looking around at the walls, and the plaques of Ores that decorated them under the glowing moss, I added, ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t make our own, though.¡± The others followed my gaze and got appreciative looks. For about a split second I thought there was hope¡­ ¡°You and what smelter? What hammer and anvil? You flaming Felhound turd!¡± Smegma asked, his voice as derisive as ever. ¡°Sure you can buy one that runs on Crystals, but where are you going to get the molds, or the husking wood for handles and other materials needed?¡± Instead of being insulted by Smegma¡¯s tone, everyone nodded along. He was mostly right¡ªhowever, his disagreement to my plan actually helped me refine it. ¡°We don¡¯t need to make anything too fancy, though. What about a club with a sharp edge or some spikes?¡± Smegma gave me a look and then motioned to my father¡¯s Pickaxe, which was grounded beside him. I nodded at that point and returned to refining my plan. Using the Pickaxes as weapons was something at least, but since we weren¡¯t going up against a slow moving Rock Golem, I could see a few problems with it. Still, would a club be better? ¡°Either way let¡¯s mine these Crystals,¡± I said as I pointed to the carpet of Crystals that covered the ground. Thanks to the sparse algae moss, this cave system was different from the other ones we¡¯d mined in other Dungeons. With the Algae the Crystals rarely grew on the wall, and were concentrated most heavily on the ground. I huffed out a breath as I realized just how different Dave¡¯s first experience of Mining was than my own. Everyone looked at me, thanks to the noise of amusement. I held up a hand to wave away any concern even as I explained. ¡°I was just thinking Dave sure is lucky to have such a wonderful first experience with Mining¡­¡± ¡°Gallows humor, really?¡± Dave asked but joined the others in the very muted snuffing laughter. Smegma just shook his head as he said, ¡°May I offer a suggestion?¡± Everyone stopped and turned to look at the Demon. ¡°You three should mine here. Brodie, and I should scout the cavern, and look for other ways out.¡± My eyes found my fathers, sure he would protest. His face certainly looked like he was about to. However, the blotchy flush he had soon morphed to entirely red, as his jaw clenched. To my utter shock, he nodded. What in the husk? Willa put a hand on his shoulder, probably understanding what just went through his head more than I did. First, she had known him a very long time, but second, and more importantly she was also a parent. I could only imagine what it would feel like to let your child take a risk, like Smegma suggested. Wait¡ªdid I even want to do as he suggested? Smegma floated up beside me and simply stared. ¡°If your father already agreed, then it¡¯s clearly the best husking plan, dumb-dumb!¡± I inhaled sharply at the increase in volume, thanks to Smegma¡¯s proximity. I took one more look at my father, Dave and Willa, gulped and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be careful¡ªwe¡¯ll be back soon?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure why I made the last part a question but saw Smegma shake his head and likely roll his black eyes. Still, the actual eye movement was nearly impossible to discern. Smegma began floating away and making noises that humans reserved for pets. ¡°Come on boy,¡± he even added in some tongue clicks. ¡°Let¡¯s go. This way.¡± This time I definitely rolled my eyes. What a husking asshole! Soon we were away from the group and I realized that I didn¡¯t have a Lightstone, thanks to the darkness that made me squint my eyes. ¡°Shoot, I should go back for a Lightstone,¡± I said. ¡°No, let your eyes adjust to the low levels of light. You don¡¯t want to have a lit beacon with how much we¡¯ll be moving,¡± Smegma said, before I could even spin. ¡°I think the White Goblins aren¡¯t very active monsters, or they likely would have found you lot multiple times already, thanks to those husking things.¡± ¡°How did they capture the Hunter or all the Hunters then?¡± I asked, trying to understand the Demon¡¯s logic. ¡°Total conjecture, but most likely those idiots attacked them or fell into a trap on the way to attack them. They were certainly cocky enough to think that F-rank humanoid monsters were easy prey.¡± Something felt like it was stuck in my throat and I swallowed heavily. If the Hunters attacked them with all those weapons and didn¡¯t win¡ªwe would have close to a zero percent chance with our pickaxes. The conversation before the conjecture raised a late flag. ¡°Wait, then leaving them alone like that to mine is dangerous. We should go back!¡± ¡°They¡¯re over a kilometer from the White Goblin village and tucked away in an alcove. The only safer place is back up the tunnel we came down with Jarred.¡± Even with the assurance I was frozen in place, not able to move forward and unable to return. ¡°Remember when you lectured me about trust? Have you ever explored a Portal before?¡± The paralysis broke enough for me to shake my head. ¡°I¡¯ve not only been in Portals, but led expeditions to clear them, research them, and strip mine them. So, why don¡¯t you trust me, and I¡¯ll see you all out of here. Even Jarred¡­¡± His voice was more sincere than I¡¯d ever heard it. I wasn¡¯t sure if that was the reason I took a step to follow after his outline, or the internal voice that was screaming at me to take this opportunity to live as a Hunter, but I managed one step. Each one became easier after that¡ªand soon we were hugging the wall and exploring. Mentally, I cataloged any ores that I could see, the ones with red plaques. I still wanted to make some weapons if I could refine that plan a bit further. Smegma on the other hand, kept moving at a measured pace, oftentimes vanishing for half a minute before I saw his form again in front of me. ¡°Where do you keep going?¡± I asked in a whisper, unsure if we¡¯d gotten closer to the goblin village in the few minutes we¡¯d been walking. ¡°Ranging afield,¡± he said in a normal tone. ¡°I¡¯ve made myself imperceptible again, so keep whispering, just in case.¡± I must have broadcasted my lack of understanding in the term, ¡®ranging afield¡¯ because he explained, ¡°It means I¡¯m scouting around you in a hundred-meter semi-circle.¡± Well, that certainly made more sense. After ten more of the thirty-second disappearances, Smegma returned and said, ¡°I¡¯ve found something, but it¡¯s strange.¡± ¡°Strange, how?¡± I whispered my question. ¡°Well, at first, I thought it was a second goblin village, but the creatures I found were using Crystals, wood, algae moss, and mud to create dwellings. It¡¯s a grotto that seems to be abandoned and the dwellings are dug right into the stone.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± I whispered, trying to convey my lack of understanding. ¡°Just follow me, and I¡¯ll take a closer look.¡± 059 Friday, April 26th, 2069 It was strange to scout an area by literally crouching near a precipice and just waiting. But that was pretty much my entire contribution. I tried to find ways to occupy myself and flipped on and off my Heat Sense. Nothing really changed no matter what body part I used it on. This deep into the earth, my immediate area was almost devoid of heat. Since the moss was glowing, I had expected it to give off a great deal of heat, but that wasn¡¯t the case. It did glow with some residual warmth, especially when compared to the surrounding rock but that was it. The other interesting point was that I was far enough away from both the White Goblins and my group to not ¡®feel¡¯ either, when placing Heat Sense on my body. I also couldn¡¯t see them, I¡¯d checked. One thing did stand out due to Heat Sense though, and that was the Grotto I was waiting atop. It was darker to my vision and colder to my senses than any other place within range. Studying it with my eyes open, I realized that there was a shift in rock formation, or perhaps material was a better descriptor. Running my hands forward allowed me to feel where the rock had been cut. It was subtle but the texture change was too straight to be natural. The rock didn¡¯t look different to my eyes, either¡ªappearing to be the same grayish-black stone in the low levels of light. However, the material used was clearly different and I was guessing that Smegma would return to tell me that this place had been excavated and then built. For what purpose, I couldn¡¯t even guess¡ªbut the grotto was clearly dug into the stone. Then, either the same stone had been shaped or another similar stone had been used to build the place. Smegma floated toward me, seeming like a shadow that exited the center of the crater. I followed his outlined dark form as he seemed to glide over on a non-existent wind. Everything about the Demon seemed extra terrifying and creepy down here in the cavern. Right up until he spoke. ¡°Well, dumb-dumb, it¡¯s totally abandoned, and was some sort of facility. It has more of those yellow Crystals in the caves, and they are clearly being used for light. I couldn¡¯t find anything usable, but there is also a fountain or reservoir with water.¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s a good place to make camp?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯d say yes, but we should probably scout it fully. I couldn¡¯t go as deep or as far into the carved or constructed caves as I¡¯d like because of the tether.¡± ¡°Okay, well let¡¯s check it out,¡± I said, but was surprised when Smegma just stared at me. ¡°Yeah, one other small problem with that. I didn¡¯t find a way down for those afflicted with gravity.¡± I scratched at my head, but slowly started circling the crater-grotto as Smegma ¡®ranged afield¡¯. It actually took nearly an hour, according to my watch, before Smegma said he¡¯d found a way down. However, when I arrived, I realized that his ¡®way down¡¯ didn¡¯t mean he¡¯d found stairs. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to climb down that?¡± I asked, staring at a huge column that made it even more clear that this place was built or carved from the stone. The wear also made it clear that it had been done a very long time ago. The column''s face was pockmarked with porous holes that almost looked like something termites might have done to wood. Regardless of why the erosion pattern looked the way it did , it undoubtedly looked unsafe¡ªready to crumble, collapse or shatter. Smegma looked at me, and then the column, before nodding. ¡°I guess it isn¡¯t the best option. Let¡¯s keep looking.¡± An hour later it turned out that it or another column on the opposite side, nearer to where I¡¯d started circling the massive crater were the only two options. ¡°Wait a second,¡± I said, a thought coming to me. ¡°You''re a merchant, right? You¡¯d be a pretty bad one if you didn¡¯t have supplies and things, right? How much for some rope or climbing gear? Or were you not going to offer me anything and make me just Bare Grillz my way down to the bottom?¡± ¡°The husk? How are my skills as a Merchant being called into questions and not your stupid team''s lack of preparedness?,¡± Smegma said, his voice affronted. ¡°Of course, a Skill as great and wonderful as Demonic Vault doesn¡¯t sell climbing supplies! No self respecting Demon would have that gear in their husking Rings of Holding! Well, maybe a Flesh Demon would, and I think we¡¯ve established you¡¯re as stupid as them. Maybe this ¡®Bare¡¯ person is actually a Flesh Demon if he¡¯s as naked as his name suggests, which would explain so much if the least of my race got to Earth first!¡± My eyebrows rose as I took in his spiel. I could tell he was covering for something, and I thought I knew what it was. ¡°So, you¡¯ve realized that stocking climbing gear would have been helpful?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Smegma said under his breath. ¡°Pretty big oversight, I think.¡± ¡°Agreed. Now, how wide is this cavern?¡± I asked, trying to distract myself as I inched toward the second column. I told myself it looked safer than the last one, but if I was honest I couldn¡¯t really remember. ¡°Well this hole is easily two of your Earth Miles in diameter¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s got to be bigger than that,¡± I countered. It wouldn¡¯t take me two hours to walk approximately three kilometers. Then I remembered math terms and realized that he hadn¡¯t said circumference. ¡°Never mind,¡± I corrected quietly, also realizing how cautious I¡¯d been while walking due to the Crystals and uneven rocks. Not to mention the times I waited for Smegma to return before continuing. Again, I was trying to distract myself and when I realized that I couldn¡¯t anymore, gulped down saliva to wet my throat. It took me several steadying breaths before I reached out a shaking hand that managed to latch onto a handhold on the column. I gave it a few experimental tugs while sitting on the edge of the drop. It held my implied weight¡­ What was this column meant to hold up? I wondered, but knew I wasn¡¯t going to get an answer. ¡°Get on with it,¡± Smegma said, his tone conveying that he knew I was stalling and that he had read my surface thoughts. Slowly I lowered my first foot down until it too found a place that I deemed could hold my weight, with some testing flexes of my feet. This was the moment of truth, though. I looked back at the ledge, and then down into the pitch darkness below. I could just push myself back up and keep looking for another way down¡­ ¡°Oh my god. Just husking start climbing down. It¡¯s not even a hundred feet to the bottom.¡± Smegma¡¯s words made it worse. A hundred feet was like ten stories, wasn¡¯t it? Mental Fortitude kicked in and logically explained that Smegma had a point. This was the hardest part, and if I didn¡¯t focus on the fact that I couldn¡¯t see the bottom¡­ ¡°Easy to say for someone who can fly.¡± I grumbled. ¡°Or better yet¡ªwho¡¯s completely incorporeal.¡± I pushed off and found a second foothold, followed by another grip for my last hand. Then it did become simple, as I slowly felt around with a foot, then hand, repeatedly. Often reusing my previous footrests for handholds. I had one minor scare as my foot kicked a stone loose and I heard it fall, bouncing and echoing in a strange way. It was so odd that it took me a moment to realize that I had kicked the stone with my toe and it had fallen inward¡ªnot out. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Then the sound I heard was the stone falling down a hollow center? Had the column eroded that much? What kind of erosion or corrosion happened from the inside-out? My heart started hammering in my chest, but thankfully, I could see the bottom at that point and stressfully rushed down the remaining twenty feet to it. Once I was back on flat rock again and had caught my breath, I looked around and found caves that shone with the same metallic yellow light I¡¯d seen coming from the mural. It wasn¡¯t bright, which was likely why I hadn¡¯t seen it from above, but now that I was on the same ground level, it was apparent. Smegma moved ahead of me, turning his form back into a shadow backlit by the entrance. I followed, and realized mid-step that I was walking on perfectly flat stone tiles. There were no Crystals growing here, and while the tiles may have some erosion from time, it was hard to discern with the low levels of light. That puzzling difference vanished between one step and the next, when I entered through a doorway. Calling it a cave at this point was wrong. It was rectangular and only missing a door to make it a human habitation. Sure, it was wider than most doorways humans would build but it was also clearly decorated with scrollwork that was carved into the edges. What the carvings were meant to depict seemed difficult to discern, but I would call it vines or maybe coiled rope? The room inside was likewise squared off, with flat, level walls and perfectly ninety degree corners. If there had been furniture, it was either long since pillaged or destroyed. Instead, it was just a large empty room of dark gray stone with three metallic yellow light fixtures in the ceiling. There were two doors leading out of the room that looked identical to the one I¡¯d entered through. Smegma was already moving toward the one that led deeper, seeming to ignore the one on the right. I followed, but did glance into the right doorway. Another room identical to the one I was walking through greeted me. I toggled Heat Sense and found no heat sources in the room at all. The light fixtures were the same black as everything else, making me realize that they were even more efficient than the glowing plants outside. Smegma was stopped in the next room¡¯s center. As soon as I cleared the doorway he asked, ¡°The stairs down? Or deeper in?¡± ¡°Which one couldn¡¯t you scout before?¡± I asked. ¡°Both, but I think I was looking more in that direction,¡± Smegma responded quickly, while pointing vaguely to our right. ¡°It seems like these square rooms repeated over and over again, no matter which way I went, but what would they need all the separation for?¡± ¡°Maybe the separation isn¡¯t really meant to keep areas separate. Maybe the walls are load bearing.¡± I suggested. ¡°Possible, but they could have just used columns, I¡¯d think,¡± Smegma said as he tapped his teeth with a talon. After a moment he pointed deeper, and I walked around the stairs that were dead center in the room. They had a half wall that surrounded them on three sides, and a quick glance down didn¡¯t reveal more than what was likely an identical room below. We were another ten rooms deeper into the structure before we finally lost an option to continue straight ahead. Smegma was standing still in the room¡¯s center, seeming to be asking which way to go simply by his body language. This room was the first one I¡¯d seen with a left door, though, and I pointed to it. He smiled and nodded before we continued. There wasn¡¯t another room, which was both welcoming and surprising as we passed through the doorway. Instead, there was a hallway that was the exact same width and height of the carved rectangle doorway we passed through. The carvings continued onto the walls of the hallway and I was finally able to discern that it was meant to be coiling snakes. I shivered despite myself¡ªhoping we weren¡¯t about to enter some sort of snake-filled chamber or spawning ground. I toggled on Heat Sense but found nothing new both with vision and my¡ªwait, above us there were faint traces of heat¡­ They felt far away, though, and familiar. Due to the wall carving and the distraction of discovering a source of heat, I didn¡¯t realize that the floor was graded until I looked back down and discovered we were climbing. I also didn¡¯t notice the bend up ahead before Smegma was already rounding it. It made a perfect one hundred and eighty-degree turn in a slow semi-circle. Smegma stopped on the other side and stared up a steep flight of stairs that seemed to climb for an unreasonable amount of time. Probably about a hundred feet, give or take. Spaced evenly up the staircase, and in the tunnel were more Metallic Yellow Crystals. I sighed when I realized just how many we¡¯d passed in this place¡ªthey clearly couldn¡¯t be that valuable if there were so many, right? I debated about dumping the ones that were ¡®useless¡¯ out from my Necklace of Holding out but deciding against it for now. I could hope that they¡¯d at least be valuable to those feng shui Crystal people, I guessed. ¡°And right now it''s like you need to make room for all your other amazing finds!¡± Smegma added derisively to my thoughts with a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m guessing this will lead to the surface?¡± I asked the Demon, while sighing and raising a brow in response to his comment. Smegma stopped chuckling, shrugged and then flew up the stairs. I followed and sure enough I found myself stepping out of a stalagmite back onto the surface a few minutes of climbing later. This time when I toggled on Heat Sense, I discovered why the sources of heat I¡¯d detected earlier had felt so familiar. We were probably a few hundred meters away from the group. ¡°Well, at least we found a place to rest, and an easier way into the grotto,¡± I said, as I motioned in the direction of my father, Willa, and Dave. Smegma looked at a nearby stalagmite and a few others close to it, seeming to frown. It had become harder to see again now that the lighting levels were so low¡ªwait. I spun and realized that the stalagmites seemed to be solid and weren''t releasing any of the light from the Metallic Yellow Crystals that had been so abundant and bright moments ago. ¡°I scouted these earlier and didn¡¯t think anything of it. How do you think it¡¯s doing that?¡± Smegma asked, and I could tell it was rhetorical because he was already tapping his teeth. Instead of answering I walked up and placed a hand on the stalagmite I¡¯d just exited. It passed right through the ¡®stone¡¯ veneer, and I followed my own hand back into the stairwell. I came back out a moment later to find Smegma still tapping his teeth as he hovered around the rock formation. I doubted he was going to want to stop in his study anytime soon, so I said, ¡°I¡¯ll go get the others? They might be close enough.¡± He didn¡¯t even wave a hand in acknowledgement of my words. I shook my head but walked off. Before I reached the group, he popped into the space beside me. His twitch made me sure he hadn¡¯t been expecting the tether to reign him in. I kept walking without bothering to apologize. He could study it after the group was inside and safe. * * * The sale of the mined Crystals brought me above one-hundred fifty-five thousand mC. It made my breath come easier realizing we had nearly two days of Mana Apples to purchase. It also made me feel better when I realized that we¡¯d done about forty thousand mC in trade in about three hours. Some rough math made me confident we could manage to keep ourselves fed for a few days if we worked eight-hour shifts. We set up ¡®camp¡¯ in the last room before the hallway that led to the staircase and stalagmites¡ªfiguring that we could mine near the stalagmites tomorrow and have an easy retreat if White Goblins did venture out this far from their village. ¡°Let¡¯s scout deeper,¡± Smegma said pointedly, as he phased through the floor not fifteen minutes after the group settled in. I gave him a look, feeling like he was a bit too demanding with that request. ¡°It¡¯s literally just four floors of this, but I think there¡¯s more stuff under the outdoor courtyard.¡± ¡°Outdoor courtyard?¡± Willa asked, before I could do the same. ¡°That¡¯s how Brodie got down here,¡± Smegma explained. ¡°He climbed down a hollow column into an open courtyard.¡± My head tilted at the explanation. Without a real light source, I just thought I¡¯d climbed down onto a deeper cavern floor and then entered a cave. Yet, I¡¯d quickly realized that they weren¡¯t caves, thanks to the perfectly squared rooms and doorways. I should have made the connection to the ¡®courtyard¡¯ or whatever that floor was, myself. Dave started to stand up, looking excited. Everyone watched him trying to understand what was going on. It took him a moment to notice his actions were being scrutinized. He started but then sheepishly asked, ¡°Well, can¡¯t we all go?¡± Smegma put his arms up with his hands out to his side and shrugged in response. That made me replay his earlier words. He hadn¡¯t implied that only me and him should go. I just would need to be in attendance so he could move further. Still, everyone looked tired¡ªeven how Dave had gotten to his feet with an exhausted sigh and knuckling the small of his back, made me wince in sympathy for him. ¡°Can it wait till tomorrow?¡± I asked. ¡°No,¡± Smegma said simply. At mine and everyone else¡¯s worried looks, he pointed to the two other doors leading off from the room. ¡°There might be little to no chance of something attacking you from those direction but when you¡¯re in a Portal overnight, you don¡¯t take that chance!¡± I could only speak for myself, but at that moment Smegma did sound like an experienced Hunter. He was someone who had spent nights in a Portal before. I stood up as well, and heard Willa and my dad moving also. Once we were all standing Smegma began to lead the way through doorways to a room with a staircase. As he moved, he pointed one of his three talons at Dave. Somewhat mockingly he said, ¡°A bit of a walk will help the newbie¡ªI¡¯m betting twinkletoes here won¡¯t be able to move tomorrow if he just fell asleep right now.¡± That made us all spin to look at Dave, who was in fact, walking gingerly enough that ¡®twinkletoes¡¯ turned out to be an accurate description and not just sheer, Demonic taunting. No one laughed, but despite my best attempt I did smile. ¡°Hey!¡± Dave complained, seeing my amusement. The crack in his voice made the group, minus Smegma, burst into laughter, because, if anything, Smegma drawing attention to his ginger walking, exacerbated it. 060 Friday, April 26th, 2069 ¡°What da hell is that?¡± Willa exclaimed, staring at a carved rock pedestal with two hollow rock tubes hung above it. I was staring at the same thing and if she didn¡¯t ask I would have. In fact, a quick scan showed everyone studying the four foot high recessed-pedestal, and two hollow descending rock tubes. My scan brought my eyes across the walls and the patterned holes that adorned it as well. I pointed them out and said, ¡°And those holes?¡± My father was already studying them. He ran a finger inside of one and examined it. ¡°This is rust,¡± he said showing the brown residue that the action uncovered to everyone. I squinted my eyes, trying to picture what would have been ¡®hanging¡¯ from metal, or perhaps supported by stakes into a wall¡­ ¡°It¡¯s a smithy,¡± Smegma said simply, which created a shattering effect of many of my misleading thoughts and organized the room and its features into a neat understood layout. ¡°The crucible would have gone there.¡± Smegma pointed out the tubes and even motioned to a foot pedal or some type of pumping lever I hadn¡¯t noticed at first. ¡°Then either finished ingots were placed on shelves¡ªor this room also had an anvil and forge, and those were pegs for finished equipment.¡± Smegma was already on his way out of this room, and moving to another, as if his answer completely solved the ¡®mystery.¡¯ As far as I was concerned it hadn¡¯t but seeing what the other rooms held would probably paint a more complete picture, so I jumped to follow. The next room was somewhat the same, but not. Smegma volunteered the function of this room as he pointed to the four-foot tall, stone boxes, which were filed with soil and weeds. The boxes rose from the floor and there was an overabundance of the ¡®Crystal¡¯¡¯ lights in here. ¡°A grow house for herbs. A place for the pill cauldron, stills and other apparatuses.¡± Smegma pointed out what could have been a kitchen island in a modern home, but made more sense as a long lab table, with his description. We moved through room after room¡ªsome of which were identical to others we¡¯d seen already, and then some we hadn¡¯t. ¡°A walk-in freezer¡ªa tannery¡ªprobably a bakery or a specialized smithy¡ªlivestock pens,¡± Smegma said on one particularly worn down and overlarge room. Again, once he made the pronouncement the circular ¡®pens carved into the floor made a great deal more sense. This room did seem to be on the lowest level, and only had one large archway leading off it. We had entered through the typical rectangular carved doorway, so an archway did give me pause. As we tentatively moved through it, we didn¡¯t get a warning from Smegma. So, we continued with a bit more confidence. In the next ¡®room¡¯ we found an un-carved cavern and a rocky shore of a lake. Not just a small cave lake like the pond near the White Goblin village¡ªbut a massive body of blue water that I couldn¡¯t see the other side of, despite the multitude of Metallic Yellow Crystals sconces, and hanging lights. A splash sounded from somewhere out into the water, causing me and the other three humans to jump. ¡°Fishery,¡± Smegma said. ¡°That and a fresh water source. I think it¡¯s safe to conclude that this was a town or village of the people that once lived on this world.¡± ¡°What happened to them?¡± my dad asked. Smegma stayed silent, and since he was the only one who had a hope of answering that question, the rest of us seemed to hold our breath. After a time Smegma looked away from the water and shook his head sadly, ¡°They failed to Ascend¡ªwe can hope they found their way to another planet that succeeded, since there aren¡¯t any bones or remains here.¡± ¡°Do you think we can fish here?¡± Dave asked, seeming to combat the oppressively heavy mood, with optimism. I was about to chuckle and dismiss his question before I realized that the shop might actually have a rod and bait. Smegma sent me a window right away.
Miscellaneous Professions Gear Fisherman¡¯s Rod & Knife (1) Low-F-Rank Durability: Unlimited Damage: 0-1 This fishing rod comes with the ability to create Mana Bait from the user¡¯s pool. It also contains a self-repair that will strengthen it over time. It will also Funnel excess Mana from catches to Brodie Flaccarada¡¯s Overdraft skill. Cost: 10,000 mC
¡°There is a Fishing rod. Do you think we can convince Jarred to come back with this?¡± I asked, excitedly. Because of the order of my words, I got to see Willa and my father¡¯s face grow excited and then fall at the reminder of Jarred¡¯s religious stubbornness. ¡°In time, maybe,¡± my dad whispered. ¡°Still, he¡¯ll definitely eat some fish if we bring it to him.¡± I nodded and immediately purchased the Fisherman¡¯s rod. It wasn¡¯t like I wasn¡¯t going to get one in this situation anyway. I was just hoping we could have an additional set of hands for mining or fishing. Plus, we¡¯d be much safer in one group, until help arrived. As soon as I clicked the purchase button, blue light formed and congealed until it was roughly the shape and length of a long parcel tube¡ªthen the rod dropped out of it, and I caught it. A clatter on the ground told me I missed something. I followed the noise and found a filleting knife that had a decaying handle and rusted tang. The blade itself looked so dull it was practically square. I placed it in my Necklace before studying the rod. To call the rod lackluster wouldn¡¯t have been an understatement. Then again, it was similar to calling the original Miner¡¯s Picks less than perfect. The blank was made out of a piece of wood that looked like driftwood that had petrified. The guides might have been metal at one point, but currently looked one step away from rusting through. The reel seat and reel were rattling from its short drop into my hand. On top of all that, the fishing line wound in it, was so frayed it could have passed for thin yarn. I wasn¡¯t sure how catching fish would give the thing mana to repair, but I hoped it wouldn¡¯t fall apart before it did. ¡°So, all you have to do is connect your mana pool to it and it should¡ª¡± The flinches from all three of my group made my eyes widen, even as I jerked back from them. I scanned the immediate area expecting a monster to be exiting the lake. When I found nothing, my mind made the obvious connection. They hadn¡¯t ever used their Mana Pools willingly¡­ ¡°Come on, you two have been bitten by Mana leeches,¡± I complained, pointing out both my father and Willa. ¡°It¡¯s the same damn thing.¡± ¡°You might be right,¡± my dad responded, even as his mouth twisted into a sour expression. His face paled right alongside it. ¡°Still, I hate those things too¡ª¡± my dad shivered noticeably, even as he began brushing imaginary insects off of his arms. ¡°If I must, I can try,¡± Willa said but she too wore a look that told how reluctant she was. Dave stepped forward. ¡°You¡¯ll have to show me how,¡± he volunteered with clenched determined fists. After a moment of silence in which I smiled at him he looked back to the last room, and asked, ¡°Should we move our camp down here?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Smegma answered quickly. ¡°No telling what¡¯s in the water. We¡¯ll need to do this in groups. Two miners and two people fishing for now. The problem is that I can¡¯t reach the surface from here if Brodie is fishing, or I can¡¯t come down here if he¡¯s mining above¡­¡± ¡°What about scouting the rest of the cavern?¡± I asked, pointing out the fact that we hadn¡¯t finished checking out the massive space. ¡°On hold, for now,¡± Smegma said. ¡°We will hope that the Mirage Guild digs you out in a few days. In that time we shouldn¡¯t have to venture to far from this ¡®town¡¯ or the lake.¡± Smegma tapped a talon on a tooth even as he stared through the cavern ceiling. My sense of direction were bad, but it felt like he was looking in the direction of the White Goblin village. * * * ¡°Think about a straw,¡± I coached, as I studied my own fishing rod, which now had a ¡®mana worm¡¯ wriggling on the end. ¡°A straw from where?¡± Dave asked, sounding frustrated. ¡°From your mana pool to the fishing rod.¡± ¡°Great explanation,¡± Dave said sarcastically. I looked at him as a frown came over my face. This was very reminiscence of Smegma teaching me. Just this time I was the bad teacher. ¡°Can you try to picture a mental universe inside yourself?¡± I asked. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Yeah, because I think I have a solar system that just sits in my thorax,¡± Dave responded. Sighing I scratched at my neck. Dave¡¯s sarcasm was infuriating, and I could admit that this was going to be harder than I thought it should be. Internally, I avoided thinking about apologizing to Smegma. ¡°Still heard you,¡± Smegma crowed, even as he floated to Dave. ¡°How about a garden? Or maybe a bank?¡± ¡°What in the hell are you on about Smeg?¡± Dave asked, just as scornfully. ¡°You want me to picture a bank?¡± ¡°Yeah, do you also keep your money in something like that, dumb-dumb?¡± Smegma responded just as derisively. ¡°Sure,¡± Dave answered sounding unsure. ¡°Picture that bank, and it¡¯s security for your money. Or maybe one of those cash dispensing machines. Can you see it?¡± ¡°No,¡± Dave answered stubbornly. ¡°Hmm, your friend is actually dumber than you,¡± Smegma said to me but stayed hovering in front of a now blushing Dave. ¡°Husk off! Give a better explanation!¡± ¡°Okay, you need to feel for your skill inside your soul. It should be sitting metaphysically atop your heart. Feel the steady rhythm of your heart. Are you thinking about each beat it makes? Is your subconscious mind controlling it? Is your soul? Dive into that question, let yourself relax. Think about your breathing¡ª¡± ¡°What the hell?¡± Dave exclaimed, clearly not happy with this method either. ¡°As I said, Brodie. Kid¡¯s a dud.¡± ¡°Wait, is my mental universe my soul?¡± I asked. ¡°A depiction of it, yes.¡± ¡°How come you never told me that.¡± ¡°How come you never asked?¡± Smegma retorted. ¡°Anyway, Brodie you should get started if there¡¯s any hope for you to catch a fish before bed. I¡¯ll work with the slow-one.¡± For the next hour, I cast my line, and Dave grew increasingly frustrated. There were many times I was happy to be facing away from my friend and also not his teacher. The facing away because I could hide my smile and chuckles in coughs¡ªand the teacher because I doubted I¡¯d be smiling if I was the one explaining things. An hour later, I hadn¡¯t gotten a single bite, though and was forced to interrupt Smegma. ¡°Am I doing something wrong?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Do I look like a husking fisherman?¡± Smegma said angrily, clearly doling out some of his frustration with Dave to me. My dad walked through the doorway and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get some sleep. You two can try again tomorrow if we¡¯re still stuck down here.¡± * * * Saturday, April 27th, 2069 ¡°You should have caught a damn fish,¡± Smegma complained as we descended through the levels of the underground city. I had spent forty thousand Mana Coins on two additional Mana Apples just moments ago. From there my father and Willa went up the staircase to the stalagmite, while Dave and I began walking to the stairways down. ¡°Ahh, but I didn¡¯t have a fisherman to teach me how to use the rod,¡± I responded biting into my apple and heading down the stairs. ¡°Too bad that. Maybe I could have kept saving for one of them fancy Skills you keep sending me.¡± Smegma growled as he hovered in front of me, flapping his large wings in irritation. I would have kept poking fun if the taste of the Apple didn¡¯t cause my entire body to freeze up. It was like I just bit into a sweet blueberry, with the crunchiness of an Asian pear. My mouth salivated and I was forced to swallow quickly or risk drooling on the carved stone steps. Unfortunately, I did make a rather gross sucking noise unintentionally, and Smegma spun around on me with a wide vengeful grin. Right up until Dave made an even louder noise and exclaimed through flying spittle, "Holy shit! This thing is like a giant Sour Garden apple!¡± ¡°I¡¯m literally with two Sloth Demons. Uncouth pieces of trash,¡± Smegma said while shaking his head. ¡°Usually we call them skid marks,¡± Dave answered. ¡°At least on this planet. You know cause they leave un-wiped butt stains in their underwear.¡± Smegma¡¯s eyes widened, and he made a gagging sound that had to have been staged. How could he be ¡®nauseous¡¯ if he didn¡¯t eat? We walked and bantered the whole way back to the lake. Dave took the brunt of the punishment since Smegma still seemed to vividly recall the attempt at teaching from last night. That was highlighted further when the first thing Smegma said upon arriving on the rocky shore was, ¡°Sit down and shut the husk up. You¡¯re going to try figuring out your own way to touch on your Mana, since you seem to have an answer for everything¡ª¡± ¡°How am I supposed¡ª¡± ¡°I said sit,¡± Smegma growled. ¡°Shut that damn mouth. Try thinking instead of husking talking. Internalize your bullshit for a while.¡± Dave looked at me and I tried not to smirk but his face morphing to a mask of betrayal meant I failed. Smegma gave Dave a look until he eventually obeyed by sitting down. ¡°Cross your legs or whatever will help you keep your bad gaseous attitude to yourself.¡± The look on Disaster Dave¡¯s face told me he wanted to retort but if there was one person who could probably beat my friend in a war of words it was Smegma. Not because he was more intelligent but because he cared less about hurting someone¡¯s feelings. Dave either felt that as well or truly wanted to learn to control his Mana Pool. Smegma moved to the edge of the lake and then pointed to me. ¡°Dumb-dumb, show me how you¡¯ve been fishing.¡± I did so, first baiting the line and then casting it out as far into the water as I could. Smegma raised both hands once I was done as if to say, get going. That action made me blink. I slowly started reeling the fishing line in, adding an occasional jerk on the rod to simulate the way the ¡®mana worm¡¯ might move. ¡°Are you an imbecile?¡± Smegma asked after a moment. ¡°I¡¯m starting to feel like one, yes,¡± I said pointedly. I tried to picture what I was doing and find the obvious flaw. There wasn¡¯t one I could see. My eyebrows drew down a moment after, what was I doing wrong? This is how you fished. Right? ¡°Keep supplying the rod with mana, you moron.¡± My narrowed eyes and angry eyebrows instantly morphed into shocked understanding. Of course! That made a ton of sense¡­ I did so and two things happened almost instantly. The fishing line ¡®vanished,¡¯ and ripples of a light blue light pulse in the distance, creating a steady consistent ¡®beat.¡¯ My hand inched toward the reel and Smegma¡¯s hand instantly passed through it. Clearly the action had been intended to be a slap and it did startle me enough to freeze. ¡°Looks like bobber fishi¡ª¡± ¡°I told you to sit quietly and reflect!¡± Smegma interrupted Dave. Still, my friend had said enough to make me realize why Smegma had slapped my hand away. Since the lake water was as still as a sheet of glass, I hadn¡¯t seen it at first, but now, the pulsing light really did look like a bobber floating on a wavy lake. Suddenly the light changed, and I felt a slight tug on the fishing pole through my hands. Thanks to the poor quality of the rod that tug made me think it would snap in half, but thankfully it held. Then the fish on the other end must have realized it was hooked, because the small tug became fierce. Beyond fierce actually. I slid on my butt for a few inches before I dug my heels into a crevasse in the stone shore. Even then the fighting fish managed to lever me up to an almost stand before I flexed my legs and heaved back. The driftwood rod bent precariously but I could tell that the fish was also yanked back like a toddler whose father stopped him from walking into traffic. I held my breath, praying that the line or rod would hold. To my surprise, as the fish pulled I could actually see the pulses of blue mana feeding back down the invisible line, into the reel and then into the rod. Before my eyes the wood gained an iota of color, morphing from white to off-white. With increasing confidence, I began to spin the reel, pairing it with slackening my flexing legs and arms. I started to truly fight back against the fish as I reeled it in. Between one flexing tug and the next, I felt the strain on my muscles increase. I was even forced to take a step forward to maintain my balance as the fish pulled hard enough to overbalance me. Using all my strength I heaved back on the rod, but found that the fish or creature on the other end of the line and I were at a minimum equal in strength. To my shock the pulsing Mana on the rod continued but the repair seemed to have stopped. Cracks began to form up the rod, and I felt my hammering heart attempt to freeze in my chest. This thing cost ten thousand mC! ¡°Time your pulls with the pulses, idiot!¡± Smegma shouted. I blinked but then managed to pull in time with the tail end of one of the pulses of Mana. The fish jerked in my direction, seeming to be pulled with ease. I hurriedly reeled in the slack of the invisible line, and waited. The next pulse I managed to react to faster, and again the fish was jerked toward shore. I pulled in the slack and continued. After another five minutes of fighting I discovered I had already burned through half of my fifty points of Mana. I couldn¡¯t continue for more than another five minutes or this could not only turn in the fishes favor, but also break my rod. A splash of something exiting the water made my head jerk in a direction slightly to my left. There I found water in the shape of a fish¡ªno not a fish¡ªa shark, exiting the lake. Still, when the water fell away, I couldn¡¯t find the body of a shark, fish or otherwise. I thought I could make out some red, brown, and pink accents hanging in the air, before the water splashed again. This time in the pattern of something submerging. A pulse followed the splash and I heaved. That splash was only about fifteen feet away. I was winning. Another minute or so, and I could see those same accents struggling in the shallow water near shore. Instead of reeling the line in at this point, on the next pulse I backpedalled and heaved the massive creature out of the water and onto the wet rock. I stared at the space a shark-sized creature should have been. I frowned at it, not liking the look of what I was seeing. I could see the internal organs of a creature but no creature. I toggled on my Heat Vision and did find a massive fish-like shape, at least the size of a car, flopping around on the rock. I blinked off my heat vision to find Smegma floating closer, seemingly excited. ¡°Mirror fish! That¡¯s really good eating! If you kill it on the line the rod should get more Mana.¡± I blinked at the Demon, and then looked around myself, realizing I had nothing to use to kill it, let alone filet it. That¡¯s when I remembered the dull, and rusting filet knife. With a thought I pulled it from my Necklace and stabbed the massive-fish through it¡¯s very visible brain. ¡°Do you know how to filet it?¡± I asked Smegma, and he shook his head. Dave growled from behind me, causing us both to turn and look at him. He stood up and snatched the knife from me. Smegma seemed like he was ready to protest again but I held up a hand as Dave studied the see through fish. After a moment he handed back the knife and moved to sit down, grumbling, ¡°I know how to filet normal fish. What the shit is that thing?!¡± I realized then that filleting a mostly invisible fish would make things very difficult, without a lot of practice. Smegma saw the problem too because he said, ¡°It will become visible as its Mana drains.¡± Five minutes later I was staring at a fish that easily was the size of a pickup truck. Dave stood beside me, transferring his gaze between it, the filleting knife and me. ¡°First, how in the husk did you pull that out of the water?¡± He didn¡¯t wait for a response before he held up the somewhat repaired knife and continued, ¡°And how the hell am I supposed to filet it with a six inch knife?¡± Smegma thankfully answered the second question. ¡°If you knew how to tie the knife to your mana, it would get longer to suit your needs.¡± ¡°And how can Brodie pull a two ton fish out of a lake?¡± Dave asked, ignoring the Demon¡¯s chastisement. ¡°I guess I should probably tell you about my unlocked stat,¡± I said sheepishly. Dave¡¯s eyes grew wide and he pointed the semi-dull knife at me menacingly. ¡°You probably should tell me, and anything else you might not have thought was important!¡± I chuckled, which caused Dave to lower the knife and join me in a laugh. After a moment he motioned at the fish, ¡°At least we probably only need one of these things a day!¡± ¡°Yeah, but how are we going to cook it?¡± I asked. Dave hiked a finger over his shoulder. ¡°There¡¯s some forges back there, right? Now, about this unlocked stat! I¡¯m guessing strength?¡± I started into explaining how I unlocked it and even pulled up my stat screen. To my disappointment Strength was still at ten points. 061 Saturday, April 27th, 2069 ¡°Wait¡ªyou pulled these out of that lake?¡± My dad asked skeptically. I sighed, and told the story I shared with Dave, again. After the first fish, Dave had directed me on how to filet a fish, while Smegma coached me on how to use my Mana Pool to create a lengthened blue ephemeral blade. While the Mana did ¡®lengthen¡¯ the Filleting Knife, it did nothing to sharpen the edge or keep it sharpened. I thought back to the prompt description of the item and remembered that it had a ¡®one¡¯ next to the item name, similar to our Pickaxes. I hoped that meant that the Rod and Knife could level, and more importantly, that leveling meant this damned thing might actually gain a usable edge. As it was right now, I felt like a caveman trying to invent fire. Smegma seemed confused by that, but didn''t speculate on why the Mana couldn¡¯t sharpen or Strengthen the blade. Either way, that first Fish had taken almost an hour to gut, skin and parcel out. After that, I had discovered just how lucky I had been on the first catch. Dave had been right that we only likely needed to catch a single Fish a day, but having a few as backup¡ªand maybe even a full one to give to Jarred, would be helpful. Not to mention, the effects that catching more would have on the rod and knife, since they were a package deal. However, multiple times in a row, the Mirror Fish out in the lake¡ªor possibly some other creature, had made away with the bait¡ªmeaning it ate my Mana. The first time it happened I almost vomited, reminded of the unwanted Mana Pull by Morgan. However, the sensations were different. Whatever took the ¡®bait¡¯ seemed to suck the Mana down the conduit I connected to the rod. Feeling aptly like a pop drink being drawn up a straw, which was still my visual aid for directing Mana. If I realized it was happening fast enough I could either cut off the Mana or give the rod a yank, to attempt to snag the creature doing the sucking. The problem was that instead of snagging a Fish, more often than not I just lost about ten points of Mana and since I didn¡¯t want to try another epic fight against a four hundred plus pound fish without a full Mana Pool, this forced me to wait for my Mana to recharge. Thankfully, the Mana Apple seemed to reduce my downtime. Still, I¡¯d only managed to catch four of the Mirror Fish, and took the time to filet three of them. A single one I¡¯d dragged back. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just put dat Fish in your Necklace of Holdin¡¯?¡± Willa asked. ¡°The space inside is just five feet by three feet. It might have fit, if folded right, or on the angle, but look¡ª¡± I pulled out a piece of frozen fish-steak. ¡°¡ªthe Necklace seems to freeze things inside. I don¡¯t think we want to try to clean a frozen fish.¡± I stared at the smallest of the four Mirror Fish I¡¯d caught. It was probably six or seven feet long, and not quite as round in the belly as the others. It hadn¡¯t been easy to drag the thing to the nearest room with a ¡®forge.¡¯ Actually my heart was still beating fast from the exertion of the act, and likely also my jog up to the cavern to collect the mined Crystals as well as the two doing the mining. Now we had the recessed portion of the smithy filled with Crystals and were ready to start cooking¡ªafter I answered some shocked questions from Willa and my dad, of course. ¡°So, you be havin¡¯ Stats like them Hunters?¡± Willa asked, her voice a mix of skepticism and excitement. I simply motioned to the car-sized fish that had become visible, and she whooped loudly, losing the skepticism. My dad licked his lips, and looked nervous but eventually nodded to Smegma of all people and asked, ¡°Can we eat these?¡± Smegma nodded. ¡°They taste fantastic and if prepared properly, can even give a boost to Endurance recover¡ªoh wait, I forgot you don¡¯t have that. They can be eaten, yes!¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s figure out how to cook them,¡± I said motioning at the pit, the Crystals inside and then the large pile of thawing, skinned and portioned sections of fish. I should probably put a huge amount of those back into my Necklace. I¡¯d only emptied them to make sure I had room for the Crystals. However, looking at the pile of fish steaks, I had room for both. Not to mention I planned to sell the Crystals we didn¡¯t use. This was the real reason I wanted everyone here. I had no idea how to get started in burning Crystals. Unfortunately, from the lost looks of Willa and my dad, they didn¡¯t either. ¡°Well, obviously we have to light the Crystals,¡± my dad offered. Since we¡¯d just had a similar conversation, I looked at the hunched and elderly looking Dave, obviously tender from the abuses an entire day of Mining had put on his body. Dave managed a smirk and answered the same way he had when I said that. ¡°Perfect. Give me your lighter.¡± My dad and Willa looked at each other. Then looked back to me, Dave and then Smegma. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that none of us have fire?¡± ¡°Bunch of husking noobs! Who enters a Portal without an Adventuring Kit?¡± ¡°Oh, so that should mean that you must have one for sale, like that rope I asked about earlier, right?¡± I said to the Demon, not in the mood to put up with his shit. He stared at me, and raised both three-fingered hands up to give me a shrug. ¡°So, we have food, Crystals to burn, but no way to light it?¡± ¡°Maybe the forge has an auto light feature?¡± Willa suggested. ¡°Right, cause that would still be work¡ª¡° my dad started to answer, but stopped when Smegma began floating around the device. In moments everyone had joined him, studying the gray-black stone in close detail. It took an entire minute before I realized something was wrong. It took me another minute to find Smegma no longer hovering around the space, and instead watching us all like the idiots we were. I stood up and pointed at him. ¡°You¡¯re a dick.¡± ¡°Well, it was a stupid suggestion,¡± Smegma retorted, which got everyone to stop looking and stare at him. ¡°Anyone have anything of value to try?¡± I could tell by the looks that Smegma was getting, that people were torn between liking his joke and attempting to punch him in the face. I knew the feeling well. Still, Dave, now supporting his hunched frame on the pedestal, was the one who attempted to move toward Smegma first. Unfortunately, there was the pedal for stoking the fire between him and the Demon, and he wasn¡¯t exactly graceful at the moment. His foot caught on the pedals underside, and he instantly tripped, collapsing over and atop it. His knee landed on the pedal, which caused it to depress. Along with the falling pedal came the sound of a mechanical gear cranking, even as air rushed out of the lower of the two hanging hollow tubes. To everyone¡¯s surprise, but none more so than Smegma, at the bottom of the pedal a second, far louder clank sounded and a blue spark became visible in the center of the recess. The spark merged with the blue of the Mana Crystals, before the ones in the center started to change color going from blue to an orangey-brown. The wave of heat made it clear that Dave had just lit the Mana Crystals. If that weren¡¯t enough, his cry of pain and groaning agony from the floor let me know that as well, and that he needed help. By the time I helped him back to his feet, the entire recess was alight and radiating heat. Dave looked at the Mana Crystals, the pedal, and then sneered at Smegma. ¡°A dumb idea, was it?¡± He said scathingly. ¡°It was a dumb idea, the fact that the mechanical device still worked is actually beyond impressive,¡± Smegma answered, but I could tell by his lack of volume and derisiveness that he was embarrassed. He further muttered, ¡°They must have enchanted it¡­¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. He flipped me the husking bird when he heard my surface thoughts, confirming his embarrassment further. Then he instantly sobered the excited room. ¡°So, who has the cookware?¡± He started laughing a moment later, as everyone¡¯s heads fell. This time though he did send me a red Shop Window, even as he muttered, ¡°Husking morons.¡±
Miscellaneous Professions Gear Huge Frying Pan(1) Low-F-Rank Durability: Unlimited Damage: 0-1 This Huge Frying Pan has a self-repair and maintenance enchant along with some other inactive options, that will activate upon leveling up. It will also Funnel excess Mana from fire and food to Brodie Flacarada¡¯s Overdraft Skill. Cost: 30,000 mC
I sighed, even as I confirmed the purchase with the Demon. That brought my total to about eighty-thousand, with perhaps five to ten thousand in Crystals to sell after cooking the fish. That number of course depended on how many Crystals we would need to burn to cook all of this. This time what fell out of the blue light from the Shop purchase was large enough that I dodged out of the way. A dark black, crusty frying pan four feet across bounced loudly off the floor, creating a dent in itself and not the tile. I stared at the disgusting looking cooking instrument. I looked around the room, and saw everyone else staring at it as well. It was my dad who spoke up first. ¡°He¡¯s supposed to cook food in that lump of carbon. You actually expect us to eat something cooked in that?¡± Smegma scoffed. ¡°Sure, it looks like it¡¯s rusted and crusty but just think of it as seasoning.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not seasoning,¡± Dave said pointedly. ¡°My mother would smack me with a sandal if I cooked in that!¡± Willa exclaimed. ¡°Brodie, put it atop the Crystals,¡± Smegma directed, even as he sighed helplessly. With narrowed eyes I lifted the thing and placed it as directed. It didn¡¯t cover the entire recess but easily occluded the burning Crystals in the center from the site. ¡°Now place some of the fish inside,¡± Smegma further directed. Willa, Dave and my father twitched toward a space between me and the cuts of fish. I hadn¡¯t moved so the gesture was pointless. Smegma gave me a withering look. ¡°You can either leave it there and keep feeding Crystals into the fire to have it slowly repaired. Or you can cook some of the easily caught fish, and have it repaired faster.¡± ¡°Easy?¡± I responded. ¡°That took me all morning!¡± Smegma just stared at me. ¡°Right, and one fish could feed you all for multiple days. You kept fishing to repair the Rod, and have some fish as backup. You¡¯ve husking got four! Stop being a miser and get some fish steaks.¡± Everyone seemed chastised after Smegma¡¯s rebuke, and no one moved to stop me as I picked up multiple pieces of the portioned fish. As soon as the meat hit the pan, I felt my mouth start to water. The sound of the searing meat was accompanied by a smell that was nearly impossible for me to describe. It was like I¡¯d walked into an expensive restaurant that specialized in old world dishes. Specialized was too mild a word. That had perfected old world dishes. There was a rich aroma that reminded me of seafood¡ªmaybe farmed Lobster? Or Crab? Then there were overtones of Beef steaks I had only had the pleasure of seeing from afar. Dave, wiped at his mouth with a sleeve, even as I felt my own saliva threaten to spill out. My father and Willa stared dumbly at the pan, seeming torn between snatching the meat out to eat now, and simultaneously disgusted by the fact that a pan that looked that crusty could produce these wonderful aromas. ¡°You should flip them in the next thirty seconds or so,¡± Smegma directed. I looked around and realized that I had no spatula or tongs. So, I pulled the filleting knife out of my Necklace of Holding and used it to stab and then manipulate the fish onto its other side. The smell and noise of cooking fish intensified. Again with Smegma¡¯s direction I managed to pull the fish off the grill at the appropriate time. Unfortunately, the ¡®seasoning¡¯ of the Frying Pan had come off with the first batch of fish. Which made me choose to just drop these pieces onto the cave floor. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Smegma asked. ¡°I¡¯m not letting anyone eat rusty, carbon-covered Fish,¡± I answered, pointing out what was obvious to me. ¡°You husking morons and your hang ups from before the System. Sure, it might not taste as good but it won¡¯t kill you,¡± Smegma retorted. ¡°You just told me to stop being a miser,¡± I retorted while pointing to the huge pile of fish steaks. ¡°Are you going to keep acting like an old man whose views change with the wind?¡± Smegma made a face, but did look between the pile of portioned fish and the ones on the floor. ¡°Fine whatever, but at least throw them into the lake after, like you did with the carcasses.¡± After ten rounds of Fish steaks into the Frying Pan, it was finally cleared of the rust and most of the carbonized deposits. While it didn¡¯t look exquisite, it also didn¡¯t look like a Health Department''s worst nightmare. ¡°Dave, can you toss these disgusting pan crusted Fish steaks into the Lake? They¡¯re garbage¡ª¡± ¡°They are not¡ª¡± Smegma began even as Dave moved to do as instructed. ¡°Yeah, look at all this disgusting charring. Ughh only a Demon with no taste buds would eat this shit,¡± Dave said, causing the group around me to chuckle even as the smells of the fish caused them to continue to salivate. ¡°Husking waste,¡± Smegma said. ¡°Oh, you know what, since Smegma thinks they¡¯re valuable I¡¯ll just sell them to the Demonic Vault Shop,¡± I said pointedly, bending down to touch one of them. Nothing happened, which was what I kind of expected. I¡¯d tried selling an uncooked one before, and had managed it. So, clearly this ¡®cooked¡¯ version was inferior. ¡°Totally worthless really,¡± Smegma said, with an uncomfortable cough. I shook my head and Dave chuckled even as he began taking out the unappetizing Fish Steaks in stacks, toward the Lake. At this point we had about half of the original pile of fish steaks, if I counted the whole fish still on the floor. We also ran into an issue¡­ The issue was where I could put the ¡®good¡¯ cooked meat. After some quick thinking, and one¡­ small mistake, I managed to get the remaining pieces into the grow room and on the Lab table. It turned out that putting freshly cooked food into my Necklace of Holding flash-froze it, or close enough, because even that short walk to the lab table had them coming out with the same consistency as frozen ice bricks. This surprised me since the Pickaxe didn¡¯t freeze in there. [Enchantments, and the non living component are keeping it from changing, but if you want to put that shitty armor you¡¯re wearing inside¡ª] Smegma mentally sent. I heard a mental chuckle and realized that the armor wouldn¡¯t be worth much until it thawed, if it went inside. That was if it came out the same as it went in, after freezing solid. So while the Necklace of Holding might be a good idea for storing the cooked fish for Jarred, or the raw fish for cooking later¡ªit wasn¡¯t a great plan if we were planning to eat any food now. Instead, I managed to balance the thick fish steaks on the knife¡¯s side, and rush them into the adjacent chamber. I could tell, at this point, that the others were torn between going to that room to stuff their faces, and sticking around to continue smelling the cooking fish. Seeing everyone¡¯s reaction brought my own craving for food to mind, so I asked Smegma, ¡°If the Mana Apples satiated all our hunger, why am I starving right now?¡± ¡°They can satiate your need for nutrients, but not your ¡®hunger¡¯. The Apples are magical in nature, and derive their nutrition not through calories or true minerals. Think of it like that show Brown¡¯s Anatomy. It¡¯s essentially a magical IV. It''ll keep you alive, but it¡¯s not exactly food. Similarly, when your body needs something, Mana creates it in your bloodstream, but only if your body is already looking for it. So, your empty stomachs are still going to scream at you to fill them.¡± ¡°So, if we eat more, we ain¡¯t goin¡¯ to suddenly get fat ¡®cause the Apple doubles our Caloric intake?¡± Willa asked. Smegma shook his head, and just like that she was through the doorway to the lab table at a near sprint. My father followed suit. I growled jealously as I looked at the Frying Pan and the fish. If I went to eat now it would waste some of the Mana Crystals currently burning beneath it. Dave ended up being last to join the others because of his final trip to the lake, but he didn¡¯t take long to follow after them, once he returned and heard the cooked steaks were already ready in the other room. Dutifully I grabbed more meat and put it into the pan, planning to keep one of this batch here for myself. At least Smegma¡ª I looked around and found that the Demon was gone too. Mentally I shouted, [Get your ass back in here. You can¡¯t eat food anyway.] Smegma didn¡¯t return and so I angrily added, [I need your direction so I don¡¯t husking burn them.] Mentally I got back, [Three minutes a side. These three are really going to town!] I accidentally ruined one of the currently cooking Mirror Fish steaks by stabbing it a little too viciously. 062 Saturday, April 27th, 2069
Error! Endurance Pool¡ªerror. [Locked] does not exist, unable to apply buff to [Locked] Regeneration.
Staring at the Demonic Vault¡¯s red screen, I tried to focus on it, but my mind was currently occupied with categorizing the incredible flavors playing over my tongue. The smell of the cooking Mirror Fishes didn¡¯t do the taste justice. Normally, the consistency would have caused me pause, since it literally didn¡¯t require chewing. Instead, the tenderness of the fish could be pressed with my tongue, and practically melt. Melt because eating the fish this way released so much ¡®juice¡¯ or ¡®blood¡¯ or ¡®husking fantastic flavor¡¯ that my mind felt confused. How could it feel like a mouthful of the juices came from a tiny ¡®forkful.¡¯ I didn¡¯t have the ability to compare the tastes to anything I had ever eaten. I¡¯d only experienced this palate shattering moment once before. One time, relatively early in my budding attempts to become a Mana Bank to the Stars, I had attended a Meet and Greet with ¡®up and comers.¡¯ The Meet and Greet took place at a restaurant I could never even hope to make a reservation at, let alone eat an entree from. The price for an hour long timeslot was a thousand dollars. At least for people like me. The few Canapes I managed to snag off of servers trays while trying to stand out from the crowd, had been the best food I¡¯d ever tried. Those Canapes were Canned Spam when compared to unseasoned Mirror Fish. A part of me wondered what a trained chef could do with meat of this quality. I only managed to stop my thoughts from focusing on the flavors when I¡¯d finished eating my current Fish Steak. And even then I eyed the other cooked pieces hungrily. How many of them could I fit in my belly without dying? ¡°You need to cook the rest and take some to Jarred,¡± Smegma interrupted, having returned from the other room unnoticed. He startled me out of my hyper-focus and I checked the doorway wondering where everyone was. ¡°They¡¯re eating that entire batch of Fish Steaks. My guess is that they are going to pass out right afterward.¡± ¡°Pass out?¡± I asked, not understanding how food could cause people to fall asleep. ¡°Take a moment, and let the food settle in your stomach. You¡¯ll understand then.¡± As instructed, I took a moment and placed a few more Fish into the Huge Frying Pan. Only after the first flip, did I feel what I suspected Smegma was talking about. It was like someone had placed a refreshingly warm and heavy lead weight in my stomach. Part of me wanted to sit down and relax into the sensation. I closed my eyes, as a contented smile rose onto my face. ¡°Dumb-dumb!¡± Smegma shouted from right beside me, startling me enough that my eyes flew open. I realized I was halfway to easing myself to the floor. ¡°You need to take that fish out of the pan in a minute. So, no sleeping!¡± Sweat broke out on my forehead as I managed to straighten my legs and stop myself from focusing on the comforting sensations coming from my abdomen. I only managed to stay standing thanks to my hands bracing me on the side of the stone pedestal. As I fought my own body I asked, ¡°What in the hell is going on?¡± ¡°The Mirror Fish is one of the most nutrient dense foods that Crendalar ever found and studied. Similar to the Mana Apple, a single filet can provide a creature with enough sustenance to maintain function for more than a day. However, unlike the Mana Apple, it actually holds all those nutrients. Basically your stomach is working overtime to break down hundreds of grams of fat, protein and even carbohydrates." ¡°Husk!¡± I swore, even as I started to win that internal war with my own body. Knowing why I felt this way went a long way to helping me in that. Maybe even Mental Fortitude had a part, as my brain began overriding my stomach¡¯s desire to nap. I pulled the currently cooking Fish from the pan and studied the cooking instrument. It already looked markedly improved. The dent from it falling to the floor was no longer visible, and while there were still a few dark black patches of ¡®crust¡¯ in the pan, a great deal of the bottom shone, like it was seasoned cast iron. Before starting the next batch I did check in on the other three. I found each one in a different ¡®comfortable¡¯ position, but all of them were napping. How could I be sure? Dave had Mirror Fish oil smeared across his chin and cheeks, his back against the Lab Table and was snoring softly. Willa, was somehow planted face first into said table, her front and face resting in remnants of the food, and while she wasn¡¯t snoring, her tongue was lolling out, like she¡¯d passed out in the process of licking juices from the surface. My father was snoring the loudest by far, but also was the ¡®cleanest¡¯ of the three. He didn¡¯t have any fish oils on him, and also hadn¡¯t fallen asleep in what I would deem an uncomfortable position. No, he had climbed into one of the grow beds, and had passed out atop the weeds and soil. To further distract myself I returned to the notice that Demonic Vault had sent me, even as I returned to cooking the remaining Fish Steaks. ¡°Smegma, Demonic Vault tried to notify me of a buff to Endurance Pool but created an Error. Did you see it?¡± ¡°I did,¡± Smegma answered. ¡°From the wording, there is a resource pool that may be similar to Endurance but not the same. I can¡¯t even guess what the system has done to change it, though.¡± Smegma finished with an open-palmed shrug. ¡°Can you explain how Endurance Pool could be used?¡± I asked, curious as to how it differed from Mana, but also what this [Locked] Pool might be capable of. ¡°Finish cooking, and filleting that last Fish. We can talk on the way to get Jarred.¡± * * * As soon as we entered the cave halls that led to the first caverns, and the cave in I repeated my question eagerly. ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Smegma answered like an annoyed parent. ¡°Endurance had a huge number of uses. It could supercharge physical stats, making the individual twice as strong, fast or accurate. It could be pushed into a weapon, increasing the things durability, damage and destructiveness when released. Some experts could use it to power skills in place of Mana, but only if those skills were physical in nature. Like a bow skill or sword skill. ¡°We ran some studies on those Demons and discovered that not only was it more efficient to use Endurance, it also jumped the skills level by a letter tier or more. Endurance was a strange pool, in that it always was on a value of a hundred points, and didn¡¯t grow¡ªbut higher ranked individuals with more points in it, could do more with a single point of their pool then a newbie could do with all one hundred. If that makes sense?¡± ¡°So, it was a power that could be concentrated?¡± I clarified. ¡°Yes and no,¡± Smegma said. ¡°That was our first hypothesis, but we dismissed it eventually. It was more like it could evolve and rank up. Like it was a skill, and had grades. It was also tied to the physical world¡ªunlike Mana which we determined was tied to the Soul.¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°What about the last pool you mentioned, what was it again? Force?¡± ¡°Look at you listening and remembering stuff!¡± Smegma said condescendingly. ¡°Force was something intangible. Like Mana could be considered a power that came from the Soul but was effected by the intentions of the Mind. Force, was a power that existed all around us but could be manipulated by the Pool that we had. ¡°How it could be manipulated was drastically different for each person. As I¡¯ve already told you. My research team couldn¡¯t figure out where this pool resided, nor could we say it was effected by intentions of the mind. It had to be felt, and intrinsically understood by the wielder. Our best guess was that it was like Muscle Memory.¡± At the end of Smegma¡¯s explanation we were nearing the final chambers before the ¡®entrance.¡¯ With a sigh at the lack of ¡®new, useable¡¯ information, I stopped walking. Turning to Smegma I asked, ¡°Can you make yourself invisible for this next part?¡± I felt bad asking, right up until he answered, ¡°Way ahead of you Brodie.¡± I¡¯ll admit it took me a few extra seconds after that admission to get my feet to take another step toward Jarred. I¡¯d known the man my entire life, but I wasn¡¯t exactly a fan of his decision to return to the entrance because of Smegma¡¯s appearance. Sure, the Demon was terrifying, annoying and verbally abusive, but¡ª I realized I didn¡¯t have a true reason for why I trusted the Imp, turned human-sized Demon. All I could say, was that through all of his actions he had proved to me that he was at the very least here to help me. The fact that Jarred, firstly didn¡¯t trust me enough to take my word on that, and second didn¡¯t give an intelligent creature the chance to prove itself, didn¡¯t speak well for him. Still, he was my Uncle, and from what I¡¯d recently learned, had gone through a lot. Was still going through a lot¡­ I walked through two more caverns before I found Jarred. The first thing I noticed was the stack of rocks that had clearly been moved from the entrance. The next thing I made note of is where Jarred was. He had climbed the cave-in and was attempting to roll some of the bigger chunks of stone off the pile. The man looked alien, due to the gray stone dust clinging to his gleaning sweat covered skin. It was like someone had painted him gray, and peppered his hair, and clothes with a textured paint as well. He noticed me entering the room and stopped pushing at a Stone easily the size of himself. Between large intakes and exhalations of air, he managed to ask,¡°No Demon with you today?¡± ¡°He can never go farther than a hundred meters from me,¡± I answered and then continued before Jarred could react negatively. ¡°We discovered a safe place to sleep, and it has a lake with fish. I came to get you to come back with me.¡± Jarred shook his head sadly. ¡°While you¡¯re all down there sleeping and hiding, I¡¯m clearing this cave in. If I had more people¡ª¡° he said even as he placed both feet on the stone and heaved, with an accompanying weightlifters grunt. ¡°We could probably be out of here¡ª¡° What he was saying got drowned out at the stone seemed to jump free. The accompanying rockslide easily covered up his words, but didn¡¯t manage to override a human shriek that rose in the center of the cacophony. Before the stone and dust settled my heart was already racing, and I was moving. Smegma clearly had gotten the jump on me cause he shouted, ¡°Over here!¡± With the newly kicked up dust, it took me a few moments to locate the winged shadow, but when I did, I sprinted to his side. I saw a leg, with worn miner boots and ripped cargo pants sticking out of a pile of fist sized stones. It wasn¡¯t moving. I began clearing the stone by hand, but quickly realized that it was deep, and that Jarred¡¯s body was buried vertically. I¡¯d seen documentaries where Hunters got stuck in avalanches, and mudslides during missions. One thing they always harped on was not to pull the person out by a limb. You just couldn¡¯t know the state of the persons body. So to yank with superhuman power on a broken limb, or on a pinned body part¡ªcould cause worse injuries. Still, it was either pull on the exposed leg or risk letting him suffocate. Smegma gave me a nod, confirming his agreement to the direction and conclusion of my thoughts. I had exposed Jarred¡¯s pelvis a bit, and chose to pull him free from there instead of the leg. That did take another couple of seconds of clearing to get a grip, but thankfully he came free easily with one Strength assisted heave. Where he¡¯d been glistening before, he was now caked in stone dust and chips. Looking more like a Golem than a human. I carried him away from the still shifting stones, and placed him down gingerly only to discover he wasn¡¯t breathing. My mind screamed at me to start CPR, but Mental Fortitude came to my aid and reminded me to clear his airway. Opening his mouth found it full of stones and dust. I ran my finger around inside of it, and even pulled a great deal out from his nostrils. Only when I had his mouth and nose relatively clear did I start CPR. It had been a very long time since I¡¯d learned the technique in high school, which made me start off tentative and slow. Still, parts of the teachers instructions came back to me, as I worked. Move to the beat of a popular song. Check. I hadn¡¯t checked for a pulse before starting. There wasn¡¯t one. Plug nose and give rescue breaths. Only two. Check. Reassess. Still not breathing. Pulse. None. Chest compressions. Rescue breaths. Check for¡ªa cloud of wet stone dust rocketed into my ear as Jarred coughed out a cloud of the stuff. I flinched but immediately celebrated as well. Smegma had watched the interaction quietly but now sent over a red screen.
Miscellaneous Potions Weak Healing Concoction Low-F-Rank Durability: 1 Use Heals: 30 Health Points This mix of herbs, fruits and liquids will stimulate the body of the imbiber to heal itself at an increased rate. Warning: This increase to healing factors will cannibalize the body if insufficient nutrients are not available. Cost: 100,000 mC
I frowned at the screen, knowing my current total of Mana Coins was under a hundred thousand. But not by much. I sold the Mana Crystals in my Necklace of Holding, and still not seeing enough of a balance looked to Smegma helplessly. I could hear the wheeze, and rattle from Jarred that likely made Smegma send this over. ¡°Sell the fish!¡± Smegma suggested. I nodded hurriedly and watched as the total for Mana Coins climbed to ninety-nine thousand. I was about to start swearing when I saw Jarred¡¯s Mining Pick leaning against a nearby wall. ¡°Can I sell that back?¡± I asked. Smegma grimaced but nodded. I rushed over and sold it, realizing why Smegma was grimacing. I only got twenty-five hundred mC for it. Despite the fact that it was purchased at ten thousand and had repaired itself significantly. ¡°Are you certain you wish to buy Weak Healing Concoction?¡± Smegma intoned. ¡°Yes!¡± I shouted as I rushed back to Jarred. His breathing was becoming shallow and fast. The bottle fell from the Mana Cloud and I was twisting off its lid and pouring before the sloshing pinkish water had even settled. Jarred sputtered, and I began to massage his throat and Adam¡¯s apple. Thankfully, he swallowed, once, twice and a third time, emptying the bottle. I didn¡¯t know how much thirty points of Health would do, but it wasn¡¯t like I could have gotten anything more. I held my breath, listening and hoping for a change in Jarred¡¯s struggling breaths. For a moment it got worse. Then he coughed, and coughed again. Gray sludge beginning to foam out of his mouth. I leaped forward and turned him onto his side even as I continually cleared his mouth and nose, which also ejected bloody gray stone dust. Finally, when I thought my heart was going to burst, Jarred stopped coughing and spitting. He took in a deep breath, and sighed, before starting to breath normally. Or at least much more normally than he had before. I sat back on my heels for just a moment before deciding I would carry him back to the group. He could yell at me later, when and if he woke up. Smegma floated beside me, silently as I slung Jarred up into a princess carry and began walking. Whether it was the adrenaline of what just happened, or my Strength stat, it felt to me like my Uncle weighed nothing. Everyone was still napping when I returned. So, I took Jarred down to the Lake first, and attempted to wash off the crusting stone dust as best I could. Once he looked a bit more human, and had less of a chance of inhaling more caked on stones from around his mouth and nose¡ªI returned to the Herbalist Room and put him down atop one of the planter boxes and its weeds. Then and only then did I tiredly collapse onto my butt, sliding my back down said planter box. Smegma stared at me, worriedly before he came to join me. ¡°That was impressive¡ª¡° he began but the froze as a red screen popped into existence.
Class Awarding Feat Achieved! Class Available. Common Healer You have used your knowledge of the human body, potions and hard-work to save someone¡¯s life. You can now select the Healer Class. Healers are granted two skills: Minor Heal (1) - F-Rank Weak Cleanse (1) - F-Rank No stats are unlocked or increased by Healer Class.
063 Saturday, April 27th, 2069 I blinked at the screen and then spun on Smegma. ¡°Healing Skills are some of the rarest ones humans ever get!¡± Smegma stared at the screen like it had just insulted his mother, or whoever he cared about with the same level a human loved theirs. The look he wore was so hateful it caused me to scan the screen again. And then after another glance at Smegma, where I saw his teeth bared, another perusal. ¡°What?¡± I finally asked. ¡°Common Healer?! This is a Felhound Shit!¡± Smegma growled. Blinking, I read the class title again. Eventually, I gave him a look that conveyed my continued confusion. ¡°Common, Brodie, husking common. Look, the very fact that it mentions Stats, tells you that there are Classes that not only unlock other Stats but raise them!¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said slowly, letting the ¡®y¡¯ become drawn out. ¡°Still, you were the one who said that the terms and conditions said I could change Classes. Maybe, I can even Upgrade it?¡± Smegma scoffed and looked away, conveying that he was still disgusted by the choice. However, I got the distinct impression he might have forgotten about the Class sub-Skill letting him change selections later. Wait¡ªwhere is that feeling coming from? Eventually I shook off the tangent and hurried to accept the Class, recalling that Jarred could likely use some Minor Healing. When I clicked accept, I felt something begin stirring inside of me¡ªno¡ªin my Mental Universe. It took me steadying my breathing to be able to enter that space, but when I did what I found was the ring around the Saturn-like planet spinning at an ever-increasing pace. As it rotated faster, the color of the white planet beneath began to go from a striated white to yellow, and finally¡ªgolden. The ring itself began to change as well. I watched, fascinated as I tried to distinguish what I was seeing. Had the ring become thicker? It was impossible to understand what had happened to the ring until the rotation¡ªno until the orbit of the two yellow moons slowed enough that the afterimages resolved and removed the illusion of rings. Where the Classes sub-Skill was a yellow planet orbiting the ¡®Sun¡¯ of Demonic Vault, these two ¡®moons¡¯ orbited the planet. The planet''s gold color faded from golden to yellow and then to mustard as the moons continued to drop in speed. Finally, the planet became a tan or beige that was distinctly unimpressive when compared to its earlier bright gold. Staring at the moons and the planet immediately brought an issue to mind. I wanted to use Minor Heal on Jarred¡ªbut which one of the two was it, and which one was Cleanse? Smegma must have been watching as well, and heard my commentary, because he coughed pointedly. Then, in his snootiest voice he said, ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to talk to you about this, but you never had multiple Skills that needed Mana. Finally, you¡¯ve grown enough to create your Soul Nervous System¡­¡± Exiting my Mental Universe, I found the Demon with his arms crossed and his wings spread wide. He even went as far as to look over the bridge of his nose at me. I licked my teeth and rolled my eyes. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that the ¡®Soul Nervous System¡¯ has something to do with supplying Mana to Skills in a more efficient way than your stupid ¡®Straw¡¯ method¡­¡± I said dryly, making sure to highlight who had taught me the flawed method in the first place. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have been ready to create a Soul Nervous System if you didn¡¯t at least understand the concept of creating conduits to Skills,¡± Smegma said confidently. However, his nose dropped and he uncrossed his arms, so I counted his attitude change as a minor victory. ¡°Okay, oh-glorious-one, what is a Soul Nervous System and how do I create one?¡± I asked when Smegma stopped speaking and the silence became slightly unbearable. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve seen that you humans have a grasp of your Central Nervous Systems and Peripheral Nervous Systems¡ªso, for simplicity''s sake, you can think of it like that. But instead of starting with a series of ¡®nerves¡¯ in place and shearing off connections to make them more efficient, you must grow the Soul Nervous System and form pathways that you intrinsically understand. Then when you want to send Mana to Demonic Vault, for example, it¡¯s kind of like hand-picking up that piece of fish.¡± He made a gesture with his own three fingered hand and it passed through a small crumb of cooked fish that Dave apparently hadn¡¯t finished eating. My head bobbed in acknowledgment, understanding the concept, but waiting for Smegma to describe how I would ¡®grow¡¯ a Soul Nervous System. He, of course, didn¡¯t elaborate, which forced me to verbally encourage him. ¡°And how do I grow one?¡± ¡°Thought you¡¯d never ask,¡± Smegma said smugly. I clenched my jaw knowing he could read my surface thoughts, which should have removed the need for me to ask. ¡°Simply start at your Mana Pool, then envision a conduit, similar to the ¡®straw¡¯ but permanent and protected. You humans understand the sheaths that surround nerves, right?¡± I personally didn¡¯t understand them, but high school gym class had talked about them briefly. Myelinated? No Michelin? Whatever. It was a sheath that helped not only protect the nerves but also increase signal speed. I nodded, and watched as Smegma smirked at my internal dialogue. Husker! Still, my last thought made me ask, ¡°So, can I send Mana faster if I create conduits that are insulated?¡± Smegma gave me some odd looking finger-guns in confirmation. I raised an eyebrow and stared at the strange sexual looking gesture. Chuckling, I asked, ¡°What the hell is that?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you need to hurry so you can heal Jarred?¡± Smegma retorted, as his red decals on his face noticeably darkened. I would have relished the moment more, but he was right. I fell into myself and moved toward my Mana Pool. Beginning with the Straw I was familiar with seemed like the most appropriate starting point, so I envisioned it. ¡°Make it smaller,¡± Smegma coached. ¡°Part of the reason you can¡¯t make permanent connections is that a large Straw construct takes up most of your capacity currently. Since you have a Mental Universe, try thinking of a pathway, like a star chart.¡± If I could have blinked in surprise I would have. That was actually helpful. Using the Sun of Demonic Vault and the Black Hole of my Mana Pool for reference, I envisioned a Spaceship. Human¡¯s hadn¡¯t really advanced the concept of space travel since the early two thousands, but that didn¡¯t stop TV and Movies from creating fictional renderings for me to base a ship off of. I chose the most advanced vessel I could think of, and selected the Starship Energize. Sure, there were some newer movies that tried to one up it, but the Energize was a classic. Now, to add an ability to create Space Tunnels, or Warp-gates, or something that could create a protected space-corridor to travel down at Light-speed. The Energize gained a ring rotating around it, perpendicular to the crew cabin disc that was also rotating to create gravity. I smiled and launched the spaceship on its mission to explore where no man had gone before. ¡°Amateur,¡± Smegma scoffed. ¡°What the hell are you talking about, you giant flying rat?¡± I glared. ¡°My ship is husking awesome.¡± ¡°Pffft,¡± the Demon snorted. ¡°The Warp Cores¡¯ obsolete. It¡¯s old tech. Horizontal gravimetric field displacement manifolds? So ¡®twenty-second¡¯ century. Move aside, casual. Let me show you how it¡¯s done.¡± Incredibly, Smegma husking appeared inside the Starship Energize. Mentally I followed him as he moved through the Engineering Bay, shaking his head and muttering to himself. He pointed at the matter/antimatter reaction assembly housing the deuterium and antideuterium that reacted inside the dilithium crystal matrix. ¡°You see, in 2269 the Federation came across a revolutionary breakthrough. You need to add a vertical segment to the dilithium crystal converter right, here.¡± He pointed at a spot bisecting the location of the crystal matrix. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°That¡¯ll never work,¡± I argued, pointing at the problem. ¡°The nozzles on the antimatter injectors won¡¯t generate the necessary quantum-laminar flow with a setup like that. It¡¯ll introduce too much instability on a very precise system. Are you trying to blow up my ship?¡± Smegma¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°You¡¯re still using physical injector nozzles? What are you, nine? Everyone knows they went to magnetic injectors before the turn of the century when they converted to magnetic containment. The magnetic antimatter containment also guides and directs the antimatter through the matter integrator to the injector coils. It then precisely compresses and streams it into a quantum spindle which enters the intermix chamber here. The deuterium, stored in the ship or attracted by the Arva Collectors from highly charged particles during space travel is then funneled in a similar stream from the opposite deuterium injector over there. The resulting energy plasma molecules enter the lattice matrix of the crystallized dilithium chamber, reacting inside and releasing a tuned energy stream in the form of electro-plasma. The plasma gets carried by the magnetic plasma conduits throughout the power transfer system.¡± I nodded, warming up to the topic. ¡°Right, that all seems to make sense, but that doesn¡¯t explain how you¡¯re supposed to get the electro-plasma to the warp nacelles. The magnetic field has a little something called polarity, numb nuts. It¡¯s not going to flow on a horizontal axis with this setup.¡± Smegma¡¯s eyes were manic. ¡°Exactly! That was the breakthrough! Sure, the vertical conduits travel into the dilithium crystal converter but the resulting warp plasma energy is directed to the nacelles through horizontal conduits leading out from¡ª¡± ¡°The rear of the core¡­¡± I whispered, awed. ¡°Yes!¡± Smegma nearly howled with glee. ¡°It changed everything, allowing for speeds of up to warp factor twelve on the old scale with just the prototype. In fact, the scaling for warp speed had to be revised because of this breakthrough, to account for the logarithmic increases in light speed with the new Cores.¡± Quickly, I began making the changes with Smegma giving pointers on precise proportions and modeling. Wiping my metaphysical brow, I stood back and took in the wondrous changes to the Warp Core. Resting my hands on the Engineering Console, I whispered, ¡°Incredible.¡± Placing my palm on the biometric scanner, I began the boot sequence that initiated the gravimetric field displacement matrix. A gentle hum rumbled through the deck as a cool blue light lit the Engineering Deck like a gentle, dawning sun. I smiled, turning toward Smegma who¡¯s broad grin was somehow less terrifying with the small tear that traced its way down his Demonic face. He looked over at me, and I raised my hand up for a high-five. Grinning, he swept his three-fingered hand forward. As it passed completely through my arm, we both seemed to realize at the same time what had just happened over the last¡­ minutes. ¡°Ahem,¡± Smegma coughed, loudly. ¡°Alright, show¡¯s over, jackass. Go figure out your new stupid Skills, I gotta take a dump.¡± He glared over his shoulder at me in parting, gesturing at the entire ship and the Warp Core in particular. ¡°Also, don¡¯t think I don¡¯t remember you making fun of me for all this. Not a Star Trip fan, my ass.¡± He disappeared through the walls of the ship as I awkwardly rubbed the back of my head, pretending that I¡¯d never offered the high-five in the first place. I wasn¡¯t about to tell him that I was simply extrapolating most of the Star Trip stuff from clips on MeTube. He¡¯d probably never leave the TV or Tablet again if he knew those existed. After he¡¯d left, I turned back toward my new Warp Core with a proud, fatherly grin. Sadly, despite the remodel, I discovered the vessel couldn¡¯t reach a speed higher than what felt like a snail crawling across a counter. I frowned at it, even as I tried to encourage it to use Warp, or a Stardrive. ¡°Stop!¡± Smegma shouted, suddenly reappearing and startling me, and not only stopping my attempts to speed up the ship, but also having it freeze in place. ¡°Look behind it, you moron! If it¡¯s a snail, think of what it¡¯s leaving behind¡­¡± My heart racing, I did as instructed. Behind the spaceship was a blue tube¡ªor if I wanted to continue the snail analogy¡ªa slime trail. I swallowed to wet my dry mouth and throat, as I realized what I had almost done. The ship wasn¡¯t going slow because it couldn¡¯t go faster¡ªit was building this stable corridor for future expediency! ¡°You¡¯re basically building a wormhole. Let it take its time,¡± Smegma added, his voice now calm and consoling. I nodded sheepishly and chose to watch as it began to map out a ¡®star route.¡¯ The first indication that something was odd was when instead of moving directly to the tan moons surrounding the Classes Sub-skill it tracked toward Demonic Vault. While I needed that connection eventually¡ªI didn¡¯t exactly have an immediate need for it. ¡°Remember, when you tried to connect Demonic Vault to the Classes¡¯ planet?¡± Smegma explained, clearly feeling and hearing my distressed thoughts. ¡°If your intentions are to form a connection to your new Skills, then what¡¯s happening is the most efficient way. Those are sub-Skills of a sub-Skill¡ªmaybe?¡± Sure enough, fifteen minutes later the ship reached the Sun of Demonic Vault, created something like a waypoint, or perhaps a synapse and continued toward the Tan Classes Planet. This trip was much shorter and within five minutes, another synapse was made. The connection from there to the first moon was the work of a minute at most. Then the ship vanished, startling me. Until I saw it begin tracing its way from the waypoint on the Classes Planet to the other moon. It was exactly like a synapse! The ship had just used the Warp Gate back to the Class Planet! I felt myself squee mentally. Once everything connected I felt something change, even as the ship vanished again. What had changed didn¡¯t become apparent until I opened my eyes in the grow room.
Minor Heal (1) Low-F-Rank Minor Heal can only be used on others, and heals the individual''s Health Pool at a rate of one health per one Mana expended.
Cleanse (1) Low-F-Rank Cleanse can only be used on others and removes contaminants, poisons, venoms and diseases from the individual. Limited to Common or Uncommon maladies. Costs 10 Mana per use.
Seeing screens for my Skills, I immediately wanted to jump back into my Mental Universe and try to connect more. Surely Mental Fortitude, Heat Sense, Recovery, Dragon Heart and¡ªwait, Demonic Vault was already connected. ¡°Correct,¡± Smegma began. ¡°Not only will you not get description windows for Demonic Vault, you won¡¯t get any for Passive Skills or Skills that haven¡¯t manifested¡­¡± ¡°But Demonic Vault has manifested as a planet, kind of, hasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It has, and I¡¯m not sure why you don¡¯t have a description for it, but honestly it isn¡¯t a traditional Skill¡­Plus I¡¯m guessing you can only see these two because they are Class Skills.¡± I tilted my head a bit acknowledging that point, even as I stood up and moved to Jarred. ¡°So, if I want to add more healing?¡± ¡°Just intend to do so and allow your Mana to find the right path,¡± Smegma said encouragingly. I laid my hand on Jarred and felt my Mana seem to flow into the man almost immediately. Something happened to the Mana long before it even began to run through my body, causing it to feel different. Perhaps, the green glow was a hint? ¡°It is,¡± Smegma answered the unspoken question. ¡°Your Mana is being converted to Health. This is why the Common Healer is so sad. First, you have to touch the individual, but more so, you use one Mana to heal one Health Point. That¡¯s extremely inefficient.¡± The feeling of the Skill activating was too amazing to get bogged down in whatever mire Smegma was on about. I was healing Jarred, simply by husking touching him! I could heal people. Just the thought of that was invigorating. If that wasn¡¯t awesome enough, add to it the pay of a Healer back on Earth, and I could be set for life¡ª ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± Smegma interjected. ¡°If you¡¯re going to be satisfied with being a husking Healer and not get any better, I¡¯m going to¡ª¡° He cut off as he likely realized he couldn¡¯t really do anything to me. I shook my head and chuckled at his deductions. ¡°Smegma, I still want to become a Hunter, but having the ability to make money this easily is something to celebrate. Essentially, I could fund all my lawyer fees, business plans and more with just this!¡± ¡°Okay, but you can be so much more!¡± ¡°And I wi¡ª¡± My response was frozen as something changed. The pull on my Mana Pool and the green energy stopped. I checked in on my Mental Universe and found at least twenty-five blue orbs circling the black hole. So, I wasn¡¯t out of Mana¡­ ¡°He¡¯s full Health,¡± Smegma explained. Oh! For a moment I considered sitting back down, but then thought better of it. Instead, I moved one by one to my sleeping group members, starting with Dave. In the end, Dave took the most Mana to heal, after Jarred¡ªconsuming five Mana in total, where my father and Willa both only needed two each. ¡°Perhaps when they all wake up they¡¯ll be feeling ¡®well rested.¡¯¡± I joked to Smegma. I could tell he didn¡¯t understand the reference but he did seem to at least infer something because he pointed to Dave. ¡°At least the newbie will be able to set aside his wheelchair.¡± 064 Saturday, April 27th, 2069 ¡°White Goblins incoming!¡± Smegma shouted, as he phased through the ceiling. I stared at him for a long moment before what he said registered, and then I shot to my feet. The others were still passed out from the lunch of Fish, and admittedly I was on my way to joining them before Smegma sped back into the room. My Mental Fortitude Skill stopped me from taking off in a random direction, thankfully, but just barely. Instead, my panicked gaze moved from one sleeping body to another, desperately trying to think of a way to save them. ¡°Calm down,¡± Smegma chuckled. ¡°I meant they¡¯re at the lip of the cavern studying the place. It will be a little while before they make it down here. They seem scared of the place.¡± My eyes transferred to the Demon with a hateful squint. ¡°You said¡ª¡° ¡°I know, my bad. But they are coming! I¡¯m not sure why they¡¯re here now, but my guess is it has something to do with your earlier cooking, or maybe your Mana usage?¡± I looked to the room with the smithy that I had used to cook. Could it have caused smoke? No, we¡¯d burned Crystals which produced no emissions we knew of on Earth¡ªwell no emission other than heat¡­ I toggled on my Heat Sense and instantly saw the change. The stones in the room which had been as cold or possibly colder than the surrounding cave now radiated with the tiniest traces of heat. Most of that was concentrated in the smithy room, but I could tell that not only had some of that heat spread to the walls, but a glance up showed me a rather phallic shape that was still holding some residual heat. ¡°One of the columns is an exhaust!¡± I exclaimed, and then motioned to the walls and next room. ¡°Whoever designed this place likely piped the hot air through the walls, and eventually out into the cavern above through that stack.¡± ¡°So, the White Goblins came to investigate because of the heat?¡± Smegma asked rhetorically, and then zipped back through the ceiling. A moment later he popped back into the space beside me. ¡°That explains why they are standing on the ridge scanning the stones! Plus, I saw a few from closer in the village, and they had milky white eyes! They probably can¡¯t see anything but heat signatures. ¡°Can you see them up on the ridge? It¡¯s probably a couple hundred meters that way.¡± Smegma pointed to clarify his question. I shook my head, and Smegma nodded while cupping his chin between two of his fingers. Only a few seconds passed like that before Smegma concluded, ¡°If you can see the stacks and their vision works like yours, then once they get down to the courtyard you¡¯re all screwed.¡± ¡°What can we do? Going up the stairs and out the Stalagmite is only going to bring us closer.¡± ¡°When you look at the lake what do you see?¡± Smegma asked. ¡°Black, with some heat signatures where there are fish,¡± I answered and then instantly saw the solution he was thinking of. ¡°If we are in that room, and they know the place they will probably not see anything amiss!¡± Even as Smegma confirmed my conclusion, I was rushing from sleeper to sleeper and waking them up with mild shakes that morphed to violent ones in the cases of Dave and Jarred. My dad and Willa opened their eyes almost instantly, and just in case, I gave them the universal stay quiet sign with a finger to my lips. I did the same for Jarred, but Dave either didn¡¯t see it in time or wasn¡¯t as used to being in a Portal because when he awoke he shouted, ¡°What the husk?! Oh I need to be quiet¡­¡± at least he turned his shout into a whisper toward the end. In an even lower whisper he asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Since he was the last one I woke up, I gave them all a whispered explanation. No one spoke after learning of the White Goblins, and I added, ¡°Prioritize speed over quiet. I don¡¯t know when they¡¯ll get to the courtyard. We need to get to the lake fast. Got it?¡± Everyone nodded and we took off. Thankfully we went through the room with the Huge Frying Pan, which I quickly put in my Necklace of Holding. I hoped they wouldn¡¯t make it all the way down here, but with the heat concentration¡ªthey might be motivated to give it their best shot. We were only two rooms from the lake, so we arrived in less than half a minute. My dad pointed to the water, ¡°Do we need to get in?¡± I looked to Smegma who was tapping a talon to fang. He oscillated a hand a moment later before pointing along one wall which had a ridge above the water. ¡°You saw the fish you pulled out of this thing. There¡¯s no telling what else might be in this lake. Let¡¯s avoid going in unless it¡¯s a last resort. For now, try to head that way as far as you can. Hopefully it leads out of sight around a corner somewhere.¡± I moved to follow but Smegma held up a hand in front of me. Sure I could have phased through it, but he was acting as the leader and other than the accidental scare on announcing the White Goblins, I thought he was doing a fantastic job. Sure enough, what he said next I also agreed with. ¡°You stay here, so I can scout. If the Goblins come this way, then we¡¯ll head down and join up with the group.¡± Smegma only waited for me to nod before he zoomed away into the facility. Once again I was left standing with nothing to do, as the Demon moved around. Spinning, I watched as the others followed his direction, surprised to find Jarred leading the way. I would have expected him to reject the order, or at least argue, but a near death experience would have affected my priorities. So, maybe it did his? Or maybe I was going to hear all the complaints after the current crisis¡­ This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. To call the progress of the group along the ridge slow-moving would be doing a disservice to snails. Due to the extremely low light of the chamber, each person was forced to feel for handholds, even though oftentimes they used the same ones as the previous individual. I realized I was watching them through heat vision at some point, which further explained just how dark it likely was for them as they moved further from the lights near the shore. I didn¡¯t exactly have it easy either, since the only things that stood out in my thermal vision were the people in my group. However, their hands left heat imprints on the rungs that caused them to stand out which made the pathway look easy to follow from my vantage. When Jarred turned a corner and became far harder to see with my heat vision I smiled. I could still feel his heat source if I toggled the Skill to senses other than my eyes, but I could also feel fish. Not to mention seeing the creatures in the lake. It took a count of two hundred before the rest joined Jarred on the other side of the bend, but I did get a thumbs up from my father who was the last one around the corner. I hoped that meant there was a better space to stand over there, since the heat outlines did seem to spread out more. I squinted, trying to see if they were still latched to the walls¡ª ¡°They¡¯re following the heat from the Smithy,¡± Smegma said as he popped into the space beside me. I jumped but thankfully managed to not cry out. Heart hammering, I nodded and motioned to the pathway the group took. Smegma oscillated his hands again. ¡°It¡¯ll take them at least five minutes to get down here. I think they came down the chimneys, like you first did. Right now they¡¯re moving through the facility to the staircases.¡± Nodding, I sent Smegma off again. Now alone again, with my heart hammering its warnings I will admit I continually inched toward the ridge and the others. Once I caught myself doing it I managed to stop but could feel my legs twitching in a desire to continue. Thankfully, Mental Fortitude quashed what little fear I had, and allowed me to trust in Smegma to give me fair warning. That fair warning came a minute or so later, as he popped up and pointed to the ridge. ¡°Time to go. They clearly have a better heat sense or vision than you. They¡¯re eerily accurate in their pathing.¡± I didn¡¯t wait for more and sprinted to the ledge I¡¯d watched the others use. Thankfully, I was faster than the group, not because of the heat traces, since they¡¯d vanished. Why I was faster I could only guess. Either because I¡¯d watched them or because of my Strength Stat. Regardless, in less than three minutes I was around the corner. The others weren¡¯t gripping a wall anymore, it turned out. Instead there was a rocky shelf high above the water level. The shelf was probably only eight feet deep and maybe ten feet wide, but it definitely would make hiding here more comfortable. Still, everyone in the group was faced away from me, looking out over ther water. I followed their gazes and didn¡¯t see anything but a vast expanse of relative darkness with a large concentration of glowing moss in the distance. I looked at the group and turned off Heat Vision, thinking it might be too dark for them to have noticed my arrival. Everyone stood so still they could have been statues. Wait, why could I see so well without Heat Vision¡ª Just like the bend in the wall, the lake continued to the left of the original Fishery cavern. Like everyone else had seemed to, I froze, staring at the massive accumulation of green moss above the water. The group freezing wasn¡¯t only because of the bright illumination. It was the shape the brightly glowing moss formed. My heart, which had been hammering, decided that it could beat even faster¡ªbut somehow my face and hands got colder despite the increased blood flow. There, in the distance, was a huge coiled creature. It was so large that at first, the distance became hard to gauge, right up until I scanned from the ledges¡¯ edge across the water and then to it. It was likely five hundred meters away, but was so massive that the scale of the thing made it seem as if it could have been right atop us. The ledge was deathly silent as everyone continued to stare at the coiled snake. It turned out that the earlier artist had depicted the creature very well in the mural we destroyed. Smegma popped into the air, hovering out over the water, and opened his mouth. My arms waved frantically to stop him from speaking, and I actually was fast enough to interrupt the Demon. His eyes narrowed and he looked at me but then took in everyone else¡¯s pale-faced stares as well. Slowly he spun, until the Snake¡¯s light first illuminated his face, and then washed over his spinning torso and legs. I saw the moment he realized it was a snake, because his jaw dropped open. The moment stretched for untold seconds, all of the group standing stock still and staring. Taking in the terrifying beast. I couldn¡¯t speak for the others but I was cataloging things on its body and near it. First, the scales were a deep green or black on top, and white on its belly¡ªat least if my color palette wasn¡¯t too skewed by the moss. Second, each scale was easily as large as an ATV, and likely just as thick in depth. The next discovery I made gave me an ¡®ah-ha¡¯ moment, but not in a good way. The snake was resting atop the water, but it wasn¡¯t on an island as I initially thought. No it was atop a heap of fishbones and¡ªwait, was that a humanoid skeleton? Another one! Okay, so now I had some idea why this lake was so well stocked by the previous inhabitants, and probably why the Goblins had been so hesitant to come down here in the first place. The snake''s head wasn¡¯t visible, which either meant it was on the far side from us, or coiled in on itself. My brain finally relaxed my tense muscles when it realized that the moss growing on the snake meant it hadn¡¯t moved in a very long time. It of course re-tensed muscles when I realized that could also mean it was due to move at any moment. Smegma thankfully snapped all of us out of our stupor as he whispered, ¡°The Goblins are on the shore.¡± I shook myself silently and inched back to the rounded edge of the ridge. I peeked around the corner and found five large humanoid figures staring out into the water. At first I thought they were twitching their heads forward and back. Until I realized they were sniffing the air repeatedly. I took a testing sniff myself and found that I could still smell a hint of the Mirror Fish scent. Still, it either had clung to my clothing or had wafted this way¡ªand it definitely wasn¡¯t as strong as it would be in the previous smithy chamber. The White Goblins from this distance looked small, but having seen my father and the others turn this corner with Heat Sense¡ªI knew that wasn¡¯t the case. Each one was easily as tall as Jarred, our shortest member, but they were far wider than anyone I¡¯d seen before¡ªlooking more like gorillas than humans. They continued to sniff the air, but now added grunts at each other in between. Then a conversation occurred with a great deal of grunts and gestures before they eventually turned back around and walked through the archway to the pens. I leaned back from the edge of the ridge, and began to sigh in relief. Until I remembered the far larger threat of the snake¡ªand nearly choked as I tried to simultaneously stop my sigh and exhale quietly. It caused me to swallow a lump of saliva, and I coughed extremely loudly. I looked up to find many eyes staring at me in horror. I only had eyes for the moss covered snake, which thankfully wasn¡¯t moving. We waited on the ledge for our best estimate of thirty minutes, allowing Smegma to scout back into the facility¡ªbefore we eventually concluded that we had to move back to know more. And get away from the hibernating terror Snake. 065 Saturday, April 27th, 2069 ¡°Now I think I know why the Goblins are scared of this place!¡± Smegma stated, when the group made it back to the greenhouse. ¡°That thing was at least on a World Destroyer level if not Universal Power¡­¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± Jarred asked, sounding irritated to be talking to the Demon. Still, the fact that he was even trying made me hopeful for him remaining with us and not trying to return to the higher caverns. ¡°Because of the Skills the System provides, it¡¯s quite common to use the ranks of F, E, D, C, B, A and S. As you know, then you get into double and triple S, before the System rates Skills as Ex, which is technically undefined or what Demons referred to as Extraordinary. ¡°SSS classed Demons could destroy armies of other lower Skill users by themselves¡ªas long as they didn¡¯t have anything above S-ranks with them. So, the ranks above them had to be distinguished in other ways. Just calling them Ex wasn¡¯t helpful for determining the threat of a given being. So instead, creature''s with destructive powers above SSS were given new categories. National, Continental, World, and Universal Power. The fact¡ª¡° ¡°Wait!¡± My dad cut in. ¡°You switched from talking about Demons to ¡®creatures¡¯. What does that mean?¡± Smegma looked at my father for a long time, and then ran his gaze over everyone. I stared at him with a dawning realization. He had said creatures because the Demons didn¡¯t have any powerhouses that would rank above SSS. It turns out I was close. ¡°After thousands of years, the highest ranked Demon on Crendalar was a Continental ranked powerhouse, or at least we think¡­¡± Smegma scrunched up his face and bared a few fangs before admitting, ¡°It was never proven. We know for sure we had multiple National Powers, but the single person who could have potentially been on the level of a Continental Power died in the Seven Deadly Realms along with his entire army before it could be confirmed.¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± my dad said, holding up two hands and staring sickly at the floor. ¡°You¡¯re telling me that humans will have to face creatures like that one day?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. My guess is that creature is either on the verge of Ascension or already past it. The fact that it¡¯s here, though, does suggest that the inhabitants of this world faced it at some point, but I¡¯m assuming it wasn¡¯t a World or Universal Powerhouse then. Regardless, it was strong enough when the locals found it that they couldn¡¯t defeat it¡ªthat¡¯s why they stocked this pool with Mirror Fish, and worshiped the thing. Most likely they couldn¡¯t kill it so they kept it satiated, and ¡®contained¡¯.¡± ¡°So, how is somethin¡¯ that strong here in an F-rank Dungeon?¡ªshit¡ªPortal.¡± Willa asked, her voice higher than usual. Smegma shrugged but gestured up through the ceiling. ¡°We¡¯re probably as much as a Kilometer below the surface. I¡¯m just guessing, but this Lake is likely both inside but outside the Portal¡¯s time bubble. That or you stupid humans misread the rank of this Portal.¡± ¡°What did the Mirage Guild face on the surface again? Goblins?¡± Dave asked. I shook my head. ¡°Lizardkin, I think.¡± ¡°So, how come there are White Goblins down here too then? Is it normal for two types of Monsters to be in Portals?¡± Dave followed up. ¡°Extremely common. You¡¯ll notice that the System creates or brings in creatures suited for the environment usually. So Lizardkin, which thrived in water, likely didn¡¯t fit the ecology of this massive cavern. So, instead White Goblins that use Heat Vision or Sense are down here. We¡¯re probably pretty lucky that they were likely occupied with the Hunters from Mirage when we went to refill our bottles originally.¡± ¡°I still don''t understand,¡± Willa interjected, while making motions with her hands. She seemed to be trying to think of a way to ask a question but was stuck somewhere in the process. ¡°Goblins and Lizardkin are F-rank, right?¡± Smegma nodded. ¡°Okay. So, why would the System put F-ranks beside a World-Killer-thing?¡± Smegma nodded. ¡°The System didn¡¯t put the snake here, that part I¡¯m certain of. At least, it didn¡¯t put it here as a part of the Portal. The two are likely completely unconnected. On Crendalar the creatures from inside the Deadly Realms didn¡¯t exit them after we failed. So, I¡¯m unsure if this thing was local wildlife, or something that came after failure. So, I wouldn¡¯t worry about it being the Boss that needs to be killed to close the Portal or anything like that. Is that what you¡¯re asking?¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Willa somewhat shook her head, but ended with a shrug. ¡°Not really, but sort of. I don¡¯t understand why the System wouldn¡¯t remove somethin¡¯ so powerful from a low ranked Portal, ya know? Like you¡¯ve made this System out to be all-knowing, no?¡± Smegma just slowly put his hands out in the ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯ gesture before saying, ¡°If you or any other human discovers the ¡®why¡¯ behind System, let me know. Me and my research team spent a couple centuries trying to understand merely a minute portion of it and only came away with a singular breakthrough. However, I am sure that things beneath the surface are often overlooked by the Time Bubble. Remember the Sandworm?¡± ¡°So, what do we do now?¡± I asked, changing the subject away from the death of a B-ranked Hunter. I gestured toward the lake trying ineffectually to convey just how close we were to it, and the creature it contained. ¡°Knowing that the White Goblins see thermally makes this the only place we can stay,¡± Smegma said quietly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about the Snake for now. It¡¯s been asleep for a long time, and even if it wakes up, it probably can¡¯t fit into this facility. The cooking of Fish and Mining up above is the real problem with the information we now have¡­¡± ¡°Would it even need to fit down here?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that the whole ¡®World Destroyer¡¯ classification isn¡¯t for show.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Smegma shrugged awkwardly. ¡°I was trying to be nice about it, but yeah. The truth is that if it wakes up, you guys won¡¯t have to worry about it because your survival is no longer something you get to control. So¡­ Best to just not worry about it and focus on what you can control. Which brings us back to Fishing, Mining, and Goblin¡¯s sensory organs. We¡¯re not going to be able to Mine or cook for some time.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Dave asked, from where he¡¯d moved to lean against the lab table with his arms crossed. I tilted my head not understanding how he hadn¡¯t put the simple calculation together. The others also eyed Dave askance. The boy gave a smile I knew too well, telling me that I was thinking too narrowly. We couldn¡¯t cook, surely¡ªsince that was what brought the Goblins here. So, was he thinking that the Mining was somehow still a safe option? ¡°Granted the Mining might have to be minimal,¡± Dave began, causing my line of thinking to stutter. ¡°But the Fishing and cooking shouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡± Dave continued, confusing me and everyone else greatly. He pointed meaningfully back toward the Lake. ¡°It¡¯s pretty simple. This facility transfers heat into the walls and those courtyard smoke stacks, right?¡± I nodded, and even caught Smegma¡¯s head bobbing along with the rest of the groups. ¡°Then it¡¯s simple. We don¡¯t cook in the facility.¡± Either I was dense or that wasn¡¯t enough of an explanation¡ªwait, the lake doesn¡¯t sit in the same stone as the facility! ¡°Oh!¡± I said at the same time my father and Smegma exclaimed something similar. Jarred looked a little lost but seemed to be slowly putting the pieces together. Willa, on the other hand, was looking from face to face, lost and irritated by the looks of understanding she could discern. ¡°What?¡± She blurted, after no one volunteered the conclusion Dave had reached. ¡°We cook in the Lake Cave, and mine only the Crystals we need so we can cook,¡± Dave concluded with a broad grin. ¡°Wait, you want us to cook food near that huge husking World Snake?¡± I asked, feeling my mind whirl. Sure the noise and us Fishing hadn¡¯t woken it up yet, but I had to assume there was a reason Mirror Fish were in the lake, and their skeletons were so abundant under the thing. They probably were like a bag of favorite chips to the husking thing! ¡°And how is that not goin¡¯ ta bring the Goblins back?¡± Willa shouted. ¡°The stone is different in there making it less likely to conduct heat into the facility like the Smithy, since it¡¯s the exhaust of the Smithy apparatus that was channeling the heat throughout the facility, and up the smoke stack,¡± Jarred answered, quietly. After a moment he looked at me, ¡°Even if there¡¯s a chance of waking up that Creature, what other choice do we have? We can¡¯t cook here, right? So, instead we move as a group from now on? Mine what we need, before moving down here and surviving off Fish?¡± After a moment to think, I agreed with the logic and smiled. I knew Jarred enough to know that he wouldn¡¯t be admitting he was wrong, and that this was the best ¡®apology¡¯ or ¡®acknowledgment¡¯ I was going to get. In response to his question I nodded. Jarred surprised me by scratching at the back of his neck and mumbling, ¡°Speaking of fish¡­¡± His stomach growled loudly. Thankfully, I¡¯d left a small mound of Crystals and ten Fish Steaks out of my Necklace of Holding when I went to get Jarred. The Crystals might last us a few days if we use them wisely. So, with an overly dramatic gesture I ¡®ushered¡¯ the group back toward the lake cavern. I figured it was likely late enough by this point that it was time for a meal and a catatonic Mirror-Fish sleep. Jarred surprised everyone by venturing directly into the Lake even as I carried a lit Mana Crystal inside the Frying Pan, courtesy of the mechanical lighting apparatus on the Smithy. Jarred was certainly the most dusty of everyone, thanks to the second Cave-in that he was literally a part of¡ªso his desire to rinse off wasn¡¯t that surprising. However, his desire to clean himself did make the rest of us acutely aware of our own rather untidy and dusty appearances. Everyone took a turn, except Willa¡ªat least until the food was finished and the others took their fish steaks out of the chamber¡ªthen I assumed she stayed behind to also clean herself up. The fish was just as tasty the second time, and had the same soporific effect. This time, since I consumed an entire piece I vaguely had time to think about my trial on Monday, before my heavy eyelids refused to open again, and I drifted off to sleep amongst the weeds. 066 Sunday, April 28th, 2069 With a tug and some furious rotations on the reel, I pulled a particularly large Mirror Fish into the shallow waters. Being pulled from the water increased the effective weight of the fish almost instantly, but simultaneously removed its ability to fight back. Using my legs and arms I backed up until the creature was fully ashore. Then I summoned the filet knife from storage with a smile¡ª ¡°No!¡ª¡° Smegma screeched from behind me, causing me to jump and spin with the knife held in front of me defensively. David was getting pretty close to supplying the rod with his Mana Pool, actually managing to get a worm on the line with each attempt, but failing to continue supplying the resource¡ªthus making continued practice necessary. Smegma had been coaching him using a flower and water metaphor, before his terrifying screech. Now, Dave was staring at empty space with open-mouthed astonishment. My eyes scanned the area, desperately searching for the Demon. Eventually I let them linger on Dave, and he began to sputter, ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything, I swear¡ªumm¡ªsuddenly there was some sort of white fog, and it looked like it consumed him. He¡¯s gone.¡± White fog? I blinked as I recalled another time he had vanished and white fog had been involved. Hadn¡¯t that been when the system exchanged out the old Enchant, then directed the stored Mana to the Mining Skill? What about me almost dying and the shunting? Surely, that wasn¡¯t going to happen again! I dove into my Mental Universe and found white fog coalescing into a small sphere in the same orbit as the ever-enlarging Mining Planet. My relief only lasted a moment, before I grimaced and recalled that Smegma claimed he also almost died the last time. Hadn¡¯t he talked about a puzzle made of ¡®razor blades¡¯ or something? Still, there wasn¡¯t much I could do to help him, other than hope he made it through and formed a new Skill planet¡ªif the Miner¡¯s Pick gave me Mining, then was this going to be Fishing?. ¡°I think he¡¯ll be back¡ªhe kind of vanishes unexpectedly all the time,¡± I said, without revealing the entire truth. Thinking better of it I told Dave a bit more. ¡°He¡¯s creating another Skill, I think. Probably for Fishing¡± ¡°Are you husking kidding me?¡± Dave shouted as he stood up far too quickly. His shout made me immediately shush him, and look over my shoulder in the direction I knew there to be a massive World-ending-Snake. Dave¡¯s face stopped reddening and he motioned over his shoulder back toward the animal pen. I nodded but first returned to kill the Mirror Fish while it was still on the line. Once we were through the pens and into the Smithy, Dave hissed, ¡°You¡¯re getting another Skill?!¡± I gave him the maybe gesture of shrugging while looking confused myself. Pointing at the Fishing Rod he was still holding with my own, far more repaired version, I explained my thoughts, ¡°Probably. There¡¯s an Enchant on these that funnels excess Mana to my Overflow Skill. It¡¯s what created the Mining Skill, while almost killing me¡­¡± I shivered remembering the message about Shunting. Shaking off the goosebumps I continued, ¡°And now maybe Fishing¡ª¡° I stopped as I thought of something. ¡°I wonder if I¡¯ll get a Cooking Skill from using the Frying¡ª¡° ¡°Focus, moron!¡± Dave exclaimed while simultaneously using his rod as a switch to swat my behind. I jumped and looked at him with a confused frown. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know! I just don¡¯t think it¡¯s husking fair that you are suddenly going to have eight Skills!¡± ¡°You do realize we¡¯re trapped in a Portal right?¡± Dave grimaced but nodded in confirmation at my words. We¡¯d kept walking as we chatted and were now back in the Greenhouse, which brought us face to face with Jarred, Willa and my father. They¡¯d spent the morning pulling weeds and churning soil, so we could move it around for pillows. What I hadn¡¯t expected was to find Willa and Jarred now weaving the long green grass-stem-like weeds into ¡®blankets.¡¯ Dave¡¯s exclamation about unfairness had drawn all three of their attention, and so I gave the best explanation I could to them all, without divulging the risk to Smegma. I wasn¡¯t sure how they would react to the news of that, considering that in my opinion he was what was keeping us alive down here. After I was done, my father asked, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you keep fishing?¡± I shook my head. ¡°I caught a fish and left it on shore for now. That''s what triggered this. So, we should probably have a small piece each of what is cooked and thawed, finish setting up this room for a long stay, and then go Mine some Crystals.¡± ¡°You sure we should attempt that without Smegma being able to scout for us?¡± My dad asked. He was right of course. ¡°Good point,¡± I answered. ¡°Let¡¯s just set up down here and eat fish for today. Hey, who knows maybe Mirage will have dug us out soon.¡± Jarred coughed politely which turned all of us in his direction. ¡°While I was in the chamber nearest the collapse, I didn¡¯t hear any indication that they had started trying to clear it.¡± I licked my teeth and forced my breathing to remain calm even as my heart hammered in my chest. If they weren¡¯t digging from the other side, just how long would we be down here? Likely until they cleared the Portal¡ª My mind, ever the ¡®fortress,¡¯ logically took me out of that depressing spiral of negative thoughts by running some calculations that indicated a rather positive outcome on the chances of our survival. One fish could easily feed our little group for multiple days, an increase in time spent down here wasn¡¯t going to get us killed. All we had to do was avoid the White Goblins and wait¡­ My mind also helpfully decided to tell me the flaw in its own calm, calculative logic. What if this was a permanent Portal or if the Boss to close it was down here with us? If it was the former then they never had to dig out the entrance. They could just keep fighting respawning Lizardmen, farming the Portal for Monster Cores and earning a steady income. If it was the latter, then the guild would have to clear away the cave-in to take out the Boss and close the Portal. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯ll dig us out eventually,¡± my dad said. ¡°For the Yellow Crystal if nothing else¡­¡± I didn¡¯t fully agree but after I was sure I had control over my facial features I nodded to my father. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll go clean and portion out that Fish I just caught. You guys keep working on this room till Smegma returns.¡± I figured I could always return to fishing and building a stockpile, while we waited. To Dave I said, ¡°Let¡¯s head back to the Lake then.¡± Before leaving to head back to the lake I looked to each of the others in turn, receiving a nod from each of them. We¡¯d wait for Smegma. We were just going through the Animal Pens when I got a strange sensation of heat well up from near my heart. ¡°That was so much better!¡± Smegma announced as he popped into space beside me. It startled me for a moment, but his voice was distinctive enough that I smiled just as quickly. Having him back took a huge weight off my shoulders. ¡°Better?¡± I asked, as I exhaled a breath along with a great deal of my earlier stress. ¡°Yeah, first the puzzle pieces were smaller and less numerous. Second, they came in one at a time, and rather slowly. So, while they were still razor sharp it was Imp-play to complete that Skill Planet.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve gotta ask, how is an Enchantment that seems to be able to create Skills of equal value to one that can create Crystals?¡± I asked, trying to figure out why the System banned and destroyed the first one¡ªonly to give me this one. ¡°Skill limits, kid,¡± Smegma reminded me. ¡°Eventually, you¡¯ll probably fill yourself up with nothing but useless Gathering Skills¡­¡± I froze at his response, unsure if I believed that. Sure, I believed that the System would have limits to the amount of Skills one person could have¡ªbut ever since Demonic Vault had called Overdraft and Classes sub-Skills, it just felt like Limits couldn¡¯t be the entire story. Or at least it didn¡¯t seem to explain the disparity I was seeing. My internal thoughts did seem to force the Demon to pause. As usual he assumed his thinking pose, but this one seemed off. He looked confused. No, not exactly. He looked¡­ worried? ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked. ¡°Hmm?¡± Smegma startled slightly. ¡°Well your thoughts highlighted something to me. You see, the System doesn¡¯t make mistakes, so I just gave a rather straightforward and simplistic answer. Maybe I was even a little glib.¡± He gave me an apologetic smile but didn¡¯t bother actually apologizing. ¡°Okay?¡± I prompted, confused about where Smegma was going. ¡°But thinking about sub-Skills and the ability to continually create Skills got you thinking?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Smegma said thoughtfully. ¡°When I said the System doesn¡¯t make mistakes, what I mean is not that it can¡¯t, but just that it doesn¡¯t. It¡¯s not in its nature. You might think of the System as a very advanced program from one of your ¡®computer-things,¡¯ though that¡¯s a terrible analogy that doesn¡¯t even begin to do the phenomena that the System is any justice whatsoever. Still, thinking about it as a computer with programmed responses might help understand a vital aspect of the System¡¯s nature. The System is justice. It is fair¡ªbut an executioner blade¡¯s justness and just as unforgiving. You can¡¯t reason with it, or befriend it, or bribe it. The System is precisely, unwaveringly, unequivocally, and impossibly impartial. It is a core aspect of its principles.¡± ¡°Alright. So, it¡¯s like binary code. Its response to a situation takes in all the available data and spits out a response,¡± Dave interjected. ¡°So what¡¯s the big deal?¡± ¡°The ¡®big deal¡¯,¡± Smegma scoffed as he looked to Dave condescendingly, ¡°is that what the System has done here with this Enchantment, is definitely not an Equivalent Exchange. That¡¯s what the idiot over there said along with his thoughts that clued me into the disparity.¡± ¡°You say that like it is explaining the problem and not just reiterating what I already tried to point out.¡± I answered, somewhat annoyed at the recap and Smegma calling me stupid again. ¡°But it does explain it!. The term Equivalent Exchange is an explanation my Research team created to help us understand a fundamental law of the System. Like for like. Impartiality.¡± Smegma began hovering back and forth as if he was pacing. ¡°When you activated the Enchantment on the Pickaxe, the System intervened. Which is no small matter. ¡°Not ever. ¡°It put you on Trial, Brodie. System Trials are¡­¡± The Demon shuddered. ¡°They¡¯re rare. Nearly unheard of, except as vague legends and threats to children to get them to go to sleep. They are the universal Boogeyman, if we¡¯re speaking in Earth terms. What¡¯s more was that you were found innocent. That¡­ doesn¡¯t happen. If you¡¯re in a position to be Tried by the System, that scary son of a bitch makes Mr. Varnish look like a toddler playing with a gavel. If the System is ¡®taking you to court¡¯, so to speak¡ªit already has all the evidence it needs, don¡¯t you see? Yet somehow, you were found innocent. Which means that the System either made a mistake¡ªor something about that Miner¡¯s Pick made it take action.¡± A chill ran down my spine as Smegma¡¯s words finally sunk in. I¡¯d assumed with something as large as the System and Earth, that these sorts of trials and bugs in the code were pretty common. However, with something that had perfected itself over billions of years. Just how many more errors could it have? That thought alone made me question Smegma¡¯s continued assertions that the System never made mistakes. The System sounded like it made constant changes to itself, or at least to how it functioned on different worlds. That was in essence an attempt to better itself. To fix things within its own ¡®code¡¯ to help users, right? Rather than argue, I decided to focus on Smegma¡¯s concerns, since I was smack in the middle of them. ¡°So¡­¡± I swallowed. ¡°What does that have to do with these new Skills?¡± ¡°Equivalent Exchange.¡± Smegma whispered. ¡°The System took something from you, Brodie¡­ Tell me. Do you know how much an F-ranked Mining Skill costs in my Shop?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. I blinked at the sudden change in subject. ¡°Uhh. Maybe? I¡¯m pretty sure we looked at a lot of Skills a while back.¡± The Demon nodded. ¡°Two-hundred and fifty thousand Mana coins, for an F-ranked Mining Skill. Now, do you remember how much Mana was in your Pick when the System broke the Enchantment?¡± Dave looked at me, his eyes widening as if he understood where Smegma was going. I hated that he was somehow ahead of me already¡ªeven though I was the one being impacted by it all. I thought back to the prompt from Demonic Vault when I purchased the Pick all that time ago. ¡°A thousand? I¡¯m pretty sure it was a round number like that and one hundred seems like too little and ten-thousand, well¡­ that¡¯s a lot.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Smegma smiled grimly. ¡°But we¡¯ve already talked about the fact that the System didn¡¯t Exchange the Enchantment on the pickaxe for your Mining Skill, Brodie.¡± ¡°Right.¡± I said, almost forgetting the distinction. It hadn¡¯t given me the Skill. Not exactly. What it had done was that it had seemed to put an Enchantment that funneled Mana from the Miner¡¯s Pick, and now the Fishing Rod into my Overdraft Skill¡­ ¡°Not just into your Overdraft Skill, but in a specific way. Right now you just have the Overdraft Skill targeting you in general,¡± Smegma clarified, clearly picking up on my surface thoughts. ¡°You could theoretically target Demonic Vault, Mining, Fishing or any one of your Skills to help them level.¡± ¡°Right I remember you wanting me to target you at first. So the System made the new Enchant do what? Create and continually level a new Skill¡­ Not just funnel the Mana into an existing one?¡± I asked. ¡°Every single Profession item in my Shop now has that same Enchantment. Each of the Skills associated with them would cost you at a minimum two-hundred and fifty thousand Mana Coins to purchase, and the System created and replicated that Enchantment on each item. Then if you¡¯re right in the thought that these Gathering Skills are classified as sub-Skills of my Skill or maybe some weird sub-sub-Skill since it''s technically Overdraft that¡¯s creating the Skill. Then that would mean what I said earlier doesn¡¯t even apply. That the System isn¡¯t penalizing you by adding a somewhat shitty Skill that takes up Cap space. Not only that, the Enchantment is so efficient that it can create that very Skill with less than a thousand Mana absorbed from the Profession item.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± I said, shocked. Dave was nodding along making me even more confused as my friend seemed to be following the conversation better than I was. ¡°I told you. The Exchange was the Enchantment, not the Skill.¡± Smegma shook his head as if he, too, were in disbelief. ¡°The Skill formed because it had met the requisite threshold of Mana.¡± The Demon looked at me. ¡°Which was not even the total inside the Pickaxe at the time¡­¡± ¡°Shunting¡­¡± I breathed. This finally made Dave¡¯s face scrunch up in confusion, which I will grudgingly admit made me happy. ¡°Wait, back up,¡± Dave interjected. ¡°What¡¯s Shunting?¡± I explained my near death experience and the messages from the System after the trial. Dave nodded along like I¡¯d somehow given him a puzzle piece he was missing. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that it took the Mana from the pickaxe that was meant to create a Crystal, used some of it to create the Mining Skill and then had to Shunt off a great deal more to stop you from literally exploding.¡± I nodded and Dave smiled. I narrowed my eyes. That didn¡¯t seem like the type of thing he should be smiling about. He explained a moment later, ¡°I¡¯m just happy the Skills didn¡¯t come entirely free!¡± My eyes rolled and I punched Dave in the arm, before I started to turn back to Smegma. Dave stopped me though. ¡°I do think I see where some of you two idiots have confused things though.¡± Smegma and I both turned to stare incredulously at Dave. Smegma pointed at Dave menacingly, even as he growled, ¡°Okay! Now you have our attention. Time to back those words up, imbecile.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s say that the Pick took in a thousand Mana, right?¡± Dave began, waiting for Smegma and me to nod before continuing. ¡°So a thousand Mana would be what, an E-rank Crystal?¡± I looked to Smegma who nodded, but also made it clear with a hand motion that it wasn¡¯t that simple. Dave shrugged away the need for Smegma to elaborate and continued. ¡°So, it was collecting Mana Spillage from F-rank Crystals and creating something greater, right?¡± ¡°Husk,¡± Smegma whispered, sounding like he was seeing something that Dave was saying, where I definitely wasn¡¯t. ¡°Stop talking to each other and tell me what the husk is going on!¡± I complained. ¡°Well, there¡¯s two possibilities here, Brodie,¡± Dave explained. ¡°Either it was collecting Mana as we think of it in Points. Then it was creating something greater than it took in, to some extent. So, then what would happen if you were Mining in an S-rank Mine?¡± ¡°It would be filled with each swing,¡± I answered. ¡°Still not getting what you¡¯re saying, though.¡± ¡°This part is totally hypothetical. But what if that thousand points was a progress bar? Or it grew with the Pick? What if it popped out Crystals based on the Picks rank and not the Crystals you were mining? Could you fill it with F-rank Crystals and get S-rank?¡± ¡°Holy hells,¡± I whispered, going silent like Smegma had. ¡°If that was a progress bar,¡± Smegma began. ¡°Then it starts to make some sense. It didn¡¯t just have a thousand Mana, it had the potential to essentially Create more from less. The System called it a Creation Enchant, didn¡¯t it? And the Funnel Enchant was Growth Grade. I was going to say a thousand Mana shouldn¡¯t be enough for a Skill, Brodie. It shouldn¡¯t be enough to pop you like a balloon either. So, either the System gave you something of more value than it took, or it gave you a highly efficient Funnel Enchant to replace something that would have grown and become astronomically powerful.¡± ¡°See, I told you I thought I had the answer,¡± Dave bragged but then immediately sobered. ¡°Still, I can¡¯t begin to imagine how something that can endlessly create Skills would be worth the Creation Enchantment, even with everything I just said. It just raises its value to make the exchange closer to equivalent.¡± Smegma was quiet for a long time, his eyes unfocused. Finally, he spoke. ¡°I¡¯m missing memories, Brodie.¡± ¡°Yeah, you mentioned something about that. You get new memories when Demonic Vault upgrades, or updates or something like that.¡± ¡°Updates. Yeah.¡± Smegma confirmed. ¡°And you think, what? You might have memories that would make sense of what is going on here?¡± I asked. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I think.¡± The Demon nodded. ¡°And we need to find that answer as soon as we possibly can.¡± ¡°What do you mean? How? I¡¯m doing everything I can, and if you¡¯ve forgotten, we¡¯re kind of stuck in a Portal. Maybe even on some desolate planet somewhere out in the universe. What more do you want me to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I do have some ideas. I just need to flesh them out a bit and figure out the best way forward, for everyone.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I huffed, slightly exasperated. ¡°Well you just tell me when you get it all figured out, alright? Now, what should we do in the meantime?¡± I changed the subject, not wanting to dwell on the weight of everything Smegma had just revealed. ¡°We had just decided to wait to Mine till you return, but I never expected you to be this fast,¡± I explained. ¡°Should we go back to the earlier plan from this morning?¡± Smegma nodded. ¡°I still can¡¯t be sure but something feels off about how fast those Goblins left. Let¡¯s keep fishing for now, I want to see if they come back with reinforcements.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll keep to the same strategy as earlier?¡± Dave asked. Smegma nodded, and Dave turned around to head back to the Grow Room. ¡°I''ll let the other¡¯s know the plan. They¡¯ll be happy to know our Scout is back.¡± Smegma floated after Dave, ¡°I¡¯ll join you¡ªmaybe we can keep discussing hypotheses of what¡¯s going on without being held back by a dumb-dumb.¡± ¡°I¡¯m right here!¡± I growled, but began walking away toward the Lake, knowing there wasn¡¯t much I could do to stop the two jackasses without making it worse. * * * ¡°It¡¯s not so bad,¡± Dave said from beside me, as he channeled Mana to the rod. I smiled, having already caught two more fish this morning before my Mana Pool of fifty ran dry. It was an excessive amount of meat and I¡¯d stored it all in the Necklace along with the rest¡ªmaking the Holding space over half full. The bones and guts I tossed back into the lake, just like I had the previous day with the four I¡¯d managed to catch. I¡¯d debated about using it for bait, but Smegma assured me that was a bad idea. According to him I was only managing to pull the Fish ashore thanks to the Mana Pulses of the Rod, and the enchantments that my steady supply of Mana activated. That and to a far lesser degree my Strength. Still, now I watched Dave closely as he prepared to cast his first line into the water. I just couldn¡¯t be sure what would happen to someone without a Strength Stat of ten. I was still embarrassed about thinking I was ten times stronger than I had been, but no one could actually give me a decent answer on how much of a difference the Stat made. Sure, I was strong but just how much stronger was tough to measure. I hadn¡¯t gone to the gym or tried lifting anything since I¡¯d gotten it¡ªwhich I was regretting at the moment. However, I figured if I was right beside Dave I would be able to assist in dragging the Fish into shore if there was even a hint of him being overpowered. According to Dave¡¯s Awakening assessment, admittedly a better and more expensive version of the standardized one I¡¯d received, it showed that he had thirty points of Mana, which meant he should be able to pull in one Fish, if I went off of my experiences. Almost as soon as the Mana Worm hit the water and pulsed, the line tightened, indicating a bite. Dave tugged once, and snagged the fish, making my eyebrows raise. It often took me four or five bites before I snagged a Fish on the line. Dave managed to reel in a few feet of line before the fish reacted. Then just, like I expected, the Mirror Fish tugged back. Hard. I wrapped my arms around Dave¡¯s stomach, ready to save him¡ªand discovered that Dave¡¯s weight barely shifted forward. Sure, his arms and legs tensed, and sweat broke out on his face and forehead as he resisted, but it was also clear that his weight and braced feet would be enough to resist the tug. I stayed poised and ready to help with my arms still clasped around his stomach, though, just in case I was missing something. Dave, having seen me struggle and knowing of my Strength, didn¡¯t complain. Instead, he focused on executing the technique I had ¡®discovered¡¯ previously. [What was discovered? I literally had to feed you the method, like a mama bird and her disgusting featherless chick, you ingrate!] Smegma chastised me internally, clearly not wanting to distract Dave¡ªsince this was the first true test of his connection with his Mana Pool. I pointedly ignored Smegma. Pulse, pull and reel. I began to relax on the second successful pull, and subsequent counter-pull that didn¡¯t move my friend. It wasn¡¯t until the fifteenth that I felt a change. The line pulsed, and Dave moved to pull back on the rod, but instead, seemed to go limp in my loosened grip. ¡°You okay?¡± I asked. I craned my neck forward to look at my friend and found him pale and drenched in sweat. His eyes were half closed, his breathing shallow and fast. ¡°Dave?!¡± I questioned further. He gave me a weak grin before grunting, ¡°I¡¯m out of Mana.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I managed to say, before shaking myself into action and repeating. ¡°Oh!¡± In a somewhat jerky and awkward motion, I snatched the Fishing Pole and pulled back on both it and Dave, even as I channeled my small remaining amount of Mana into the rod through my new fledgling Soul Nervous System method. Dave thankfully, cranked the reel which stopped me from having to try to awkwardly grab the handle over his hand. I only noticed then just how much more line he drew in thanks to my powerful tug on the rod and line. No wonder he ran out of Mana sooner than me. Disappointedly, I also ran out of Mana before we could get the Fish to breach the surface, and I was forced to use the Filleting Knife to cut the line. I wasn¡¯t sure it would be sharp enough at first, but the line thankfully broke without much effort. I toggled on my Heat Sense and watched as the large Fish took off from the shallows to move far deeper into the lake and out of my range. ¡°That wasn¡¯t bad,¡± I said, as I let go of Dave. I then joined him in a boneless collapse onto my butt. Dave gasped in lungfuls of air before he turned to address me. ¡°I¡¯m just glad that shitty Demon¡ª¡° ¡°Isn¡¯t here to see your budding bromance taking its next step?¡± A shrill voice asked. ¡°That hug sure was long and tight!¡± ¡°God dammit!¡± Dave finished, as Smegma floated from the wall that held the ledge we¡¯d traversed yesterday. ¡°The other group is finished prepping the room, and I still haven¡¯t seen a sign of more White Goblins. So, if you two are finished getting closer I think it''s time to try Mining.¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re just jealous that you can¡¯t touch anyone, or anything. Is little Smegma feeling lonely?¡± I retorted between gasps for air. ¡°Yeah, cause I¡¯m just dying for a reach around like that!¡± Smegma countered annoyingly fast. ¡°Woah,¡± I held up my hands in surrender. ¡°You quickly jumped on the gay-train there. I¡¯m not judging. I¡¯ll still love you like a brother, it¡¯s just that I was talking about some attention from a Dominatrix Demoness or something.¡± Smegma glared around, but Dave snorted. ¡°Let me guess you watched for a while and were thinking of things to say,¡± Dave interjected before Smegma could respond. His words were also forced out between lungfuls of air. ¡°It¡¯s kind of sad the best you could come up with was a homo joke. Do better!¡± ¡°Shut up. You two Greeds only ever retort with penis jokes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ¡®cause we have penises,¡± I pointed out. ¡°So, that means you have to always bring them up?¡± Smegma questioned. I truly hadn¡¯t expected a response in that direction, from my own childish jab. ¡°Bring it up?¡± I asked, pretending to be shy. ¡°Well you might not remember this but sometimes when you wake up it''s just like that. It¡¯s a normal biological function for us men.¡± Even Dave rolled his eyes this time, at my rather lame comeback. ¡°See what I mean?!¡± Smegma practically shouted. ¡°It¡¯s just phalluses and manliness with you humans.¡± I nearly felt bad for the Demon. Nearly. However, being the magnanimous and upright specimen that I was, I graciously accepted my ¡®victory¡¯ and stopped poking the bear. Admittedly, I was pretty sure Smegma gave as good as he got in that two on one. Smegma noticed that Dave and I seemed finished with the witty retorts and waited for us to recover with a scowl that showed far too many fangs. It might¡¯ve also been why we stood up earlier than we probably should have to follow him back to the others. * * * ¡°Go back!¡± Smegma shouted as soon as he popped into space beside me. ¡°They¡¯re waiting in rooms two floors above you.¡± ¡°Shit,¡± I said, even as others swore as well. I turned on my Heat Sense and saw a few outlines rushing towards the stairs above us. ¡°Hurry!¡± I shouted, adding urgency to Smegma¡¯s warning. It wasn¡¯t needed, but I figured it couldn¡¯t hurt. The group spun on the top step and returned the way we¡¯d come at a dead sprint. We¡¯d been climbing with caution, thanks entirely to Smegma¡¯s ¡®gut-feeling¡¯ that something wasn¡¯t right. [Even with being cautious we might still be caught!] I thought, even as my semi-weakened legs pounded down the steps to the lower levels. ¡°Don¡¯t panic,¡± Smegma coached, likely responding to my thoughts but directing the words to everyone¡ªI hoped. ¡°They¡¯re big and bulky, so not exactly fast. As long as you get to the lake before them and around that corner you should be okay.¡± As I spun at the bottom of the current flight and moved to take the next stairs which were stacked under it. As I did, I heard a guttural growl followed by a terrifying howl. I glanced up and met eyes with a pair of milky white orbs set in the scarred and blackened face of a White Goblin. I would have frozen in place if my father didn¡¯t bump into my back and shove me. The jolt got me moving again, even as my brain calculated how close behind us they were. And Smegma had said that they weren¡¯t fast? 067 Sunday, April 28th, 2069 Sprinting in mining boots that were practically falling apart wasn¡¯t comfortable nor quiet. Each footfall from everyone in the group sounded like Mining Pick¡¯s hitting stone, and my own steps carried a distinctive metallic noise on the left foot. My brain told me it was my imagination, since my heartbeat sounded like a drum to my own ears as well. I¡¯m sure it was only sounding a marching cadence because of the grunts and guttural cries that seemed to be right on our heels. The worst part was that my body and mind were also fighting a war. With my Strength Stat I could push off the ground harder and likely outdistance the others, making it to the ridge and around the corner to the safe spot sooner. But with my Recovery Skill, and unlocked Stat I had the greatest chance of survival if they caught up to us. My father was still the issue. In that I was literally shoving him with each of my own ¡®sprinting¡¯ steps to keep him in front of me. I considered shouting at him to move or stop fighting me but felt that could make him ¡®dig his heels in¡¯ both literally and figuratively. The lighting changed and I knew we¡¯d entered the animal pens chamber. I could even see the backs of Jarred and Willa running through the archway to the Fishery Chamber and Lake it contained. My dad also noticed the change and attempted once again to get behind me. Admittedly, with adrenaline coursing through my blood and the anxiety of the gorilla-like vicious-cannibalistic humanoids closing in from behind¡ªI probably shoved him a little harder than I should have. Why do I think that? Well it looked like he jumped, flew over two edges of the depressed circular pens and landed just before the archway. I saw him catch himself and start to turn to look back at me, so I shouted, ¡°Husking move! I¡¯ll toss you again if you don¡¯t get on that husking ridge!¡± Excessive. Probably, but I was already at war with my own desire to go faster and maintain my current ¡®heroic¡¯ spot in the back. Thankfully, Smegma flew up beside my father and while I didn¡¯t hear what was said, I did see Gary¡¯s legs unlock as he resumed his sprint. My ¡®shove¡¯ had placed him ahead of Dave, and my father did wait at the ridge for him to go first, but thankfully he was right behind him. The guttural cries and grunts grew both louder and gained more reverberations. I knew that meant they¡¯d entered the larger animal pen¡¯s cavern and clenched my fist on the handhold as my desire to move faster screamed at me loudly enough that it almost overrode Mental Fortitude. I was only four feet from the start of the ridge, but couldn¡¯t go any faster because of my father, Dave, Willa and Jarred. Each moved at what felt like glacial speed to me, as they desperately searched for handholds and failed numerous times before discovering one. I couldn¡¯t see this happening but I could hear the heavy breathing and scrabbling hands repeating itself over and over again. I managed two more small shuffles of my feet before I heard the grunts truly for the first time. When the White Goblins had been on shore ¡®conversing¡¯ they had been quietly grunting in comparison to whatever this was. It sounded like a mix between a Warhog, Manticore and Frenzied Gorilla¡ªwith a dash of something neanderthal too. Like a guttural celebration of catching sight of prey. My eyes found the milky white orbs of the scarred Goblin I¡¯d seen at the top of the stairs, and I watched, horrified as gobs of saliva dripped out of its mouth before splashing down its already slicked legs, or onto the lake stones beneath it. For an instant, I thought time had frozen as I stared at the beast, its arms rippling with bulging, overexcited muscles. The comparison of its physique to that of apes grew more apt as those arms twitched spasmodically, seeming to want to beat its chest, but being just humanoid enough to stop the urge. Then the moment shattered as the next White Goblin entered the room. The scarred one flexed its knees and then pushed off the stone, hard¡ªsprinting at me with such ferocity that I flinched, even though he was twenty meters away. Thankfully the group had inched farther out onto the ridge and I was able to shuffle another two to four meters out, as the Goblin advanced. Surely, it would have to slow down to¡ª It leaped when it was ten meters away, and my foot slipped as my leg spasmodically attempted to jump up, forward, sideways or anyway that wasn¡¯t in the path of the flying husking Freak. I couldn¡¯t breathe. My fingers cracked the rocks I was holding as my grip tightened. My heart even stopped hammering as my wide twitching eyes watched the ascension of at least three hundred pounds of Goblin. His leap was impressive, easily carrying him five feet above the stone, and propelling him forward with even more speed then he had when charging. However, five feet of rise, with ten meters of distance, just wasn¡¯t enough. My brain cataloged all this in the background, informing me of the discrepancy, but in something of a muted whisper that couldn¡¯t drown out my screams of overwhelming terror. It wasn¡¯t until the milky-white eyes I was staring into fell below the height of my own and widened comically, that I managed both a gasping lungful of air, and to listen to that logical voice. The White Goblin continued to lose to gravity right until it hit the wall under the ridge, and below myself. It sounded both like what I expected a three hundred pound muscled Freak hitting a wall would sound like, and like nothing I¡¯d ever heard at the same time. Either the entire cavern shook or my section of the ridge shuddered, as a resounding thud hammered noisily through the air and stone I was desperately holding onto. The part I hadn¡¯t been expecting was the frantic scrabbling, grunting, and shrieking that accompanied it. I could no longer see the beast and had to imagine he was attempting to find hand and footholds to climb up to me. I moved further down the ridge, before I leaned back and peered over the edge. Sure enough, the creature was jumping up and down from the floor fifteen feet below the ridge, trying to get to us. Relief flooded my limbs, causing them to almost feel weak¡ªwhen compared to the adrenaline induced hypertension from split seconds before. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. It didn¡¯t last long, as I heard Dave shriek. My arms tensed again and I spun my head around to try to find my friend. I couldn¡¯t see him, but knew he wouldn¡¯t make that kind of sound without a reason. A reverberation through my hands accompanied by the sound of rock hitting rock clued me in to the projectiles. I spun back around to shore and found a group of twenty White Goblins winding up to throw stone tipped spears. I also saw ten of them in various stages of retracting arms from a throw, or standing empty-handed. like they¡¯d already thrown. My eyes found the airborne weapons just a moment before one almost skewered me. I managed to heave on my right arm, and pull myself a foot in that direction, which was only enough for the spear to collide with my lower left back, and pierce right through. Thankfully, the wall was also stone, so it didn¡¯t pin me in place like it might have with wood. But, when stone hit stone, it caused vibrations¡ªand while I hadn¡¯t felt pain when the spear entered my back, drove through my muscles, organs and out my front¡ªI felt it now. The shaft of the weapon vibrated violently, sending ripples of cascading agony screaming through my body to my brain. I managed to turn a shriek of pain that might have been similar to Dave¡¯s into a roar of challenge, as my body attempted to seize up and I fought it. I would not fall off here. I knew what waited below! I would not fall! I repeated that mantra as I clamped my teeth shut and clenched my jaw. More spears thudded against the wall, and two other screams from my group echoed over the cavern as I rhythmically planted one foot to the right, and shuffled. My grip, only maintained by my increased Strength, had no feeling¡ªeach handhold was created by chipping away rock with my bare hands until my fingers dug in, rather than finding anything existing. I was numb, and so when my lead arm swung toward the wall and didn¡¯t hit anything, I didn¡¯t fully notice or comprehend what it meant. I started to shuffle and my foot found empty air. I was going to fall¡ªmy brain was certain of it. My body, while stronger than it had ever been before couldn¡¯t recover from this¡ª My momentum changed and I was heaved around the corner by strong hands tugging at my arm that had just missed the non-existent wall, because I had unknowingly reached the end of the ridge. I swung for just a moment out above the water, and even heard a few splashes as multiple spears either missed me and sank into the deep, or the ones that bounced off the ridge and wall did. Then I realized that it could also be the spear that was still protruding from my back¡­ My father swung me, allowing me to dip below the stone ledge before heaving me up like a kettlebell. My weight was not distributed like a kettlebell however, and so my dad was forced to release his grip on my arm, or risk overbalancing and tipping into the water. I became airborne for just a moment, unsure if I was out above the lake or above the stone ledge. That question was answered as my injured back collided with hard stone, snapping the shaft of the spear off. Like the vibrations from the tip hitting stone, the agony redoubled, even as I was dimly aware of rolling twice before I dumped enough momentum. My body continued to scream its distress through nerve endings that were likely severed from a semi-sharpened rock-spear. ¡°Your Recovery is already working to heal your kidney. Dave needs you, now!¡± Smegma insistently whispered. ¡°Do not close your eyes. Stand up.¡± I heard him. Certainly. And I wanted to do as he said, but even the thought of moving sent renewed cold glass slivers screaming out from my wound. Was the spearhead still in there? ¡°It isn¡¯t. Now stand up! Dave doesn¡¯t have a Recovery Skill!¡± I managed to plant my hands beneath my shoulders. The urgency in Smegma¡¯s voice moved me in a way I wouldn¡¯t have thought possible even milliseconds before. Smegma continued to coax me, making sounds of encouragement, or berating my laziness anytime I even hinted at pausing or collapsing. My mind fought my agony-riddled body, and might have lost. Luckily one of the two had a high ranked Skill assisting it. Sure, I crawled the last bit of the way to my friend, but husk anyone who says I didn¡¯t make it there as fast as I humanly could. My numb hands didn¡¯t register the sensation of wetness that they rested in toward the end of my trek. My eyes were focused mechanically on the ground, but my next ponderous crawling ¡¯step¡¯ ending with a sickening splash, finally broke through my pain-fogged brain.. Glancing up I took in the strange gleam of greenish black liquid and traced it back to Dave¡¯s leg. A spear protruded from it. Dave was facedown and unmoving. How my friend had made it around the corner, I couldn¡¯t say¡ªbut the need for Smegma coaxing ended with that sight. Dave was dying, and I was kneeling in his blood. ¡°Pull out the spear,¡± Smegma ordered, getting my father¡¯s attention. ¡°Use it to keep any Goblins from getting around that corner. Brodie,¡± I froze my hand already halfway to Dave¡¯s leg. ¡°That¡¯s right. Heal him.¡± My eyes cataloged a fountain of blood that followed the spear, a fountain I thought was only reserved for theatrics in movies. The sight made me twitch even as I jerked toward the sucking noise and leg wound that caused it. Shaking from fear and exhaustion, my hand hit Dave¡¯s hamstring even as I began pumping my Mana into Minor Heal. My hand glowed green, adding its own soft light to the abundance coming off the moss-covered snake I knew was there. ¡°Pull a cooked Mirror Fish out of your storage,¡± Smegma ordered, and it took me a moment to realize he was talking to me. He actually repeated himself before the connection sparked. As soon as I pulled out a steak, Smegma continued talking to someone else. ¡°Thaw it with your hands. Then flip Dave over and feed it to him. ¡°In fact, pull out all the cooked Fish you have. It needs to thaw.¡± The Demon said calmly, seeming to change his mind. I managed to obey but felt my eyelids flutter, then closed. ¡°No!¡± Smegma shouted. ¡°Someone smack him!¡± Something lightly hit my cheek, and I attempted to lean on it. ¡°Not lightly, Willa! Hit him hard. Wake him the husk up!¡± An electric crack sounded from inside my ear, from my jaw¡ªfrom my scalp? The electricity permeated each pore of my skin individually and jolted me awake. Smegma¡¯s black eyes stared into my own. ¡°Do not fall asleep. Each drop of husking Mana you regain goes into Dave! Willa, keep smacking him if he even husking blinks.¡± At some point Jarred flipped Dave over and fed him¡ªalready chewed Fish? Thankfully, at some point the need for Willa to keep smacking me let up, as my own wound passed some sort of threshold, allowing my body to feel exhausted but not catatonically so. I saw why the Fish was already chewed as Jarred spit a mouthful into a hand and then transferred it to Dave¡¯s mouth. He then massaged his Adam¡¯s Apple like I had for my uncle in the cavern to get the potion down his throat. Dave¡¯s throat moved and I managed a weak smile in celebration. He was alive¡ª My own stomach shuddered violently and then growled insistently. ¡°You need to eat something too,¡± Smegma said. ¡°That passive Skill might not use Mana, but it sure uses your body''s existing biological systems, which need fuel. Grab some fish and let it thaw in your mouth.¡± I picked up a cold Fish steak and broke off a semi-softened corner, before I heard a splash which drew my attention. At the corner stood my father with the bloodied spear from Dave¡¯s leg. I could see him leaning back from a thrust¡ªand tilted my head before Smegma¡¯s face filled my vision. ¡°Eat, moron. Dave needs your continued healing. Your father will keep knocking the White Goblins into the lake!¡± A voice echoed out from our corner of the ridge and shelf. The same corner we all hid around. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much longer I can keep knocking these bastards into the lake!¡± Brodie¡¯s father shouted. ¡°You husking will do what must be done. We don¡¯t let our Sect-mates die if we still draw breath.¡± Smegma growled. 068 Sunday, April 28th, 2069 ¡°Brodie, you need to wake up and take a turn,¡± Smegma somehow both shouted in the physical world, but also inside my dream. I couldn¡¯t even recall what the dream had been about, but I did know I had been about to die or narrowly escape¡ªand the final image was of a scarred faced White Goblin¡­ My eyes opened but felt heavy, unable to fully break the crust from the sands of sleep. My vision started to resolve into blurs like green highlighter. I inhaled deeply and the first thing my nose registered was a different smell¡ªthe caverns we were mining smelled more damp and swampy the deeper we were, at least until we entered the facility, where the air seemed to be dusty and stale. The lake chamber in comparison was cleaner still, smelling exactly like my memories of a rocky beach. Now there was a cloying smell. It was a combination of sweet and rotten that instantly caused my gorge to rise into my throat. It also caused me to both cough and contract my core, sitting me up. ¡°What the husk is that smell?¡± I groaned, and adjusted my breathing to my mouth only. ¡°They¡¯re cooking on shore,¡± Smegma answered, even as his winged human-sized black form seemed to resolve itself out of the green highlighter. ¡°Cooking what?¡± ¡°It¡¯s better that you don¡¯t think about it,¡± Smegma answered quietly. This usually would have been a perfect time for him to either call me stupid or show off his superiority in some way. The fact that he hadn¡¯t and his serious tone told me to drop it¡ªbut I had a few niggling suspicions in the back of my head that I pointedly ignored. My vision finally seemed to adjust to the green light, and I found Dave asleep beside me on the shelf. I couldn¡¯t remember how long I had stayed by his side healing, but I reached a hand over and tried to use Minor Heal again. Only a single point of Mana went through before his body rejected anymore. I had determined before that this meant he was fully healed, so I breathed a sigh of relief as his chest rose and fell. His face wasn¡¯t greener than it should have been, that was just the lighting, he wasn¡¯t breathing heavily, those were just my overactive brain. Beside Dave I found my father curled in a fetal position, shivering. His breathing was shallow and quick. I stood up and moved to his side. Sending Minor Heal into him through his exposed tricep. He took five points of Mana. The next person in line was Willa¡ªand she needed four points. Finally, Jarred, the last one still awake, was found at the corner with the spear. He wasn¡¯t using the weapon, instead leaning around the edge in ten second intervals even as he sweat profusely. I could tell he was scared, amped up, and tired. Surely, Smegma would warn the man of an impending attack by the Goblins on shore¡­ I turned to the Demon and he nodded to me, confirming my unspoken thought. I hadn¡¯t even been awake since the initial assault and seemed to have understood the situation better than Jarred¡ªtensions must have been high after I passed out¡­ [Can you fill me in on what went on, after I relieve Jarred?] Smegma nodded again, and I reached a hand out to heal Jarred. As soon as my fingers touched his elbow the man jumped and screamed bloody murder. I pulled back and ducked as the spear was swung like a staff in my direction. Thankfully it was stopped and also missed . ¡°Husk!¡± Jarred said breathily. ¡°It¡¯s you, Brodie. Don¡¯t sneak up on me like that!¡± ¡°He¡¯s been awake for a few minutes, moving around healing the others. How could you have missed him, you imbecile?¡± Smegma insulted. ¡°It¡¯s your turn to sleep, Jarred. Brodie, heal him, then Jarred you eat some food, and sleep. Brodie will take over as sentinel.¡± Jarred looked like he wanted to be upset and showed his distaste of Smegma by not even glancing in the Demon¡¯s direction. Still, the primary emotion that played over his face was relief. I decided to not scold Smegma, instead reaching out one hand for the spear and another to once again attempt to touch Jarred¡¯s forearm. As soon as I made contact I sent eight points of Mana into Minor Heal, and saw even more relief and exhaustion wash over my Uncle. He of course didn¡¯t release the spear, gripping the weapon like it was a handhold that was preventing him from falling off a cliff. Feeling this resistance, and not wanting to overpower him, I coaxed, ¡°Give me the spear, Uncle Jarred.¡± The man looked at me in confusion, and then his own hand, before he managed to send the signals to the limb to release the shaft. He managed a sheepish grin after that and a pat on my shoulder, before he slunk by me toward the others. Smegma followed him, ¡°Eat some of the Fish you blithering monkey! Don¡¯t go right to sleep!¡± Jarred, was literally in the process of lying down and only just managed to stop himself, stumble to the very diminished pile of cooked Mirror Fish and suck back a steak without chewing, before he collapsed right beside it. Smegma looked at the man with distaste but hovered back to me a moment later. ¡°I¡¯m invisible to them now, so this will work better than with the others,¡± Smegma said, before hovering out and around the corner. He faced me, but at an angle which was clearly intended to keep an eye on the Goblins on shore as well. ¡°So, there were fifty of the creatures on shore after your narrow escape and desperate healing of Dave. They tried multiple times to climb the wall, walk the ridge and even hit you through the solid rock walls with thrown spears, even though you¡¯re all around the corner and out of sight.. ¡°That¡¯s why they¡¯re all weaponless. I can say with certainty that they won¡¯t try the water route again, either.¡± [What?] I interjected, glancing at the placid lake below. That statement needed a bit more explanation, I thought. ¡°Imbecile, wake up!¡± Smegma scolded. ¡°Do you think the huge Mirror Fish just eat eachother?¡± My eyes widened when they made the connection, and I shivered at the thought of facing the car sized creatures in the lake. ¡°Now there are probably only ten on shore, and the others left in a huge group. I assume they are heading back to their own village, because one or two did return with the cook-pot and food. They also brought more spears¡ªbut¡­¡± Smegma chuckled and motioned at the water. I knew that we were in a dire situation, but his amusement was infectious¡ªcausing me to both realize what had happened and smirk at the stupidity of the White Goblins. Did that make them any less terrifying? Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Maybe a tiny bit, but stupid creatures driven by primal instinct that could tear me apart with their bare hands, were hard to find unthreatening. Still, it gave me a bit of hope in an otherwise dark and depressing situation. [So, do we try to escape?] I asked looking at the ledge and the continued ridge we could traverse deeper. Smegma tapped a talon onto a fang but shook his head. ¡°I scouted out as far as I could in all directions. While I did come up with an option for later, I think it should be a last resort. First, I didn¡¯t find another shelf like this one for a hundred yards, which means you might find yourself trapped out there on the ledge without a place to stop and rest safely. Second, if you don¡¯t hit the Time Bubble, which I would hope you would¡ªthen that means you¡¯ve exited the Portal Grounds. Then you and the group would have to survive on a dying world without any hope of rescue¡­¡± Instinctually I hugged the spear a bit as I shivered. That sounded like a nightmare. I recapped what Smegma had already said, realizing that getting off the shelf wasn¡¯t really an option. Obviously going back the way we came to shore, meant facing the White Goblins. While we had a single spear, Miner¡¯s Picks and they had no weapons, a direct conflict was sure to end badly. Even if a single one of the group died, which I figured would already be a miracle¡ªthat still meant a close friend or family member would be at risk. None of us were Hunters, thought, so even a single one of us surviving seemed unlikely, when I truly thought it through. So, fighting was out¡­ Swimming. I shivered not even wanting to consider trying to survive in the water with the Mirror Fish that only I could see with Heat Sense¡ªnope. Swimming was out. Going deeper, the thought I initially proposed, seemed to be the best option, and admittedly my brain subconsciously knew that without me having to dive into the why¡ªbut Smegma who had thought it through a bit longer and farther than me, seemed to believe that we could get trapped out on a dwindling ledge, with White Goblins behind us, occupying our current shelf. I was inclined to trust that consideration. He had also brought up an even more terrifying possibility. Just like swimming, I didn¡¯t even want to consider the possibility where we did escape but ended up outside the Time Bubble. ¡°Husk!¡± I whispered. Smegma sighed, having likely listened to my entire inner thought process. ¡°The good news is that you still have the ability to fish. You have Crystals, and a defensible position. You can easily survive up here for a few weeks.¡± My muscles tensed. A few weeks! Living on this ledge, catching fish and being ever watchful of the White Goblins? Unbidden I checked the cooked Fish pile¡ªfour pieces, and we only needed one per day. Next I checked the Necklace of Holding, and found enough Crystals to likely cook up three more Mirror Fish, maybe five if I overfilled the Frying Pan using the edges of the cooking instrument as well. One Fish could probably feed the entire group for one week, and that¡¯s where Smegma got his numbers. Three to five weeks of food. Water below us. Okay, surely the Mirage Guild or another Guild would come down here by then, right? The distinct lack of an answer to that very pointed hope made me stare just as sharply at Smegma. [What?] Smegma was looking at the shore, a talon tapping a fang. When he didn¡¯t answer, I leaned out around the edge. The Goblins who had left were returning, carrying more wood and metal. I stared at the stacks they were making, even as the ten who were around the fire and cook-pot stood to begin unstacking the piles being made. What the hell? A scarred faced White Goblin carrying a massive circular metal-wrapped and tipped log clued me in to what was happening. Smegma also ¡®helped.¡¯ ¡°They brought a ballista¡­¡± I re-ran all the options in my head again. Swimming away, no. Fighting, no. Still leaning around the edge, my head spun, and my eyes tracked the ridge leading deeper into the Lake Cavern toward the further ledge. We shouldn¡¯t take the risk, but may have to. Smegma was continuing to ¡®think¡¯ which made me stop my disaster-planning and once again ask, [What?] ¡°While a ballista is strong, and probably can break through this stone¡ªI¡¯m not sure how well they will be able to aim that thing, and if they have enough bolts to truly break out the entire ledge.¡± I translated. ¡®We should wait and see?¡¯ The ballista was assembled in relatively short order. I was partially surprised that the creatures who had thrown away their spears in haste could assemble something so complicated. Not to mention, where they had gotten the thing¡ª ¡°The System has likely given them some understanding. This could be the result of a Skill, even. That or there is a highly intelligent¡ªhusk!¡± Ten White Goblins entered through the archway holding two more ballista bolts on their shoulders. However, these bolts held a throne atop them, and in the throne sat a tiny White Goblin, with two AR15¡¯s in his hands, and more human weapons sitting beside him in the copious space his small frame didn¡¯t occupy on the throne. The scarred Goblin returned and lifted the leader from the throne, placing him down on the ground, even as the ten others lowered the carriage. Did those morons carry the leader here like that the whole husking way? Were they complete idiots? ¡°It might be why it took them so long,¡± Smegma answered. ¡°And at least it makes me slightly less worried¡ª¡° Smegma was cut off as the four-foot-tall leader of the White Goblins began firing both AR15¡¯s in the general direction of the ledges corner. Thankfully his aim was beyond poor, which gave me time to duck back into hiding. The rapport of the weapons woke up everyone instantly, but while they all were sitting up and looked extra green in the face due to obvious paling¡ªthey were all four looking away from me. The green light moved strangely on their face, almost seeming to create wave patterns that shouldn¡¯t¡ª I scanned to the water, and found ripples that grew into large waves in the otherwise still water. I followed those waves back to the epicenter and found two serpentine yellow eyes with pupils shrinking as they focused on something to my right. Since I was facing the creature, and on the very edge of the step, the massive snake could only be staring at the White Goblins. I could barely breathe as the creature slowly uncoiled to the sound of repeated gunfire. A strange hollow thump rang out, followed by a ting of metal on stone, before there was a quick splash down into the lake¡ªand a hammer-blow to my eardrums. I reeled away from the sound, which luckily was to my left, and further onto the ledge, even as water, stone chips and a concussion wave slammed into my right side. Had that been a husking grenade launcher? Smegma¡¯s mouth moved animatedly in my vision but I couldn¡¯t hear anything but ringing. Seeing my wide-eyed look of confusion he pointed to the ledge off the shelf that led deeper into the Lake Cavern. Accompanying the gesture, Smegma screamed, [It¡¯s time to go!] mentally into my mind. I didn¡¯t disagree with Smegma, but I was transfixed by a sight so cold¡ªso chilling, it froze me in place, Mental Fortitude or not. Behind the Demon, the snake finished uncoiling, and dipped its head into the water. Seeing the creature move and watching the moss fall off its scales to reveal gleaming, thickly-impenetrable, perfect armor shook me to my core. As more of the creature entered the water, more moss fell off and sank into the depths, taking the majority of light we had with it. Another grenade exploded as the shelf grew darker. Then another. I stared at what little moss was left on the ever-diminishing body of the snake, slipping into the dark waters. Some moss had fallen onto the island of bones, making me hope that the cavern wouldn¡¯t become completely dark. But as the Snake moved the island shifted, and started to break up. The few pieces that I counted on for sustained light fell into the water, along with fishbones. I¡¯m not sure how long I, and the group watched the snake slither off his perch. It couldn¡¯t have been too long, based on the grenades continuing to explode behind us¡ªbut just as the tip of the tail descended beneath the now turbulent waters, and the final pieces of moss sank away in dimming green patches¡ªthe Goblins began to scream. 069 Monday, April 29th, 2069 or Thereabouts It took my eyes quite a while to recognize that there were still low levels of light in the large Lake Cavern. The shore was illuminated by the Metallic Yellow fixtures after all, and a few tiny pieces of moss clung to what little remained of the island of bones. Still, by the time my eyes adjusted, and I found the courage to peek around the corner¡ªthe screaming had stopped. More terrifying, the shore was devoid of all White Goblins¡ªbodies, weapons, campfire; everything! Eerily, there was no sign of the massive snake¡¯s body either. Unless you counted the shape of the cavern now. I wasn¡¯t entirely positive, but the shoreline looked distinctly larger¡ªtaller, deeper and wider. Almost like a Snake¡¯s mouth had bitten out a piece of the stone the way I might take a bite out of a cake! I heard it, then. Or I guess what I ¡®heard¡¯ was an utter lack of sounds. Till that moment, I could hear the increased tempo of everyone¡¯s breathing, shuffling feet¡ªthe scratch of mining gear rubbing itself over outdoor clothing. The creak of work boots. Or just under the breath fearful prayers to any god that would listen. All of that was gone. All that remained was the steady lapping of waves in what should have been a still Cave Lake. My mind picked up on the disparity in that wave pattern. There were waves hitting the walls under our little ledge, but there were also waves crashing against another surface very nearly atop of those walls. My head turned slowly, hoping I wouldn¡¯t find what I expected. The Metallic Yellow light from the shore bounced back to me, even as my body convulsed. Close enough to me that I could touch it. I found an amber tinted glass-lens of an eye, with a vertical, slivered pupil. My brain froze, making it hard to look away, for two reasons. First, the pupil of the eye was larger than I was tall, and wider. The eye itself was at least five to ten times bigger than me stacked atop myself. Second, and the far more pressing reason¡ªif an eye for a snake was that close to me¡ªso was the massive World Destroying creature. ¡°Etu dea vas?¡± The non-existent wind in the chamber seemed to hiss at me. ¡°Elan evan cos, tua don,¡± Smegma responded, making me realize that someone had actually said something, but it was just in a language I didn¡¯t know. The Snake¡¯s pupil, eye, and body pulled back and away for a moment, making me realize I had been staring into the ¡®smallest¡¯ eye in the center of the things forehead. I could still see two other eyes on each side of its head like a normal snake as well. That entire head, easily as large as four of the ATV¡¯s tilted, seeming to regard the hovering Smegma. Then all of its eyes closed and its entire body vibrated, causing the wavy water to ripple, then undulate, creating highs and lows that crashed against each other so quickly and furiously I involuntarily stepped backwards, before discovering I was already pressed into the wall. Was it preparing some sort of attack? ¡°Bow you morons! Even among the highest echelons of S-rankers, this thing would be considered a Monarch,¡± Smegma whispered, angrily. I managed to peel my eyes off the creature, and looked around the shelf. All of the group was likewise pressed up against the wall, in some cases still attempting to back up further into it. Smegma¡¯s words hadn¡¯t registered with everyone¡ªso he quickly sped toward each person in turn. Ending with me. ¡°Bow your husking head or become an appetizer for this thing!¡± The nearness and the urgency of his words made me fall to my knees in a full on yoga Child¡¯s Pose. As I descended I took in the others, and found each one in various different bows. My father was bent fully at the waste to almost ninety degrees, with his hands held above his head. Jarred was holding a necklace and only bowing his head, while his legs and body shook with uncontrolled fear. Willa had gone so far as to lay face down on the floor, not even in a semblance of a bow¡ªmaybe she had passed out and face-planted? Dave, had chosen a similar position to myself, but was leaned far more forward. I didn¡¯t dare look up to see what Smegma was doing after he¡¯d given us all ¡®instructions.¡± I just stayed bent and staring at a small watermark on the rock ledge. ¡°Isss thisss the language they ssspeak,¡± that same whispered windy hiss said. My body twitched, at the familiar voice suddenly speaking words I could understand. I wasn¡¯t sure if that made this situation better or worse? ¡°Yes, Great One,¡± Smegma¡¯s voice answered, a strange deferential reverence in the tone that I¡¯d never heard from him before. ¡°Good. Are thessse the creaturesss going through the Trialsss of Assscendance?¡± ¡°Yes, Great One.¡± ¡°Then perhapsss one of them can be of ussse to me. Which one of them isss your master, little fly?¡± ¡°This one, Great Being,¡± Smegma said, and I felt my heart attempt to stop beating as it clenched hard enough to cause my chest to bloom in physical pain. Thankfully, after a very short pause, Smegma continued in a deferent whisper, ¡°However, this entire group is related. If you kill any of them¡ªnone will help you willingly.¡± ¡°Do not presssume, little fly. If thisss bunch will not help me, then they all die, and I make the sssame offer to the sssurface dwellersss. The sssurface dwellersss that abandoned thessse sssimiansss here.¡± ¡°Forgive me,¡± Smegma bowed. ¡°I only meant to inform the Great One of the most ideal lever for coercing these primitives. I have spent some time with them and have learned that they possess a baffling level of concern for the wellbeing of relations. I understand that the Great One was the deity of those who once called this place home, and that the Great Being is well aware of ideal applications of power¡ªthat often destruction or the threat of such are not always the best methods of motivation over his subjects.¡± ¡°Indeed?¡± The snake seemed pleased. ¡°Well sssaid. Yesss it has been sssome time, but I do remember quite well my role and overssseeing my domain.¡± I was somewhat put out by Smegma¡¯s words, but understood that he was trying to keep us alive. Did he have to sound like he believed what he was saying so much, though? Also, how did the Snake know that the Mirage Guild had abandoned them in the cave? I didn¡¯t know, and probably shouldn¡¯t care. Either way, I still felt a gong of confirmation ring through my chest at the pronouncement. Like I could somehow tell it knew what it said was the truth. The situation or perhaps my Mental Fortitude allowed me to assess the situation. First, we were going to be abandoned down here by the Mirage Guild forever¡ªwhich, in the current situation, didn''t mean much¡ªbut put the entire last two days into a new perspective. We were already dead down here since that cave-in. It had just been a question of how we were going to die. Somehow, that freed my terrified mind from the grips of whatever power held it in place. I lifted my head just enough to see the Snake regarding the respectfully bowed Smegma. Coughing to unclench my throat, I got the thing¡¯s attention, and instantly felt my already dry mouth get filled with sand. I swallowed, once, twice and a third time before I managed to croak, ¡°The Demon is right. We would be nothing more than grains of sand in your stomach, Great One. Please allow my group to cook you Mirror Fish, while me and my summon perform whatever task you desire.¡± ¡°Cooked Mirror Fisssh?¡± The Snake said. It then closed its eyes and stuck out a forked tongue that was easily the width of all five of us humans laid side-to-side. Even the length of the slithering tongue seemed absurd as it crossed a good distance back to the shore. ¡°Isss that what I sssmell? I have not tasssted cooked Mirror Fisssh in many eonsss. Not sssincsse the Naga fled.¡± Smegma twitched, and I felt something from our connection. Thanks to my clarity of mind, I finally felt it. Just out of my conscious awareness there was a ball of feelings coming from the Demonic Vault Skill Planet in my Mental Universe. Smegma was¡­ hopeful? Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Then Great One¡ªallow this one to Fish from shore¡ª¡° Smegma motioned at Dave, the only other one in the group who had attempted to learn to touch his Mana Pool. ¡°Allow one of the others to cook atop the forge¡ªand as my Summoner suggests, we will complete whatever task you desire. But, as I spoke before, I believe that you will find that the best service will be gained by keeping everyone alive. From my study of these people, I believe that the threat of harm to any of the others will serve as excellent motivation for any of them to work faithfully and hard toward any desires you have.¡± The Snake¡¯s eyes remained closed for seconds, that stretched to minutes¡ªand longer. No one spoke, even though I felt the need to ask multiple questions¡ªI held them tight. Surely, the Snake hadn¡¯t fallen back asleep? ¡°Very well. You.¡± The creature looked directly at me. ¡°Will catch and cook for me one hundred Fisssh,¡± the Snake hissed contentedly. My face paled. I had maybe four in my Necklace of Holding¡ªand Dave could maybe catch one before waiting for his Mana to recharge. ¡°My apologies, Great One,¡± Smegma said. ¡°None of these simple simians have the Mana Pool to catch that many Fish. If you wish to give us a few days¡ª¡° ¡°No. You will have twenty-four hoursss.¡± The Snake hissed over the Demon¡¯s words. ¡°But, I will let you ussse the Naga¡¯s baublesss¡­¡± In a motion too quick to follow, the Snake vanished. I jerked back onto my heels as the massive head of the Snake was suddenly missing. I heard the water of the lake sloshing violently, and then simultaneously heard the sound of clattering glass, stones and metal from around the corner, and back on shore. Then all in a blink the Snake¡¯s head was back. What in the hell had just happened? ¡°You two will alssso need what isss assshore. You may move there.¡± When no one instantly stood up, the snake barked in a sharp hiss, ¡°Now!¡± I jumped to my feet and began scrambling around the corner. I discovered that the ledge back to shore was not the same as it was when I climbed out here. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t narrower, and instead was deeper but sloped in the exact shape of a Snake¡¯s bite. This forced me to do somewhat of a bear crawl, or forward-leaning-push-up shuffle along the edge back toward the now-deeper shore. Only when I arrived did I scan the shore and discover that there was a pile of shining sphere¡¯s, orbs, and metallic items. Slowly, I moved toward the pile¡ªhoping it was what the Snake had called ¡®baubles¡¯ that we could use. I definitely didn¡¯t want to try and take something that wasn¡¯t granted us by the massive creature. ¡°Yesss, thossse,¡± the Snake hissed disdainfully, seeming to respond to my slow shuffling steps. ¡°The coresss encasssed in metal are Mana Batteriesss. The other Coresss you will need to take with you to the Goblin Village.¡± I looked at the Monster Cores, the ones on display quite different from the ones I¡¯d seen in the Malls. The colors specifically. There were just too many Greens, Yellows, and Blues¡­ ¡°Sorry Great One. Why would we need to take these Monster Cores to the White Goblin Village?¡± Smegma asked, even as I made the connections to what ¡®Cores¡¯ the creature was talking about. He was giving us Monster Cores? From the pile in front of me, it wasn¡¯t just a few. There were hundreds¡ªif not a thousand unadorned Monster Cores in the pile. ¡°You must close the Portal, stupid fly.¡± The Snake said. ¡°You. Fisher Boy. Take that blue bauble with the purple metal. It was one of the Naga¡¯s favorites.¡± Dave had moved as far as to stand shoulder to shoulder with me, so I felt him jump beside me at the Snake¡¯s words. I scanned the pile with my friend trying to find the item that Dave was intended to use. Thankfully, while there was quite a bit of purple, it wasn''t an overly abundant color in the pile, so we found it after a few seconds that felt like minutes. I breathed a sigh even as I pointed it out to the already moving Dave. He¡¯d jumped forward, his reaching hand already tracking the same orb I¡¯d found. Once he picked it up, he spun and looked at me with wide confused eyes. I started to sputter at his unspoken question. I didn¡¯t know how to use the thing either¡ªthankfully Smegma either read my thoughts or Dave¡¯s paling, terrified face. ¡°Use the same trick you used with the Rod. Simply grow a connection from the Orb, to your Pool and then from your Pool to the rod.¡± I pulled a rod out of my Necklace of Holding and hurriedly handed it to my friend. Willa shuffled her feet behind me, and at my glance, held up a shaky hand, clearly wanting me to give her something. I pulled out the other Rod, and passed it over. As her shaking hand and fingers closed around the Rod, I whispered, ¡°Get Dave to help you feel it out.¡± My father and Jarred moved forward as well, and I realized that one would need to cook for the Snake while the other likely cleaned and gutted the Fish that Dave hopefully caught. ¡°Okay. Uncle Jarred, you filet the fish.¡± I handed him the better repaired filleting knife. ¡°Dad, you come with me and we¡¯ll get the Frying Pan heating up.¡± ¡°Oh Great One,¡± Smegma said deferentially. ¡°Do you have any Mana Crystals we can use to cook?¡± The Snake scoffed and vanished again. Then out of the water a great deal of F-Rank Mana Crystal shot out. Probably a couple thousand. The group ducked and covered as the Crystals flew over their heads, bounced off the walls and then clattered to the shore all around them. I got stuck by at least four dozen, but thankfully they weren¡¯t traveling fast. I heard a few of the Crystals crack, but thankfully as I raised my head, I discovered that the vast majority hadn¡¯t. I moved around the shore collecting as many of the Crystals as my Necklace of Holding could contain. Once it was full, my father and I moved to the furnace room. As soon as we exited the pens, my father grabbed my arm hard. ¡°Don¡¯t do this, son. Surely we can es¡ª¡° ¡°No, you heard Smegma and saw that thing. Not to mention that it knows what¡¯s happening on the surface. It can likely hear this conversation even now. We do what it asks, and we do it to the best of our ability. Or we all die.¡± ¡°Why does it need us though?¡± My dad whispered even as his grip slackened on my shoulder. I turned, dislodging his hand and moved to the furnace indent in the Smithy Room. I first dumped some Crystals into the depression, and then placed the Frying Pan atop them. The rest of the crystals became a pile beside the raised apparatus. The cooked and uncooked FIsh steaks, as well as the Yellow Crystals I dropped on a nearby floor¡ªclearing out everything in my inventory other than the Mining Picks. Then I stepped down hard on the foot pedal, and instantly rushed to my dad with the second Filleting Knife in hand. ¡°In case you need to help Jarred clean more Fish. Three minutes a side, when cooking. I¡¯ll finish whatever task I must to get us all out of here. I¡¯m going back¡ªdon¡¯t do anything stupid!¡± His arms closed around me, and pulled me into a hug. I was forced to cradle the filleting knife between us, so I didn¡¯t stab myself or him. The hug grew tighter, and tighter but eventually I pushed back, dislodging my father. ¡°I need to go back. Or risk everything.¡± Seeing unshed tears in my father¡¯s eyes, I spun and rushed out of the Smithy and back toward the Lake shore. Smegma was looking at me, as I ran through the archway and back onto shore. ¡°Good thing you talked him out of that,¡± the Snake hissed. ¡°I wasss about to eat one or two of these onesss, if you two attempted to leave.¡± I swallowed¡ªso, the Snake could hear or somehow sense what was going on even outside of its immediate vicinity. While that didn¡¯t confirm it knew what was happening on the Portal¡¯s surface, it sure seemed to point that way. ¡°We are just scared, Great One,¡± I answered softly with a bow. ¡°But we will all do our best to do as you ask.¡± I looked meaningfully at Willa, Jarred and Dave¡¯s back. I guess my pointed reminder wasn¡¯t needed as my friend was already fighting against a hooked Mirror Fish on the line. ¡°Umm¡ª¡° I stuttered for a moment after making that realization. Then caught myself and spat out, ¡°What exactly should we do at the Goblin Village, Great One?¡± ¡°Clossse the Portal, idiot.¡± ¡°Great One?¡± Smegma questioned. ¡°These here are simply Crafters and Laborers. They cannot defeat a Boss.¡± ¡°The Bosssss of thisss Cave System is already in my ssstomach. Justicssse hasss been sssserved upon that pathetic ¡®king¡¯, who woke me from my sssslumber. You will need to dissspatch some Worker Goblinsss, but no bossss. No, thisss Portal is closssed by Ssskill Ritual.¡± ¡°Skill what?¡± I said before I could think better of it. Then started as my brain whirred to life and added, ¡°Great One,¡± deferentially. ¡°Ssskill Ritual¡ªEndowment. Whatever you wisssh to call it. Place nine of the Coresss upon the bossssesss Altar.¡± ¡°May I ask why you need our help to do that, Great One?¡± Smegma asked. Sounding as confused as I felt. ¡°You¡¯ve clearly got enough undigested Cores here¡­¡± ¡°Undigesssted?¡± The Snake hissed a rhetorical question to itself, and then slithered its tongue out. ¡°We do not consssume thisss energy. No matter the age. Thisss energy is under the purview of the Sssyssstem. It isss not meant for usss.¡± I blinked even as the tongue slithered into and out of the mouth a few more times. ¡°We Assscend if we complete a Sssyssstem given tasssk or if the Planet we were born upon Assscendsss. Only the Sssyssstemsss¡¯ Chosssen can ussse itsss direct energy.¡± ¡°So, these Cores are like Skill Cards?¡± Smegma asked. Seeming to interpret something in the Snakes words that I couldn¡¯t have even hoped to comprehend. ¡°Ahh yesss the Cardsss. That bringsss back memoriesss from an era long passst. For the Naga, it was Papyrusss. These Coresss are the sssame energy yesss.¡± ¡°So, we just have to place them on an Altar and the Dungeon will close, Great One?¡± Smegma asked. ¡°Yesss, and the actor of the accomplishment will be granted a Ssskill.¡± 070 Monday, April 29th, 2069 I¡¯ll admit, I didn¡¯t know what to say in response to that bombshell. Was the massive Snake saying that there was an altar inside the White Goblin village that just granted Skills in exchange for Monster Cores? Surely, I¡¯d heard wrong¡­ ¡°An altar that exchanged Monster Cores for skills, Great One?¡± Smegma asked. ¡°So, these Cores have taken the place of Card Shards?¡± ¡°No, and yesss,¡± the Snake answered. ¡°The Sssyssstem removed the Cardsss due to functionality issssuesss. Sssincsse I never usssed them I don¡¯t know the particularsss, but sssurely you¡¯d have sssome guesssesss.¡± ¡°Problems with the Card System, Great One?¡± Smegma answered and then began tapping a talon to fang. ¡°Well, people hoarded the Cards, in attempts to get Sets and sell them for more. Others complained about the lack of chances to find the Skill they needed to complete existing Sets. The variability on what got created even from ¡®high rank¡¯¡ª¡° ¡°I do not care,¡± the Snake cut in. ¡°I jussst want my Fisssh and you to clossse the Portal. If I Assscend now I would need to begin by breaking the Sssyssstem Time Bubble, which would impossse sssanctionsss and make my Assscensssion Trial more difficult. Take the Coresss and go. Or ssshould I partake of the¡­ appetizssersss.¡± Everyone shivered. Except Smegma, who only smiled and bowed. ¡°I can see that I was quite right that the Great One would be adept at motivating his subjects.¡± Husking teacher¡¯s pet. I saw Smegma give me the middle of his three fingers behind his back as I jumped forward toward the pile of Cores and began summoning them hurriedly into my Necklace of Holding. Smegma had floated just as quickly behind me. I could see the Demon twitching, and blinking as I stuffed more and more of the pile into my Necklace. I was in such a hurry that I didn¡¯t even realize why Smegma was reacting until I got into the center of the pile. The Cores were growing in clarity and size. Even more strangely, many of the cores were iridescent, containing no color but hints of every color as the light refracted through the perfectly clear circular cores. My hand began to shiver as it approached the largest Core in the pile, easily the size of my entire head and chest. Clenching my teeth, I summoned it into my Necklace, and kept going. Soon, there were only the Cores with metal attached remaining. What I assumed were Mana Batteries. I reached out and summoned the largest of those into my Necklace, hoping I could use it to fuel Skills or items like Dave was for Fishing. ¡°You will give back what you don¡¯t ussse,¡± the Snake said as it slowly began to curl in on itself. My quick glance at it made me shiver again. While the action and its half lidded reptilian eyes gave the impression of laziness, I recalled just how quickly it moved¡ªwhen it wanted to. I nodded, unsure how I could return the ¡®excess¡¯ if I closed the Portal, but willing to do whatever the thing wanted if it kept everyone alive. With a shaky bow, I stuttered, ¡°We¡¯ll head out, then, Great One.¡± ¡°The timer already ssstarted,¡± the Snake said offhandedly. I couldn¡¯t rush from the Lakeside faster, unless I broke into a jog or sprint. I didn¡¯t want to do that, in case it would look like I was running away, so I held myself to the speediest walk I could manage. Passing through the Animal Pens, I found my father walking the other way back to the Lake with a stack of Mirror Fish Steaks balanced on a large stone. I wasn¡¯t sure where he¡¯d found the brick or chipped piece of wall, but was happy he wasn¡¯t burning his hands to get the food to the Snake. My walk froze as I saw him. I could see him stop as well. We stared at each other for a stretching minute before his jaw visibly clenched. I swallowed hard against the lump in my chest. My hands, and jaw clenching as well. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this,¡± Smegma stated. ¡°Get moving. We don¡¯t know what¡¯s left in the Village!¡± My father¡¯s eyes and my own were locked on each other. As if we had planned it, we both nodded in near unison, which unfroze our legs. My father walked by me toward the Lake and I resumed my speed-walk to the stairs. As soon as I was through the Smithy, I turned the walk into a jog and then a sprint. My lungs screamed at me, even as I used my increased Strength to climb the stairs two and even three steps at a time¡ªthanks to my hands also pulling on the stone railings. ¡°Slow down, getting there tired isn¡¯t going to help¡ª¡° Smegma shouted after me, but I didn¡¯t listen. I just continued to sprint. I needed to be doing something and the screaming from my lungs at least made it feel like I was trying my best. My mind told me the same thing as Smegma, but I ignored it too. Sure, I knew they were both being sensible, but sometimes action is needed. Sometimes, talk, and planning can wait. My lungs and muscles continued to scream at me, and I continued to run.
Stamina Increased by 1. Stamina Stat Unlocked. ¡ª- Stats Strength: 10 Stamina: 2 Locked. Locked. Locked. Locked. Locked.
The red screen jumped into being in front of me. I blinked at the color, and white words on it¡ªtrying to understand why Smegma had sent me a shop item. Right up until, I realized that my lungs, and muscles had stopped screaming at me. Then between one blink and the next surprised one, I read the message. ¡°What the husk?¡± I exclaimed out of surprise. ¡°Simply sprinting and fighting my own body unlocked Stamina?¡± ¡°No, you moron!¡± Smegma said from beside me. ¡°Look at your Mental Universe.¡± I realized I¡¯d stopped all forward progress in my shock, and resumed a light jog even as I attempted to fall into that Soul Space Smegma wanted me to. I failed and was forced to wait, despite my desire not to. I guess running while navigating hallways I wasn¡¯t fully familiar with wasn¡¯t a mindless task like Sharding. Once I stopped and my heart rate grew slightly calmer, I was able to enter my Mental Universe. What I discovered was a Fishing Skill that was easily the same size as the Mining Skill had been at level ten. Just like the Mining Skill, moons were beginning to form around the planet, even as wisps of blue smoke entered a space where I presumed another Moon would eventually form. ¡°It¡¯s from Dave Fishing?¡± I asked, even as I opened my eyes and kept moving. ¡°And Willa,¡± Smegma added. ¡°No way, a single Enchant fed Overflow enough in that amount of time. If she truly never used her Pool before this, and picked it up that fast, that woman might be a prodigy¡­¡± ¡°Really? She would have had to cast her line right after we left?¡± I said, glancing over a shoulder as I jogged up another set of stairs, toward the courtyard. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Well, the Fishing Skill was probably already level ten before they started. Still, Stamina as a Stat and not a Resource Pool? You humans are weird.¡± Shrugging, I started sprinting again, making it to the courtyard, and then into the side caves before climbing toward the stalagmite. Smegma remained silent, clearing examining his own earlier thoughts. I did recall the Demon claiming that Stamina was a Resource Pool like Mana, but while it was interesting¡ªI wasn¡¯t interested in it¡ªat least, not at a time like this. What I was interested in was just how long I had been sprinting and climbing stairs at what I would call my top speed. I had never been considered athletic in High school¡ªeven gym class cross country never saw me finishing even a short race in the top half. Now, all I had to do was reduce my pace for a minute or two and I could resume my full on sprint again. Thanks to my new-found ability to maintain a fast jog, I was quickly able to exit the stalagmite and begin jogging through the large cavern lit by green moss. Eventually, Smegma¡¯s silence had stretched too long¡ªif only because I could use his guidance or reassurance that I was jogging in the right direction. ¡°Smegma, am I going the right way?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah. Try using your Heat Sense dumb-dumb.¡± I felt like slapping my forehead. Right, Heat Sense. I toggled it onto a body part and instantly felt the heat sources of the Goblin¡¯s Village a little to my left. Adjusting course, I slowed my jog to a walk and waited until Smegma glided even with me. Then watched as he floated right by me, Demon Bat wings flapping as he cradled one elbow and tapped talon to tooth. ¡°Smegma!¡± I hissed. ¡°Kind of need to start planning the infiltration now!¡± ¡°Oh sure, now let¡¯s start planning. Earlier you just wanted to husking run!¡± Smegma sneered at me, but after running his tongue over fanged teeth he shrugged. ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty simple. I scout it out. You sneak in¡ªkill anything that gets in the way.¡± ¡°I think you overestimate my ability to kill things!¡± I hissed, and then hearing my own words echo back to me from a nearby wall switched to thinking my words at the Demon. [What do you want me to do? Pickaxe the things to death?] ¡°I don¡¯t see why not?¡± Smegma said, tilting his head in a gesture that looked like genuine confusion. [What the husk? I¡¯ve never killed a monster before, moron!¡±] ¡°What about the Mana Leeches and the Golem?¡± Smegma asked. [You know that¡¯s drastically different!] By this point any forward progress toward the heat signatures had stopped as I mentally screamed at my Demon Summons. ¡°Why, because you could kill those insects with a swat of your hand and had a group of helpers on the Golem?¡± Smegma asked, and at my stupefied look of confirmation, Smegma continued, saying something I didn¡¯t expect. ¡°With your current Strength Stat you should be at the very top of F-rank. If you slap a non-warrior Goblin, I¡¯m guessing you¡¯ll break its neck.¡± For the briefest of moments I was taken aback, feeling a swelling of something in my chest. Was it pride? Confidence? The rising sensation turned to nausea as my brain clued me in to what bothered me in the Demon¡¯s statement. [Wait! Am I fighting women and children?] ¡°Holy husk! They¡¯re monsters, you batty, selfless, stupid idiot. They are created by the System, and will die when the Portal closes and they¡¯re exposed to the things the Bubble is keeping back.¡± Smegma paused, and studied my face, which I could tell was paling by the word. Then in a much softer tone he added, ¡°It isn¡¯t like I¡¯m telling you to slaughter all of them. Just ones that are between you and the husking Altar.¡± When I didn¡¯t immediately start moving again Smegma sighed. ¡°It¡¯s them or your family, Mana Battery!¡± I flinched back from the derogatory term for what I had dreamed of being. Then my face began to heat up, as blood returned, and my jaw clenched. Hadn¡¯t I told Evelyn I wanted to be something more? If I was going to be a Hunter, wasn¡¯t it my job to close Portals¡ªto kill Monsters? I nodded to myself, and was about to take a step forward breaking my momentary paralysis. But the Demon¡¯s words made a connection I had clearly realized but not fully bridged. I had a Mana Battery that was filled with an abundance of Mana. I also had a Skill that absorbed Mana and gave me Mana Coins. I could probably suck this thing dry and buy a Weapon finally, or if the thing held enough Mana, maybe even a Combat Skill. I pulled the Mana Battery out of my Necklace of Holding and saw Smegma float closer to it, clearly having listened in on my realization. We both stared at it, prompting me to ask, ¡°How do you know how much Mana these things have?¡± ¡°Connecting it to your Mana Pool should give you an idea,¡± Smegma answered in a whisper. That lent itself to the question of how I ¡®connected¡¯ something like a Mana Battery to my core, but Smegma gave me a look that told me just how stupid I was being. Just in case, I asked, ¡°Opposite of a Fishing Rod, I¡¯m guessing.¡± ¡°Wow, it has a brain,¡± Smegma said with a slow clap. It wasn¡¯t difficult to connect the Mana Battery. As soon as my Pool and it made contact, I could tell and see in my Mental Universe just how abundant and huge the Constellation of Mana Stars were, on the other side. Hundreds of thousands at a minimum¡ªmaybe even millions of yellow stars spun around each other in a distant orbit so tight that it almost looked like a Sun more massive than Demonic Vault. Smiling, I sent my fifty Mana to the Sun through my Soul Nervous System, and then mentally commanded the Mana in the Battery to feed Demonic Vault as well. It vibrated and started moving down my straw-conduit to my Pool, before my Soul Nervous System immediately funneled it onward to the Vault. The slow siphon started to increase in speed as the two connections were made, and like a Water Tower feeding a culvert, the Mana rushed into my Pool and then onward¡ªright up until the Sun that was Demonic Vault pulsed¡ªhiccuped, and then increased ten folds in its luminosity. ¡°Ouch,¡± Smegma said. ¡°Husking ow! Stop, shit¡ªstop!¡± My eyes flew open even as I tried and failed to cut the connection I had made between the Mana Battery and my Pool. Smegma had cracks forming on his body. Cracks that looked like a planet''s magma core were trying to erupt through his skin. Husk¡ªhusk-husk! I internally swore as I tried and failed to cut the connection three more times. It was hard to return to my Mental Universe in my current panicked state but I had to thank whatever God had orchestrated Mental Fortitude falling into my hands. With its help I managed to force a connection to the Soul Space, and then cut the Soul Synapse connection off by blocking a Way Gate. I felt the Mana Battery in my clenched fist, morph before ¡®vanishing,¡¯ allowing my fist to clench closed into a fist¡ªsurrounding, sand? I opened my eyes and found the ¡®Mana Battery¡¯ or the coarse glass-like sand that was left of it, falling to the ground to make two piles. That¡­ couldn¡¯t be good¡­ Wasn¡¯t I supposed to return that¡ªI mean, the Snake did say to return anything I hadn¡¯t used. So this counted, right? Right? Smegma? When I did get a concerned or even flippant response, I checked on the Demon, and found the cracks slowly closing, as he stared down at himself. He looked like a vain bodybuilder, right after they finished a session at the gym. However, instead of checking his pump and vascularity in a mirror, he was trying to make sure the cracks that covered him were vanishing without leaving a trace. To me it looked like they were. He heard my thoughts and looked at me. His voice was a bit high-pitched again, like he was still that same Imp I first ¡®summoned.¡¯ He ordered, ¡°Never do that again!¡± His squeaky voice ruined the tone he was trying to go for. ¡°What just happened?¡± I asked, not feeling the need to answer or tell him I wouldn¡¯t. That shit had scared me just as much as it had him. ¡°Remember the Yellow Mana Crystals, and the incompatible Mana,¡± Smegma answered. I nodded and he made a gesture that connected the sand on the floor, to himself. ¡°Incompatible¡­¡± ¡°Shit,¡± I answered eloquently. ¡°Yeah. Shit is right. Let¡¯s hope the Snake didn¡¯t see¡ª¡± the cavern rumbled¡ªwhich I presumed could only be from one source. Smegma swallowed visibly and then said. ¡°Let¡¯s get going to the Village, and close this Portal.¡± I still wasn¡¯t totally on board with killing noncombatants, but Smegma had never said that the Monsters in camp were actually women and children. He¡¯d called them workers and warriors. ¡°Exactly,¡± Smegma encouraged my thought process. ¡°The ones in camp cook, gather, and clean. I didn¡¯t want to tell you this but that stew pot on the lake shore. It had human meat in it. That¡¯s what the workers cook!¡± My stomach gurgled a nauseating warning, I now knew what happened to the Hunters. Like my mind wanted to torture me, with perfect clarity I both pictured the White Goblins around their cook pot and recalled the smell. Surely, it hadn¡¯t been appetizing at all, right? Mental Fortitude seemed to realize that clarity in the current situation was causing distress and shut that shit down. It was fast enough that I managed not to eject the contents of my stomach¡ªinstead, I used the new information and theft of the dead Mirage Hunter¡¯s weapons as fuel to flatten my momentary empathy. All these Monsters deserved to die. 071 Monday, April 29th, 2069 There were at least a few hundred White Goblins still moving about in the village. I personally could only ¡®see¡¯ about fifteen with my Heat Vision, but could feel at least ten times that number of heat sources when I flipped Heat Sense onto a body part. The second, far more distracting ¡®sense¡¯ this close to the village, was the smell. Down in the Lake cave, the smell of the cook pot had been like something I¡¯d at least associate with cooking. Even though I was still desperately trying to convince myself that the odors of said pot had been nauseating¡ªwell. admittedly, the smells coming off the village were going a long way to help that internal lying dialogue.. The village was foul. It smelled like the body odor of a man who had showered in rancid spiced meats and fecal matter. It was the only way to explain how the malodorous fumes permeated my nostrils and burned the nose hairs, even when I was consciously breathing through my mouth. I fought my urge to gag as the imaginary ¡®taste¡¯ of that air assaulted my tongue. [If they see with Heat Vision won¡¯t they be able to see me up here, too?] I mentally asked Smegma as he returned from a quick scouting mission. He¡¯d decided that the safest route would follow the small stream down from the Lake. And so far, we hadn¡¯t run into any Goblins, so he might be right¡­ They sure didn¡¯t seem to wash themselves regularly. I gagged again as I accidentally inhaled a tiny portion of air through my nose. Dammit! ¡°Would you be able to tell the difference between you and a White Goblin using Heat Vision?¡± Smegma asked, his word choice sounding condescending, but his tone seeming serious. [I mean, from here, no. But from closer I would be able to, for sure.] ¡°We¡¯ll deal with that when we get to it,¡± Smegma suggested. ¡°Let¡¯s not attribute too much intelligence to the Monsters, until they show it to us, okay?¡± I thought back to the smaller-likely-smarter-than-average Goblin ¡®King¡¯, firing the weapons indiscriminately at a cave wall¡ªand what it had brought him and the warriors. The short confirming nod came pretty easy after that. If that was their brightest bulb, then perhaps sneaking in would be simple. With Smegma leading the way, we advanced another hundred meters before I crouched behind a rock that probably only hid about a quarter of my body. Still, with both me and the enemy using Heat Vision, that wasn¡¯t important¡ªor, so Smegma had explained, rather disdainfully. The pattern continued, and the smell continued to intensify. I¡¯d pulled up my face-guard at some point, but even it was being completely overwhelmed. As we moved forward again, I discovered why the smell was increasing. We skirted around a rather large, semi-warm rock¡ªwait¡ªonly a few places were warm, like it was a mound of elongated pebbles. Or shit! My steps stopped as I took in the massive pile of Goblin crap. It was easily three times my height, and wider at its base than even the Snake¡¯s head. Then I realized where this huge pile of feces was, and wanted to vomit immediately. The poop pile was creating a literal dam in the small stream. I flipped off heat vision, and saw that it wasn¡¯t a dam, since a small pathway in the base of the fecal monolith had been eroded¡ªso the water could continue, through the dung and onto the village. [Are they husking stupid?] I asked, staring at the city-destroying biohazard. This simple act, if perpetrated on Earth, would likely wipe out an entire population of a village or city a hundred times larger than¡ª ¡°You humans and your hang-ups. Water cannot be contaminated. The System will remove all contaminants if the water is pulled from a proper source. Of course, if the water is in a tank, or container, it can be poisoned. But from a Lake, Stream, River or even Marsh¡ªit can¡¯t hurt you!¡± [But the taste then!] I argued, feeling my earlier meal of Mirror Fish climb its way up my throat before I managed to swallow the lump down again. It left a sickly acidic taste behind, which I tried to focus on, over the smell. ¡°Maybe they like it?¡± Smegma suggested, but crinkled his own nose in disgust at the thought. I knew the Demon couldn¡¯t smell the putrid, violating smell, so his show of distaste came simply from imagining that taste. Mirror Fish attempted to resurface a second time. [Let¡¯s go,] I managed mentally, even as I swallowed the larger lump of my last meal. It felt like it clawed its way physically back down my throat. Smegma led the way, and we made it far enough past the poop pile, for me to at least stop worrying about vomiting¡ªI hoped. All the movement did mean more reddish-orange outlines of Goblins became visible in my Heat Vision. I could see fifty now, moving about in what I assumed were rock huts. Why did I make that assumption? Toggling off Heat Vision showed me one such ¡®hut.¡¯ It was something between an inukshuk, and an igloo, with stacked stones that looked like they had been chipped out of walls in whatever shape the Goblins could manage. Those stones were stacked in precarious circles, climbing to about six feet before they tapered inward, forming a very rough dome. How they stayed standing was why I thought of inukshuks. The stone ¡®artwork¡¯ somehow stuck together and seemed to deny gravity. Supposedly the sculptures used water as a ¡®mortar¡¯ to give the stones a bit more stick. These rock stacks also had no mortar, which led me to believe that they were created¡ª ¡°By the System, moron,¡± Smegma interrupted my study of the architecture. ¡°Can we keep moving now that you¡¯re done comparing System-created scenery to artwork?¡± [I wasn¡¯t comparing it¡ª] ¡°Just be glad the System didn¡¯t have them use the shit pile back there as mud!¡± Smegma interjected again, and I swallowed the bile that tried to rise at the thought. I also flipped him the husking bird! That was a dick move when you couldn¡¯t smell the lingering odiferous toilet stink. I followed Smegma, skirting between the houses, which had Goblins inside. We made it past about ten of the structures and I was just congratulating myself on my ability to sneak silently, when I kicked a rock, bouncing it off of a ¡®hut¡¯ and into the brownish white water of the stream. I summoned my Mining Pick into my hands, and clenched the handle tight. No change happened. No grunting shouts, or guttural cries of alarm sounded. I looked around me, and saw four White Goblin heat outlines in stone huts, all within ten meters. What in the hell? Smegma of course was nearby and saw the entire ¡®mishap¡¯ and my reaction to it. ¡°Did you think you were being extra sneaky? You sound like a baby giant taking his first steps, idiot! Just listen to your own breathing for a second.¡± I did so and instantly felt my face flush with embarrassment. Surely I hadn¡¯t sounded like a smithies bellows the entire time? ¡°You did, the creatures in the huts are just decoration. Free Monster Cores if Hunters want them, but if you go in there they will fight, so don¡¯t delude yourself about your own combat abilities. Getting injured would be a bad thing.¡± Smegma¡¯s black eyes regarded me seriously, telling me that this wasn¡¯t meant as an insult. Was it¡­ coaching? ¡°Up ahead there are four warriors guarding the largest hut. Inside, there is a three legged chair and a stone dais. I assume that¡¯s where the altar is. Sneaking won¡¯t get us inside. It¡¯s time to fight¡ªdo you understand?¡± My hands re-clenched around the haft of the Mining Pick, having slackened after my realization that I wasn¡¯t about to be assaulted by a village-worth of Goblins. I took a deep breath, gave a small nod but simultaneously said, [I can¡¯t win against four.] ¡°I know that, and despite what I just said, that doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t surprise them. They are guards, and they are stationed in front of the two entrances to the stone hut. The hut itself is large enough that they can¡¯t see each other. If you look right about here, you should see the first pair.¡± Smegma hovered slightly to his right and then pointed to empty air beside him. Sure enough I could see two humanoid outlines of heat standing about four feet apart. Behind them I could just vaguely see two smaller shapes, standing in a similar pattern behind the first two. The fact that they were on the very edge of my Heat Vision spoke to just how large the leader¡¯s hut was. Knowing my targets gave me a single wave of terror that wriggled and morphed as my Mental Fortitude began planning in its wake. Surely, I could charge at the White Goblin pair and dispatch one of the two¡ªthen it would just be a one on one, which I might win¡­ The Goblins had spears, and I had a Mining Pick¡ªwait¡ªwhy I had pulled the pick out and not the Spear stolen from the Goblin at the Lake? I could only blame it on fear. I swapped the ¡®weapons¡¯ and got a nod of confirmation from Smegma. Now, if I charged¡ª Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Smegma interrupted my planning with a strategy of his own that nearly matched mine. ¡°Rush the nearest of the two and attempt to pierce it with your spear. Then release the weapon and pull out your Pick. Do not, try to retrieve the spear for the next fight. It is built horribly, and the head is too rough to pull back out of a foe. Stab and release¡ªunderstand? Grab one of their spears if you need to.¡± I nodded, even as my wide-eyes took in the misshapen head of the spear. How come I hadn¡¯t noticed that? My calm and logical brain pointed out my inexperience in combat, as if I wasn¡¯t already acutely aware of it. Then again I guess I had kind of asked the question. Smegma thankfully continued, interrupting my internal thought spiral. ¡°After the first one is injured¡ªdon¡¯t count on killing it. If you do, great. If not, it still should be out of the fight. On the second one, remember your advantage. You have a high rank Recovery Skill, the Strength of a High F-grade combatant, and the Stamina of a lower-Mid-F. Use them. Swing as hard as you can, and just avoid taking a fatal blow. Let your Recovery and Stamina tank the injuries¡ªokay?¡± I gave him another nod, but found Smegma¡¯s look of earnest coaching shifted to confusion and then incredulity. Finally the Demon added, ¡°No time like the husking present, Brodie.¡± Oh. Oh! I managed to think to myself even as I nodded a third time. I had a plan, now it was just time to act. I took a deep breath, and loaded my knees, flexing my quads and calves. I needed four more deep breaths before I pushed off the ground as hard as I could and charged at the two heat-outlines. When I was sure that I could see them, without Heat Vision, I deactivated the Skill, and adjusted my aim slightly, realizing I had been about to attack the one that was slightly farther from me, which would have left me more exposed to the one on the right. My brain whirred in front of my actions, telling me that attacking the one on the right from my right, gave me the cover of the target''s body, which might buy me a fraction of a second for the Mining Pick switch. Between one slapping, sprinting footfall and the next, both Goblins turned, white eyes training on me. In unison they lifted their spear shafts off the ground and began to level them in my direction. They were too late. I only had two steps remaining, if I continued my current run. I didn¡¯t. I lunged forward, pushing off of my back leg, and driving the stone spear head at the center mass of the right-most Goblin. Unfortunately, my hasty plan to attack from the right wasn''t possible thanks to my commitment to the attack, and the way the right Goblin stepped back while the left Goblin stepped forward. But other than those initial reactive-steps, neither of them really managed much more. They did get their spear tips to drop to about seventy degrees but then my own weapon slammed home. I thought I was ready for the blow, having attacked a Stone Golem before. However, what had amounted to a baseball bat swing with a pick against a stone was nothing like a spear thrust to flesh. Even if the spearhead I was using was rather dull. There was a split second of resistance, where my hands and arms were forced to flex, before I felt the spear continue past the things skin and into a new fleshy medium, with just slightly more resistance than the air. I instantly released the haft and summoned my Mining Pick, shifting my weight right, and away from the left Goblin Guard. My peripherals registered something odd flying out of the Goblin and rushed into the hut, but I ignored the strange little light, because whatever it was¡ªmoved away and through the hut door with speed. I¡¯d have time for that after dispatching guard number two. ¡°Don¡¯t retreat, just swing!¡± Smegma shouted. Causing my lean to the right to falter for a moment. The spear was coming down, though. Every fiber of my being wanted to jump back, but I managed to arrest my momentum with a side-step. Thanks to my momentum and attempt to jump, I also loaded that leg. With all the strength I had I pushed back against my own weight, and simultaneously swung my pick, bladed side first, at the Goblin. The spear was aimed and the Goblin was lunging. The point, coming straight at my heart. Still, I was in side-profile to the blow? My heart wasn¡¯t easily accessible from that angle. I crunched my lower back and abdomen away from the spearhead, which pulled in my chest a few inches as well. The stone point of the spear hit the meat of my left deltoid, and then pectoral, leaving behind it a searing, tearing agony, right until the dullness of the stone edge was forced away from my body from skin resistance. It was then that my Mining Pick collided with the hip of the leading leg of the White Goblin. My aim was either never good to begin with or my adjustments meant to dodge its blow had thrown it off course. I prepared myself to pull back and exchange another round of strikes¡ªwhen the blade of the pick sank through the meat, crunched past the hip bone, traveled past more meat, before finally stopping at the other side of the hip. It also lifted the Goblin off the ground, leaving me semi-supporting the bulk of the creature on the end of my Pick. It didn¡¯t last long as my momentum died and my arm muscles bore the entire load. Still, I discovered if I truly wanted to, I could probably lower the creature softly to the stone floor. However, that was something I didn¡¯t want. In fact, I wanted my damn weapon back. There were three other¡ª ¡°Two others. Trade the Pick for the Spear it just dropped. The next two are rushing through the hut, now!¡± Smegma commanded. It felt like it took me too long to do as instructed, but my clenched hands did let go of my pick. Then I scanned the ground to find the spear a few feet to my left and in front of me¡ªwhere my chest and deltoid had deflected it. Two steps later I had the spear, and found myself staring at two white ghostly outlines growing in size as they charged me, spears leveled in front of them. It looked the way I imagined I had one my first surprise strike. But now I was facing two of them, and they were forewarned¡ª ¡°Stop!¡± Smegma shouted. ¡°Did you see what happened to the hips of the second guard? It¡¯s dying right now because you are several times stronger than it. Don¡¯t panic. Move to the right behind the wall¡ªforce them to round the corner.¡± I jerked in surprise at the Demon¡¯s volume, but managed to interpret the instructions, despite my body still attempting to freeze in abject fear. Growling I forced my legs to listen, and took five quick shuffles to my right to get behind the sloppily stacked stones of the hut. Only then did I manage a single inhalation¡ªthen I saw a spearhead pass through the opening and there was no more time to collect myself. I pulled back the haft of my spear, and loaded my right leg, which was staggered behind my left in a boxer¡¯s stance¡ªmeaning my chest was facing the stone, where my front would be most protected. At the first sign of white skin, I was thrusting the spear forward again like I was a seasoned veteran. The spearhead sank directly into the abdomen of the closest Goblin before it could even get a second step out the door. Of course, that left me without a weapon, unless I pulled this thrust¡ª ¡°No!¡± Smegma shouted. ¡°Better to fight barehanded, then try to retrieve the spear. Push harder, and try to overbalance the one behind. Then release and start stomping or punching.¡± I followed Smegma¡¯s instructions and shuffled my back leg to my front and heaved. My Strength sent the stabbed Goblin into the air, and its body did collide with the second Guard. I wasn¡¯t sure what Smegma had intended specifically with this tactic, but I knew now that I was hoping that the second Goblin would somehow be trapped under the first. The remaining Goblin was sent sprawling to my left, falling to its knees before catching itself, while the body of the first was sent spinning across the stone floor. I released the spear, as instructed, and attempted to organize my feet so I could kick at the kneeling creature. ¡°No! Punch! Dammit!¡± Smegma¡¯s instructions this time didn¡¯t help, in fact they might have made it worse as I tried and failed to follow them. I was just preparing a kick, and tried to turn that into a punch, but ended up just falling atop the White Goblin Guard. I didn¡¯t even land on the back of the monster, instead, I¡¯d given it enough time to drop its spear and spin. I felt one of its hands close around my forearm as another attempted to reach for my throat. My awkward fall, and the fulcrum of its hand on my wrist made that second grasping mitt punch me in the chest, re-aggravating my chest and shoulder wound. With only one free hand, and the imminent risk of strangulation, I latched onto the things¡¯ forearm myself. Its forearm felt like a human leg, under my fingers. Something crunched, and for a moment I held my breath expecting pain, but only felt something press into my chest. Next, I heard Smegma scoff, clearly displeased with something. Still, in theory I was in what Hunter Mixed Martial Arts called, mount, wasn¡¯t I? My head was close to the White Goblin¡¯s chest and my legs were wrapped around his hips and legs. Trying to control the creature. Still, I doubted that the White Goblin was about to pull guard. Then as we struggled against each other, I realized why Smegma hadn¡¯t wanted me to grab the second wrist. We were now both awkwardly pushing and pulling each other''s arms as we tried to gain an advantage¡ªand I couldn¡¯t release the arm I held to throw a punch, because that would free his clawed hand to gouge at me. But if I had initially thrown a punch I may have ended the fight right there. Knees from below attempted to hammer at me, but I managed to keep the wrap of my own legs around the thighs of the Goblin, which only highlighted his superior height and weight. I was now stretched out atop the creature. Thanks to my Strength Stat, I was safe from being attacked, but I was also incapable of attacking. ¡°You¡¯ve got to cede control of the legs or the arm. Choose, and strike. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be stuck like this until one of you tires out,¡± Smegma assessed after several long moments of grunting from the Goblin and myself. Even with my Stamina Stat unlocked I was breathing heavily trying to control this beast. Smegma was right, I needed to release control of something. I took a deep stuttering breath through my mouth, attempting not to smell the disgusting flesh of the creature my face was nearly pressed into. Then I decided on legs. Why legs? Well, if I was fast enough, I could release my hold there, jump up and drive the knees into the creature''s abdomen. I figured it would find it hard to retaliate with two knees in its stomach. Once I thought I was ready. I followed through with the plan. It worked even better in reality. Thanks in large part to the Goblin¡¯s knees rising up in an attempt to buck the hold that no longer existed. Those knees propelled me into the air, straining and stretching my arms straight. Smiling I heaved with both of my arms, pulling myself down while my knees slammed together and became a wedge shape. My aim was off, slightly, and one knee hit the solar plexus while the other crashed into the sternum. I felt a jolt of force, traveling up my knees, thigh and back. Pain followed, telling me I had likely broken a bone or the skin or both¡ªbut I also descended almost a foot farther than the initial point of impact. My knees had caved in the White Goblins chest, and crushed its heart. When I attempted to stand up, I discovered that the pain, at least in part, was from where the Goblin¡¯s broken ribs had gouged my knees, and legs, rather badly. Extricating my own limbs required me to pull out those bone fragments from my own legs. Which finally caused the vomit that had been threatening since entering the Village to spill from my mouth. ¡°Well, that certainly wasn¡¯t good¡ª¡° Smegma stated. ¡°Still, you¡¯re alive and they¡¯re dead¡ªso, congratulations?¡± His tone managed to get me to look at him. He wore a smirk that I didn¡¯t like. He was basically saying I¡¯d got lucky¡ªeven though I knew he was right, I growled, ¡°Get husked!¡± 072 Monday, April 29th, 2069 Fascinated, I watched as the wound in my chest and shoulder appeared to literally knit itself closed. It had actually not been bleeding when I felt the intense itch there. Still, I had bled¡ªand profusely enough to stain most of my undershirt a ruddy red. Now, though, I watched as my wound seemed to come alive. Small tendrils of what I assumed must be blood reaching across and bridging the gap. Once there were too many to count they contracted, pulling taut and forcing the wound to close by millimeters. This started deep in the gash. The area ¡®closed¡¯ and then grew red and healthy looking even as more tendrils sprang up from the next spot¡ªthis one closer to the surface of the wound. It repeated itself, and I began to count. The wound had indeed been deep enough that I could see ribs¡ªand if I estimated, a few minutes of fighting occurred after the spear cut me¡ªthen it was going to take about five minutes to heal two wounds that were at least an inch deep and several long. ¡°Are you done staring at yourself?¡± Smegma asked. I lost track of my count, and slowly turned my head to glare at the Demon. ¡°What? It isn¡¯t like you¡¯re in the center of a Goblin village, where you just killed four Guards. I¡¯m sure that was all of them¡­¡± His condescension made me wince. I stood up, and moved toward the center of the stone hut. Where I could see a central pillar. The hut itself was far darker than the cave outside¡ªlit by mesh sacks filled with Mana Crystals hung from the ceiling. Since they were likely F-rank Crystals, they were a terrible source of light. That was probably why it took me getting to the support pillar to realize it wasn¡¯t the altar I was looking for. Not to mention that strange light orb that fled the first two Goblin Guards. Was it an alarm or something? ¡°Yes. It was an Alarm Skill, but it only notified the other two Guards. Normally, it would have brought all the fighters in the village down on your head, but the rest might be in that Snake¡¯s belly. Now, this isn¡¯t the Altar, moron,¡± Smegma said, but only because he got there before I did and had time to check it out. I shook my head and spun in a half circle, assessing the room. It was pretty sparsely furnished. There was a stack of rags, or dust or something along one curving wall, which I assumed was a bed. There was the tiny chair, which was decorated to look ostentatious but failed miserably. Lastly, there was a small stack of stones that reached to my knees. Shrugging, I went to the stack of stones, only to find a wider, recessed stone attempting to be a washbasin on the top. My nose scrunched at the smell of the water inside, and the color. Good thing the leader kept himself ¡®clean¡¯. Now on the other side of the central pillar I scanned again and found a few stacks of dried herbs hanging from the walls, but nothing else. I raised both of my hands helplessly and finally responded to Smegma. ¡°Okay, genius. Where is this altar then?¡± ¡°Right, ask the guy who can¡¯t even interact with the world¡­¡± ¡°Oh come on, you stupid husker. That¡¯s a horrible excuse and you know it. You can literally fly through walls.¡± ¡°Whatever, maybe it¡¯s not in here,¡± Smegma responded. ¡°I¡¯ll go scout around; you watch yourself heal or something.¡± Smegma promptly flew off, and I got the distinct impression that he was either embarrassed or as frustrated with the lack of an ¡®altar¡¯ as I was. Despite the derogatory nature of his words, I did go back to watching the skin of my wounds slowly knit itself back together. It was interesting, but didn¡¯t last long. Just in case, I took another scan of the room. Nothing new. Figured, but you never know. I guess I could collect the White Goblin Cores, and probably take down the Mana Crystal mesh bags. I looked from one to the other before deciding to start with the Mesh Bags. First, I needed something to cut the rope. Each Goblin had a spear, and my Pick was also still on the ground. I moved from body to body and actually found two stone daggers in waistbands for two of the Goblins. Not that a dagger would help me cut down the Mesh Bags. They were too high for me to reach, but I did figure they might help me cut open the Monsters for the Cores later. Yet, the first thing was to get those Crystals down, for a mobile light source¡ªif nothing else. Using the spear, I sawed at the rope which was somehow wedged between two rocks in the ceiling. The bag, and rope jumped and skipped moving about, spinning and being generally uncooperative with the attempt. My arms began to tire by the time I heard a snick and watched the fraying rope part. It didn¡¯t drop the bag, though, since it was essentially many ropes woven together and then braided into the supporting one at the top. Instead, the bag fell open, and the Crystals spilled out. I jumped back to avoid them falling on me, but still felt one collide with my chest. It made an odd sound, followed by the somewhat heart-wrenching noise of something breaking even more. Remembering what that was, and finally understanding what that crunch earlier had been¡ªhad me close my eyes before slowly looking down.. I found the expensive three-sixty degree camera I had forgotten I was wearing, with its lens and protective case broken. I ran a hand through my hair, and clenched my teeth in frustration. While I knew my donations on CashMe could cover the repairs¡ªit was still a needless expense. I put the Camera in my Necklace where it should have been at least a day ago. Since it only had a forty-eight hour battery anyway. Then I asked Smegma a rather important question that I probably should have thought of much earlier. [Is recording in Dungeons really a good idea with you floating about?] [You think a piece of mechanical equipment is sensitive enough to pick up frequencies and images from another dimension?] Smegma mentally asked. [Well you¡¯re making yourself visible aren¡¯t you?] I asked, confused as to what he was getting at. [I mean maybe it can? I don¡¯t know how sophisticated these ¡®cameras¡¯ and ¡®computers¡¯ are.] Smegma floated back through a wall of the hut, startling me. Once I recovered, Smegma pointed at my eyes. ¡°However, after some of our research into the System¡ªMana, Force and Martial Power revealed that living creatures are hypersensitive to things that are created by those forces. Like they have a extraordinary sense that is somehow tuned to them¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªOh we call that our sixth sense,¡± I interjected. ¡°That¡¯s not really the right word for it, though. You definitely have a sense for Mana already, which would likely be your sixth sense, no? This is something beyond just Mana. While other planes of existence have Mana, they aren¡¯t created by it. If that makes sense? It¡¯s a bit too complicated to explain to an idiot like you¡ª¡± Smegma responded, still hovering just inside the wall with a devious smirk. I gave him a playful finger in response, only making his smile grow. ¡°In any case, that video is much more likely to be showing the whole group going insane, and talking to a figment of their imagination. So, I wouldn¡¯t worry overly much about it. Especially with Geneva and Kristen being in on the secret. They¡¯ll cut anything too odd out¡ªeven if that thing can capture different planes.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess. There¡¯s just been a lot going on in here, with the¡­¡± Brodie gestured vaguely in the direction of the grotto and lake. ¡°Naga Complex?¡± Smegma offered, clearly reading my confusion. ¡°Naga Complex is as good a term as any, I suppose. But you know what I mean¡ªthe huge husking Snake¡ªand my ¡®stealing¡¯ of Crystals. None of that is including me picking up Skills like others pick up quarters, or massive frying pans and fishing poles appearing out of thin air. I guess I just don¡¯t like having video evidence that could be used against me in the trial,¡± I responded, trying once more to get my point across. ¡°Then don¡¯t give the camera to them?¡± Smegma asked, sounding unsure what my hang up was. ¡°I can¡¯t do that. We need footage for reels and promotions of our company.¡± ¡°Tell them to delete any footage that is suspicious? Better yet, you can delete whatever footage you want before you even give it to them.¡± Smegma tried again. I went silent and his smile returned with a vengeance. ¡°That was a simple solution¡ªmoron. Now, can we get back to searching for the husking Altar?¡± My silence must have been an answer because Smegma flew back through the wall. After that I shook my head and continued my search sheepishly. I did find a very worn small backpack which was clearly one of the Mirage Hunters. A quick mental prod told me it was a small Bag of Holding too. That might be helpful later, I supposed and kept looking. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. With the Bag of Holding I moved around to collect the scattered Crystals. I really didn¡¯t love that Smegma, who wasn¡¯t even from our world, came up with a simple solution before I did. Still, the fact that I hadn¡¯t worried about it till now likely meant I trusted Geneva and Kristen quite a bit. Maybe they were already deleting stuff like that¡­ It was then that I noticed the grooved tiles of the floor, and just as I went to dismiss that little fact and return to examining my trust of Sparkle Legion¡ªdiscovered they weren¡¯t tiles. My brain questioned the rather stupid Goblin¡¯s ability to tile anything, making me perform a double-take. Then and only then did I realize that the ¡®tiles¡¯ were carvings in the cave floor. Following one of the grooves with a Crystal held inches above it, I discovered a half-sphere depression. The depression was far too perfect for it to have been carved by the stone tools of the Goblins. [I think I found the Altar,] I mentally sent to Smegma, even as I pulled out a Monster Core and held it above the half sphere. This Core would be too small¡ªbut it was definitely the right shape¡­ Did that mean I needed the bigger Cores? Or that the depression was just made big to support any Core? Either way, if this altar would award a Skill¡ª ¡°Wait, the Altar was the whole floor¡ªbuilding?¡± Smegma asked, angrily as he floated back into the room. I jerked back and spun to see why he had added ¡®building.¡¯ Sure enough, Smegma was studying a wall. It looked like dark stone to me, so I brought a Crystal over for a closer look. He was right. There were carvings on the walls as well. Smegma looked at me, and I looked back to him. We both shrugged in near unison. ¡°Okay, so¡ªlet¡¯s go through the Snake¡¯s pile of Cores,¡± Smegma said out loud. Then he made some strange hand gestures which were not something I could interpret. I realized with a start what was going on. The Snake could probably hear us. [I have no idea what you¡¯re trying to say with those hand gestures. Plus you can use mental communications¡­] Smegma looked at me like I was a puppy that had just peed on the floor. Then after a world-weary sigh, said, ¡°Dump out all the Cores, we¡¯ll go through them.¡± Licking my teeth at another tone shift, which again I didn¡¯t understand, I reluctantly emptied out the Necklace of Holding. It had taken me a while to get them all in there¡ªand I didn¡¯t really want to do it again. Smegma hovered to the pile and made a gesture from a small salt block-like sphere with almost no illumination, and then very pointedly motioned at a huge nearly perfect specimen with a fierce inner light. Oh! I slapped my forehead and nodded to the Demon. I had been thinking the same thing before he arrived¡ªjust from a different angle. Surely, higher ranked Cores would mean a higher rank Skill¡­ We sorted through them, and were left with some decisions to make. There were probably twenty-five huge spheres that would perfectly fit into the depression. Each one of these spheres was double the size of a basketball and quite clear. [So, we just pick the biggest ones?] I asked, even as I looked to the next larger pile. Some of these crystals seemed to be brighter and more clear of imperfections. Smegma shook his head and pointed to one of the Crystals I was just looking at. I pulled it out and then moved to one of the largest ones that looked just as clear. Smegma shook his head emphatically. Then he tapped talon to tooth, looked down and away toward where the Snake might be in this huge Cavern, before shrugging. [Why don¡¯t you just make it so only I can see you?] I asked. Smegma rolled his eyes, and pointed down before mouthing, ¡®Universal Power.¡¯ [I¡¯ll take that to mean he might still be able to hear you?] [Even though I doubt it, he might even be able to intercept mental communications,] Smegma mentally sent while nodding but eventually shrugged before clearly deciding that he might be being a bit overly paranoid.Sighing, he pointed out some Crystals in differing piles. ¡°My thought is that we should try to pick similar colors of Cores. Usually, that¡¯s what we did with Card Shards. It increased the chances of getting a powerful Skill¡ªwell, it never could really be proven, since it could have been luck¡­¡± [Okay? So, we want the clearest Cores with similar coloring?] I still was confused by the coloring of the Cores on display. Sure there was almost every color of the rainbow¡ªbut there were just too many, Greens, Blues, Yellows and Purples. It didn¡¯t look like the Monster Cores I was used to seeing, but I shrugged that off for now. Smegma nodded and we sorted the Cores once again. This time by colors. No two were ¡®identical¡¯ in color. Not really, but there were several that were blue in varying shades, or green, yellow, red, and so on. A pattern did begin to emerge, and by the time we were finished I was looking down at only two red cores. Nine orange, twenty purple, a hundred plus blues, several hundred yellow, and uncountable greens. The second pattern was that the ones with less all seemed to be of better quality. Then we had other grouped piles of colors that were all only containing one Core. Pink, black, brown, white and so on. These colors gave me a strange feeling even holding them¡ªbut varied in clarity and size. I raised both palms to indicate my confusion. Smegma, who couldn¡¯t help in my physical categorizing, had been studying the groups while tapping a tooth for a while now. At my gesture he glanced toward the direction of the Snake. It was a presence that defied walls and cavernous passageways and clearly he was still a bit worried about it taking some sort of offense and leveling the entire Mine to kill us all. After another sigh he shrugged and answered, ¡°My guess is that these piles are something like Card Rarity. So, Godly, Legendary, Epic, Rare, Uncommon, and Common.¡± He pointed at the red, orange, purple, blue, yellow and green in turn. After a moment he pointed around us and back toward the Lake, before adding, ¡°They must not be the same types of Cores that are found on Earth. ¡°Then these may be Unique?¡± He pointed to the assortment of colors that had no pairings. Then shrugged to further indicate his uncertainty. ¡°Maybe, not Unique, though. At least, not in the way that you¡¯re thinking of. Perhaps they¡¯d be considered Unique on Earth. Back during this civilization''s heyday, this was just how things worked. Obsolete might be a better term. They could be something like ingredients. So, that Brown one would add an Earth Element to a Skill¡ªor something?¡± My hand scratched my temple as I looked at the collection from that perspective. The Cores on Earth were said to all contain an element already. However here, if Smegma was right, these Cores were sorted by rarity and the element came from outside? So if I combined one of the Unique stones with eight Legendary¡ªI should get a¡ª My brain instantly put a stop to the rabbit hole I felt myself exploring. Smegma, who had likely heard my tangent and subsequent halt, shrugged at me. ¡°There¡¯s no telling. Just give it a try?¡± [Okay¡ªso Godly, and Legendary first?] I asked, pointing at the two small piles. Smegma shrugged, and I got to work moving about the Hut. Each depression had long been marked by one of the Mana Crystals, and so it didn¡¯t take me long to locate and place nine crystals.
Low Rank Skill Altar Activated. Cores Offered. Ex: Eborisk Dragon Core Ex: Faneral Dragon Core S+: Drake Portal Core S-: Treant Core S-: Ultralisk Core S: Ego Portal Core S+: Morenquai Core S: Halo Portal Core S-: Lich Core Would you like to add an elemental Core? | No Proceed with Skill Acquisition? Yes |
I stared at the blue screen, clearly shocked that the screen was so similar to the Demonic Vault ones but also shocked at the Cores currently slotted¡ªand the fact that it told me what they were. ¡°So¡ª¡° Smegma cut me off with a vigorous waving of his arms in front of my face. Then he floated in front of me and shook his head to join the clear hand signal to stop. [Sorry, I was just thinking we can probably do this differently. First, I¡¯m guessing those are Elemental Cores.] Of course I was pointing at the Cores currently slotted. Then I motioned back to the rest of the abundant Cores. [I¡¯m thinking we should try to get Cores that have a theme in terms of what Monster types they came from?] Smegma¡¯s eyes widened even as he began to nod to himself at my suggestion. I could tell that he was about to go off into researcher mode and so I just shook my head, and began by swapping the two remaining orange Cores in. They both weren¡¯t Draconic¡ªbut one of the ones I removed was. I placed a Mana Crystal there to mark it as correct¡ªand then began swapping in purple Cores. Only one of the twenty purple Cores were ¡®Draconic¡¯¡ªbeing an A +: Wyvern Portal Core. I looked to the blues, now a little worried that my earlier ¡®brilliant¡¯ idea might not be the right choice. [No, keep going. I think the Cores are glowing brighter,] Smegma mentally sent, clearly deciding that our mental communications weren¡¯t being overheard, at least. Smegma motioned at the two red cores, and I narrowed my eyes trying to see what the Demon meant. They looked the same to me. Still, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to keep going¡ªI supposed. The blue cores took a while but by the end I had all but one of the indentations filled with Draconic or at least what I thought were Draconic cores. Kind of like the Wyvern which I believed was Draconic¡ªbut may not be. It also was clear that the red cores were growing brighter. The problem was that I was now moving onto the yellow cores¡ªwhich seemed like a waste. Surely the larger rarer cores would be better at this point. Smegma shook his head and pointed to the two red godly cores. [The increased brightness is telling us something. Keep going.] The last spot was filled, and the red cores did once again visibly brighten an octave. While that was a triumph it also made me reassess the Wyvern Core again. It hadn¡¯t made the red Core brighten noticeably like this D+: Dragonkin Core had. Husk! I started shifting it and a few other Cores in and out, until the red light was bathing the entire hut in its extremely bright halo. I looked longingly at the big, expensive cores¡ªthen shrugged and clicked the yes to adding an Element. I moved to the pile of Cores that didn¡¯t fit with the rarity coloring scheme and picked up the one I¡¯d been eyeing from the start. Then I practically leaped back in shock when the first one I slotted in was Space. The color of the Core was black with white dots floating in it¡ªand I had honestly been drawn to it because of its similarities to my Mental Universe¡ªbut it actually being a Space Element Core threw me. [Okay, I hear your internal dreams of power, but it still might not be the best choice. Slot them all!] Smegma stated. My nose crinkled as my mouth fell into a frown. Sure, the Demon was right, but Space¡ª ¡°Dumb-dumb.¡± Smegma interrupted my thoughts and I sighed before doing as instructed. 073 Monday, April 29th, 2069 River, Dust, Magnetism, Heat, Heavy, Growth, Bubbles, Fairy, Pink¡ªwait what? I put back the pink Core and blinked at the description on screen. It actually read Pink. [What the hell is Elemental about Pink?] Smegma¡¯s face soured and he shook his head as if to shake off cobwebs. Then after swallowing what looked like vomit the Demon said, ¡°If that is something similar to our Card System on Crendalar¡ªthen it¡¯s probably an accent Element. People collected Skill Cards to match colors of the back together. Then to everyone¡¯s surprise, they merged and created color Elements. They were totally useless too. They just allowed the users to throw pink Fireballs or turn their Stamina Aura pink¡ªthat sort of thing.¡± The Demon shuddered again, and even brushed taloned fingers over his arms to brush something off. [Okay.] Was all I could manage to think. Sure that sounded utterly frivolous but to have such a strong reaction¡ª ¡°If your world was ending¡ªno¡ªdid end, and you had people who were essentially trading potential to win a popularity contest. How would you react?¡± That made me duck my head in recognition of his point. I wasn¡¯t fully on board with disgust at people who chose this path¡ªbut I could definitely see myself being frustrated, especially after the fact. Like what if some Demon could have saved Crendalar and instead frivolously wasted Skill opportunities on something like ¡®Pink¡¯¡­ Still, if it made those same people happy¡ªwasn¡¯t that kind of the whole point of life? I shook my head, dispelling a bit of the empathetic distaste that clearly was coming from Smegma¡¯s feelings on the matter. Finally, I admitted to myself that I agreed with both decisions. Intelligent creatures could choose for themselves, and Smegma was allowed to feel a certain way about what those decisions might have led to. I returned to changing the Elemental Cores, still just daydreaming on what the combination of Draconic Portal and Monster Cores, might give me with the Space Element. I did find a few other ones that sparked my imagination as well, though. Time, Metal, Magma, and Inevitability. Two of which I thought I could at least imagine Skills with¡ªtwo of which I found difficult. Space was the same, though. What would Space, Time or Inevitability do in a Skill? By the time I finished slotting all the Elemental Cores, those three were set aside. I looked to Smegma who had been watching and reading over my shoulder. [Any suggestions?] ¡°I think you¡¯re right to go with one of these three. I personally think Time might be best but¡­¡± Smegma faded off, looking at Space and Inevitability. After a time he shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll admit that Time would only be great if you could go forward or backward¡ªsee the future or something along those lines. Often Time Elemental Cards were things like Haste or Slow, though. So, maybe Space or Inevitability has a better chance to be something truly powerful?¡± [I mean Time Dragon, Space Dragon or Inevitability Dragon all sound plenty powerful,] I mentally commented but found my eyes drawn once again to the black orb with white dots contained within. [Still, I think I kind of understand Space¡ªmaybe? No, that¡¯s probably not the reason why I¡¯m drawn to it. It¡¯s like it resonates with my Mental Universe.] ¡°Brodie, there is always something to be said for instincts¡ªand as long as you weren¡¯t drawn to something like Pink¡ªI¡¯m not going to fight what your soul is telling you.¡±
Low Rank Skill Altar Activated. Cores Offered. Ex: Eborisk Dragon Core Ex: Faneral Dragon Core S+: Drake Portal Core A+: Drako-Lich Core B+: Dragonkin Core C-: Komodo Portal Core D+: Quasi-Croc Core D-: Kobold Portal Core E+: Wyrm Leech Core Elemental Core: Space Proceed with Skill Acquisition? | No
I took one more look at the other two Elemental Cores, then inhaled deeply¡ªholding my breath. Then pressed yes. The Altar screen vanished, and I blinked in confusion as nothing seemed to happen. Just as I exhaled, the black of the Space Core did something. I assumed it was the first to react to my confirmation. Or maybe it was the first thing I noticed, because it was right in front of me in the slot that opened up on the central pillar. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. I became more sure it had reacted before the other Cores, because the color inside expanded out. Once it reached the circle of Cores in the floor, it simply washed over them, and they looked the same as they had before. The two largest red Cores were the only notable exception. Since they were not only glowing brighter but lifting up into the air. When the Space Core ¡®swallowed¡¯ the entire interior of the hut, the two red Cores seemed to jump into action¡ªrushing toward me. I flinched and jumped backward, terrified that the cannonball-like orbs would simply carry on through me. They of course weren¡¯t even targeting me. They moved to a spot where the Support Pillar of the Leader Hut had been¡ªbefore the Space Orb took over. Then they began circling each other. My eyes were fixed to them, but in my peripherals I noticed the other Cores had lifted out of their recesses and slowly formed an orbit around the two large sun-like cores in the center. I also noticed that the orbits were ranked. Having the highest ranked cores nearest the center. Those closest to the two red Cores moved through the oval circle faster than the green cores furthest out from the pillar.. A new blue screen appeared in front of me and Smegma.
Low Rank Skill Altar First time use bonus. Skill Altar Rank increased to Mid Rank. Cores inserted far exceed maximum Skill Altar Rank. Are you sure you wish to continue? | No
I turned my head to stare at Smegma. Unsure if I should push yes. He motioned at all the Cores, and then pointed emphatically down in the general direction of the Lake and massive Snake. [Good point. Anything I don¡¯t use will just go back to it¡­] then I realized what I mentally sent and held my breath. If the Snake could hear me, now would be the time it would react. My exhalation was beyond relieved, and I took a moment to catch my breath before I clicked yes and the screen changed.
Mid Rank Skill Altar Due to Cores Value exceeding Skill Value, a High Growth Rated Skill is being selected. Scanning intended recipient¡­ Two Skill Synergies Available¡­ Demonic¡ªRejected Draconic¡ªChosen Optimizing Skill Selection¡­ Skill Selected Imparting¡­
I spun to Smegma, my eyes wide. [Is this like the Card Sets you¡ª] Smegma wasn¡¯t there¡­ I scanned around myself, looking up and down. Nothing remained of my Demon Companion and I highly doubted he¡¯d floated into the floor as such and important time. The fact that there wasn¡¯t White smoke likely meant he wasn¡¯t involved in the Skill formation¡ªso then why had he vanished? Maybe he was putting together the Skill the System was imparting? But I doubted it. Perhaps, whatever gave him form couldn¡¯t maintain him and take the pressure of a forming Skill? I looked around the Altar Room, and realized that all the Cores were increasing their orbiting speeds¡ªwhile also collapsing toward the two red Cores. Did that mean the System hadn¡¯t imparted the Skill yet? I closed my eyes and checked on my Mental Universe. Immediately I discovered what was happening. A new planet was forming around the Demonic Vault¡¯s ¡®sun¡¯. I assumed it was Cooking, since it was the only other option for where Overdraft could be receiving Mana from. There was an instant I felt torn, between watching that Skill form or the System Altar outside¡ªand then I opened my eyes. System Skill versus a Profession one, and all that¡­ The ¡®planets¡¯ spun ever closer to the central two, which were now circling each other so fast, it looked like a single-larger donut. Still, if I squinted I could see the small space in its center, and it was shrinking fast. As if I was watching a Galaxy collapse into a Black Hole¡ªthe timing where the two Suns touched was perfectly in sync with when all the outer orbits reached them. The Space Mosaic grew brighter, as all the white ¡®distant¡¯ stars pulsed. And then the entire tapestry of Space and collapsing black hole sunk into me at a rate I couldn¡¯t describe. I expected pain, heat, or maybe even a terrible cold¡ªbut instead only felt a small prickle of what could have been electric shock. I was about to close my eyes and see what happened inside my Mental Universe when a screen popped up.
Releasing [Locked] Dragon Body. Available and necessary energies vastly exceed safety thresholds for chosen Vessel. Vessel destruction imminent upon release of [Locked] Dragon Body. Assessing Options¡­ Upgrading Soul to Contain [Locked] Dragon Body¡­ Error! Upgrading Soul to Contain [Locked] Draconic Physique Error! Upgrading Soul¡­
That small shock of current inside of me grew. Making it feel like I had accidentally forgotten to turn off a breaker then touched both sides of an outlet. It didn¡¯t stop there. Growing worse with each millisecond¡ªforcing my diaphragm to freeze. My heart followed shortly after and finally, every muscle in my body. I had never experienced pain like this in my life. There was a component of physical pain, as my entire body convulsed and flexed so hard that I thought I might actually break my own bones¡ªbut no, that wasn¡¯t the sensation that threatened to consume my sanity. It was like something was both digging around in my brain, body, and¡­was it my Mental Universe? An agony so deep inside of me that it had no source to pinpoint. No, remedy that could ease it. No consciousness to shed in order to escape from it. Simply put, it felt like something was ripping me apart over and over again¡ªbut simultaneously putting me back together just so it could keep creating Brodie confetti. The worst part¡ªsince the pain wasn¡¯t actually inside my body, or mind, I didn¡¯t pass out. Instead, my brain tried to analyze the sensation and give me comforting logical solutions. Like simply ignoring what was happening. Surely, the System wasn¡¯t going to kill me. It even consoled me with the equivalent of a ¡®there, there.¡¯ I in turn swore at it¡ªand was actually surprised when that seemed to help. So, I just kept going. I hoped Mental Fortitude would be able to keep me sane after this. My mind broke. 074 Monday, April 29th, 2069 It was strange to both be conscious, but in so much pain that I was pretty sure I was hallucinating. I couldn¡¯t really be watching the Big Bang¡ªright? Or maybe I was in my Mental Universe? The first thing that I¡¯d seen had been a black hole¡ªhadn¡¯t it? Or had I seen that outside after the Skill Creation? Maybe¡­ Regardless, one specific area, this black hole inside my imagination, had been bombarded by asteroid after asteroid. The first two had been huge, red things that smashed into each other like two Evolved Moose fighting for territory. Unlike the Moose, this display led to mutual destruction and so much heat I could feel it. No, wait¡ªhad I felt it or imagined it? Whatever. Then more asteroids had flown in, bombarding the mass of undulating Magma¡ªlike bad referees attempting to break up a fight. The first few had hit and seemed to almost cause the superheated, melded asteroids to separate. Then the two, now one¡ªturned on the newcomer and swallowed it. Were they alive? After the third strike, that phenomenon went away, and instead the newer asteroids sank into the orangey red substance like it was a pond, and they were pebbles thrown by children. Now I thought it was after the sixth asteroid, or was this one a comet? Either way, another change occurred. This comet didn¡¯t even make it to the surface to sink into the mass. Instead, the massive blob of magma sent out an attack, in the forms of waves of heat, vaporizing the newest comet. Surely, it didn¡¯t consciously send out the attack? That would make it alive, and me¡­ more crazy than I already appeared to be¡­ I tried to shake my head, and failed. Three more comets flew in, vaporizing before they made ¡®land.¡¯ Only when the last one disintegrated did the clouds of the other four turn gray, and then black. Lightning arced between the clouds, even striking down at the orange liquid surface of the planet. I didn¡¯t realize until the first drop of rain fell just how much pain each asteroid, or comet had caused me. I think I was at my threshold for recognizing more sensation. Sure, I had seen something like a force wave expel outward after each impact. Well, those had started with that black hole, I think? That did explain how the impact waves could be darker than the blackness of space. Wait¡ªthat made no sense? Whatever. The point I was trying to make¡ªdid I have a point? Husk! The rain seemed to bring the first new sensation I¡¯d felt in millions of¡­ years? Months? Days? Hours? Minutes! Surely it had only been minutes. The sensation of rain touching the superheated surface, without evaporating above it¡ªwas like aloe vera on a terrible sunburn. No, it was far better than even that. It was a drop of water hitting my tongue in the middle of a desert. Had I even been in a desert before? No, no I hadn¡¯t. My brain reeled at that truth¡ªshattering some of my fugue along with it. I was truly in my Mental Universe, and I had watched as a Skill was created. I had even seen those darker waves of force vibrate through the space. What I hadn¡¯t been able to notice was the other Skill-planets they passed by, or the edges of that universe when they had struck. I could tell that the limits to my Mental Universe had grown. The nothingness of ¡®space¡¯ Smegma claimed was my Soul, were getting bigger¡ªmore expansive. My awareness narrowed back in on the newest Skill-planet as the rain turned from a drizzle to light-rain, moderate, and then heavy¡ªbefore becoming something akin to a tropical storm that raged over the entire planet. To my distress, the planet, easily four to five times larger than the ¡®Sun¡¯ of Demonic Vault, was shrinking. Sure, a bit of shrinkage probably should be expected¡ªI guess. Maybe it had just gotten out of the pool. I¡¯d be a hypocrite to throw stones. Yet, this was like watching a beach ball deflate, turning itself into a bowling ball, and continuing to collapse. I shouldn¡¯t complain, since the more it shrank, the better I felt¡ªbut with the Mining Skill ¡®planet¡¯ growing and getting stronger, this did feel like I was losing something. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what Skill the system had granted. It had said something about Draconic Chosen¡ªso maybe something like¡ª The planet vanished. ¡°Are you husking kidding me?¡± I exclaimed even as my eyes flew open. My body was still in full contraction¡ªmaking me feel bound¡ªbut I could also feel Recovery going to work, attempting to unclench muscles and repair whatever damage my involuntary spasms had left behind. I didn¡¯t stay in the Hut for long and dove back into my Mental Universe. Surely, I had imagined the planet vanishing. No, it was still gone. I searched the new expanse of my Soul Space, looking for a sign of the tiny Skill Planet¡ªand found nothing. There was my Mana Pool, Mining, Fishing, Demonic Vault, and the still forming Cooking¡ªbut no new planet for the System granted Skill. Even the moons surrounding Fishing and Mining¡ªwell the large Moon, singular, around Mining, were there. The System notices had said something about me being unable to handle the chosen Skill, hadn¡¯t it? So, what? It just took it away to save my life? I thought the System was supposed to be fair? That¡¯s what Smegma had claimed at least¡ªbut I supposed he knew of the System from however many eons ago. What was the saying? Power corrupts¡ªor something. Oh, that was it! This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Power always corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely¡­ I shivered, and exited my Mental Universe, not wanting to think about just how much power this System wielded. I of course was left staring at the mesh bags of hanging Mana Crystals, as my body slowly unclenched itself. ¡°Well, that couldn¡¯t have taken too long¡ªsince Smegma is still forming the Cooking Skill,¡± I said to myself. Assessing my situation to pass the time. ¡°Good thing, those other Goblins are staying in their Stone Huts,¡± I added. Realizing the extremely compromised position I was in.
Dungeon Cleared. Rewards Granted. Portal will close in twenty-four hours. Finish looting or risk losing spoils upon closure. Any Human inside the Portal Grounds when it closes will be transported back to Earth.
¡°Yeah, some reward!¡± I complained, my voice attempting to rise to an indignant volume, but managing to crack before becoming a froggy croak. I continued in a much more subdued rasp, ¡°Take away my Skill¡ª¡° Something punched me in the stomach. My body reacted, heart rate increasing even as the sensation forced me into a painful, unwanted sit-up. Thankfully there wasn¡¯t a Goblin standing over me with a Spear. Instead, there was a moderately sized garden fountain sitting atop me. ¡°Oh you¡¯ve got to be husking kidding me!¡± I said, as I looked at the thing. Where had it even come from?
Low-Level Skill Altar Awarded. To use, simply insert nine Monster or Portal Cores, and place palm on impression. 0/10 Uses. First world clear of Low-Level Skill Awarding Portal Detected. Doubling usages of Altar from 10 to 20. Congratulations.
I blinked at the messages. This fountain was a portable-condensed version of the Altar? Recovery must have done a fair bit of work, since I was now sitting up without feeling like a groundhog or some type of other burrowing rodent had made a home inside my abdomen. Hesitantly I reached out my hands to the fountain-looking Altar and removed it from atop me. Placing it beside me, I noticed a few very glaring differences between it and the hut-sized Altar I was recovering inside of. Helped by the Cores that still surrounded me, I first noticed the size of depressions the altar had for Cores. They might be able to take the green or blue Monster and Portal Core. But they weren¡¯t ever going to be able to fit one of the remaining orange ones. Not that these were typical Cores that I¡¯d find on Earth¡ªbut the thought still held. I waffled on my next discovery, recalling that the accenting Element slot only opened up after I placed all nine outer cores. Still, not only did this altar not have a spot for it¡ªeven if it did, the smaller Elemental Core wouldn¡¯t fit. Maybe, a big enough space would somehow reveal itself if I placed nine Cores? Or maybe this Altar was truly designed for human usage! That made a lot more sense since it was very hard to imagine a spot for a tenth core. The entire center was taken up by carved lines, and an indentation clearly meant for a human palm. Struggling, I got to my knees and then attempted to climb to my feet to experiment but was forced to stay on all fours, when my legs wobbled beneath me. Determined to get at least one Skill from all this, I began crawling to the blue cores. I sent the closest nine in the pile into my Necklace, and returned to the smaller Altar. About halfway back I realized that I was still in a larger Altar, and could try again for a better Skill, but I was still curious about this ¡®System reward¡¯. I slotted the nine blue cores, and found I was absolutely correct on the size. Nothing bigger was going to fit the nine indentations. I waited and nothing happened. My staring at the fountain altar showed me the obvious reason why. The palm imprint! I placed my palm down and a similar screen to the one I¡¯d gotten for activating the larger Altar in the room I was occupying appeared before me.
Low Rank Skill Altar Activated. 9 Cores Offered. Average Rank: E+ Proceed with Skill Acquisition? Yes |
The floor I knelt on rumbled, like it was accentuating a big moment in my life. I frowned at it, was that another cave in¡ª ¡°No you imbecile,¡± Smegma said, startling me. Thankfully I was currently on all fours, so other than a slight jump I didn¡¯t react much. ¡°That would be the Snake warning you not to do what you¡¯re trying to do.¡± ¡°Oh, that Husking Greed¡ª¡° the ground rumbled far more menacingly. ¡°Selfless, I meant to say that beautiful Selfless¡­¡± I tried to correct my earlier frustrated insult, and knew I failed miserably¡ªbut thankfully the ground didn¡¯t rumble again. ¡°Collect all of his Cores and let¡¯s head back!¡± Smegma stated but was giving me a look that clearly demanded a bit of an explanation over what happened since he vanished. Jaw clenched, I mentally relayed what had happened and how the System had stolen my new Skill. I pointed to the small Altar in the end, and mentally screamed, [It thinks this somehow makes up for it!] ¡°Ahh, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s it. First, if you looked around, you would have noticed all of the depression in the hut are gone. So, you couldn¡¯t use it again. I think this Smaller Altar is actually just a condensed version of the big one. Remember, it was only supposed to be a Low Rank¡­¡± [Still, the Skill is gone!] ¡°Even if that is true. First, it took it away to save your life. Second, it upgraded your Soul¡ªwhich I have never even heard of, and it gave you a method to give even more Skills to yourself or others. So, I think you¡¯re focusing on all the wrong things.¡± My mind unhelpfully agreed with Smegma. I cursed under my breath as I moved about the room collecting the Snake¡¯s Cores. I also took the spears, and cut out the Guard¡¯s Cores, before moving to the mesh sacks and collecting the F-ranked Crystals. My Necklace of Holding was looking pretty full, but I managed to squeeze them in, because I¡¯d dumped everything else back in the Smithy. I took one more look around the room when I was finished and discovered that there was a Core in the space that the Space Elemental Core had resided in. It helpfully glowed a dull white, highlighting it in the now dark hut. I moved back and snatched it, and the small Bag of Holding a bit moodily. Despite my mind and Smegma continually telling me to get over it¡ªmy heart wasn¡¯t ready to let go. I thought for just a moment I was going to get some sort of cool Skill. Something that would make me a Hunter, right now. It was a thought I¡¯d been desperately clinging onto as I underwent that trial by pain¡­ Whatever! Using Heat Vision and Smegma¡¯s scouting, we made our slow way back out of the Goblin Village. It was very slow going at first because I was still trying to be sneaky. Then when I remembered my Heat Sense and turned it on, I became fully distracted by another discovery. There were no heat signatures in the stone huts anymore. Where had the White Goblins gone? We never discovered the answer, even as we passed the massive shit pile, and the huge Cavern back to the Naga Compound. 075 Monday, April 29th, 2069 ¡°You managed it?¡± My Father asked, as soon as he saw me walk through the doorway into the Smithy turned kitchen. The heat in the room was sweltering¡ªboth dry, and stifling. My father didn¡¯t wait for an answer and wrapped me in a very sweaty hug. The warmth and wetness contrasted each other making the sensation both uncomfortable and comforting. I got over the wetness and tried to lean into the hug, happy to have made it back¡ªbut he was gone again before I even managed to squeeze him back. I watched him hurriedly flip fish in the Huge Frying Pan, and then saw the stack of more Mirage Fish Steaks building on the floor beside the pedestal contraption. Smegma must have taken in everything going on faster because he asked. ¡°What¡¯s the count up to?¡± ¡°Caught or cooked?¡± My dad asked. I scratched my head. Realizing that at least five fish worth of Fish Steaks were piled on the floor. It would appear that with two people catching fish, and only one cooking¡ªwe had created a bottleneck. Smegma must have responded because my dad finished answering the original question. ¡°Fourteen caught, and five cooked.¡± My brain attempted to calculate the time passed since I left, and failed. An hour certainly¡ªtwo was possible, but no more than three, surely. Still, with that Math, we would not catch enough Fish¡ªlet alone cook them. ¡°We need another Frying Pan,¡± Smegma said. I instantly nodded but motioned at the pedestal that wouldn¡¯t be able to hold another of the things. Smegma got my meaning. ¡°There¡¯s a few other Smithy rooms. We¡¯ll get Jarred to work in one of them. Still, you can purchase smaller cooking Pans, to fill up the space around the Large ones¡­¡± ¡°With what mana coins?¡± I asked, opening my screen to confirm what I already knew. I was running very low. ¡°All those Crystals you found in the Leader¡¯s Hut¡ªand the ones given by the Snake for this very task¡­¡± A strange guttural growl sounded, and the room shook. My dad blinked at the doorway to the Animal Pens, even as his eyes went wide and he brushed a forearm over his face to remove some sweat. I of course couldn¡¯t see sweat on his forehead, probably because he was standing so close to the Frying Pan¡­ ¡°That¡¯s the second time that Snake did that!¡± My dad said, his voice nervous. ¡°I can¡¯t cook any faster!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it was in regards to your cooking,¡± Smegma said, and pointed through the doorway. ¡°I think it wants to talk to Brodie, and me.¡± ¡°What for?¡± My dad said anxiously. ¡°You did what it asked, right?¡± ¡°We did,¡± I answered placatingly while simultaneously moving to hand my dad a full water bottle, and taking his empty one. Maybe it had been more than three hours already? He took the bottle, and a big swig, before speaking. ¡°Can you take that rock we¡¯re using as a serving plate back with you?¡± He was clearly in rough shape, seeing how fast he was jumping from concern to concern and being unable to hold two thoughts in his head for long. Was it dehydration only, or also nutrition? Perhaps it was simply raw stress. Potential death by Snake belly was enough to stress anyone out. The answer didn¡¯t really matter. He couldn¡¯t continue like this. Not for long at least. My worried stare and thoughts got through to Smegma and he came to my side. ¡°The only way you can help him is getting more cooking instruments. Maybe enough Coins to purchase a Mana Apple too since it will magically give him nutrients as he needs them.¡± With his words he attempted to usher me through the door that led to the pens and Lake behind it. My feet felt stuck to the floor, but I lifted the piece of rock with stacked cooked fish on it and hurriedly trudged out. When the consequences were death, how could I not? Once we were in the pens, Smegma whispered, ¡°The trick is going to be finding a way to complete the task and keep everyone alive. I¡¯m thinking, rotating shifts. Standing near the heat shouldn¡¯t be done in too large of shifts. See how cool it is as we get away?¡± Since I had just shivered from the temperature change, I did know what he was talking about. I felt it as soon as I exited the Smithy. The problem was that my father couldn¡¯t use his Mana Pool and so couldn¡¯t Fish¡­ Another problem stared me in the face when I got to the lakeshore. Each individual looked haggard. It was a different type of exhaustion than my father¡¯s, but no one looked good. Dave and Willa were soaking wet and shivering, which admittedly lent itself to confirming the importance of the earlier mentioned position switching. Jarred was covered in Mirror Fish guts, and moving in a way that spoke of true exhaustion. Then there was the Snake, towering over them all. It was just on the edge of the lights given off from the Yellow Metallic Crystal lights in the ceiling. Originally I thought I had the harder task. But I could tell now that wasn¡¯t even close to the case¡­ ¡°Ssso, you¡¯ve sssuccsseeded,¡± the Snake growled menacingly. ¡°Now not only have you destroyed a Mana Battery but you¡¯d like to use more of my Crystalsss and Coresss.¡± The jaw clicked loudly echoing over the water, off the walls and then back, in an eerie punctuation. ¡°Thisss wasss not in the bargain!¡± The Snake which had been just visible on the edge of the light, suddenly snapped its jaws again above me, casting a shadow over the entire group. Everyone shivered as it echoed around the much smaller space, including me. It was a stark reminder that this massive creature could eat us before we could even blink. I assumed it also was contributing to the exhaustion on everyone¡¯s faces. That threat was hanging over them, and it wasn''t exactly energizing. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°We simply wish to accomplish the task you¡¯ve set before us, oh Great One,¡± Smegma said deferentially. ¡°It was in using the Mana Battery that it broke, Great One. These things commonly break, I¡¯m told. Still, with the right tools, and a schedule we¡¯ll have the hundred Fish cooked for you in the time allotted.¡± Desperately I tried to school my face and not give away Smegma¡¯s plausible lie for the Mana Battery. In the end I just looked at the floor, in hopes that the Snake wouldn¡¯t notice. The Snake pulled back, and the shadow receded¡ªseeming to allude to a stay of execution. As it slowly returned to its spot deeper in the Lake it hissed, ¡°I get nothing by granting this requessst.¡± ¡°Except for the cooked Mirror Fish, Great One.¡± I realized that all the cooked Fish on my slate carrying board were gone, only at Smegma¡¯s words. How had it taken them? Jarred motioned for me to put the plate down near him, and I did so even as Smegma and the Snake continued to talk. ¡°I¡¯ve already had sssome cooked Fisssh. Perhapsss I am already sssated.¡± ¡°Surely not, Great One. Someone as magnificent as you would need thousands of Fish to truly be sated.¡± ¡°Are you offering me thousandsss of Fisssh?¡± ¡°Your magnanimity in the previous request of a hundred, is the best we can do, in such a short period of time. We each are only mere mortals whose weakness only serves to highlight your strength, Great One.¡± As soon as I dropped the platter nearby Jarred had begun stacking more Fish Steaks atop it. I noticed he, too, had an empty water bottle. I was happy Smegma was talking, since I didn¡¯t think I could remain deferential to the tyrant of a Snake. Not with my family and friends suffering like this. Taking the bottle, I hurried to the water, passing by the shivering Willa and Dave. They thankfully had full water bottles, but their lips were a dark color in the shadows of the light¡ªlikely blue. [Smegma we need to be able to get my dad out of that room, and these two into it. That, and breaks!] I mentally sent the Demon. ¡°Asss I¡¯ve sssaid you ssstill will not meet my gracssiousss quota.¡± ¡°It is true that at the previous pace, it is obvious that we would be found wanting. However, as you clearly would be aware from your history commanding an entire civilization, organization can achieve what mere intentions cannot. We can fulfill your desires now that everyone is here. As long as you give us the chance to rotate workers, eat, sleep and hydrate as needed.¡± ¡°Sssurely thessse fragile apesss can work for twenty-four hoursss?¡± ¡°Perhaps if their entire civilization weren¡¯t so backward, that would be true. In fact, this moron,¡± the Demon gestured to me in clear disgust, ¡°possessed only a Mana Pool and no capacity to use it, until I came along. Most of his ignorant race are similar. They have no understanding of the truth, nor of how to leverage Portals into strength. Thus, as you noticed, theirs are the most fragile of species. They have only the single Skill. Though¡­¡± Smegma paused, meaningfully as though he¡¯d just come up with a clever solution. ¡°We could change that, Great One,¡± Smegma suggested, and I felt my heart skip a beat. Was he suggesting what I thought he was? ¡°They are truly that pathssetic?¡± The Snake asked, while turning its eyes to each of the group in turn. I saw Jarred visibly shiver even though his back was to the creature. ¡°I will grant you the Goblin Coresss, and allow you to do asss you asssk. But if you fail¡ªyou and that child will be coming withsss me¡ªwillingly!¡± I had begun to nod my head, not caring what we had to agree to if we could grant everyone one or two Skills. Of course, that¡¯s when the System got involved.
System Contract [Redacted], the Great Snake of Nagsind, has offered a deal. Catch and cook 100 Fish in the next 19 hours, forty-two minutes and twelve seconds. Succeed, and keep your life and the life of Willa, Gary, Dave, and Jarred. As usual you and the group will be transferred from the Portal upon its closing. Fail and you will be entered into a Slave Contract under [Redacted], the Great Snake of Nagsind and only you will not exit the Portal upon its closing.. Sign? | No
The ¡®Slave Contract¡¯ was even a sort of mentally clickable link with a terrifyingly long document in a legalese that I couldn¡¯t hope to translate. Even with the System¡¯s involvement I didn¡¯t have a choice, I was about to hit ¡®yes¡¯ when Smegma hurriedly shouted, ¡°If we are going to become the Great One¡¯s slaves, then I would like the time limit to be until the Portal closes.¡± ¡°Asss you wisssh my future Slave!¡± A line on the Contract flickered and changed.
Catch and cook 100 Fish before the Portal Closes, in 22 hours, fifty-eight minutes and thirty-three seconds.
¡°And our Fish we¡¯ve already fed you count, Great One?¡± I asked, realizing that it was a negotiation only because Smegma had interjected. ¡°Of courssse. You are at five and a quarter Mirror Fisssh, my soon to be pet! Now, empty out that tiny Space Pocket, and give me what¡¯sss mine,¡± The Great Snake of Nagsind crooned, before snapping its jaws echoeingly. I did so, and blinked. Even before the Cores landed upon the stony lakeshore, they were gone. It was eerily similar to when I placed things into my Necklace of Holding. Did the Snake have a similar item? Wait¡ªwas that what happened to the Fish? A tinkling clatter from nearby made me scan the shore and find a new and truly massive pile of Mana Crystals. A glass clank from in front of me drew my attention back. One blue Core and many green ones were piled in front of me, right where I dumped my Necklace. How could the Snake tell these Cores from each other without the help of the system Altar? Smegma gave me a warning look, telling me not to ask, or maybe that he¡¯d explain later, once¡ªor rather, if we made it out of here. ¡°Jarred, go get my father,¡± I said, even as I made a rough count of the White Goblin Cores. Fifty-eight. That included the blue core and the larger green one that I¡¯d taken from the Altar space, the Space Core had previously occupied. I realized that it was likely the Portal Core. I could give out six Skills¡­ Or two Skills to two people and one to the others. It would probably be for the best if I excluded myself from this round, because I already had Skills and Stats that would help me get through the next twenty-two hours. Looking at the haunted eyes of Willa, and Dave, I knew they needed something. I just hoped what they¡¯d get from the Altar would help. [Get everyone one Skill, then give an additional to the people who might need it the most?] I suggested. Smegma nodded slightly but kept his half-bow to the Snake going. Still, with his agreement to my plan, it was time to give out some Skills! ¡°Dave, and Willa come here,¡± I ordered, realizing that time was very much a commodity we didn¡¯t have. Plus, the Skill bestowal could knock them out, like it had me¡­ 076 Monday, April 29th, 2069 My feet danced beneath me as I stared at all four members of my group, passed out on the floor. It had been a bit of a struggle to convince them to use the Altar in the first place¡ªbut it had become especially difficult to convince the rest after Dave, who had been first to go, had passed out. Now everyone was lying on the ground and I could practically feel the Snake gloating behind me. ¡°Husk, husk, husk!¡± I cursed under my breath, even as I picked up another Mana Crystal and sold the Mana inside. I was well past the amount needed for Frying Pans, and had at least a hundred Spent Crystals, to check the groups acquired Skills when they woke up. Still, it was like I could hear the timer, and while I could run off to the Smithy and start cooking¡ªI also needed to be here when they awoke. ¡°Who shot that potato gun?¡± Dave said, as he sat up clutching his chest, hand over his heart. I didn¡¯t bother answering his nonsensical question. Instead, shoving a spent Crystal against his chest. ¡°Fill it with your Mana for five minutes. We need to know what Skill you got.¡± Dave blinked and then gained his traditional goofy smile when he remembered he¡¯d just been granted a second Skill¡ªa beyond rare re-Awakening. His hands closed possessively around the Crystal and it almost instantly started to glow blue. Close to the five minute mark, my breathing stopped as I held my breath in anticipation. The Crystal started to shrink, as two Cards formed. I smiled a bit then, despite the seriousness of the situation. Dave¡¯s hands were clenched so hard on the shrinking Crystal that I was surprised it didn¡¯t crack. He really wanted those forming Cards, and now. His forefinger and thumb clamped down audibly on the Cards and he spun them to face himself. I only got a look at the blue-backed one, before he was looking at the front of the other. It had a rim of white, and I moved closer to read the description.
Cut (Evolvable) (1) Low-F-Rank Use your mana to form a single strike into many. This skill is limited by the wielder''s imagination and Mana Pool. 20 Mana Per Use
¡ª
Mana Reservoir (Evolvable) (42) Mid-E-Rank A Mana Reservoir. If used responsibly and carefully can deepen over time. One of the more fragile forms of a Mana Pool, prone to breaking if the user isn¡¯t careful. 25 / 42 Mana
Dave, who had been practically bouncing up and down sobered immediately after he flipped to the second Card. I could see why, and was about to say something comforting when Smegma cut in. ¡°Oh poor you, there¡¯s a chance your Mana Pool could break, but also grow with you. Stop focusing on the ¡®fragile¡¯ line, and take a look at the deepen one, you nitwit.¡± Dave twitched. Then he narrowed his eyes at Smegma before transferring them back to the Mana Reservoir Card. For one more instant I considered consoling my friend. But Dave¡¯s face had broken into a smile, so I clicked my teeth together. ¡°Husk! You¡¯re right! And with Cut too!¡± Dave began excitedly. I shivered as a chill swept over the lake shore. The vibrations on the water gave away the source and all three of us looked up to the Snake. ¡°I don¡¯t see any Fisssh,¡± the Snake hissed, angrily. Two things happened then, thanks to the Snake¡¯s outburst. First, the rest of the group woke up, shooting to sitting positions. Second, I realized something, and narrowed my eyes. He had been content to sit there and wait, but something about the Cut Skill upset him. I thought I even knew what. It might remove the need for Jarred¡¯s position. Dave, with the help of the Mana Battery Stone, could catch fish and gut them with one swing of the Filleting knife. Well maybe¡­ ¡°Oh Great One,¡± Smegma said placatingly. ¡°Now that everyone is awake we will get started soon.¡± ¡°Tick tock,¡± the Snake hissed but I could still hear its displeasure. Clearly, it wanted me as a slave. I crossed my fingers and hoped the others'' Skills would be just as good. I handed Willa a Spent Mana Crystal, and then hesitantly gave one to Jarred and my father. ¡°We need to figure out what skills you got. Then we¡¯ll decide who gets another Skill if what you have isn¡¯t the best. This thing can identify any of your Skills that are ranked C and below. Just push your Mana into the Crystal for five minutes.¡± Willa blinked and then nodded in understanding. She, like Dave, likely would have no trouble with this. Jarred and my father on the other hand, just stared back at me helplessly. ¡°Smegma, can you try to coach them?¡± ¡°Why do you always stick me with the idiots?¡± Smegma complained even as he floated over. ¡°Okay, so try picturing a small lake inside yourselves...¡± I tuned him out and moved behind Willa even as her Crystal glowed blue. Dave was on her other shoulder a few minutes behind me. Likely taking the time to further study his own Skill ¡®cards.¡¯ Two Cards fell into her hands, one the familiar blue of Mana. She, unlike Dave, flipped that one first.
Mana Funnel (Evolvable) (23) Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Mid-E-Rank Mana Funnel grows slowly but simultaneously reduces the Mana Cost of Skills when powered by personalized Mana. 9/23 Mana
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Shatter (1) Low-F-Rank Create devastation with a single blow. Only works against armored targets, ores and walls. Shatter will create cracks as the user intends, destroying armor, walls or deposits. 15 Mana Per Use
I blinked at the Skill. Willa blinked at the Card as well. Then turned to me with her mouth hanging open. Eventually she managed to close her mouth and wet her lips enough to exclaim, ¡°I¡¯ve known at least eight top-tier Specialists that use something like this!¡± While I was happy for her, and from the low Snake chuckle¡ªso was the Great Snake of Nagsynd. This Skill wasn¡¯t going to help us in our current situation. I glanced at Jarred and my father. Smegma¡¯s frustrated face told me most of the story. This might take them a while. So, I pointed to the Altar. ¡°Go get another Skill.¡± ¡°Wait¡ªwhat?¡± Willa exclaimed. ¡°I can¡¯t take another¡ª¡° ¡°You can and you will,¡± I ordered with a more emphatic point. Dave looked at me, clearly torn between jealousy and understanding. In the end he nodded and began to move to help coach Jarred and my dad. I shook my head. Then ordered, ¡°Go warm up by cooking some Fish for now.¡± We needed to start making headway on the Snake¡¯s Fish. I followed him to the Smithy, glad that Smegma didn¡¯t have to be beside me for the purchase of more cookware to work. Soon enough, the entire indentation in the top of the pedestal was filled with Mana Crystals and topped with very disgusting looking pans. Dave worked the foot pedal and started the fire again, even as I navigated the rooms and found a second Smithy. I loaded it up with Crystals from my necklace and then cookware from the Shop, mirroring the first room. I didn¡¯t start this one yet, but did realize that we hadn¡¯t tested the mechanism in this room yet. I shook my head. I didn¡¯t want to start the fire only to have no one working here, right? What was I thinking? The Snake had provided a pile of thousands of Mana Crystals. Running a necessary test with a few of them wasn¡¯t the huge loss I was making it out to be. I worked the foot pedal, and groaned as it didn¡¯t budge even as I ramped up the pressure, using all ten points of my Strength. Husk! I moved everything to a farther Smithy, and this time tried the mechanism first. It depressed, and so I loaded it up, and tried again. I was forced to wait impatiently, until I felt some heat rising from the space. With a massive sigh of relief, I rushed back to the Lake, passing by Dave. I could tell he was trying out Cut, since a great deal of the Fish steaks were portioned differently from my last check. I left him to it, figuring the better of a grasp he had on it, the faster gutting would be later. In the Lake cavern my father was staring at two Cards in Jarred¡¯s hands, while still holding his own Spent Mana Crystal between his own. I rushed over even as I asked, ¡°What did he get?¡± Smegma didn¡¯t answer, despite the fact that he was clearly reading the two Cards. I slid to a stop and hurriedly read for myself.
Mana Pool (Evolvable) (65) Mid-D-Rank A pool that can hold Mana. Depending on the uses the user puts the Mana to will determine the path of Evolution. Cannot grow in size before it evolves. 55/65 Mana
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Puncture (1) Low-E-Rank Use Mana to drive blows far deeper into targets than the user can with strength alone. 25 Mana Per Use
I frowned at the Pool which was larger and higher ranked than my own and then at Puncture. Wasn¡¯t that another Mining Skill? I looked over to Willa who was holding her head and chest. She was in front of the Altar, and the pile of Cores had shrunk. So, she¡¯d likely have gotten a third Skill. Thankfully she hadn¡¯t passed out, but I figured there was a reason she hadn¡¯t moved yet. That and her shallow breathing meant she needed some time. Still, Puncture wasn¡¯t going to help us with the hundred Fish. Sighing, I pointed to the Altar. ¡°Go get another Skill.¡± Jarred blinked at me, before looking at my father. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we wait¡ª¡° ¡°No, this idiot can¡¯t touch his Mana yet, and you can. Go!¡± Smegma ordered more firmly than I had. ¡°Now you,¡± he returned his attention to my dad. ¡°Let¡¯s try the Garden analogy¡­¡± It was another stressful fifteen minutes before Willa was ready to check her third Skill. My father still hadn¡¯t figured out the trick to using his Mana and was well into a talk on Electrical Conduits.
Heat (Evolvable) (1) Low-F-Rank Convert Mana to heat in an area or on a specified target. The more Mana used determines how fast the temperature will rise. The higher the temperature desired the more Mana used. 1 Mana for 10 degrees Celsius
While this was still likely a good Skill for Mining, it would also help her if she continued to Fish. I smiled and pointed to the shore and one of the two Rods. ¡°Go Fish, and use that Skill to keep yourself warm.¡± ¡°How do I use a Skill though?¡± She asked. I blinked, realizing that Dave had quite literally figured that part out on his own. I would make sure to compliment him if we made it out of here. Still, I did have the answer to this. Thanks to Minor Heal and Cleanse. Before anything else, I smacked my forehead and offered to Heal Willa. She smiled and reached out a hand. It took nearly thirty points of my Mana to get her healed, which surprised me, but also put into perspective how much the others would likely need it. ¡°Just a sec,¡± I said, and moved to the Lake¡¯s edge to collect one of the two remaining Mana Batteries. Then moving to each in turn I healed Jarred, who was just finishing getting ready for another Skill, and my dad. I looked through the Pens and nodded, ¡°Smegma, can you coach Willa on how to use her Skills. I¡¯m going to go heal Dave.¡± I rushed off, healed Dave and was back just after Jarred got his next Skill, or at least if his being passed out on the floor was any indication. I rushed to his side and sent in twenty points of Mana converted to Minor Heal. To my disappointment he didn¡¯t wake up. I guess that was a good thing though, because then it would have meant my own stupidity from earlier when everyone was passed out, had cost us time. Willa was already fishing, and a glance at Smegma got me a nod. She¡¯d picked up the Soul Synapses that quickly? Was she truly a genius? My father was still trying desperately to find his own Mana Pool and infuse it into the Spent Mana Crystal. There was nothing more I could do for administration. It was time for me to help with the task. I decided it would be best to help cook first and rushed out of the chamber with the refilled platter, Jarred had stocked what felt like an hour ago. Dave nodded to me as I passed. He was just picking up his own stone platter to carry it back to the group. ¡°Make sure everyone gets a small piece of that. We need to stay hydrated and fed!¡± ¡°Roger,¡± he gasped, sounding slightly constipated. The sound of exertion made me spin and I saw him struggling to lift the platter. Only then did I realize how heavy the thing was in my hands. Still, Dave did get it off the floor, if slowly. I couldn¡¯t micromanage everything or we were doomed to fail. 077 Tuesday, April 30th, 2069
Dexterity Increased by 1. Dexterity Stat Unlocked. --- Stats Strength: 10 Locked. Stamina: 7 Locked. Locked. Dexterity: 2 Locked.
The screen jerked me out of my routine, startling me enough that I missed the mana pulse slightly and felt the reel let out a great deal. I managed to get the next one back on time, and continue reeling thankfully. I left the Stat Screen open, though. Was every profession able to increase a Stat? Smegma gave me a look when I turned to regard him. I could tell he was not wanting me to ask anything about it aloud. It had been many hours since we¡¯d restarted working toward a hundred Fish. Thankfully, or perhaps unfortunately, my father had only taken another hour to figure out how to touch his Mana pool. The unfortunate part was that he too received a Skill, one I already knew.
Mining (Evolvable) (1) Low-D-Rank As you mine you slowly improve your understanding of minerals, ores, and crystals. As this Skill grows this individual will notice improvements to all actions related to Mining.
***
Mana Bowl (15) Low-E-Rank A bowl that can hold Mana. The amount in the bowl can grow, but the Skill isn¡¯t evolvable. 15/15 Mana
That meant he wasn¡¯t able to truly improve his speed at either cooking or fishing. Still, the fact that he could now fish, was helpful for rotating people out of the sweltering Smithies. I briefly considered having him simply use his Mining Skill above to quickly unlock his Strength Stat, but dismissed the idea after remembering how many shifts it had taken me to do the same. That Strength might help him reel in fish better or faster, but I¡¯d be enslaved to a snake demi-god long before he¡¯d likely manage to unlock it. Jarred¡¯s second Skill was proving to be far more valuable though, even though it too was meant for Mining.
Miner¡¯s Strength (Evolvable) (1) Low-F-Rank Strength Stat unlocked. Strength doubled when used in Caves or Mining specifically. Strength: 2
And yet, even with Jarred now easily carrying back and forth cooked or fileted Fish¡ªwe still weren¡¯t going to make it. Sure, we would be close, and were improving by the minute, but we were just too far behind. ¡°What¡¯s the count at?¡± I asked Smegma. ¡°Fifty-ssseven,¡± the Snake hissed happily. ¡°Withsss only eight hoursss remaining.¡± I scanned to my right and found Willa pulling another Mirror Fish out of the water. I pulled mine, and Dave looked like he would only be a few more minutes for his. That would make it close to seventy caught, I supposed. Smegma nodded at me, confirming my running count. While cooking was no longer the bottleneck it was, we were still thirteen caught behind. The way I figured it, we could catch one hundred before setting up another Smithy to cook. But to do it all in eight hours? I cast back out my line, and did notice some changes to the motion. I¡¯d discovered a few hours back that I could cast my line farther and deeper than anyone else, including Jarred, the only other one with a Strength Stat. Now, though, I could feel that the slightest twist of my wrist or pressure of my finger could direct the throw. It seemed obvious to me that this was a result of my Dexterity and rising Fishing Skill. That and my increasing Stamina made me wonder. Could I start going faster? Surely rising Stats had made all the famous Hunters I¡¯d heard of stronger. Well, I guess that wasn¡¯t true. I wasn¡¯t even sure all of them had unlocked Stats. But the ones who did, were stronger than those who didn¡¯t. The line bobbed and I heaved trying to use every ounce of my Strength. I simultaneously reeled, finding that the action was easier than before. In less than ten seconds I had a Fish on the shore. Sure I was breathing hard, but I didn¡¯t feel like I couldn¡¯t do it again. Cast, wait, and heave. My life became simple commands inside my own brain. Or was that Smegma saying it? ¡°Count?¡± I asked sometime later, approximately ten Fish after losing my running tally. ¡°Ninety-six with two more on the lines!¡± Smegma crowed. ¡°Cast!¡± Smegma ordered, confirming that the commands were indeed coming from him. The Lake rippled even as I heard two unfamiliar twangs from beside me. They sounded like someone strummed an out-of-tune guitar. My Mana Worm and line hit something before splashing into the Lake. ¡°Isssn¡¯t that too bad. I ssscared away all the fisssh,¡± the massive Snake hissed. I blinked even as my line in the water directly in front of it pulsed. No Fish latched onto it, and for very obvious reasons. ¡°You cheater,¡± Dave shouted, while pointing an accusatory finger at the Snake. The Snake¡¯s three eyes widened comically, and its tongue slithered out of its mouth mockingly. A rhythmic hiss sounded and I looked around as the strange noise bounced off the walls, and atop the water. Was the thing laughing? ¡°There wasss nothing in the contract that sssaid I couldn¡¯t prevent you from catching the fish,¡± the Snake mocked. ¡°You ssshould have read it more carefully.¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Blinking, I looked at Smegma. Not because I blamed the Demon, but because for the briefest instant, it looked like he smiled. My eyes didn¡¯t find what my peripherals thought they¡¯d seen. Smegma looked introspective, if I had to classify his hung head. The three of us who were on a Fishing shift, stared at the Snake and the Demon, waiting for something more. But it didn¡¯t come. Eventually, I got fed up. I wasn¡¯t ready to give up¡ª ¡°We¡¯re at ninety-six caught, let¡¯s go get them all cooked up,¡± I ordered. Simultaneously, standing and moving to Willa and Dave to collect the Fishing Rods. At Dave I said, ¡°Can you Filet the most recent catches?¡± Willa, when I reached her, had tears in her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, once, twice, and even a third time. Failing with each attempt. I put a steadying hand on her shoulder and said, ¡°We¡¯ll figure something out. Let¡¯s go help cook and carry.¡± Part of my forming plan to figure something out included Mana Coins, and the Demonic Shop. So, I moved to the Mana Crystal pile and sold a great deal before putting the others in my Necklace of Holding. Smegma hadn¡¯t moved, from his spot, since I¡¯d gotten up. He still hovered where the rock met the water¡ªthe Snake behind him in my view. It looked almost like the Snake was smiling at the Demon¡¯s misfortune. My teeth clenched hard enough to creak. Dave, who had grown more proficient with Cut over the last half a day, hurriedly gutted and portioned Mirror Fish. Willa took the Fish Steaks and stacked them on a rock plate and I moved to help. My father was surprised to see the heaping rock plate, as I carried it in, followed by Willa carrying her own. I continued through his Smithy to Jarred¡¯s, where Willa began slowly lowering her far-less full platter down. Jarred, was in the process of picking up a cooked platter on my arrival. ¡°I¡¯ll get these started,¡± I said, indicating the uncooked Fish with my head. ¡°Dave will have some more Filleted to carry back.¡± I wanted to say more. But the words caught in my chest. Everyone had been counting on me¡ª Between one step and the next, Smegma popped into space beside me, still in his introspective contemplations. My previous thought, and his look of defeat merged together, washing over my Mental Fortitude¡¯s insistence that his reaction was natural. ¡°Are you going to mope about, or try to come up with solutions?!¡± I shouted. Smegma started at the sudden shout, and Jarred flinched. My Uncle, with his stack of cooked fish on a large stone, stopped and began turning back around. I hurriedly shook my head and motioned with a hand for him to keep going. I hadn¡¯t meant to shout. But having the Demon giving up, accepting Slavery, not to mention the death of my group wasn¡¯t acceptable either. Surely together we could come up with something. ¡°What?¡± Smegma said quietly, before seeing my face. I could feel my jaw clenching, and I didn¡¯t think the sweltering furnace was the sole reason for my face burning with heat. Then he narrowed his eyes, looked back to the Lake, and then spun on me. His voice rose to match mine. ¡°I warned you about reading through the details of terms and conditions. Sure this is different, but I¡¯m not the only one who failed to see the Snake¡¯s husking loophole!¡± ¡°What¡¯s done is done,¡± I shouted back. ¡°We¡¯ve got three hundred thousand Mana Coins¡ªsurely your stupid Sect has some Mirror Fish!¡± ¡°Right, because I suggested buying Mana Apples when there were other food options¡­¡± Smegma said, the sarcasm was so thick¡ªI could taste it. I wanted to shout back, but knew he was right. Angrily, I began slamming Fish down into the much improved Cookware, while muttering curses at Smegma, the Snake, and just about anyone. It went a long way to venting my current mood, which eventually let my brain start thinking. ¡°What if all five of us Fish off five different spots around the Lake, and shelf?¡± I asked. ¡°Sure, cause that Snake isn¡¯t able to spread out and take up the entirety of the place,¡± Smegma said, shooting down my first idea. The anger resurfaced and I began muttering again, but thankfully it also vented far faster too. ¡°Okay, what about entering the Lake and fighting them?¡± ¡°Brodie, you barely defeated White Goblins, and are thinking about taking on a Fish in its elemental advantage?¡± ¡°What? We¡¯re supposed to just roll over and let our friends die then?¡± I argued. In that moment I meant it too. I truly meant that it would be better to fight a Mirror Fish and lose my life than do nothing and become a slave that let the others die. Smegma¡¯s face morphed into something I couldn¡¯t read. The only thing I could get from it was that the Demon was conflicted. His mouth formed a half-sneer and his jaw clenched¡ªwhile his eyes looked at me like I was a lost kitten. My fists clenched around one of the uncooked Fish Steaks, turning it into a paste between my fingers. I threw it into one of the smaller pans making it splat as it landed. Did the Demon think I wouldn¡¯t wade out into those waters because of the risk? Husk him and husk the stupid Naggy Snake! * * * ¡°How much time do we have left?¡± My father asked, his voice resigned. ¡°Should be just over an hour,¡± Smegma answered, sounding just as fatalistic. I glared at the Demon, but cooking the rest of the Fish had given me enough time to calm down enough that I didn¡¯t start screaming again. ¡°I still think I need to go into the lake and catch them as they attack me,¡± I growled. ¡°Nope,¡± Dave said, startling me. I transferred my glare to him. ¡°What do you suggest then? I¡¯m the only one that can husking see them!¡± ¡°Would seeing an Evolved Shark coming, change anything?¡± Jarred asked. ¡°Sharks are classified as C to B grade threats. Mirror Fish can¡¯t be higher than E to D!¡± ¡°You¡¯re forgetting that facing an E grade threat in the water immediately jumps its rank by one or two!¡± No, I wasn¡¯t forgetting that. Smegma had already explained it to me multiple times. ¡°I still haven¡¯t heard any other options!¡± ¡°You should try the plan you had originally,¡± Smegma suggested. ¡°Buy two more rods, and cast from as far away from each other as you can. We only need to get lucky and catch four Fish!¡± Everyone nodded, agreeing with that plan and I partially wanted to shake each and every one of them. Smegma had rejected that plan before I came up with the other. So, we were abandoning something that I thought had a better chance of success to go with a long shot? Smegma looked at me and then put a nail in the ¡®coffin.¡¯ ¡°Since it looks like Brodie still plans to jump in to save the day. I suggest Jarred stays right beside him on the shore. The rest of you, take the ledges.¡± The Demon was reading my thoughts again, and of course he had chosen the best option to stay beside me. The only other Group member with a Strength stat! I pointed at Smegma, ¡°You¡¯re an asshole!¡± ¡°I thought we established I don¡¯t have one of those!¡± Smegma countered. Somehow his comment almost made me laugh, and allowed the tension to escape my body. I knew that if we didn¡¯t catch anything after thirty minutes or so, I would still jump into the Lake, Jarred be damned, but I supposed giving my first plan a chance, wouldn¡¯t hurt. Going back to the Lake was far harder than it should have been. Since we didn¡¯t have any platters of Fish to bring. Since, I was the last to enter it even looked comical. Four Miners carrying fishing poles, with a monstrous half illuminated and mostly submerged World-Ending Snake in the background. What was this, a husking Anime? The Snake watched us lazily as we spread out. It¡¯s tongue flicking into and out of its mouth. The further we moved from each other the more it seemed to realize the intention of our plan. Eventually it laughed, sounding like a boiling kettle. ¡°Thisss isss foolisssh. Perhapsss if you sssurrender, I¡¯ll let the othersss live, and return home!¡± I blinked and was about to shout my agreement to the offer when Smegma flew in front of me. ¡°Don¡¯t husking agree, you moron. Listen to the wording. Have you learned nothing? Perhaps doesn¡¯t mean he will!¡± The boiling kettle laugh returned, and ended with a click of the Snake¡¯s jaws. ¡°I¡¯m only missing four Fisssh. And look at thisss. One, two, three, four sssimiansss to take their place!¡± The hissing laughter intensified, and my jaw popped in my ears, as I clenched teeth together. This asshat really wanted to provoke us before killing my friends and enslaving me! My mind whirred as I desperately tried to think of a solution. I still had two hundred and sixty thousand mC. Could I purchase a weapon to help in the water? Maybe there¡¯d be a Demonic wetsuit. Did Demon¡¯s swim? ¡°We don¡¯t. Well, we can. We just hate it. Now shut up and stick to the plan,¡± Smegma said. ¡°Time left?¡± I growled. Smegma ran his tongue over fangs and said, ¡°Fifty-five minutes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you till thirty. But if we don¡¯t catch any Fish, by then. I¡¯m diving in. Better dead than a slave!¡± Jarred grew tense beside me, and Smegma sighed before pointing out to the lake. ¡°Get to casting then.¡± Ten minutes later, I was positive the plan wasn¡¯t going to work. Why? Well, we¡¯d hooked at least four Fish, to cheers and whoops of the person whose line pulsed. Only for the Fish and half the Mana Line to vanish¡­ Clearly, the Snake wasn¡¯t going to let us reel in four Fish! I threw my rod into my Necklace, and got into a sprinters stance. ¡°Sit on him!¡± Smegma ordered Jarred. Then there were arms wrapped around my waist. I grabbed both wrists and pried my uncle''s grip open. Stepping out of it. I let him go with a warning look, and spun to re-attempt my jog into the Lake. Jarred¡¯s arms wrapped around me again. This time tighter. I growled even as I moved to repeat my earlier action of prying them apart. Something hit me from the side, overbalancing me since I hadn¡¯t expected it. Still, my Strength and likely Dexterity stopped me from going down. Until two more collisions occurred and I was flattened under all four of my companions. ¡°You can¡¯t just give up!¡± I growled from the bottom of the scrum like pile. ¡°Let me go. I can catch Four manually given enough time. ¡°Stop fighting you imbecile!¡± Smegma said with his usual haughty annoyance that I hadn¡¯t heard in a long while. It was so out of place that I did in fact stop fighting the others, and raised my head to look at the Demon. He wore a fang-revealing smile. This husking Greed betrayed me? 078 Tuesday, April 30th, 2069 ¡°What the husk, Smegma?¡± I shouted. I angled my head to glare at the rest of the group. ¡°Why are you all helping him and the Snake?¡± I felt most of the hands holding me down slacken slightly, but the weight of three men and a woman was still a bit too much for me to struggle out from. Not specifically because of a lack of Strength. But the weight was shifting, and spread unevenly. That didn¡¯t stop me from trying, though, and eventually the group redoubled their holds when I started to squeeze free. ¡°Stop, Brodie,¡± my dad pleaded. ¡°Even if we die here, isn¡¯t it better that someone lives?¡± ¡°But we could all live if Smegma hadn¡¯t betrayed us!¡± I shouted, and glared at the Demon. Smegma¡¯s face confused me. Was he¡­ hurt? The others looked at him too and I could feel their confusion at the situation as well. ¡°Remember that talk about trust?¡± Smegma whispered, his voice definitely conveying pain. Those words made my heart pang in my chest, like a reverberating string of a guitar. My emotions and the situation told me he was betraying my desires, and I had thought it was because he¡¯d rather not die himself. However, my brain was telling me something else entirely. I shouldn¡¯t have jumped to conclusions. I should have trusted him. Why I should have done those things were total guesses, but I could recall the Demon¡¯s small smile when the Snake put its foot on the proverbial scale of this task. My breath stuttered in as I fought my assumptions back¡ªtrying to calm my body and feelings of betrayal that seemed to be far stronger and resistant to my attempts than they should be. Finally, I did manage to get enough control to say, ¡°What do you mean, Smegma? Aren¡¯t you stopping me so we¡ªno, you can live?¡± Smegma blinked, even as he gained an introspective look. Then he chuckled. ¡°Well yes, there is part of that in this decision I suppose. But if you had just kept trying to Fish, we could have bent this stupid Snake over Hellhound Style!¡± The air around the lake had always been cold, but after Smegma¡¯s words it became arctic. Three eyes shone in the darkness of the deeper water, and they carried nothing but malice. The entire lake reverberated like a tuning fork as a loud threatening bellow sounded out. ¡°It¡¯sss time for you all to die,¡± the Great Snake of Nagsynd hissed. Then it struck. I¡¯d never been able to see it move before, but this time, it must have deliberately struck in slow motion so I¡ªno, so we could see our demise coming. A gong sounded out, canceling out the bellow, but I was too busy pissing myself to notice. A few other warm spots appeared on my body, as my group, currently atop me¡ªalso lost control of their bowels. I didn¡¯t even blame them. ¡°What isss thisss?¡± The Snake exclaimed, sounding like it had food in its snake mouth. Its exclamation startled me enough to make a realization. I could see the ¡®strike¡¯ because it wasn¡¯t moving closer. Three more gongs, at a much reduced volume, sounded out when the massive serpent pulled back and pushed forward to try and close. But it was like it was being stopped by a wall of air. Each time that ¡®wall¡¯ stopped it, a gong sounded. The first one must have been the loudest because he had been striking at full speed. ¡°This is what you get for giving out a task, signing a contract and trying to cheat!¡± Smegma crowed. The Demon didn¡¯t even bother looking over his shoulder at the Snake, instead, regarding the group¡ªno, regarding me with a smug, ¡®I told you so,¡¯ smile. I grimaced, realizing that the Demon and I weren¡¯t finished with the ¡®trust talk¡¯, but he was going to put it on simmer, while he dealt with this. Still, I nodded to convey something of an apology. Obviously it was easy to say I should have trusted Smegma, given the current situation¡­ But it was infinitely harder in the moment to have done so, when I thought he was ruining the chance of my friends and family surviving to save his summoner. It felt like a flimsy excuse even as I thought it. Smegma¡¯s smile grew, and I knew he was listening to my thoughts. Still why in the hell hadn¡¯t he just mentally told me, any of this? [Cause you''re a piss poor actor. Remember when I lied about the Mana Battery, and you couldn¡¯t even look up? You would¡¯ve given it away. Then the Snake could have come up with a different way to tilt the scales. Plus, we¡¯ve never figured out if it can husking hear us!] I met Smegma¡¯s eyes, and let a small acknowledging smile come onto my face. He was right¡ªmy acting Skills weren¡¯t even up to SwiftGrammer standards. ¡°So, Great Slithered,¡± Smegma said, as he turned around. ¡°You thought you could cheat a System-signed contract and get away with it?¡± ¡°There isss nothing in the contract that forbidsss my intervention!¡± The Snake complained, even as it sounded the air wall gong again in frustration. ¡°I cheated nothing!¡± ¡°Ahh, you must come from a time before the System adopted Implied Terms,¡± Smegma continued to gloat, likely being intentionally vague. A low menacing bellow sounded again, but this time Smegma laughed. ¡°There is nothing you can do, you stupid overlarge noodle. In fact, when the Portal closes, I think you might gain a bit more of the System¡¯s scrutiny than you wanted.¡± ¡°What? Sssurely you jessst. The Sssyssstem caresss little about the weak!¡± ¡°What System do you speak of? How long have you been on this planet preparing for Ascension Stupid-Snake?¡± ¡°What doesss that have to do withsss anything? The ssstronger I am, the better chance I¡¯ll have to defeat the invadersss and Ascend! How is that ssstupid?¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Smegma tilted his head, blinked and then looked back at me with wide eyes. No, he wasn¡¯t looking at me, I realized. He was looking at us, as a whole. Why became evident in a moment when he stated, ¡°You are going to be an opponent for the Seven Deadly Trials!¡± ¡°Of course,¡± the Snake said, while tilting his head. ¡°Wait¡ªare you not aware of thisss?¡± Smegma began tapping a talon to tooth, clearly contemplating what this meant. Before he could get too engrossed in a scientific hypothesis, I shouted, ¡°What is the System doing, and why do you think the Snake is husked?¡± ¡°Husssked?¡± The Snake asked, clearly unfamiliar with the term. ¡°I¡¯ve ssshed recently, though?¡± Thankfully my interruption did startle Smegma enough that he stopped making his ¡®thinking¡¯ face, and pointed at the wall. ¡°The System has deemed there has been a break in the Contract. The Snake gave us a task, and signed a contract, but then intentionally, and personally attempted to prevent us from fulfilling its request. It¡¯s something like your world¡¯s insider trading. Or maybe more similar to Game Fixing?¡± The wet spots on my clothing suddenly became gross and uncomfortable, as I shook the others off of me. They didn¡¯t struggle and so I was able to push myself up, and then slowly stand, as I considered the Demon¡¯s implication. The System had deemed the Snake to have cheated and fixed the results so it could get what it wanted! ¡°So, we¡¯re going to live?¡± Dave asked, his voice barely a whisper. Smegma huffed out a breath, in clear amusement. ¡°Yes, dumb¡ª¡° The cheering of the group cut him off. It took me a second, but then I joined them. We hugged, no one even commented on feeling uncomfortable from the stains in their crotch regions. They were going to live¡ªand I wasn¡¯t going to be a slave! The merriment cut off rather abruptly as the Snake shouted, ¡°You will explain what you meant about the Sssyssstem!¡± Smegma gave the Snake a look he usually reserved for me, when he thought I was being particularly dense. ¡°I have no obligation to tell you anything, reptile!¡± ¡°A trade then?¡± The Snake offered, after it bellowed again in frustrated anger. ¡°I will tell you what I know about the Assscension Trialsss, if you tell me about what you meant about the Sssyssstem!¡± ¡°You first, I¡¯m not about to trust someone who just cheated.¡± To my surprise and everyone else¡¯s, if the gasps from beside me were telling, the Snake nodded its head. ¡°Asss you wisssh. Two Dragonsss came out of the Portal, on Nagsssin. They claimed to be children of the one who Assscended when she defeated the Naga Contendersss.¡± ¡°So, they too faced a Dragon?¡± Smegma whispered. ¡°Yesss, sssuposssedly it isss very common to find Dragonsss in the Trialsss. They told me why on their deathhhbedsss.¡± The Snake paused for a moment, tried the air wall one more time, creating a gong and then coiled itself up with a sigh. ¡°The Minor Beastsss of this planet will join me when I challenge a Contending raccce. The reassson that the challenge is usually Dragonsss, isss rather sssimple. Only the Leading Monster of the Portalsss getsss to Assscend. So, the she-dragon in thisss cassse sssent her children here, to conquer Nagsssin and Assscend asss well!¡± ¡°But you defeated them?!¡± Smegma replied, seeming to connect dots I was still having trouble even identifying. ¡°Yesss. My victory sssurprisssed the two Dragon children. They ssseeemed to expect an easssy time killing the creaturesss of Nagsssin.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why the massive Wyrm Worms we fought on Crendalar are now on our planet!¡± ¡°Possssibly?¡± The Snake responded. ¡°I cannot sssay. Still, all that¡¯sss left on Nagsssin now, is my offssspring, and food. It¡¯sss why I am ready to challenge the Trialsss. To ssstart my legacccy!¡± ¡°Can someone be explainin¡¯ that in English?¡± Willa asked, looking at each of the others but finally settling on Smegma. ¡°Simply put, I think the Snake is saying that the Trials are essentially pitting a race ready to Ascend against a Monster ready to Ascend. Furthermore, the Dragons have created a sort of inheritance or bloodline, where they defeat a race, and send their children to the defeated planet to prepare to Ascend themselves?¡± Smegma turned the last part into a question, which the Snake nodded in affirmation to. ¡°So, we have to face Dragons in the trials? Or something like¡ªthat?¡± Dave asked, seeming to try to think of a way to describe the Snake but eventually failing, and just motioning at it nervously. ¡°Only now, talking to you, do I realizzze that thisss knowledge is not widely known. Dissscusssing it, makesss me happy. I made the right decisssion. Now the Sssyssstem.¡± ¡°That¡¯s rather simple but also complicated,¡± Smegma said with a wince. ¡°I¡¯ve been through each planet since my own¡ª¡° ¡°You¡¯ve been on every planet, and failed to Assscend?¡± The Snake asked with clear mocking in its tone. Smegma¡¯s head fell but he did say, ¡°Yes all five.¡± ¡°Five?¡± The Snake asked derisively. ¡°The Sssyssstem has at least a hundred Competitorsss at any given moment. Maybe thousssandsss!¡± Smegma¡¯s head shot up, and he canted his head back and away from the Snake. His body language seemed to reject the claim. The Snake began laughing. ¡°Maybe you are not the bessst perssson to be lecturing me on the Sssyssstem.¡± The Demon¡¯s arms crossed, and then he chuckled himself. ¡°Maybe not, but you still don¡¯t seem to be aware that the System updates, learns, and changes.¡± ¡°Of courssse I know that!¡± The Snake hissed. ¡°Then how did you not know about Implied Terms?¡± Smegma asked, seeming genuinely curious. ¡°If it isss not written down, it isss not enforcccible!¡± The Snake countered. ¡°So, did your System have verbal contracts, then?¡± ¡°Verbal contractsss? No, what are they?¡± ¡°Your first request for the hundred Fish, and letting us live would have constituted a verbal contract¡ªor what was sometimes called a Quest. Essentially, you asked for something, and we were trying to fulfill your request. So, until the end of said Quest, you couldn¡¯t have harmed us, or hindered us.¡± ¡°This is not sssomething that exissstsss, sssurely. It would be usssed to¡ª¡° The Snakes head snapped up. ¡°¡ªThat¡¯sss why you made the offer in the firssst place!¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Smegma glanced back at me, his eyes twinkling with amused superiority. I couldn¡¯t help but think that cockiness was going to get us in trouble one day. ¡°Sssmart!¡± The Snake complimented. ¡°Explain more of thessse changesss to the Sssyssstem¡ªI¡¯ll ssstop you if I know it already!¡± There wasn¡¯t much time left, but Smegma used it to fulfill his part of the verbal contract with the Snake. Explaining all the changes he knew of since the System was on Crendalar Five. Most of those changes the Snake was aware of, but it seemed to have a rather obvious blind spot. Things that would be considered parts of the System that changed due to societies. Things that made contracts, negotiations and deals on a planet or between races safer. When the timer for the Portal closing finished counting down, the entire Cavern and lake shore, usually illuminated in the metallic yellow of the crystals, went gray. I scanned my group, and found them all frozen in place. Smegma hovered over to me with a smug smile, and the Snake hissed angrily at a large screen that had appeared in front of it. Then a screen popped up in front of me. 079 Tuesday, April 30th, 2069
Contract Reparations {[Redacted] the Great Snake of Nagsind}, hereby referred to as [Nagina] has offered a Contract, that threatened death. Under System laws of protection 2005.3-1 [Nagina] has prevented the successful completion of the terms 12 times, and attempted to take the lives of the [Brodie¡¯s Party] 23 times. This results in 35 breaks of the contracts implied terms. Reparations are set! 1 accepted item of Low Quality for each breach. 1 accepted item of Mid Quality for every 5 Breaches. 1 accepted item of High Quality for every 10 Breaches. Failure to meet [Brodie¡¯s Party¡¯s] terms will result in System Sanctions on [Nagina]. Negotiations have begun between representatives of both parties.
¡°I¡¯ve given you and your ssstupid group far more than thirty-five low-ranked itemsss. End thisss farce.¡± ¡°Ahhh, but that was to help the group with completion of your Task,¡± Smegma answered, his voice filled with condescension. ¡°You truly wanted to have cooked Fish, Nagina.¡± ¡°Do not call me by that name!¡± Nagina exclaimed. ¡°That name is only allowed to be spoken by my children!¡± Something clearly was restraining Nagina, because the heat in her words was greater than anything I¡¯d heard to date. I¡¯m positive she would have paired it with an attempt on my life. ¡°Thisss is ssstupid!¡± She complained a moment later, her body seeming to tremble with unchecked rage. ¡°The boy still is holding hundredsss if not thousandsss of Crystalsss of mine. Take them all, I have more important thingsss to do!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how this works, Nagina,¡± Smegma said. ¡°Can you prove ownership of those Crystals?¡± ¡°He usssed nine high-ranked coresss, thossse I can prove ownerssship of!¡± ¡°Again, stupid-snake, they were given in good faith to complete your Task. Had you not given them, you¡¯d have been in Breach of Contract for initiating an impossible Quest, and we¡¯d be right back here in the same position. If you continue to negotiate in bad faith. We¡¯ll be forced to let the System Sanction you. I think you and I both know how well that would go for your Ascension.¡± I realized I had become nothing more than a spectator to this ¡®trial,¡¯ and I was quite alright with that. There were the obvious reasons, like Smegma knowing more about the System. But, there was one reason I knew I could never be the leader in this situation. Each time the idiot-Demon insulted the massively powerful Snake I shivered, flinched or twitched. If I was honest, I would have just taken the Crystals and fled. What if the powerful Snake came back to exact revenge? Smegma gave me a look, clearly reading my thoughts as the Snake trembled and snapped its jaws in the background. I could tell that its rage was truly reaching a crescendo, as spit or perhaps globs of venom flew from its jaws. [Maybe ease off with the provocations?] I suggested to the Demon. To my surprise, he nodded in agreement, even as his face grew worried. [Yeah, maybe you¡¯re right. It¡¯s kinda equal parts fun and terrifying, but it¡¯s not really getting us anywhere.] I guess he hadn¡¯t really expected this large of a reaction. It was like watching a full grown man throw a tantrum like a child. One where he slammed his fists and legs into the floor. Where he clearly had lost control, and couldn¡¯t even form a single thought in his head. [It¡¯s like she¡¯s a child,] I finally concluded. Thanks in a large part to what I was witnessing, and just compared it to. Smegma blinked several times but then nodded. ¡°Great Nagina, we do not wish to see you under Sanctions. We wish to send you off to Ascend. Surely you have many items you¡¯ve collected over your long life. Items you care little for but may help us? You¡¯ve seen how the System has responded to your acts of bad faith. Imagine its response if you were to instead, act in good faith and provide something that would be legitimately beneficial.¡± Thankfully, Nagina¡¯s snapping jaws, and vibrating body slowed and then stilled. She turned all three massive yellow eyes on us, narrowed them, but then somehow seemed to shrug? Then what could only be described as a mountain of items fell into space exactly between her and me. I stared as the mountain settled. What was all this? The fact that I could see plate armor, bows, swords, spears and other assorted Hunter gear in the pile made my heart catch. Still, it was the larger pieces of gear that made me blink. I guess I had found where the items that used to be found in the Naga Complex had gone. There were even beds, each of which was large for a human but equivalent to a toothpick to the Great Snake. There were flasks, beakers, graduated cylinders, and other equipment I thought could be used for Alchemy. Was that the Smithy and Forge equipment? Were those living plants? Animal skeletons? Oh, shit! Two Skeletons in the pile stood out far more than the rest. First that was because they were easily the size of eight or nine T-rex¡¯s. But the size wasn¡¯t what made me stare. It was the shape and predatory implications the thing carried. They were so much more than ¡®dinosaurs,¡¯ so much more than ¡®predators.¡¯ Even Dragon Skeletons were majestic, terrifying and proud? I shivered and looked behind the pile at the Snake, and then Smegma spoke into my mind. [She killed two of those and kept their husking skeletons!] Smegma visibly swallowed, seeming to realize just who or perhaps what he had just sent into apoplectic rage. I swallowed too, and immediately prayed to any God listening, that this thing didn¡¯t hold grudges. The glare from three yellow hate-filled eyes I met over the top of the treasure mountain, told me that only one ¡®god¡¯ was listening, and it apparently did, in fact, hold grudges. [Husking Greed Demon,] I swore. The target was Smegma but also the situation. Why had we ended up in a collapsed Mine with a damn Universe Snake, or whatever the Demon called the thing. ¡°We¡¯ll choose items from this pile, and be on our way, Great Nagina,¡± Smegma said, his voice back to meek. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I told you not to call me that!¡± Nagina responded, each word snapped out, accompanied by her clicking jaw. ¡°But, Great Nagina. You said that only your children were allowed to speak your hallowed name. After all the time we¡¯ve spent together, I feel like you¡¯ve become like a mother to me, so please¡ªallow me this small favor.¡± The demon bowed low and with a flourish that would make a court jester blush. The next hiss rattled the walls of the cavern as rocks and stalactites fell from the ceiling overhead. One enormous sample of which smashed into the ground inches from me. [Are you out of your mind? Knock it off and stop using her husking name!] I complained, even as I repressed a shiver. Even Smegma shivered and went silent for a long moment. Not even moving toward the pile. Thankfully, Mental Fortitude wasn¡¯t affected by the Snake and even pointed something out. We had an opportunity to nab three potentially very useful objects of the Snake¡¯s, depending on how well we chose. Objects that would not only help immediately with Mining Contracts, but for a very long time afterward. ¡°Oh,¡± I muttered and then coughed as it came out slightly squeaky. ¡°Great One, could we also choose things like the Mana Batteries you lent us for the Task?¡± The Snake blinked, then narrowed its eyes. ¡°Why did you have me pull out thisss ssstuff, if you already had itemsss you wissshed for!¡± That drew my ¡®courage¡¯ up short. Was I about to piss the Snake off further if I answered, since I destroyed its Mana Battery and then kind of forgot about it? ¡°We only have two Mana Batteries, Great One,¡± Smegma answered, following my lead and returning to the moniker the Snake had accepted in the past. ¡°To fully clear this debt, we¡¯d need to pick five¡ª¡° Smegma froze, as something popped up in front of him and me.
Contract Reparations [Nagina] has attempted to kill [Brodie] 7 more times during Negotiations. 42 Breaches Occurred
[Was the System listening?] I asked mentally. Shocked at the response and timing of the notification. ¡°Sorry, it seems to clear this debt we must choose twenty-two more Reparation items or two more High Quality and two Low Quality ones.¡± Smegma¡¯s voice had shifted once again. This time seeming like a salesman trying to do the Snake a favor. ¡°We still only wish to help you avoid the System¡¯s notice.¡± Smegma added, acting every ounce the slimy car-salesman. ¡°Cccertainly,¡± the Snake hissed. It¡¯s voice confused. It was then, I realized that in some ways it truly was a child. A child with unimaginable power, but mentally just that. A Child. Surely we could turn this around. [Let¡¯s pick one more Mana Battery, another High Grade item, and we should probably accept the Crystals as the remaining payment?] I sent to Smegma. [Call it an act of goodwill, a toast to its bright future, or something.] Smegma looked at me and rolled his eyes. Then motioned me forward to look at the pile with him. I did so, even as Smegma multitasked and said, ¡°We will choose one another Mana Battery, a High Grade Item from this pile, and then to show our goodwill, we will accept the Mana Crystals already provided by the Great One¡ªto zero her Karmic Debt.¡± Nagina¡¯s eyes narrowed again, but then widened happily. Her head bobbed up and down in agreement. I heaved out a sigh of relief, earning her attention and suspicion for a moment. I coughed and said, ¡°I¡¯m just relieved that we could help you, Great One.¡± Mental Fortitude pulsed. Well not really, because I didn¡¯t know where that Skill resided. Still, something in my mind shuddered, and then expanded. My eyes narrowed slowly to slits as I looked into the eyes of the Snake. Gone was the strange feeling I¡¯d had a moment before. Like fog in the sun the notion of child-like innocence evaporated. [Oh, Husk. It¡¯s using a Skill on me!] Smegma spun on me, his black eyes so round it was almost comical. His mouth slowly fell open as he gave the smallest of nods. We were being played, but if I was honest¡ªmy first thought wasn¡¯t that we should retaliate. It was that we should pretend to let Nagina ¡®win.¡¯ ¡°Surely, you have other items to offer as well¡ªNagina,¡± Smegma stated, even as a smirk broke out onto his face. [Mother-husker!] I swore. Nagina¡¯s eyes fully returned to baleful hate, as she began to vibrate and spit globs of poison ineffectually again. This time not in some sort of act, but in true anger at being discovered. Unfortunately, the window for negotiations already had three items confirmed and accepted. One S-Rank Mana Battery and Two A-Ranked ones as well. Where had the third Mana Battery come from? I looked down to my hand, and discovered I had picked on up in whatever fugue state the Snake had placed me under. I truly had been under some type of mind control¡ªbut Mental Fortitude had helped me with it! Why was it unfortunate that I¡¯d accepted the two unbroken Mana Battery¡¯s and accidentally picked up another? Because the Mountainous pile grew to at least double its previous size, occluding Nagina from my sight. I was nearly one hundred percent sure, we could have found three S-rank Mana Batteries in there¡ªif nothing else. With the pile of new treasure I heard more than saw the Snake stopping its temper tantrum. And yet, despite the choices on clear display there was only one thing my eyes focused on. The why, was hard to explain. But every time I looked at the things that drew my eyes¡ªbecause there were more than one, I couldn¡¯t look away. They were clearly scales, and by some power of immense deductive reasoning¡­ I could tell they were Dragon Scales. Two in particular exuded an allure that I couldn¡¯t resist. In fact, I didn¡¯t even remember walking over to the larger black one. Or reaching out to run my hand over it. ¡°We¡¯ll take this,¡± I said, before I fully thought the decision through. ¡°Hold on¡ª¡± Smegma began to complain, but the menacing bellowing growl and subsequent hiss drew the Demon up short of finishing his complaint. ¡°You dare choossse the Heart Scale of [Static],¡± I could tell the Snake clearly didn¡¯t speak the strange static noise. But what it had actually said was entirely indiscernible. I tried to think back on it, and found a sharp stabbing migraine whenever I tried to recall the specific word for the name the Snake had used. As soon as I stopped looking for the word, it went away. ¡°Pick your two other Low Ranked itemsss, Contendersss. I¡¯ll be ssseeing you.¡± The hissed threat practically shut down my brain. I¡¯d husked up. Bad! Exactly what I had wanted to avoid, I had just done. ¡°Ahh, but stupid Nagina, did you forget that you tried to kill us¡ªlook at that ten more times?!¡± Smegma interjected¡ªand I slowly turned horror stricken eyes on him. Okay, blaming myself might have been premature. All three of the Snake¡¯s eyes narrowed, and I could feel the baleful hate radiating from the creature. Seeing the Snake in this state, made me shiver even as I internally raged against the damn Demon. [Smegma, what the actual husk!] ¡°Well, then Great One,¡± Smegma said, his tone back to overly pleasant. ¡°We¡¯ll simply take the other Scale and two more of the smaller black scales,¡± Smegma said in my place. I heard him and my brain attempted a reboot. Had he just claimed the second Heart Scale? I glanced down at it and then the Scales that surrounded the two large shield like scales my hands were unconsciously caressing. I started and pulled back my hands as if they were burned. The smaller ones held an allure to me as well, but were simply overshadowed by the two ¡®Heart Scales.¡¯ ¡°Agreeeeed.¡± The Snake said, its mouth barely moving as it drew out the word. Just the utterance felt like a razor peeling back my skin. ¡°Now, let usss end thisss Sssyssstem farce! Just know Brodie Flacarada, Grubsssack called Smegma, I¡¯ve heard all your communications! Me or my children will find you!¡± The grayscale to the world vanished, as did the two Heart Scale, and two of the smaller ones. In fact, the entire mountain of treasure was missing. Still, I only was concerned with the¡ª Nagina struck! Well, she vanished, and I thought I saw just a hint of her open mouthed-strike before everything around me changed. We were back in the public park we¡¯d entered the Portal from on Earth. I scanned around myself, seeing my group doing the same, even as I realized the park wasn¡¯t the same as it had been when we set out¡­ How many days ago had that been? How long had we been down there? I didn¡¯t get a chance to voice those questions, since my brain cataloged the most pressing change to the public park. The armed ¡®soldiers¡¯ pointing every manner of gun at my group. Then of course, there were the hastily erected concrete barriers that were just in front of the temporary fencing that had been there on our entrance. The scene of weapons trained on me was terrifying certainly, but my body found it distinctly hard to find the mundane action as terrifying as Nagina had been. I slowly raised my hands over my head and saw the rest of my group follow my lead. Smegma didn¡¯t, and I just hoped he had turned himself invisible before any of these guys saw him. ¡®Cause if a floating winged Demon exiting a closed Portal wasn¡¯t a reason to start shooting. I didn¡¯t know what was¡ª 080 Tuesday, April 30th, 2069 ¡°Down! On the ground!¡± Someone with a commanding voice shouted. I may not have been the first to lie flat, but I certainly followed that instruction as quickly as I could. A glance up told me that everyone else had as well. ¡°What Guild are they from?¡± Someone asked, the voice somewhat overridden by weapons being lowered or holstered again. ¡°No clue,¡± someone answered, sounding shocked. ¡°I can¡¯t believe another Guild was threatened enough to send a strike-force in to try and close our Permanent Portal!¡± ¡°What kind of strike-force gets caught and lays down obediently? Also, if they closed it, doesn¡¯t that mean it wasn¡¯t permanent?¡± Another voice asked even as boots approached in measured steps. I also heard velcro tear multiple times. ¡°The smart ones.¡± A grizzled voice chuckled. ¡°Mission¡¯s accomplished, ain''t it? Whoever sent ¡®em will buy ¡®em back and give ¡®em a nice bonus to boot.¡± I heard the grizzled voice pause to spit, then continue, ¡°Still could-of been a Permanent Portal, if it was some sorta hidden Boss, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s total bullsh¡ª¡± ¡°Stay down, and don¡¯t resist!¡± The commanding voice ordered, from nearly atop me, drowning out the rest of the voices. I tried scanning my eyes toward the voice, but found ten identically dressed individuals with masks pulled up over faces. ¡°Hands behind your back,¡± a female voice said firmly from beside me and I blinked for just a moment, trying to make sense of why someone would give that order. I got a poke from a gun muzzle in response. ¡°I said hands behind your back you husking greed!¡± The second time she said it, I didn¡¯t need to think twice and followed her orders. Instead of the expected cuffs, I felt something being slid over both of my hands, and then heard the repetitive clicks of zip-ties locking down. The woman wasn¡¯t friendly with her pressure, and I could instantly feel the plastic digging into my wrists. ¡°Get them up and to the command tent!¡± The first voice spoke again. From the startled groans from my group I could tell that my jailor took a moment longer to register the order, but when she did she yanked on the zip-ties, which were painfully digging into my wrists. The pull caused my shoulders to reach the edges of their range of motion, which was quite painful. In no way did her pressure help me get to my feet, and I cursed under my breath as the pain of the plastic digging into my wrist intensified and was joined by the two wrenched shoulders. Despite her best attempts to unbalance me, I fought to my feet. In fact, I was surprised by how well I¡¯d managed the feat while my balance was completely off. I was kinda proud of myself. I hadn¡¯t even been working out. [It¡¯s the Dexterity, idiot. I¡¯d move your butt. That girl looks like she¡¯s not messing around. Good thing I¡¯m not really here. Those restraints look terribly uncomfortable.] I tried and failed to raise my middle finger through whatever had been slid over my hands, but I knew Smegma would read the intent in my mind. It was the thought that counted, after all. Then I was shoved from behind in a direction and almost returned to the ground. Thankfully, my new Dexterity, high Strength or maybe even Stamina stopped me from tripping. Of course, the vindictive woman wasn¡¯t done there, and as I started moving in the direction I¡¯d just been shoved¡ªshe used her weapon to cross-check me in a new one. I growled, starting to get fed up with the treatment, but knew better than to antagonize her. Not with what I had heard from my father and Uncle Jarred about low-ranked Guilds. Not with what I had just been through, where they¡¯d wanted to leave us to die. Surely this would all get settled once they realized we were just the Mining team they¡¯d brought inside¡­ Thankfully, once I was on my new trajectory, I could see the backs of Dave, Willa, Jarred and my father in front of me. Everyone was being taken to the same place, which hopefully was a good thing. Several additional shoves came from the angry woman at my back, but now that I was expecting them, I used my Strength Stat to endure it. We exited through the temporary concrete blockades and fencing before the people in front of me turned and moved toward a large red tent. I started to turn and the woman who was progressively shoving me harder, tried to give me another shove, using a bit of a running start. I planted my next step hard and braced, fed up with the bullshit. When the woman hit me with her shoulder, I didn¡¯t budge. Unfortunately for her, however, she had even jumped into the shoulder check. I heard the air in her lungs expel violently, followed by a loud crack and a noise I would usually have referred to as a gut punch. It¡¯s kind of a grunt, but more than that. The sound where someone¡¯s lungs freeze and they instantly feel sick to their stomachs? The following shriek of pain made me jump, and I looked down to see that her shoulder was quite clearly no longer in its socket. My eyes widened for a moment, then I blinked rapidly down at her, not believing what I was seeing. Very suddenly, I became a target in the shooting range again. ¡°Hands up, now you piece of shit!¡± Someone yelled. ¡°Get down on the husking ground!¡± Another shouted. Two more said something I couldn¡¯t hear over the others, and the woman¡¯s continued wailing. I winced as I started to lower myself to my knees, while simultaneously trying to make it clear I couldn¡¯t put my zip-tied hands above my head. Any moment now, I was going to get shot, all because I got annoyed at a little bit of pushing. Thankfully, the man with the commanding voice shouted, ¡°What is going on here? Lower your damn weapons. He¡¯s cuffed, and compliant.¡± ¡°Echo, sir, he just dislocated Greta¡¯s shoulder!¡± One of the men answered even as he lowered his semi-automatic rifle. He then used a freed hand from the muzzle to motion at the still shrieking woman on the ground. The leader looked at me, Greta, and then shook his head. ¡°No soldier,¡± Echo-five, because that was likely the only person he could be, said. ¡°Greta decided to shoulder check him and he stood his ground. Someone get her to the medics.¡± He then pointed at me with a finger, and said, ¡°You, anymore stunts like that and I¡¯ll shoot you myself. Got it?¡± I nodded, already chastising myself for the situation. Smegma, who had been oddly silent, chose that moment to guffaw, which startled me slightly. Thankfully my jump-scare happened from my knees, and didn¡¯t look like I was about to attack anyone. ¡°This is husking hilarious. How has no one realized you¡¯re the Mining team?¡± Smegma asked, even as we started moving toward the tent again. I could see the rest of the group¡¯s eyes on me. Most of them were concerned, except for my father who just looked upset. [Mining teams don¡¯t close Portals.] I shrugged. [What? Of course they do. Mining teams close Portals all the time.] I locked eyes with the Demon for a brief moment. [Human ones don¡¯t.] We entered the tent, behind Echo-Five and a few of the guards who¡¯d escorted us. Another five filed in behind us, and two untied the flaps and let them close. Echo pointed to the floor in front of a desk with neat piles of papers upon it, and said, ¡°Kneel!¡± When no one moved to obey the Mirage Guild leader, we were physically manhandled to the spot indicated and then made to kneel. I couldn¡¯t speak for the others, but I hadn¡¯t been sure what Echo¡¯s words meant. Each guard that made us kneel took a single step back but stayed threateningly at our backs. Echo¡¯s commanding voice changed, then. Becoming low and matter of fact, he said, ¡°The one who tells me how you got into our Permanent Portal, closed it and what Guild sent you, lives. The others will have had a tragic accident before getting out.¡± ¡°You¡¯re making a huge mistake,¡± my father said. ¡°We¡¯re¡ª¡° ¡°I don¡¯t care how powerful the Guild behind you is. I don¡¯t care what Skills you have. Here, in this tent, I am judge, jury and executioner if I want to be. Now, answer the husking question or I will give you an example of just how serious I am!¡± ¡°Please, just listen to him,¡± Willa cried. ¡°We¡¯re not from a Guild¡ªwe¡¯re Miners!¡± The Guard behind Willa had stepped forward with his gun raised, and Echo-Five looked furious at not being obeyed, but even as the man looked to his Guild Leader for approval to hit Willa with his gun Echo-Five raised a hand. ¡°You¡¯re what?¡± My father swallowed visibly in my peripherals but took back the lead from Willa. ¡°We¡¯re the Miner¡¯s you hired. We got stuck in the caverns when they collapsed.¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°You¡¯re the Miner¡¯s?¡± Echo-Five asked, and then motioned for the Guard behind Willa to step back, even as he moved to his desk. ¡°I do recall negotiating with you. What was it¡ªahh here¡ªGary correct?¡± My father nodded eagerly, probably happy to see the Guard behind Willa no longer training the butt of a weapon on the back of her head. ¡°So, you survived for four days, and nights inside a Portal Mine? How did you do it?¡± ¡°There was a small lake down in the caves. Plus the moss on the walls turned out to be edible.¡± ¡°Your dad¡¯s not a bad liar¡ª¡° Smegma interjected. ¡°Let¡¯s come back to that,¡± Echo-Five said skeptically. ¡°Well shit, I think this guy might have some sort of Truth detection,¡± Smegma corrected his earlier assertion. Echo-Five reverted to the same quietly threatening voice and asked, ¡°So, you have nothing to do with the Portal closing?¡± My father blinked at Echo-Five and then looked around himself, seeming confused. ¡°I thought you killed the Boss?¡± Everyone else in the group managed to look confused¡ªlikely because they were also hearing this lie for the first time. I blinked first at my dad, and then at Echo-Five behind the desk. In some ways, the tactic of the Mirage Guild was now being used against them, and from the man¡¯s grinding teeth I could tell he wasn¡¯t happy about it. I also assumed that even if he had a truth detection Skill, the second thing my father said was nothing but the truth. Still, Mirage had clearly brought us in here to have us turn against each other¡ªwhich admittedly would have been a good plan, I figured, but only if we were a strike-team from another Guild. Now though, the Guild leader himself recalled we were Miners and my father had laid out the general lie for everyone to stick to if he wanted to ask anyone else. ¡°You know, he could still just kill all of you,¡± Smegma said. ¡°Search your bodies for clues afterward.¡± I coughed politely before it got to that. ¡°We recovered the storage devices of your Guild members who died down in the Caverns. Here¡­¡± I indicated a knapsack that Dave had been carrying, but was now in a pile with the rest of our remaining gear. I¡¯d found the thing in the Leader¡¯s Hut. It was a low-ranked Bag of Holding, creating a larger space inside the bag that it would normally have. That space was currently filled with a few of the Mural¡¯s Metallic-Yellow-Crystals and as many F-Rank Crystals it could hold. Echo-Five narrowed his eyes at me, but motioned for a Guard to bring him the bag. In short order he¡¯d ¡®upended¡¯ its contents onto the floor. He didn¡¯t seem impressed with the F-rank Mana Crystals, but did lean down to pick up something I couldn¡¯t see. Since I was expecting to see him get back to his feet with a Shining Yellow Crystal, I was in fact surprised when he was holding a shard of brightest purple. Even as a shard the clarity of the Crystal was leagues beyond anything I¡¯d seen personally. If I was going off of movies and TV it was S-Grade¡ª ¡°A B-rank Crystal Shard?¡± Echo-Five asked, and began digging through the pile. He soon found the rest of the shards and two of the full sized Mural Crystals I¡¯d placed there. Only they weren¡¯t the Mural Crystals. ¡°These were inside this Portal?¡± ¡°Where did those come from?¡± Smegma asked, his voice as confused as I felt. Everyone was looking at me since I prepared the bag. I coughed and told the truth, since there were likely a few Mirage members who knew about the Mural anyway. ¡°Umm¡ªthose weren¡¯t like that when I put them in there¡ªthey were yellow and metallic looking.¡± ¡°Those are from the Mural we mined?¡± My dad asked, genuinely surprised. ¡°Too bad I didn¡¯t get to put more in the Bag!¡± I complained openly, trying to use his own trick from earlier to tell the group the lie. I also was careful not to say anything that wasn¡¯t true. I could indeed have put more in the bag¡­ Echo-Five handed the bag back to the guard and motioned at the pile of F-rank Crystals. He then said, ¡°Clean this up,¡± before placing the shards and two full B-rank Mana Crystals on his desk. ¡°This all checks out, but how come you''re so strong, if you¡¯re just a Miner?¡± Echo-Five asked. Knowing that the man might have a Truth detection, I took a split second to assess if the truth would give away anything. I decided it was safe and answered, ¡°I have a Mining Skill that unlocked Strength.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Echo-Five made a noise of dismissal. He then scanned around the room before pointing at a different guard. One that wasn¡¯t currently putting F-Rank Crystals back into a bag. ¡°Go get Geoff, he was the one leading the Mining team.¡± The silence that descended upon the room after the order, was stifling. I began to sweat thinking of all the ways this could go wrong. [What do you think is going to happen?] I asked Smegma, and discovered the Demon was missing. Surreptitiously I scanned the room, and didn¡¯t find him anywhere. Where the hell did he go at a time like this? The wait and silence became even more concerning, especially without Smegma to bounce ideas off. Not to mention, just how pale and worried each member of the group looked. It would seem that Echo-Five¡¯s earlier threats were very effective. Finally, a familiar man came into the room, his hair standing up like he¡¯d just been pulled out of bed. Still, he saluted smartly and said, ¡°Geoffrey Fir, reporting as ordered, Guild Leader.¡± ¡°At ease, soldier,¡± Echo-Five said, clearly attempting to run his Guild like a military. Still, something felt off about the comment. Maybe it was because I was used to it in movies, or maybe Echo-Five wasn¡¯t entirely comfortable with the structure. I couldn¡¯t tell, but it definitely felt forced on both sides of the coin. Simply put, it felt like neither man had actually served in the military. ¡°Are these the Miner¡¯s you escorted into the caves?¡± Echo-Five asked with an indicating hand pointed in our direction. Geoff, the man who was likely the leader from earlier scanned us and then nodded, slowly. Echo-Five also noticed the man¡¯s reluctance to nod and asked, ¡°Speak freely, soldier.¡± ¡°I was just wondering where my men were, if these Miners made it out, sir,¡± Geoff stated. Asking a question without inflection. Echo-Five looked at us, and everyone¡¯s head hung a bit lower. The answer was obvious just from that but clearly Echo-Five wanted more because he commanded, ¡° Explain!¡± I took the opportunity since I may be the only one in the group aware of his truth-telling Skill, which meant I could work around it. ¡°They were all likely eaten by the White Goblins.¡± Geoff showed a reaction after that, his face going red, even as his body shook. ¡°Jack, Etien and Viccar wouldn¡¯t risk their lives for Miners!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I shrugged awkwardly, with my hands still bound. ¡°They didn¡¯t¡± ¡°Then how in the hell did¡ª¡± The Guild Leader raised a hand, interrupting the Mining Leader. ¡°How were they eaten by White Goblins?¡± Echo-Five asked, his voice going hard again. Clearly upset not only on Geoff¡¯s behalf, but also on the fact some of his Guild members had been eaten. ¡°They were sent to scout ahead. We don¡¯t know how they were caught, but the Goblin¡¯s had their weapons¡­¡± I answered, being very careful to only tell the truth again. ¡°But you said they were eaten!¡± Echo-Five hissed. ¡°How did you know they were eaten?¡± ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t actually check the cook pot, you understand. But with the way the creatures were acting, having their weapons, and based on the smell and the lack of bodies¡­ I think it was pretty clear what had happened.¡± [Husk! Husk! Husk!] I repeated internally, not having realized my mistake. Internally, I was panicking, trying to stick to only facts that were true, but not incriminating. I was talking too fast and I knew it, but I also knew that the man¡¯s patience was coming to an end. I didn¡¯t have much time to think of something more to say¡ª ¡°Boss!¡± Someone shouted as he rushed into the room. Echo-Five glared at me but made a motion in the direction of the entrance giving the runner permission to speak. ¡°Police, Fire and Ambulance are here! They were told that a Portal closed and there were injured!¡± Echo-Five¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he turned to his guards. He loudly asked, ¡°You took their phones as soon as they exited the closed Portal?¡± The Guards nodded, and looked at each other to ensure that their fellows hadn¡¯t husked up. The runner coughed politely, and added, ¡°They¡¯re right outside¡­¡± Echo-Five punched his table. * * * Wednesday, May 1st, 2069 ¡°Thank the lord you¡¯re okay!¡± My mother screeched as she entered the hospital room. Our entire group was in beds, despite the fact that no one was hurt. I¡¯d healed them all daily down in the caverns. Still, I felt like there was a dark cloud over the group. What would Echo have done if the Ambulances, Police and Fire Trucks hadn¡¯t arrived? My mom ran to my bed first, but since I had no bandages and managed to squeeze her back during her hug, she immediately looked around and then hurried to my father. He, thankfully also was awake and able to hug her back, because she sank into his embrace, crying softly. Everyone looked around at her entrance. I looked to Smegma, who was, in fact, the reason we were safe. He was clearly very happy ever since I told him that the Mural had become B-ranked Crystals, ¡°With the B-ranked Crystals you might be able to buy a decent Skill for yourself, finally.¡± [Not the time. Plus I have to give a Skill to the guy you bribed!] ¡°Just let him use the Altar with Cores! I never promised him to supply the Cores, only one of the limited uses that the Altar had remaining. Then use the mC for yourself. Enough Crafting Skills!¡± [Those Crafting Skills have saved all of our lives. and unlocked Stats.] ¡°Whatever¡ª¡° Smegma said and flew into a corner of the room to pout. ¡°¡ªlow-ranked Guilds. Never again! Do you hear me Gary? Brodie?!¡± My mom shouted. My brain only caught the tail-end of whatever she had been lecturing to my father. Still, I didn¡¯t need more than that to understand her. ¡°Yes, mom.¡± I intoned. Already, thinking about what might come of the current situation. Surely, Mirage wouldn¡¯t just let this go¡ª ¡°Brodie!¡± Someone said from the doorway, and the tone startled me out of my thoughts. My head snapped up to find Mrs. Stovall breathing hard a step inside the room. ¡°The Courts are about to dismiss your case and rule in favor of Varnish!¡± Her words made me perform an involuntary sit up, and ask, ¡°Right now?¡± ¡°Unless I can get you to the judges offices before she signs the discretionary bench warrant!¡± Mrs. Stovall said breathlessly. I looked at the clock on the wall. Eight twenty-five. ¡°What time does that happen?¡± ¡°Nine!¡± I jumped out of the bed, scanning around the room in worry. ¡°I¡¯ll get you checked out!¡± Mrs. Stovall said even as she was walking back out of the room. Over her shoulder she said, ¡°I¡¯ll drop you at home after!¡± 081 Wednesday, May 1st, 2069 ¡°You know Mirage isn¡¯t going to just let this go, right?¡± Mrs. Stovall said. We were currently in a small room waiting for ten to arrive. We¡¯d confirmed with the Judge that I was in fact alive, and ready to continue with the trial. So, she had forestalled signing a bench warrant for my arrest. That only took five minutes, and I¡¯d used the rest of the time to fill Mrs. Stovall in on what happened in the Portal. I even told her most of the truth, too. ¡°The guy I made the deal with claimed they had been investing quite a bit of money to secure the park¡­¡± Smegma interjected from his place hiding below the table. I sighed even as I rubbed at my eyes with the palms of my hands. My mother and father were supposedly on their way here with a change of clothes for me¡ªso I didn¡¯t enter the courtroom in a hospital gown over ripped and torn Miner¡¯s gear. I just couldn¡¯t catch a break, could I? Eyes watering, I looked first at Smegma, before settling on Mrs. Stovall. ¡°What am I supposed to do?¡± ¡°We could buy a Skill and kill them all?¡± Smegma suggested, which caused Mrs. Stovall to jerk in her chair and regard the ¡®monster¡¯ under the ¡®bed¡¯, with a serious expression.¡¯¡°Kidding¡ªwhat do you suggest?¡± His tone didn¡¯t exactly inspire confidence from me that he had actually been joking. Plus, from my seat I could see two of his three fingers crossed behind his back. Where had he even learned that? ¡°I suggest you get ahead of this. Maybe talk to Geneva and Kristen. Give enough of your story to make it clear, without antagonizing Mirage. You need some way to protect yourself.¡± I blinked as pieces clicked into place. That was a really good plan. I pulled out my phone, realized it wasn¡¯t charged yet, and said, ¡°Can you message them? I¡¯ve got the camera with two days of footage for them.¡± ¡°Does it have you getting trapped?¡± Mrs. Stovall asked, sounding a bit excited despite the tragedy she was asking about. I nodded, even as Smegma mumbled, ¡°It might even have those shit stains abandoning you with the order to keep working.¡± Mrs. Stovall was already typing on her phone when I looked back up to her. She also had placed a charger cable and battery pack in front of me. At my look, she explained, ¡°When you¡¯re in court all day it¡¯s super helpful to have access to power.¡± ¡°In more ways than one,¡± I snorted, thankful. A man in the uniform of a security guard stuck his head in the door and said, ¡°Mrs. Stovall, Mr. Flacarada, the judge will be entering in five minutes.¡± ¡°Thanks Juan,¡± Mrs. Stovall said, even as she put her phone back into her bag. I, on the other hand, plugged mine in and waited about thirty seconds for it to boot up¡ªonly so I could shut it off again. I¡¯d watched enough TV to know better than to let the thing go off inside the courtroom. A glance at Mrs. Stovall got me a nod of approval, which was confirmation enough that some things on TV were accurate. * * * ¡°May it please the court?¡± Judge Dench gave a nod, and Mr. Varnish moved around the desk nodding back to her. ¡°Counsel. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, good morning. My name is Varnish, just Varnish, and I apologize for using my Hunter name but it is simply what I¡¯m used to nowadays. Plus, it¡¯s the best gift the people I protect ever gave me.¡± The jury shifted in their seats, a few of them looking moved by the man¡¯s words. The charismatic Hunter continued, even as I fought to keep my face neutral. ¡°You¡¯re going to learn in this case a lot about what it means to be a Hunter, a Skilled Police Officer, Detective, and even Private Eye. As we take this journey together you¡¯ll be made privy to some terms not often used.¡± Mr. Varnish walked back and forth in front of the jury box, addressing each person individually as he spoke. Meeting their eyes when they were willing, or simply passing his gaze over them if they weren¡¯t. ¡°Terms like Cannibal, and Snatcher. Terms that are known by the people I just mentioned but not the general public. Why is that?¡± Mr. Varnish paused, as if waiting for a response by the jury. I thought a few even twitched like they wanted to raise a hand. Mr. Varnish answered his own question before it came to that. ¡°It¡¯s because the terms are terrifying, beyond criminal, and should never have to be used. However, that¡¯s not the truth of the world we live in. As always our society has had its light and dark¡ªand for the remainder of this case, I¡¯m going to ask you all to peel back that darkness with me. Can you do that?¡± I blinked as many of the Jury nodded along with Mr. Varnish. Wasn¡¯t there a time limit to these things? ¡°We¡¯ll start with the term Cannibal, because that one is particularly important. You might ask why, and if you¡¯ll humor me, I¡¯ll get to that. Just like cannibal¡¯s of the previous world, the word means to consume other humans. In this case, it means to consume the Skills of other humans¡ª¡°gasps sounded, and Mr. Varnish raised his voice as he finished. ¡°¡ªtaking them for yourself.¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. A cry of alarm rang through the chamber. I glanced over my shoulder to see a relatively empty closed courtroom. Still, the cry of alarm had to have come from somewhere, right? ¡°Sorry,¡± Smegma said from my shoulder. ¡°I wanted to add something for dramatic effect.¡± [Stop husking around!] I ordered. Smegma rolled his eyes and began floating through the jurors as I fought my urge to glare at him. It definitely wouldn¡¯t look good to be seen angrily glaring at the people who would decide my verdict¡­ ¡°¡ªif you will. Now, a Snatcher is like a Cannibal, but far rarer,¡± Varnish explained. Clearly, having continued his opening statement as Smegma distracted me. ¡°A Snatcher can take someone else¡¯s Skill and impart it to another. Usually, this is only possible when certain criteria are met.¡± Mr. Varnish used a hand to indicate me, and Mrs. Stovall, along with John, her assistant, not her husband. ¡°The defendant is going to try to convince you that Morgan Hallsbrad was a Snatcher¡ªserial killer, and master criminal.¡± ¡°And yet, I want you to think about the evidence that will be shown throughout this case. Think about those accusations and then on the situation Brodie Flacarada claims to have found himself in. A situation, where he faced off against not Morgan Hallsbrad, but some mythical stone-cold Snatcher with a weapon and a body count. Let me ask you now, what are the odds that a young F-Ranked Awakened college student would be the target of someone like that?¡± Mr. Varnish returned his full attention to the Jurors. ¡°All I ask is that you keep an open mind. Ask questions, and wonder why. Like why won¡¯t Brodie offer himself for a fully paid Awakening Scan? Why would Morgan Hallsbrad, accused of being a Snatcher for profit, target an F-rank?¡± He took another pregnant pause. ¡°Or is there something else going on here? Something that I will do my best to uncover as we dive into this case.¡± With that, Mr. Varnish nodded to the jurors and the judge, before moving to his chair and table. His table of course was full at three people seated around it. I didn¡¯t see anyone I recognized from the ¡®settlement¡¯ meeting¡ªbut they all dressed similarly. Another five people in similar black Portal material suits sat in the chairs behind the divider too. My breath stuttered in as I observed the disparity, and replayed the man¡¯s words. If I hadn¡¯t been there and experienced the moment, I might even be questioning it myself. The man was good. Mrs. Stovall had a yellow legal pad in front of her. I hadn¡¯t noticed during Mr. Varnish¡¯s opening statement, but she clearly had been crossing out points and adding others in real time. I tilted my head to try to read what was on it¡ª ¡°Mrs. Stovall. Your opening statement?¡± Judge Dench asked. That took my attention off the legal pad. Mrs. Stovall gave me a confident smile, glanced at the pad one more time and stood up. ¡°Thank you, your honor,¡± Mrs. Stovall said as she moved out from the confines of her chair. She nodded respectfully to the Judge before walking around the desk and addressing the jurors. ¡°Esteemed ladies and gentlemen of the jury, good morning. First, I¡¯d like to take a moment to thank you for being here. Thank you for doing a duty that isn¡¯t always convenient. That, as you just heard, isn¡¯t always savory or desirable. ¡°As Mr. Varnish said, you have learned some new terms¡ªheard of new Monsters in the night. Monsters, that are far harder to discern than the ones on our television screens on a darkened Friday night. Monsters, that Hunters have trouble protecting us from. I know from my own experience that I slept better without that knowledge.¡± A few of the jurors shivered and Mrs. Stovall paused. She regarded each member of the jury with a slow panning look. It was warm and motherly, in a way I couldn¡¯t quite describe. Maybe it carried some hint of pride? Like a mother encouraging a son or daughter for being brave? ¡°Knowing these Monsters exist is scary. Just like it was on the days those first Portals appeared. In those first days, humans proved something. They proved that we are brave and that we will fight to survive.¡± Mrs. Stovall motioned to me, somehow including me in the proud mothering vibe she was giving off. ¡°Just like Brodie Flacarada did when he was confronted by one of those Monsters. A Snatcher¡ªthe rarest kind, as Mr. Varnish told you. In that moment, Brodie faced one such Monster that wanted to take everything from him.¡± ¡°However, Brodie wasn¡¯t in a Portal. He could never have expected a Monster like Morgan Hallsbrad to show up on campus that day. A Serial Killer currently facing forty-two counts of murder in the first-degree¡ª¡° ¡°Objection your honor,¡± Mr. Varnish said, standing up. ¡°Prejudicial. Morgan Hallsbrad is innocent until proven guilty.¡± Mrs. Stovall turned slowly and addressed the Judge as well. ¡°I¡¯m simply stating a fact, your honor. He is on trial¡ª¡± ¡°Sustained. I¡¯m going to have to side with Mr. Varnish, Mrs. Stovall. The prosecution can claim the innocence of Morgan Hallsbrad because of jurisprudence and the rights of the accused. You, however, cannot do the opposite and for the same reasons. Reporter please strike that from the record.¡± Mrs. Stovall nodded to the Judge and then said. ¡°Let me rephrase. Morgan Hallsbrad is currently on trial for Forty-two counts of murder in the first-degree.¡± Mr. Varnish hadn¡¯t sat back down. ¡°Objection your honor. Prejudicial.¡± ¡°Overruled. It is a simple statement of fact, Mr. Varnish,¡± Judge Dench countered, this time seeming to side with Mrs. Stovall. John, the assistant beside me, wrote something on a paper and slid it to me to read. ¡®It¡¯s bad form to object during opening statements. This is good.¡¯ I read it, and so did Smegma over my shoulder. Scoffing Smegma asked, ¡°What sort of strange song and dance is this?¡± [I have no idea,] I answered mentally. Mrs. Stovall continued, and as she spoke I saw the same rapt attention and understanding from the Jury that I¡¯d feared when Mr. Varnish had created the same thing toward himself. The court was dismissed for the day after the opening statements, reconvening for the first witness by the prosecutor tomorrow. Mrs. Stovall looked happy with the way things went¡ªwhich went a long way to making me feel confident as well. I could still feel a nervous pit in my stomach, but her smile and mood alleviated some of it. It also helped that Varnish and his team of seven other suits rushed from the room. They didn¡¯t seem angry, but they certainly weren¡¯t as happy as Mrs. Stovall and John. ¡°Let¡¯s get you home,¡± Mrs. Stovall said. ¡°We¡¯ve got some things to go over, and I think Geneva and Kristen are there waiting for us.¡± 082 Wednesday, May 1st, 2069 ¡°So, our goal is to create a video that combines both the blue collar aspects of Mining, but also really highlights the fact that Mirage saved your lives by clearing a Dungeon?¡± Kristen asked, sounding excited. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s the best course of action,¡± Mrs. Stovall interjected. ¡°It might be worth it to make two videos. Carrot and stick. We could put culpability pressure on them by showing they abandoned the Mining Team¡ª¡° ¡°That will only exacerbate the issue,¡± Geneva explained, cutting across Mrs. Stovall. ¡°First, no other teams would likely want to work with them in the future, which would put a final nail in the coffin in terms of creating a grudge, so to speak.¡± Geneva gestured at me, almost to make that final idiom personal. ¡°Did she just threaten you?¡± Smegma asked. Clearly not understanding the saying. ¡°No, no,¡± Geneva laughed. ¡°I¡¯m just saying that Mirage would likely go belly up if they get a bad reputation¡ª¡° ¡°Belly up?¡± Smegma asked. ¡°Stop interrupting, I¡¯ll explain those idioms later,¡± I scolded, and got a look of appreciation from Geneva. ¡°¡ªwhich would force them to shut down the guild,¡± Geneva continued after ensuring Smegma was in fact done asking questions. ¡°That would likely make them act sooner. Instead, what we¡¯re going to try to do¡ªis paint them out to be a Guild that would do anything to try to save trapped workers. That¡¯s what they were investing in, don¡¯t you know?¡± At Geneva¡¯s final conspiratorial tone, I saw a look of dawning realization cross everyone¡¯s face. I assumed I had the same reaction¡ªsince I, too, had been a bit skeptical of the final plan. I even began nodding¡ªwondering if some of the donations that I was getting might even go to them, or some of the B-ranked Crystals I had. Would that help alleviate a financial burden or help return some of the perceived profits from Mirage¡¯s ¡®Permanent¡¯ Portal? ¡°Doubt that,¡± Smegma said in answer to my thoughts. ¡°Still, it¡¯s a good thought¡ªif you can afford it. Maybe sell one or two of them?¡± ¡°Sell one or two of what?¡± A few people asked in near unison. The shit eating grin that came onto my face couldn¡¯t be helped. All day in court, my Necklace of Holding felt like it had been burning a hole in my sternum. I wanted nothing more than to empty it out and take stock! Smegma started making a noise that stopped me short of emptying my Necklace. The sound was like a wailing keen that reminded me of the threat of torture we¡¯d heard the night before. It was such a horrible sound that Dave incredulously asked, ¡°What the husk are you doing?¡± ¡°Sounding the lament. We use it to emphasize when something amazing is going to happen. You guys don¡¯t have that?¡± Smegma answered, looking around the table. A few people had gone as far as to plug their ears, at the strange keen. ¡°No, we don¡¯t!¡± Dave said. ¡°I¡¯m thinking it¡¯s probably equivalent to our drumroll,¡± I said, even as I moved out of the confines of my chair. ¡°Maybe that has to do with the drums of war, or something, which would make it even more similar¡­¡± ¡°Whatever,¡± Dave said. ¡°Just don¡¯t do it again, please.¡± The fact that no one laughed told me just how much it had bothered everyone else. I shrugged. It certainly hadn¡¯t been that bothersome to me. Once in the center of our rather small living room, I emptied the Necklace of Holding out. The vast majority of items were F-rank Mana Crystals¡ªbut it was the streaks of blue I kept my eyes on. Those B-Ranked Crystals, the three metallic pieces with varying glowing hues, two dragon scales and a heart scale. People gasped, and my shit-eating grin returned, only larger. I hurriedly snatched up one of the B-rank Crystals and turned to Smegma. How much can I get for one of these? ¡°They''re in pretty great shape. So, I can give you about fifty thousand mC for the Mana inside. Maybe as much as another ten thousand for the Spent Crystal.¡± ¡°Is that what I think it is?¡± Geneva asked. ¡°If you think it¡¯s a B-rank Mana Crystal, then yes!¡± I answered. ¡°What?!¡± Kristen, Jarred, and my mother all shouted. Turning toward the table I explained the situation to the people who had been in the caverns with a simple, ¡°It¡¯s what the pieces of that metallic yellow mural turned into when we got out. For the rest of you, we found traces of an ancient Naga civilization down in the caverns. They¡¯d used high ranked Crystals to create lights¡ª¡° My happy mood fell, when I recalled just how much of this Crystal we¡¯d left down there. Each room in the complex had a light fixture, for husk sakes! A few people around the kitchen table cursed openly as they likely made the same realization I just had. Still, Geneva and Kristen looked around confusedly as they made it worse, unknowingly. ¡°What?¡± Kristen asked. Geneva didn¡¯t bother asking and just explained, ¡°One of those can sell for a couple hundred thousand dollars, at a minimum! How many do you have?¡± I took a quick count, just for myself. That one mural gave us at least twenty full Crystals¡ªno, twenty-two including the ones I¡¯d put in the Mirage Bag of Holding. That meant we¡¯d given at least four hundred thousand dollars to the Mirage guild¡ªand left behind in the Portal at least¡ªI tried to do the math, but my brain stopped me. Telling me it was pointless to dwell in the past. I won¡¯t say that the reminder didn¡¯t make me want to roll my eyes and shoot myself¡ªfor being so ¡®wise.¡¯ But since it was internal, my only recourse was to scoff, before answering, ¡°Twenty.¡± All the shards had been put in the Mirage Bag, too. My Mental Fortitude Skill chastised me again, and I reached up to tug my own hair in frustration. Only partially because I was beating myself up. I now had a rather big decision to make. I could sell all twenty and get one million plus mC! Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. That would certainly buy me a Skill from Demonic Vault! However, if I really wanted to get the monkey, which was the Mirage Guild, off of my back. I needed to sell some of them and reimburse them for their investment¡­ I thought back on what I¡¯d seen of the enclosure they¡¯d been building last night, but couldn¡¯t even begin to guess how much that had cost. Turning to Geneva, I asked, ¡°How much do you think the Mirage Guild spent on that Portal?¡± It was her turn to make a face, Kristen too. I could tell that they thought that was why the others had been swearing, but didn¡¯t bother explaining the misinterpretation. That didn¡¯t really matter. Their faces meant they had bad news¡ªand I took a deep breath to prepare myself for it. Kristen looked to Geneva, giving her permission to speak. Geneva¡¯s grimace grew before she whispered, ¡°It isn¡¯t how much they spent¡ªbut what they could have made.¡± Sighing out my breath I asked, ¡°And that is?¡± ¡°The last Low-Rank Permanent Portal that sold in our area, went for a little over two-million dollars,¡± Kristen volunteered. Everyone started cursing, then. Me included. ¡°Surely, you don¡¯t have to pay them back all of that,¡± Smegma stated. ¡°Just give them a certain amount and claim it was the donations from followers. As a thank you for saving your lives or something?¡± Geneva and Kristen nodded, as did Mrs. Stovall. Everyone else went quiet as they waited for the proverbial hammer to drop. ¡°I think they¡¯d let it go for half of the amount for sure¡ªmaybe as low as a quarter,¡± Mrs. Stovall suggested. Geneva and Kristen made motions with their hands to say that wasn¡¯t a sure thing. Geneva explained the motion a moment after making it. ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee. But it''s probably safer to aim for half.¡± ¡°So, sell enough of these to make a million, and we can¡¯t even keep any of it?¡± I looked around at the Miner¡¯s in the group, surprised to find them nodding at my suggestion. None of them seemed upset with that decision. Willa saw my look and chuckled. ¡°Your payin¡¯ all our wages, kid. Plus, you ain¡¯t the only one they¡¯d be comin¡¯ after. So, why wouldn¡¯t we be okay with it?¡± ¡°Plus, we all Awakened Skills because of you!¡± Dave added. Kristen, Geneva, and Mrs. Stovall stared first at Dave, and then slowly turned on me. ¡°That, is going to need some explanation!¡± Mrs. Stovall said calmly but pointedly. With the help of the rest of the group, I explained the whole story to those in the room. My mother only delayed the telling once by fainting. * * * ¡°Tomorrow, Mr. Varnish will start calling witnesses. I have his list here,¡± Mrs. Stovall said, as she slid a page over to me. Geneva and Kristen had rushed out after the retelling of the events down in the caverns, claiming the faster they got started, the safer I¡¯d be. ¡°Do you recognize any of the names?¡± I ran a finger down the page, reading through each name. The first ten to fifteen I didn¡¯t know, but somewhere around that fifteenth name the list changed. Ayla Moody, the woman who¡¯d offered her card to me, after Demonic Vault had ranked up for the first time. ¡°I know this woman, well I¡¯ve met her. She saw me ¡®Awaken¡¯ in the car at the mall. I think she implied an invitation to her Guild, or maybe she¡¯s like someone who sources ¡®talent¡¯ for Guilds? I couldn¡¯t quite tell. She gave me her card and told me to reach out after I¡¯d been Assessed¡­¡± Mrs. Stovall raised an eyebrow, made some notes and asked several follow-up questions. Then made a motion to continue. The next name wasn¡¯t familiar to me, but my father, who was reading over my shoulder said, ¡°Larry was a member of P-Cubed¡¯s Mining Team. He was likely around when Brodie ¡®Awakened¡¯ his Skill after the Golem.¡± I felt my head want to fall to my chest, but dutifully answered Mrs. Stovall¡¯s questions along with my father¡¯s help. The next name was another I ¡®knew¡¯. ¡°Taz?¡± I asked, and followed up with. ¡°The Guild Leader of the Lynx?¡± Mrs. Stovall nodded and this time didn¡¯t bother making notes. ¡°The fact that he¡¯s willing to show up at a trial like this means that Mr. Varnish and whoever is backing him, is spending huge amounts of money.¡± ¡°But why?¡± I asked, throwing up my hands in exasperation. ¡°Why do all this? Varnish? The trial, and now Taz? What are they getting out of this?¡± I stopped fighting gravity with my neck and allowed my head to fall onto my sternum. Right from the opening statements today, my stomach had started twisting¡ªseeing Varnish work the jurors. Now, I was staring at a list of witnesses that made me acutely aware of the drastic difference between their side and mine. Mrs. Stovall was certainly an excellent lawyer, but she wasn¡¯t a Hunter. She¡¯d made a great opening, but what were we going to do after that? I guessed we¡¯d call witnesses as well. My mom rushed to my side, thanks to my hanging head. Kneeling, she hugged me. Dave, Willa and Jarred joined my father reading over my shoulder, as I took a moment to collect myself. Sure, Mental Fortitude was encouraging me to ¡®buck up¡¯ but honestly, I needed to also come to terms with the situation¡ªso I didn¡¯t rush it. ¡°Surely, Brodie has some witnesses too?¡± Dave asked. That got me to glance up, and I caught the tail end of Dave motioning to himself and the others. ¡°Certainly,¡± Mrs. Stovall said, and passed over another sheet. This one made it worse. Mr. Varnish had about forty names on his sheet. I¡ªno we¡ªhad ten. Mrs. Stovall caught my eyes before my head could fall though. ¡°Brodie, their witnesses are also ours. It¡¯s called cross-examination. Plus, according to Sparkle Legion¡ªyou probably have a great many offers in your Direct Messages¡ªfrom other victims of the cases down south. ¡°We would have spent Saturday evening and most of Sunday consulting on that. Now that you¡¯re out, we should probably go through it all. Still, our witness list isn¡¯t due until after Mr. Varnish is finished with his. So, this number will definitely grow and isn¡¯t final!¡± I nodded, and pulled out my phone for the first time in five days. Geneva and Kristen had assured me that they would give an update with the video, explaining why I had been absent to my growing following on SwiftGram. Still, seeing the notifications on the device was extremely anxiety inducing. Three-thousand on SwiftGram alone. Fourteen-thousand on SmileBook, which admittedly, I had set to give push notifications for post likes. So hopefully it wasn¡¯t that bad. Then another twelve hundred emails. Thankfully, there were only about ten SMS texts, all of which were from my mother, Sparkle Legion and Mrs. Stovall. [I¡¯m assuming you aren¡¯t going to be selling the remaining fifteen Crystals and looking through Skills again tonight?] Smegma complained. I gave him a look that I hope conveyed my distaste of that question. There was nothing I¡¯d rather be doing. That, and discussing the Mana Batteries, and what they¡¯d do for our company! It would be great if I could afford a Skill for a million mC, which was the most I was going to get, including what I had left in from inside the Portal. However, I doubted that amount would get me anything truly powerful. Instead, those B-Ranked Crystals were going to have to be used in reserve. Some for mC as needed, and some for dollars¡ªif my donations dried up. ¡°Fine!¡± Smegma said, when he saw my look. Then he looked to Dave like a needy little brother. ¡°Want to play with the Mana Batteries, and your Cut Skill in the backyard?¡± Dave perked up from behind my chair, but my mother slapped at him, and¡ªineffectually, at Smegma. ¡°You will not be destroying my backyard, thank you very much!¡± Smegma¡¯s ears drooped and Dave hung his head sadly. ¡°Take it to the park.¡± Mom said with a sigh. ¡°Yay!¡± Dave cheered, shooting out of the house and leaving me with my next great adventure. ¡°Husking hundred yard limit,¡± Smegma complained as he stared longingly after Dave. ¡°Why do I have to sit through this nonsense with you?¡± I didn¡¯t feel bad for the Demon in the slightest. If I had to sit here bored out of my skull¡ªthen so did he. Husking legal paperwork. 083 Wednesday, May 1st, 2069 To call myself tired would be an understatement. I was exhausted and wired from a great deal of coffee. Mrs. Stovall and I had finished going over witnesses around ten, or eleven. At which point I had ¡®snuck¡¯ into my bedroom¡ªthinking of not waking Dave. Dave, of course, had been wide awake and wanting to go over Skill options. What I was going to do with the Altar? How could he level Cut for Evolution? His excitement became infectious, and we¡¯d spent a fruitless night looking through high ranked unaffordable Skills in Demonic Vault, and theorizing about how strong we might become one day. We¡¯d finally burned out sometime after four in the morning. Thus, my exhaustion at, I glanced at the clock in the courtroom, eleven-thirty. The first few witnesses Mr. Varnish had called, all spoke to Morgan Hallsbrad¡¯s character. Mr. Varnish seemed to be trying to establish Morgan Hallsbrad as a private eye¡ªand a human I supposed. Admittedly, it was working. Mostly because Mrs. Stovall couldn¡¯t ask too many questions that would refute the man¡¯s job or humanity. I tuned back in as Mr. Varnish finished questioning Morgan Hallsbrad¡¯s old roommate in college. Turns out he studied criminology and forensic science. That was pre-Portals of course. ¡°Mr. Hanson,¡± Mrs. Stovall said, as she stood and rounded our table. ¡°When was the last time you saw Morgan Hallsbrad?¡± ¡°At Graduation, I guess?¡± Mr. Hanson answered. The man was a typical middle-aged father, with a bit of a beer belly, and a great deal of missing hair. He¡¯d chosen to go with the eight strand combover with what was left, and I couldn¡¯t help thinking he should probably just shave it off. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stay in touch?¡± Mrs. Stovall asked, and I blinked, trying to understand where she was going. What did the TV shows call it? A line of questioning? It was a game I¡¯d been playing with the other witnesses. Trying to figure out where Mr. Varnish or Mrs. Stovall were leading them. And believe me, both were definitely leading the witnesses somewhere. They were both excellent lawyers. ¡°I got a job in the Miami Vice Crime Lab, right out of school. Morgan had to look for work elsewhere.¡± ¡°You graduated in the same class, and he had better grades than you correct?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Mr. Hanson answered. ¡°So, why did Mr. Hallsbrad have to look elsewhere for a job?¡± ¡°He had something on his record. So, the police were reluctant to hire him.¡± ¡°Do you know what was on his record?¡± ¡°Nah, Morgan never opened up about it. I assumed it was something like drinking and driving. You know? Made a mistake when he was young and was still paying for it.¡± ¡°So, he could have done anything? Murder¡ªRobbery¡ªAssault?¡± ¡°Come on, no way. He¡¯d have served jail time if it was anything like that!¡± ¡°Are you claiming he told you he never served jail time, Mr. Hanson?¡± Mrs. Stovall asked. ¡°Well, no. But it couldn¡¯t have been that serious. Morgan was a quiet guy¡ªnever bothered anyone. Other than the teacher¡¯s¡­¡± Mr. Hanson¡¯s tone and joke caused a few jurors to chuckle. Mrs. Stovall even let a large smile come onto her face in clear amusement. Or what I thought was amusement until she turned and addressed Judge Dench. ¡°I¡¯d like to submit the Juvenile Detention Record for one Morgan Hallsbrad into evidence as J-forty-two.¡± She then picked up three pieces of paper from the top of her folder, handed one to Mr. Varnish, one to the judge, and the third to Mr. Hanson. She then returned to a podium slowly, giving Mr. Hanson the opportunity to read a bit. As she turned back around she asked, ¡°Can you read a bit of the report to the court, Mr. Hanson?¡± Mr. Hanson visibly swallowed, and then looked up, his eyes seeming to vibrate, and plead simultaneously. Mr. Varnish stood up as well. ¡°Objection your honor, Relevance.¡± ¡°Your honor, I¡¯m simply trying to establish the fact that Mr. Hanson didn¡¯t know Mr. Hallsbrad as well as his testimony implies.¡± ¡°Your honor, Mrs. Stovall is clearly trying to get a past arrest record into evidence. Prior crimes have no relevance to the current trial.¡± ¡°They absolutely do, in fact.¡± Mrs. Stovall countered. ¡°Mr. Varnish here is trying to establish the character of Morgan Hallsbrad. I¡¯m only trying to help him accomplish that. If prior crimes have no bearing on the character of a person then what does?¡± ¡°Counsels, approach,¡± Judge Dench said. Both Mrs. Stovall and Mr. Varnish approached the bench. A quiet deliberation occurred, and I watched gestures and facial expressions trying to figure out what was going on. Of course, Smegma was hovering over the group of three, eating popcorn. ¡°They¡¯re coming to a compromise. The judge agrees with Mrs. Stovall on her point of showing Mr. Hanson lack of knowledge regarding the Shop. Yet, she wants her to go about it a different way.¡± Smegma paused then, and a great deal of chatting happened, making me curious why he¡¯d stopped commentating. After all of that, Smegma simply stated, ¡°They¡¯ve reached a decision.¡± [What?] ¡°Just listen, idiot.¡± ¡°The court will accept this piece of evidence into the case, but the jurors will only refer to it as something that shows Mr. Hanson and other character witnesses didn¡¯t know Morgan Hallsbrad as well as they thought. Understood?¡± The judge instructed. Mr. Varnish returned to his seat looking like he wanted to chew rocks. ¡°Mr. Hanson, I¡¯ll read it for you,¡± Mrs. Stovall said, sounding like she was doing the man a favor. ¡°Morgan Hallsbrad served a sentence of one year in the Miami Juvenile Detention Center for Breaking and Entering, along with Threatening Behavior. Sentence of three-years remised due to community service and good behavior. Did I read that correctly, Mr. Hanson?¡± The man swallowed, and answered, ¡°yes,¡± a bit shakily. ¡°So, is it safe to say you and the other witnesses today might not have known Mr. Hallsbrad as well as you claimed, Mr. Hanson?¡± ¡°Objection, Speculation.¡± ¡°Sustained.¡± ¡°Sorry, your honor. Is it safe to say that you didn¡¯t know Mr. Hallsbrad as well as you thought you did, Mr. Hanson?¡± The man nodded his face pale and his bald head sweaty. ¡°Let the record show, Mr. Hanson nodded in affirmation. No further questions, your honor.¡± Mrs. Stovall sat back down at our table, and I looked between her, Mr. Varnish and Mr. Hanson in confusion. Thankfully Smegma took pity on me. ¡°Mr. Hallsbrad hit an old man over the head with a crowbar, according to that report. That man had an unloaded gun, so instead of an assault charge, he got threatening behavior. Part of the agreement was to strike that portion of the report from evidence, before the jury reviews it.¡± Mr. Varnish stood back up before Mr. Hanson was dismissed. ¡°Mr. Hanson. If you had made a mistake like this¡ª¡° Mr. Varnish held up the report. ¡°¡ªwould you tell your college roommate about it?¡± ¡°Well, probably not, no,¡± Mr. Hanson answered, his face regaining a bit of color as a bit of his faith in a friend was returned to him. ¡°So, did Mr. Hallsbrad not telling you have any impact on your friendship?¡± ¡°I guess not?¡± Mr. Hanson said, again getting a bit more color back. Then he shook his head, clearing the rest of his somber demeanor. ¡°No, no it didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Thank you, your honor, no further questions,¡± Mr. Varnish said. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Mrs. Stovall was given an opportunity to cross examine, but she waved it, and I could see why. Without being able to discuss the beating, she couldn¡¯t counter Mr. Varnish¡¯s point. That seemed odd to me. Why would a past crime of this severity not be admissible as evidence? Surely, I¡¯d seen something like this on TV or the movies? Still, I couldn¡¯t point to an example off the top of my head. It just seemed broken. Wouldn¡¯t this be something like a pattern of bad behavior? ¡°Yeah, that is kind of stupid!¡± Smegma agreed, from his current spot. Sitting right on top of one of the Jurors. I pointedly didn¡¯t look at him, even as I fought a shiver. It was quite a scene I could see in my peripherals. Being judged by my peers¡ªa terrifying black and red Demon, with huge bat wings. Of course that shiver coincided with my first surprise of the trial. One I knew was possible but kind of expected to happen later. ¡°I¡¯d like to call Detective Flair to the stand, your honor.¡± Detective Flair and Volt had their names on the list¡ªboth lists actually. But in both cases they were at the bottom. Mrs. Stovall had said that they could be brought in to testify about the scene or what they observed during the ¡®arrest.¡¯ But she had doubted that they¡¯d be needed. For Mr. Varnish to move one up¡ªnot even move one up, though¡­ ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Smegma asked, floating over. [I¡¯ve got no idea.] Detective Flair was sworn in, and then took the stand and seat, after removing his hat and adjusting his stiff looking uniform. ¡°Good afternoon, Detective Flair,¡± Mr. Varnish greeted, making me realize it was now a little past noon. Meaning we¡¯d likely get a lunch break after Mr. Varnish¡¯s questioning finished. ¡°That seems mighty convenient,¡± Smegma said. [Yeah¡­] I responded, trying to breathe normally, and not hold my breath. ¡°Could you please take us through the events of April 1st, 2069, starting from when you got the call regarding Mr. Flacarada¡¯s case.¡± ¡°Certainly¡­¡± Detective Flair began and then continued to lay out the events. I listened raptly, hearing some pieces of information and police radio jargon I didn¡¯t understand. Detective Flair clarified the terms with Mr. Varnish¡¯s prodding. That¡¯s when his story and my recollection of events began to overlap. ¡°¡ªthen me and my partner arrived on scene. Volt has a Lightning Bolt Skill, in the upper D-ranks. When we arrived, he immediately drew on my Mana Pool, because we found Brodie Flacarada standing over Morgan Hallsbrad wielding a gun.¡± ¡°So, you found Mr. Flacarada with a weapon, and not Mr. Hallsbrad?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°And Detective Volt was prepared to stun or disable Mr. Flacarada, because he was worried for Mr. Hallsbrad¡¯s safety?¡± ¡°Objection, your honor, Speculation,¡± Mrs. Stovall said. ¡°Sustained. Mr. Varnish. Please confine your questions to the thoughts and actions of the witness. If you would like Detective Volt to take the stand you can call him up next.¡± After her verbal reprimand, the judge nodded for Varnish to continue. ¡°Apologies, your honor. Detective Volt pulled on your Mana Pool to activate his Skill?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± Detective Flair said. ¡°Thank you, please continue your retelling.¡± The Detective continued his timeline of events meshing mostly with my own. Cuffing me for my own safety, calling paramedics, and examining the scene. Smegma floated in front of Mr. Varnish throughout most of the story, eyes narrowed. ¡°What¡¯s he trying to do?¡± [I think he¡¯s painting a picture of me as an assailant. His questions sure seem¡ª] ¡°So, you bagged and tagged all evidence you found at the scene?¡± Mr. Varnish asked, interrupting a part of the Detectives tale. My eyes narrowed. Hadn¡¯t Detective Flair been about to mention the book of names found on Morgan Hallsbrad? ¡°Me or my partner, yes,¡± Detective Flair answered. ¡°It was our crime scene, as I mentioned.¡± ¡°So, after you took the weapon from Mr. Flacarada, you immediately bagged it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± Detective Flair answered while narrowing his eyes a bit, seeming frustrated by what felt like a repeated question, even to me. ¡°I¡¯d like to submit G-thirteen into evidence,¡± Mr. Varnish said. Then moved through the same procedure as Mrs. Stovall. I held my breath again, sensing something was about to happen. ¡°This is a report on fingerprint testing on the weapon in question. Can you tell me whose fingerprints are on the report, Detective Flair.¡± The Detective looked down at the paper and then back up at Mr. Varnish before answering, ¡°Brodie Flacarada¡¯s.¡± ¡°Is there any other name listed on the report?¡± Mr. Varnish asked. ¡°No, only Brodie¡¯s.¡± ¡°Then Morgan Hallsbrad never touched this weapon?¡± Mr. Varnish asked quickly. ¡°No, we found two pairs of gloves on Mr. Hallsbrad. One latex, and one pair of leather ones.¡± ¡°But you bagged and tagged everything on the scene and put it into evidence?¡± Mr. Varnish asked, even as he spun and went to his desk. ¡°Again, Mr. Varnish, that is correct.¡± ¡°Can you show me the gloves you mentioned on this Evidence Summary please, Detective Flair?¡± Mr. Varnish said. ¡°I¡¯m handing Detective Flair, P-one, already submitted into evidence. It¡¯s a simple summation of all pieces of evidence found at the scene.¡± Detective Flair took the page, and Mrs. Stovall flipped in her binder to the P-section. It was the first item inside. There was only one page of items, but a quick scan immediately told me what Mr. Varnish was getting at. There were no gloves listed. I blinked at the page¡ªhadn¡¯t the Detective just confidently said they¡¯d found two pairs of gloves on Morgan Hallsbrad? ¡°They aren¡¯t listed, are they Detective Flair?¡± Mr. Varnish prodded. ¡°I can¡¯t find them on this list, no,¡± Detective Flair answered, while holding up the page. ¡°Did you or Detective Volt take the gloves off Morgan Hallsbrad before bagging and tagging them?¡± Mr. Varnish asked, following up quickly. ¡°I believe I did.¡± ¡°Then how are they not listed here, Detective Flair.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡ª¡° ¡°So, then you arrived on scene to find Brodie Flacarada holding a weapon, and there is no evidence it was ever unholstered by Morgan Hallsbad first?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯ve said¡ª¡° ¡°Answer the question, please,¡± Mr. Varnish asked. ¡°Objection, your honor, Argumentative. Detective Flair has already testified to there being gloves on Morgan Hallsbrad.¡± ¡°Apologies, I¡¯ll retract my previous question, your honor. Let¡¯s move on from the missing gloves, you claim were at the scene. How would you describe Brodie Flacarada at the scene and in the following days of questioning.¡± My stomach sank, as I knew exactly where this line of questioning was leading. I had just received Mental Fortitude without truly understanding what it was doing. I¡¯d even noticed how others reacted to my seeming lack of reactions. Detective Flair glanced at me for a moment before saying, ¡°Brodie Flacarada was distant and cold at times. Seeming to be in a state of shock¡ª¡° ¡°Are you a doctor, Detective Flair?¡± Mr. Varnish asked. ¡°No¡ª¡° ¡°Then how do you know he was in shock?¡± ¡°Look, Prosecutor Varnish. You and I both know that officers of the law are considered Expert Witnesses when testifying on matters that fall within the scope of their law enforcement expertise. I¡¯ve seen people shot, stabbed, poisoned¡ªsuicide attempts that survived and wished they hadn¡¯t and even more things that I¡¯d rather forget. Under the scope of that experiential expertise, Brodie Flacarada was showing symptoms that I would associate with other cases I¡¯ve had where the victims were later given a medically confirmed diagnosis of shock. I¡¯ve seen many victims in my time with the Windsor Police Department, and Brodie was exhibiting the same symptoms.¡± ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is that no¡ªyou have no doctor''s diagnosis of shock¡ªor even a psychiatric evaluation of it?¡± ¡°No, just my expert opinion,¡± Detective Flair answered. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Why¡¯s what?¡± ¡°Sorry, why is there no doctor¡¯s evaluation of shock?¡± ¡°Because Brodie didn¡¯t have to go to the hospital,¡± Detective Flair responded, sounding confused. ¡°Wait, you are saying that he was assaulted but didn¡¯t have to go to the hospital?¡± ¡°I said Brodie was assaulted. I never said he was battered. He was held at gunpoint¡ª¡° ¡°Objection your honor. Hearsay,¡± Mr. Varnish intoned, objecting to his own witness''s answer. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just testify to finding Brodie Flacarada holding the gun, Detective Flair?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°So, where did the information come from that Morgan Hallsbrad was holding Brodie at gunpoint.¡± ¡°From the victim.¡± ¡°Alleged victim. The same cold and detached ¡®victim¡¯ you found holding the gun?¡± Mr. Varnish asked. I could see Mrs. Stovall who¡¯d been scribbling hurriedly clench a fist at this question. I expected her to stand up and object but she didn¡¯t. ¡°Not the way I described it,¡± Detective Flair responded. ¡°But you did say Brodie Flacarada was holding the weapon on arrival.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And described him as cold and detached.¡± ¡°Yes, but not at the scene.¡± ¡°So, when was Brodie Flacarada cold and detached, Detective Flair?¡± ¡°When my partner and I visited him the next morning to inform him of Morgan Hallsbrad¡¯s death¡ª¡° It felt like someone had just hammered a nail into my heart. ¡°That¡¯s total bullshit!¡± Smegma shouted. ¡°Mr. Varnish even knows you have Mental Fortitude ¡®cause of that Larvae bastard!¡± ¡°Allow me to restate your position, and correct me if I¡¯m wrong,¡± Varnish stated smoothly. ¡°To the best of your experiential expertise, you¡¯d say that Brodie Flacarada, the defendant¡ªwas ¡®cold and detached¡¯ after you informed him that his actions likely led to the death of another human being, is that correct?¡± Detective Flair shifted awkwardly in his seat. ¡°Remember. You are under Oath.¡± Mr. Varnish pressed. ¡°Yes or no, Detective. Did I fairly summarize your statement?¡± Clearing his throat, the Detective leaned slightly toward the microphone. ¡°Yes.¡± 084 Wednesday, May 1st, 2069 The dinner table was deathly quiet, and I could tell everyone was digesting the retelling of the information I¡¯d just shared. I myself was still trying to digest just how frustrated and impotent the day had made me. Every witness that was called to the stand had their words twisted by Mr. Varnish. Mrs. Stovall certainly did a good job of countering his points and fleshing out more of the story, but it felt like the seeds of doubt were being sowed. Mrs. Stovall had even told me that this would happen to an extent, but I just hadn¡¯t expected it to be this bad. She also hadn¡¯t expected a key piece of evidence to have gone missing. This truly felt like a movie or court drama TV show¡ªevidence didn¡¯t just go missing, right? Mrs. Stovall was talking to the Detectives tonight, and trying to get to the bottom of the ¡®missing¡¯ items. The current theory from all parties involved was that it was simply left off the list. My gut told me something different though. It just felt like something Mr. Varnish hadn¡¯t stumbled onto. Or maybe I had watched too many of the aforementioned dramas. ¡°Trust Mrs. Stovall,¡± my mother said, as she placed a hand atop my own. I gave her a weak smile, knowing she was right, but also not really in the best of moods to acknowledge it at the moment. ¡°Geneva and Kristen have good news,¡± my mom said with fake enthusiasm¡ªclearly trying to change the subject. I turned to the two women and caught the tail end of them both ¡®turning a frown upside down.¡¯ Kristen was the first to succeed, and with a wide, forced smile she said, ¡°We¡¯ve sold the five B-rank Crystals on your behalf, and we¡¯ve finished editing the video. We brought it here for your review!¡± Geneva began digging in her work bag beside her chair before Kristen was even half finished, and soon a tablet was on the table, ready to play. Part of me was excited to see the second video they¡¯d made. I was especially curious after the first¡¯s wild success and yet it still took a moment for my brain to convince my heart to play it. With a mood-changing sigh I stood up and pressed the play button on the black screen. Instantly, the sound of pickaxes on Crystal and ore could be heard as an image slowly came into focus. Somehow, the sounds of Miner¡¯s slowly began to morph into slow more recognizable swings on Crystals. The video gained shades of a familiar green that was still fresh in everyone¡¯s mind. The Goblin Caverns! I¡¯ll admit that my mood increased by the second as the video continued, showing not only my skill as I quickly extracted full Crystals, but also the ¡®companies¡¯ capabilities. The women did a wonderful job of showing the Guild minder¡¯s shock at the speed and ability of our team, and even put in the section where my father left to renegotiate with Echo-Five. I didn¡¯t recall it seeming so professional, and amazing in the moment, but Geneva and Kristen certainly made it out to be. Then, through carefully chosen clips they made it look like the Hunter¡¯s who were sent deeper to scout had actually done so after the accidental cave-in to keep us safe. It was brilliant. Untrue, to be sure, but it was genius editing that should appease Mirage. The deaths of the minder¡¯s was shown to be tragic, and I even felt some outrage on their behalf as a line of text scrolled along the bottom of the video¡ªsaying they¡¯d been eaten by the Monsters. I was beyond impressed, but the video didn¡¯t end there. Next, small snippets of famous Hunters and Guild Leader¡¯s were played. Snippets of them praising the hardworking people who toiled away in the Portals. Small conversations on podcasts and talk shows, where the dangers of the jobs for the lame Portal worker were discussed. The video ended with a beautiful shot of me and the group walking toward the Portal in the park, with picks in hand. Words flew in and the sounds of Miner¡¯s picks resumed as it crashed into the center of the shot, and froze the video. The words read, ¡®Company Name.¡¯ The guffaw that escaped my lips, was joined by many others around the table. The video and their small joke had effectively pulled me completely out of my mood. Not just because of the quality of this piece¡ªbut also because it was a great reminder. Information could be manipulated, and Mr. Varnish wasn¡¯t the only person capable of that. Here was a perfect example of the ¡®truth¡¯ being subjective. Geneva and Kristen were clearly good at their jobs to make such a compelling tale and narrative out of something that wasn¡¯t there. Mr. Varnish was the same. Mrs. Stovall surely had that skill as well. I needed to remember, I¡¯d surrounded myself with good and skilled people. I just needed to trust them to do their jobs. And I needed to surround myself with more¡­ ¡°No!¡± Smegma complained, breaking the jubilant mood around the table with his sudden outburst. Everyone looked at him in confusion, likely thinking he was talking about the video. ¡°Not the video, idiots! I¡¯m speaking to the biggest moron amongst you.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I said, a smile still broad on my face. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°No!¡± Smegma shot back. ¡°You and moron number two spent all night last night talking about what you would become in the future. Now what? You changed your mind on a stupid whim?¡± ¡°Smegma, this plan doesn¡¯t change that dream. It is an investment!¡± ¡°An investment into crappy Crafting!¡± ¡°Can someone explain?¡± My father stated pointedly. His voice wasn¡¯t upset but it carried the threat of going there if we didn¡¯t stop arguing and let the table in on the discussion. ¡°I want to use the Mana Coins to buy gear for other Portal Professions. Gardening Gear, Skinning Knives, and¡ª¡° ¡°And?¡± Smegma shouted. ¡°You don¡¯t have anyone who¡¯s a Skilled Cook, besides yourself, not to mention an Alchemist, Blacksmith or anything else!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t, yet!¡± I countered my grin only getting smaller as I pointed two thumbs at myself. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken I¡¯ll get a sub-Skill for each thanks to Overflow¡ª¡° Smegma sucked on his teeth, making a noise that threatened interruption but I overrode it. ¡°¡ªPlus! I can change the target of Overflow, maybe get some others a Skill!¡± ¡°Oh, come on!¡± Smegma complained. ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting you to change its target to me forever!¡± ¡°And maybe I¡¯ll consider it if this works the way I hope for!¡± Geneva, Kristen, my father, Dave and my mother looked at me and Smegma with mixed expressions. I could tell that Dave was disappointed I wasn¡¯t going to purchase a Skill from the Shop, but simultaneously excited to possibly become a target of Overflow, and get more Skills that way. That was an experiment I¡¯d need to run later, though. Mostly because I still had a great deal of stats and Skills to unlock. Plus, if it did work as intended, it would be extremely dangerous for me if it ever got out. Someone who could just grant Skills by entering a dungeon, was certainly valuable. Would I just become a government asset if discovered? Or worse, assassinated by people who wanted to keep others weak? My parents both wore thoughtful expressions, clearly thinking about the business side of what I¡¯d just suggested. Geneva and Kristen were unreadable but thankfully Geneva spoke up and excitedly snagged the tablet. ¡°We can add a recruitment notice and explain the new parts to the business. It probably won¡¯t get you too many people applying, but it should get the interest of Guilds!¡± I sighed and mentally shook myself of the dark thoughts from a moment before, even as the conversation continued. ¡°We¡¯ll handle the other recruits,¡± my father said, looking at my mother. Then he followed up by asking, ¡°How many Picks, Knives and Gardening Kits are you going to purchase?¡± I didn¡¯t have an answer but I mentally opened the Shop windows for Demonic Vault, and checked the prices of those items. They were each just ten thousand mC and with the million plus Mana Coins they¡¯d barely make a dent. I responded, ¡°As many as we can recruit?¡± My father nodded even as my mother winced before adding, ¡°We don¡¯t know any other Trades, Brodie. Guilds usually take their materials directly to them. So, figuring out what it means to be an Alchemist, Cook and Blacksmith is going to be tough.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay, and not necessarily a bad thing. It means that the Guilds have had a monopoly on supplies for a while now. We might find that those materials are relatively cheap when considering what a Professional can do with them. We¡¯ll experiment a bit for now,¡± I said and then canted my head before asking something I probably should have known before making this plan. ¡°Does anyone know what things each Profession makes that is most in demand by Guilds?¡± Smegma chuckled sadly and began rubbing the bridge of his nose. Then to my and everyone¡¯s surprise, he grumbled, ¡°I might not know what you Human¡¯s want, but I know what was in demand by the Sects of Crendalar Five after five thousand plus years of battling the Portals.¡± As if his reluctant words were a call to action, everyone started moving. ¡°I¡¯ll make some calls!¡± My dad said. ¡°Me too,¡± my mom quickly crowed right behind him. ¡°I¡¯ll help keep track of stuff,¡± Dave said, sounding a bit lost, but rushing after them both. I shook my head and smiled, knowing he¡¯d do a fantastic job but also be a bother. ¡°We¡¯ll edit this video, and post it¡ªbut we¡¯ll still need a company name!¡± ¡°Oh, right,¡± I said, feeling my excitement wane a bit. How could the plan be so easy to come up with but a word or two be slightly terrifying? Dave stuck his head back into the room. ¡°Alonzo¡¯s Alloys?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to be doing more than Mining,¡± I pointed out. ¡°Mars¡¯ Mercantile?¡± Dave tried again. He cupped a hand over his mouth to call out down the hallway. ¡°Gary! What rhymes with Flacarada? Alliteration is fine, too. The Flacarada Foundry? No? Well, couldn¡¯t you have picked a better last name?¡± My mom and dad entered the doorway behind him. Dad slapped Dave on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to let my grandfather¡¯s grandfather know about your criticisms of the family name.¡± I laughed at Dave¡¯s sheepish look and shook my head, not liking the suggestions either. ¡°Merchants of Mars?¡± Dave tried again. This one was admittedly closer to what I wanted. ¡°We aren¡¯t Merchants, though. Not really. We offer Portal Services, and Consumables¡­¡± ¡°Then go with something simple like that,¡± Dave stated. ¡°Alonzo¡¯s Abyss: Portal Services and Consumables,¡± Smegma suggested in a whisper. I blinked and looked at the Demon. It only took that glance to realize how much the name Abyss meant to him. I nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll get it done!¡± Geneva squeed, dancing in place and clearly excited to have a name settled.. ¡°Shoot me a text with the spelling just in case.¡± I nodded, and everyone left the room again, leaving me and Smegma alone. ¡°Thanks,¡± the Demon whispered. 085 Thursday, May 2nd, 2069 ¡°Mrs. Moody, could you please explain for the court what it is you do?¡± Mr. Varnish asked the older woman. ¡°Certainly. My name is Ayla Moody and I¡¯m a manager for Hunters. Normally, I discover talented individuals at Phoenix Academy or before they begin attending Phoenix Academy. Then I help get them sponsorships, scholarships and funding to support them as they learn to become the best versions of themselves.¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s safe to say that you¡¯re an expert on Skilled Hunters?¡± Mr. Varnish asked. ¡°I would never claim to be an expert on the subject, but I spend a great deal of time with and around them, certainly.¡± ¡°How many Hunters do you manage, Mrs. Moody?¡± Mr. Varnish asked, seeming to be driving her and the jurors toward something. I assumed it was to make her testimony stand out more, or be weightier, but just like Ayla, I wasn¡¯t an expert in the court of law. ¡°Approximately¡­¡± She glanced up with her eyes thoughtfully, as if doing a rough count before answering. ¡°Two-hundred or so, I¡¯d say.¡± ¡°And how many of your Hunters are S-rank?¡± ¡°Sixteen,¡± Ayla answered again, her voice sounding proud to me. And admittedly she had every right to be proud of that number. Eight percent? ¡°They all Awakened with S-rank Skills?¡± Mr. Varnish asked. Ayla shook her head. ¡°No. Many Awakened with, and are even still using lower-ranked Skills, but performing the duties of S-ranked Hunters.¡± ¡°How is that possible Mrs. Moody?¡± ¡°A great deal of hard work, Mr. Varnish. I¡¯m sure this isn¡¯t surprising news to you, you¡¯ve met some of the top Hunters,¡± Ayla answered, her voice growing frustrated for a reason I didn¡¯t understand. Mr. Varnish laughed. ¡°A different breed,¡± he said between chuckles. ¡°That¡¯s how I¡¯d describe the S-ranks I¡¯ve met. Would you agree, Mrs. Moody?¡± Ayla gave Mr. Varnish an evaluating stare, but nodded. I could tell she was also trying to figure out the man¡¯s game or play here. He continued, after verbalizing her nod to the court reporter. ¡°So, would you say that every Hunter you¡¯ve personally taken on made it to S-rank solely through hard work?¡± Ayla¡¯s eyes narrowed and she shook her head minutely. ¡°I think you know quite well, that many factor¡ª¡° ¡°¡ªSo, the answer would be a no?¡± Mr. Varnish interrupted her. Ayla¡¯s eyes narrowed and she took a moment to work some tension out of her jaw before she said, ¡°Yes, the answer would be no. There are multiple factors that contribute to and impact a Hunter¡¯s ranking.¡± ¡°What are those factors?¡± Mr. Varnish asked, his voice sounding excited, like Ayla had arrived at her intended destination. ¡°Secondary Skill Awakenings? Is that the answer you¡¯re looking for?¡± Ayla asked. She blinked repeatedly as her face took on a disgusted sneer, directed at Mr. Varnish. ¡°I¡¯m not looking for any specific answer. However, of the sixteen S-rank Hunters you manage, how many of them have Awakened a third or fourth Skill during dire situations inside of Portals?¡± Ayla licked her lips, and then took a deep breath. Looking to the Judge first, and then to the jurors, seeming to be looking for a way out. Her jaw began working, like she was in fact chewing rocks. Finally, she whispered, ¡°None of them.¡± What was going on? What about that answer made her reluctant to speak? I truly couldn¡¯t understand the interplay or direction Mr. Varnish was trying to take. ¡°And how many of them Awakened a new Skill during your training?¡± Ayla¡¯s glare could have melted diamonds, and I felt my eyebrows raise as the pieces of the puzzle Mr. Varnish was weaving came together. Mr. Varnish seemed unmoved by the glare, and even went as far as to prompt Ayla by saying, ¡°Mrs. Moody, please answer the question.¡± ¡°Your honor,¡± Mrs. Moody said, turning to Judge Dench. ¡°This is approaching a subject that infringes on my rights under the Hunter Protection Act of twenty-fifty five. I refuse to answer any further questions in this vein.¡± My eyes and jaw were as wide open as they could be. I thought I understood what was happening but was doubting the conclusion I came to. ¡°Does she have a Hunter that increases Skill Acquisition?¡± Smegma said, as he floated around Ayla Moody. [That¡¯s what I was thinking,] I responded mentally, even as the Judge, called for Mr. Varnish and Mrs. Stovall to approach the stand. Ayla never stopped glaring at the A-rank Hunter, seeming to want to stab him on the spot. They broke apart and Judge Dench addressed the court. ¡°The Juror¡¯s and reporter will strike the last line of questioning from the record. Mrs. Moody, I¡¯ve directed the Lawyers not to ask further questions about your business. Jurors, please treat Mrs. Ayla Moody¡¯s testimony as that of an expert in the field of Hunters. Understood?¡± [That felt like it wasn¡¯t related to my case at all,] I mentally sent Smegma. He floated back to his usual seat in the jurors box. Then once he¡¯d engulfed a young SwiftGrammer he regarded me. ¡°What do you think it means?¡± Smegma asked. ¡°Mrs. Moody,¡± Mr. Varnish said, before I could mentally collect my thoughts enough to respond. ¡°It¡¯s safe to say that you¡¯ve witnessed more than your fair share of Skill Awakenings in your current career?¡± Ayla took a deep breath, her eyes still throwing daggers at the man. ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± Mr. Varnish moved to his table, picked up a remote and clicked a button. As a white screen lowered from the court ceiling, he said, ¡°Your honor, this is video V-four¡ªlabeled as such in evidence.¡± There was a brief moment in which the courtroom all waited for the electrical motors of the projector screen to finish their hum. Then a bit more as the projector itself booted up, producing a blue screen before going black. For a brief instant, it showed an open folder of videos on Mr. Varnish¡¯s computer or tablet, before he pushed a button on the remote and a file opened. Sure enough, the video of me in the mall parking lot as the car glowed and then Ayla came to my window played. It was from fairly high up, perhaps with the camera being mounted on either the side of a building, or perhaps a light pole. You couldn¡¯t actually see me in my car, just a birds-eye view of my vehicle from up above. Mr. Varnish paused it just after Ayla could be seen starting to approach the car. ¡°Mrs. Moody, this is you in this video correct?¡± Mr. Varnish asked, and Ayla nodded. ¡°And who was in the car?¡± ¡°The boy there,¡± Mrs. Moody said with a bit of reluctance and what appeared to be sympathy directed toward me. ¡°Let it be recorded that Mrs. Moody indicated Brodie Flacarada.¡± Mr. Varnish looked to the reporter and got a thumbs up, before he continued. ¡°So you witnessed Mr. Flacarada¡¯s Skill Awakening?¡± Another nod. ¡°And you approached him?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°To check if he was okay¡­¡± Mrs. Moody whispered, allowing her voice to fade out toward the end. Mr. Varnish continued the video which clearly showed her handing something through the car window. ¡°What did you hand Mr. Flacarada, Mrs. Moody?¡± ¡°My business card.¡± ¡°Why would you hand him your business card?¡± ¡°In case he received a good Skill and needed an agent to represent him,¡± Mrs. Moody said, some heat in her voice. ¡°Why would you think he Awakened a ¡®good¡¯ Skill?¡± Mr. Varnish asked, going as far as to air quotes the word good. ¡°You saw the illumination his Awakening put off. There was a relatively ¡®good¡¯ chance that he Awakened a High-Ranked-Skill.¡± Mrs. Moody returned Mr. Varnish¡¯s air quotes like they were a grenade. A few jurors chuckled. ¡°So, you believed that Mr. Flacarada had just Awakened?¡± Mr. Varnish asked. Mrs. Moody furrowed her brow, glancing at me, and then back to Mr. Varnish. The latter clarified. ¡°What if I told you that Brodie Flacarada is twenty-one years old?¡± Mrs. Moody¡¯s eyes went comically wide before she transferred a very shocked gaze onto me. She did answer the question, though, ¡°Then I¡¯d have handed him my entire stack of business cards.¡± ¡°Why the increase in the level of interest, Mrs. Moody?¡± ¡°Because Hunters that Awaken additional Skills often get a Skill that suits them¡ªor should I say, suits their current lifestyle and initial Skills.¡± ¡°You mentioned that you believed he¡¯d Awakened a ¡®good¡¯ Skill based solely off the illumination the event created. In your experience, have you found a correlation between the strength or quality of an Awakened Skill and the power or strength of the light put off from such an event?¡± Mrs. Moody paused then, as if considering her answer carefully. ¡°In my experience¡­ there does seem to be a connection between how bright or strong the light put off from an Awakening and either the strength or suitability of a Skill for the Awakened individual, yes.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Moody. Now, about the specific location of said Awakening¡­ You don¡¯t find it strange that Brodie Flacarada had a secondary Awakening in his car at a mall?¡± Ayla Moody blinked even as she smirked, slightly. I watched her head tilt as she continued to regard me. After a time, her smirk morphed into a huge smile. ¡°That certainly isn¡¯t where I¡¯d expect it to happen, but we can never know another¡¯s life.¡± Mr. Varnish continued to question Ayla, clarifying a few points for the Jury. Mainly that my Awakening a Skill in a mall parking lot was ¡®a bit odd¡¯. Mostly reading statistics about how most Hunters who had ¡®re-Awakened¡¯ did so in Portals. Ayla simply confirmed his numbers were in line with what she knew. He then asked another question that I¡¯d partially been expecting. ¡°And what would be your response if I told you he Awakened another Skill a few weeks later outside of a Portal, after a run-in with and the destruction of a Golem, by his hands with merely a Pickaxe?¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Ayla Moody¡¯s mouth fell open and she slowly turned to stare at me. ¡°I¡¯d want to have him enrolled in Phoenix Academy, and signed with me as his agent. Immediately.¡± Another five minutes passed before questioning was passed to Mrs. Stovall. She stood up, like Mr. Varnish¡¯s words were a starting gun. ¡°Mrs. Moody, when you¡¯ve seen other Hunters ¡®re-Awaken¡¯, is that the correct term?¡± Ayla nodded and Mrs. Stovall continued. ¡°Did it always happen in the middle of a stressful situation?¡± ¡°Certainly not. There are no hard and fast rules for these sorts of things, you understand. However, with that said¡ªre-Awakenings, in my experience, are far more likely to occur during, or in the wake of a stressful, deadly, or threatening situation, yes.¡± ¡°So, in your expert opinion could an assault, and near Mana-Rape be stressful enough to cause an Awakening?¡± ¡°Objection your honor, hearsay,¡± Mr. Varnish said. ¡°I have not accused Morgan Hallsbrad of these acts in my question, your honor. I am merely speaking in general terms here and trying to establish an example of a potentially stressful situation that might trigger a re-Awakening.¡± ¡°Overruled,¡± Judge Dench said. ¡°But you are treading on thin ice here, Mrs. Stovall. There¡¯s no one here that doesn¡¯t understand what you''re getting at with your chosen example. Make sure that you are, in fact, keeping everything to generalities.¡± ¡°Thank you, your honor.¡± Stovall nodded, seeming to be both thankful and agreeing to the Judges¡¯ warning, before turning back to the stand. ¡°Would being held at gunpoint, while being threatened with Mana Rape be enough stress to force a re-Awakening, Mrs. Moody?¡± ¡°Certainly.¡± ¡°If it didn¡¯t happen in the moment but occurred later, would you find it suspicious?¡± ¡°Possibly, but that depends on the individual.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Some Hunter¡¯s that have re-Awakened, have gone through a near death experience, and only weeks later, when they come down from the stress of that situation do they re-Awaken.¡± ¡°Is that because those Hunter¡¯s were in shock or something similar?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the most widely accepted theory, yes.¡± I fought to keep a smile off of my face. That was very clever. Not only had Mrs. Stovall explained my numerous ¡®Awakenings¡¯ to the jurors but also established some groundwork to counteract Mr. Varnish¡¯s earlier accusations of me being distant and cold as some form of implied sociopathy instead of shock. ¡°In your expert opinion, would killing a man in self-defense also be traumatic enough to re-Awaken an individual?¡± ¡°Certainly. Sometimes even killing a humanoid monster for the first time has caused Hunters to re-Awaken. However, as Mr. Varnish claimed with his statistics, re-Awakenings, are pretty rare. So, we can¡¯t truly say if there are patterns or not.¡± ¡°What about performing a Gathering Profession in the middle of an active Portal and being suddenly attacked by a Portal Monster and having to fight for your life?¡± ¡°I think that would be a textbook example of a situation that could lead to a re-Awakening.¡± Moody nodded. ¡°In fact, there are examples exactly like that in the actual textbooks at Phoenix Academy. A great many of those few Hunters that have re-Awakened were once Gatherers or Mana Batteries that were survivors of terrible situations inside of Portals.¡± ¡°Thank you Mrs. Moody. One final question. You quoted the Hunter Protection Act of twenty-fifty-five. What exactly is that act and its purpose?¡± ¡°Generally?¡± Mrs. Moody asked, seeming to grow slightly concerned, before Mrs. Stovall gave an affirmative nod. Mrs. Moody sighed in relief before saying, ¡°Generally speaking, the Act is meant to protect Hunters and their Skills, both in description and acquisition. No government, person or authority can force a Hunter to reveal what Skills they¡¯ve Awakened, or even what Rank they are, nor how they potentially acquired them, if the Skill is the result of a re-Awakening.¡± ¡°Thank you Mrs. Moody.¡± Stovall turned toward the Judge. ¡°No further questions, your honor.¡± * * * The remainder of the day was extremely monotonous, in which Mr. Varnish tried to paint a picture that I was somehow an unhinged monster who had premeditated murdering Morgan Hallsbrad to take his Skills. Or at least, that¡¯s the only logical place his argument could be leading. Mrs. Stovall, on the other hand, simply refuted many of the points he tried to get to stick. I wouldn¡¯t say we were winning the case, but it certainly didn¡¯t feel like we were losing either. If I understood everything correctly¡ªthe only way for the prosecution to ¡®win¡¯, would be to prove that I had done something illegal ¡®beyond all reasonable doubt¡¯, which seemed to be some kind of buzz word terminology. I felt like Mrs. Stovall had done a great job making sure there were still quite a few doubts. ¡°They can¡¯t prove you did anything intentionally,¡± Dave said, from his seat on my bed¡ªseemingly agreeing with my train of thought. ¡°I know that, but I can¡¯t believe that it''s even this cloudy in the first place!¡± I responded, thinking that it would be nice to have my family or Dave in the courtroom, but unfortunately everyone was barred. I assumed that was to keep the reporters from overhearing terms like Cannibal and Snatcher¡ªbut honestly, I also was happy that it would protect me and my family just a little bit more. Sure, eventually people would put Alonzo Mars and Brodie Flacarada together, but not until the trial¡¯s results went public. ¡°You should just get a Skill to help. Like maybe something charismatic.¡± Dave suggested thoughtfully. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure Mr. Varnish has something like that already. And I¡¯m not going to be able to beat him at his own game.¡± ¡°Fine, maybe just get a Skill to feel better?¡± Smegma suggested. I laughed. Dave and Smegma were clearly on the same page in regards to my current spending of Mana Coins. They both wanted me to save and purchase known Skills and not waste my money on Crafting Gear or Gathering stuff. Still, I had my own reasons for sticking with buying up as many Gathering items as I could, beyond just making money. ¡°I already told you both. This might make it possible for me to unlock more Stats!¡± Dave opened his mouth to complain and I hurriedly added, ¡°Maybe they can even unlock Stats for people I know!¡± Dave closed his mouth and went into quiet introspection, clearly considering my words. ¡°And I¡¯m telling you that if you get a whole bunch of Crafting and Profession Skills, you¡¯ll never become a Combat Hunter!¡± Smegma countered. ¡°You already have too many!¡± That of course reminded me that I wanted to check my current Skill list, using a Spent Mana Crystal. With the trial, it was easy to forget about my ¡®missing¡¯ Skill from inside the Portal¡ªor maybe I had been intentionally trying to not think about it. The Skill Planet vanishing in my Mental Universe had hit pretty hard. I shrugged and pulled one of the spent B-ranked Crystals from my Necklace. Then with a cheeky grin to Smegma I said, ¡°Let¡¯s see how many I have!¡± Dave rushed to my side, excited, in spite of me already telling him I¡¯d lost the skill. I gave him a look even as I infused Mana into the nearly perfectly clear Crystal. While the B-rank Crystals had looked impressive with Mana and light emanating from them¡ªnow that this one was spent, the imperfections in it were a bit more apparent. Small cracks or perhaps air bubbles were visible in its depths, even as the glow from my Mana infusion ramped up. As the five minute mark approached I held my breath. The Crystal began to morph into the Skill Cards, and I was greeted with the familiar back of Mental Fortitude. I should have nine Skills total. Demonic Vault, Mental Fortitude, Recovery, Dragon Heart, Minor Heal, Weak Cleanse, Mining, Cooking, Fishing and Heat Sense. I flipped through the Cards, not bothering to flip them over if I knew the backing already. Mental Fortitude, Demonic Vault, Recovery, Mining¡ª flipping past them, I reached the first Card I didn¡¯t know. It had green backing with a woman leaning over a clearly injured man.
Minor Heal (10) High-F-Rank Minor Heal can only be used on others, and heals the individual''s Health Pool at a rate of one health per .99 mana expended.
I could see the changes it had undergone since getting it with my Common Healer Class. It wasn¡¯t anything amazing, but it was now a High-F-Rank and looked like it was at level ten now instead of one, which seemed like it saved me some Mana while using it. The next Card was also green, and showed a man touching someone¡¯s forehead. The person was sweating profusely and again, I knew what it was.
Cleanse (10) High-F-Rank Cleanse can only be used on others and removes contaminants, poisons, venoms and diseases from the individual. Limited to Common or Uncommon maladies. Costs 9.99 Mana per use.
No change to functionality, but again some Mana savings. I pulled up my Skill windows for the two Skills and discovered the same descriptions. I couldn¡¯t pull up Skill windows for any other Skills yet, and I wondered if that was because they were all Crafting or Passive Skills? But there was one outlier in that consideration. The next Card back was Heat Sense, and it wasn¡¯t Passive. I needed to activate it, but admittedly it didn¡¯t use Mana. Still, I had to wonder if I could only see ¡®Class¡¯ Skills with the windows. The next unknown Card was clearly Cooking, because the picture was of an Orc in a chef''s hat, adding quite a bit of salt to a recipe. It felt like the creature would go to war if I pointed out that amount being too much though.
Cooking (10) (Evolveable) High-F-Rank As you cook, you slowly improve your understanding of ingredients, herbs and mixtures. As this Skill grows, this individual will notice improvements to all actions related to Cooking. This Skill is amplified by the Dexterity Stat.
The next Card showed a man fishing.
Fishing (10) (Evolveable) High-F-Rank As you Fish you slowly improve your understanding of techniques and creatures of the sea. As this Skill grows, this individual will notice improvements to all actions related to Fishing and reduced Mana costs. This Skill is amplified by the Stamina Stat.
My count of Cards reached nine, but I could still feel another Card under Fishing. I looked over my shoulder at Dave, and then included Smegma in my excitement. He flew over.
Reptilian Body (50) (Evolveable) Skill Type: Body Forging Skill Rank: High-E-Rank A Reptilian body is one of the most versatile existences in the Multiverse. Able to survive extreme temperatures and even grow strong scales to protect itself. A Reptilian Body is a highly sought after Body Forging Skill that can increase Stat effects by [Locked]%. Reptilian Body¡¯s effects are amplified by [Strength], [Stamina] and [Locked] Stats.
Something about the Reptilian Body Card made me frown. What it was I couldn¡¯t say. Thankfully, I had two others in the room with me. ¡°Holy shit, the color and back match Dragon Heart, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Not quite,¡± Smegma answered, ¡°but they¡¯re close enough that I¡¯d have considered them part of a Set on Crendalar!¡± I pulled out the Card for Dragon Heart and looked at it beside Reptilian Body. The colors matched perfectly, and even the way the Card was organized seemed very familiar. Still, that wasn¡¯t the strange feeling I was getting from the Card. I reached into my Mental Universe and once again tried to find the Skill with no luck. Still, now knowing about the Skill, I could feel something¡ªalmost like a second static charge. One was my Mana Pool¡ªbut the other¡­ It was my actual body. It had been buzzing since the Portal and I¡¯d just thought it was the constant nerves. First, finishing the task for Nagina, and now the trial. But I realized now that wasn¡¯t it. It had been my ¡®Body Forging¡¯ Skill teetering at the top of E-rank. But why couldn¡¯t I find the Skill Planet in my Mental Universe? ¡°Smegma, help me find this Skill in my Mental Universe.¡± ¡°Remember, you haven¡¯t found Recovery or Mental Fortitude yet, either,¡± Smegma answered, but did dive into the universe and begin ¡®looking¡¯ as well. Dave left us alone after fifteen minutes of my muttering. After an hour, I was forced to give up. I had court tomorrow. 086 Friday, May 3rd, 2069 ¡°You¡¯ve heard from a great deal of witnesses and experts over the last few days,¡± Mr. Varnish intoned, his somber voice was serious and ingratiating. ¡°Now, let me summarize what we¡¯ve learned and lay out the events on the day in question.¡± Mr. Varnish already had a few pieces of equipment on the floor for his ¡®presentation¡¯ and the white screen to project onto was already down. He moved to his desk and pulled out a marker even as Smegma studied the pages and photos laid out on Mr. Varnish¡¯s desk. ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s just a bunch of pictures, and Private Investigator contracts,¡± Smegma explained, sounding confused. ¡°On January 3rd, 2069, Mr. Morgan Hallsbrad was hired to investigate the murder of Lillianne Matthews, in Miami Florida.¡± Mr. Varnish stuck a contract onto a rather large whiteboard, and handed it out to Mrs. Stovall and the Judge, entering it into evidence. ¡°Lillianne Matthews¡¯ father Gerald hired him to assist in the Police Investigation.¡± More papers were entered into evidence and I read over Mrs. Stovall¡¯s shoulder as a rather convincing story took shape. The first page was the case file for Lillianne Matthews, and the second was a contract between her father Gerald and Morgan Hallsbrad. Mr. Varnish continued his story, showing the investigation Morgan Hallsbrad took that led him into the morgues of the victims and explained the most glaring piece of evidence against him¡ªthe notebook. But most importantly¡ªthe DNA of the victims that was found inside of said notebook. Mrs. Stovall and I had talked after each court session, and so I knew that the notebook was a rather big piece of evidence, and one that supported my side of events. To have it removed as evidence of Morgan¡¯s ill intent and potential culpability as the Heartless Killer murderer left only one glaring issue in Mr. Varnish¡¯s story. If, as I suspected, Varnish wanted to try and paint me out to be the Heartless Killer, there was no way in hell that he could place me at the scene of any of the other murders. So, his original tale of Morgan Hallsbrad tracking the murders to me, made no sense. I wasn¡¯t¡ª ¡°That brings us to why Mr. Hallsbrad was visiting Brodie Flacarada, on April 1st, 2069. Morgan Hallsbrad had tracked the killings through a link to a particular phenomenon. Something that at first, he believed was ludicrous. And yet¡ªthere was no other explanation.¡± Mr. Varnish put a picture up on the whiteboard and the magnet that snapped it in place sounded far louder than even the Judges gavel had earlier. The picture was so eerily familiar, that at first I assumed I¡¯d seen it before¡ªbut the more I squinted, the more my stomach started to churn. Mr. Varnish slowly walked the other two copies of the pictures to the Judge, and then to Mrs. Stovall. As he approached, he held the picture in front of his chest, his eyes fixed on me, while his face held a knowing smile. I blinked at the image and then up at Mr. Varnish, fighting my natural reaction of looking away¡ªor looking to where I knew the individual represented in this picture was. The closer the picture came, the more sure I was that it wasn¡¯t Smegma. It was a picture of a painting that looked almost exactly like the Felguard-Imp, but it could also have been something from the Catholic religion. Sure, it was eerily similar but because it was a painted piece¡ªit also felt generalized. I focused on that, even as Mr. Varnish studied my expression. Smegma floated behind me and also studied the picture. For once, he was deathly quiet, and I had the urge to mentally want to scream at him for an explanation, but managed to hold it in. I went as far as to tilt my head in confusion at the ¡®painting¡¯. ¡°Morgan Hallsbrad believed that there was a Demonic Skill involved with the Heartless Killer murders,¡± Mr. Varnish exclaimed as he spun to face the jurors. The gasps of alarm that followed his sudden motion and pronouncement were likely what he had been aiming for. ¡°This ¡®Demonic Skill¡¯, he believed, had the ability to Cannibalize other Skills and grow stronger.¡± Mr. Varnish pulled out another page, which was handed again to the Judge. Mrs. Varnish and then pinned a picture onto the board. ¡°Here is a picture of a page in his notebook. I will read it. ¡°The Demon¡¯s Skill grows, the more it consumes. The more Mana it uses, but especially if it finds other powerful Skills¡­ Then it powers up, growing in Rank.¡± Mr. Varnish paused, and relished the stillness in the courtroom. His tale had led everyone to a moment, balancing on the edge of our seats. Even myself and Mrs. Stovall weren¡¯t immune to his falsehoods. ¡°Morgan Hallsbrad discovered that this Demonic Skill was so powerful it had, in fact, been shattered and Awakened in pieces and was still as powerful as his investigation indicated. The killer is one of these unfortunate souls who has a piece, and Morgan Hallsbrad suspected that Brodie Flacarada was another.¡± ¡°Objection your honor. Hearsay,¡± Mrs. Stovall said as she shot to her feet. ¡°Your honor, I am simply stating what Morgan Hallsbrad¡¯s notes indicated,¡± Mr. Varnish said quickly. He held up a page, and the judge narrowed her eyes slightly. ¡°Counsels, approach,¡± she ordered. Smegma obviously moved with them. My mouth fell open, despite all of the warnings and training I¡¯d gone through to not show emotion. I couldn¡¯t help it. Mr. Varnish¡¯s tale had no basis in reality, and yet how could I refute something that had no proof. ¡°Close your mouth you moron,¡± Smegma scolded, and thanks to his demeaning tone I managed to recall where I was. [How the husk am I supposed to prove that I don¡¯t have a Demonic Skill that consumes other Skills¡ªwhen I do in fact have a Demonic Skill that doesn¡¯t consume other Skills, but a husking Dragon Heart Skill that does?] Sure, my rant was a bit manic, and I knew that I didn¡¯t have to prove anything¡ªother than my self-defense case, but this sure felt like an unrecoverable blow to our case. Somehow me and this fictitious killer had a ¡®piece¡¯ of the same Skill? Wait¡ªI turned to Judge Dench. She reportedly had a Truth Seeker Skill of some form. Still, she sat behind her bench, regarding Mr. Varnish, and Mrs. Stovall impassively. Surely, Mr. Varnish¡¯s accusations had been a lie though! ¡°It wasn¡¯t a lie. Not exactly,¡± Smegma responded to my unsent thoughts instead of my rant. ¡°It may be wrong, but it seems like he told only the truth about his understanding of Morgan Hallsbrad¡¯s notes on the Demonic Vault Skill. If he believes Morgan Hallsbrad¡¯s notes are true and that you¡¯re holding a piece of some type of Demonic Ability¡ªthat sort of thing doesn¡¯t trigger lie detection Skills. They operate based on belief, not on objective facts. Even if he doesn¡¯t believe the spirit of what he¡¯s saying, he may be skirting around things that might disprove his statements and sticking to only the things he believes are true. One way or another¡ªwhether he¡¯s being deceitful or honestly believes what he¡¯s saying, the wording is extremely well thought out, even while he¡¯s arguing with the judge here.¡± Mr. Varnish and Mrs. Stovall left the bench. Mrs. Stovall returned to her seat and Varnish to his board. ¡°I¡¯ll make it clear. That these notes are merely what led Morgan Hallsbrad to Brodie Flacarada. They are simply what¡¯s left behind by a great private investigator, on the last case he was on.¡± Varnish looked to the judge and Mrs. Stovall when he was finished. When the judge nodded in acceptance, I swear I saw Mrs. Stovall clench her jaw. Mr. Varnish concluded his speech, reiterating all the points he had already gone over, not forgetting to ensure to paint a picture of Morgan Hallsbrad that made him out to be some sort of ¡®Dick Tracy-esque¡¯ private eye. It was a moving tale about a dedicated, selfless man who had been broken by the terrible and seemingly unsolvable relentless murders of the innocent. Living out of Motels, barely scraping by¡ªall to find the next victim of a serial killer¡ªonly to find another Cannibal with a Demonic Skill. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Me. ¡°Since that¡¯s the end of Mr. Varnish¡¯s witnesses, and we¡¯re already past lunch break. We¡¯ll end it here for the week. Mr. Flacarada, I expect you to be here Monday morning. Another delay will be immediate grounds for me to ask the jury to deliberate, without Mrs. Stovall forming your defense. Understood?¡± ¡°Yes, your honor,¡± Mrs. Stovall said on my behalf. We all stood as the Jury was dismissed, followed by the Judge. Then Mrs. Stovall and I quickly attempted to walk from the room as well. ¡°Mrs. Stovall, I think it¡¯s time for another quick settlement meeting, don¡¯t you?¡± Mr. Varnish said smugly. Mrs. Stovall looked to me, and I was about to start shaking my head, when Smegma spoke up. ¡°Take his meeting. I want to see what he thinks he knows¡ªOr, more importantly, what his backer knows.¡± Trying not to give away the literal Demon on my shoulder, I slowly changed my intended motion into a nod. Mrs. Stovall raised an eyebrow but nodded toward Mr. Varnish. ¡°I need to deliberate with my client. We¡¯ll arrive at your office in two hours.¡± * * * This time my father arrived at the warehouse offices of Mr. Varnish. My dad made a face at the sheet-metal exterior. ¡°If he¡¯s not from Windsor, is he renting this building?¡± I blinked, not having considered that rather glaring insight on the last visit. If he was renting this space, and the inside looked the way it did¡ªwhat the hell would his actual offices look like? My father¡¯s frown deepened when we rounded the corner and he saw the giant-sized double doors. He even went as far as to run his hand over it. ¡°This is Portal wood¡­¡± He mumbled to himself. Mrs. Stovall gave him a stern look, and he composed himself before she knocked. The door swung open to reveal a small woman that couldn¡¯t be taller than five feet. The very fact that she had moved the massive doors was a testament to the oil on the hinges or their design. ¡°Please, come in. Mr. Varnish is just in the conference room. Can I get you a refreshment while you wait?¡± Mrs. Stovall smiled. She¡¯d predicted Mr. Varnish making us wait on arrival. She¡¯d called it a power play. He likely was nearby observing¡ªor at least that¡¯s what Smegma suggested. I went over our discussion back at the house. All I needed to do was hear out Mr. Varnish¡¯s offer. Hear it out and not allow him to cast any doubt on the case. Mrs. Stovall claimed to still be confident in our victory¡ªand so I just needed to believe in her. I fiddled with my phone in my pocket. Sparkle Legion had posted the second video, and my desire to see the response was burning a hole in my pocket. Still, if Mr. Varnish was watching, that could make me look anxious, so I settled with just tapping the pocket to confirm I had my phone with me and as a promise that I¡¯d get to watch it later. That tap turned into a death grip as I shot to my feet. The door that led deeper into the offices of Mr. Varnish had opened, but despite my expectations of finding the smarmy A-ranked Lawyer framed in the doorway¡ªI found Echo-Five. Echo-Five, as well as a glare that threatened severe pain that was directed at me and my father. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I exclaimed, not managing to clamp my teeth shut before the words escaped. ¡°Ah, forgive me. The Mirage Guild is a new client of ours,¡± Mr. Varnish said as he stepped into the waiting room behind Echo-Five. ¡°Echo-Five here simply arrived to go over the facts about a new case they are preparing to bring to the courts. Have a wonderful evening Echo, we¡¯ll chat soon.¡± Echo-Five didn¡¯t immediately start moving toward the door. Instead, seemingly choosing to try to stab us with his stare. I couldn¡¯t speak for my father, but I certainly got goosebumps. There was only one ¡®case¡¯ that Mirage would be pursuing at this time. A case against the Miner¡¯s who¡¯d closed their permanent Portal¡­ ¡°Mr. Flacarada. Brodie. If you¡¯ll come this way,¡± Mr. Varnish said, seeming to indicate that we should walk by Echo-Five and through the door. I looked at the holster on the Hunter¡¯s hip and then the knife that his other hand was twitching toward and simply stayed where I was. There was no way I was going to offer the man my back to stab¡­ Thankfully, Echo-Five scoffed and strode toward the exit an awkward moment later. Mr. Varnish¡¯s smile was a hair too large for the current moment, as he said, ¡°Mrs. Stovall, we¡¯ve set up to greet your party in the boardroom. Follow me.¡± I followed Mrs. Stovall while Smegma hovered behind me. Mr. Varnish stopped in the doorway, and asked, ¡°Mr. Flacarada?¡± At first I thought he was talking to me, but then saw his eyes were directed behind me, and with my father here he¡¯d likely call me Brodie. I turned to see my father taking in the first sight through the doorway with a look of shocked reverence. Gary shook himself and took a few quick steps to catch up to us. As he drew even with me, he whispered, ¡°It¡¯s one thing to be told about all this and another thing to actually see it.¡± Soon enough we were back in the Crystal Glass Conference Room, and the same players as before were in the room. I looked directly at Aurome and Seleff, the two Larvae Guild members, refusing to break eye contact. I wanted them to know that I knew they were the ones who had wanted the last meeting. I also secretly hoped I¡¯d catch the moment one of them used their Skill on me. Instead, I got a shiver as the darker skinned man¡ªwho I believed was Aurome, smiled at me. He exuded a type of confidence that I¡¯d seen in post-Portal interviews, and movies but had never experienced first-hand. His eyes made me feel like prey caught out in the open. Needless to say, I looked away first, even as my cheeks flushed red from embarrassment. ¡°So, my backers¡­¡± Mr. Varnish said, indicating Aurome and by association Seleff. ¡°Would like to offer similar terms as last time. If Brodie is willing to be placed under Guild Arrest for two years, we are willing to drop this case. They simply would like to observe Brodie to ensure that he doesn¡¯t possess the Cannibalistic Demonic Skill that Morgan Hallsbrad identified.¡± Mrs. Stovall glanced at me before sighing angrily. ¡°This is the same problem as last time. You have done nothing to prove that Brodie acted in anything but self defense on April 1st. As such, this is still a spurious offer¡ªwhich, don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed that you¡¯ve now doubled, after you have already attempted to ruin my clients life.¡± ¡°I assure you Mrs. Stovall, we have done nothing to ruin your client''s life. We are simply presenting the facts of this case, as we know them. If there was some other way you could prove that Brodie doesn¡¯t possess the Skill in question¡ªthen we¡¯d be amenable to that as well.¡± Mrs. Stovall didn¡¯t glance at me this time, even as she quickly retorted. ¡°First of all, you cannot prove a negative. Second of all, any attempt to do so would be a violation of the Hunter Protection Act of twenty-fifty-five¡ª¡° ¡°Not if Brodie agrees to be tested and share his results¡­¡± Ashley cut in. ¡°The Larvae Guild is simply trying to see Morgan Hallsbrad¡¯s investigation through to the end.¡± ¡°Morgan Hallsbrad¡¯s investigation? Don¡¯t you mean ¡®The Shop¡¯, who contacted all of the deceased victims on SwiftGram before the murders?¡± Mrs. Stovall countered. ¡°Ahh,¡± Mr. Varnish said, as he held his hand out toward Ashley. She handed him a page which he slid across the table to Mrs. Stovall. ¡°As you¡¯ll see Mrs. Stovall, ¡®The Shop¡¯ SwiftGram account is not owned by Morgan Hallsbrad, and has continued to be active after his death.¡± Mrs. Stovall frowned at the page and then looked at me. Her eyes carried a concern that hadn¡¯t been there earlier at the house. She blinked and it was gone, replaced by determination. ¡°That does not mean the account wasn¡¯t used to gain access to the victims for Morgan,¡± she said, emphasizing her point. ¡°Plus, he¡¯s on the verge of being found Guilty in eight States¡­¡± Mr. Varnish held out his hand again and Ashley placed another paper into it. He slid this across the table as well. This time, with no explanation. I leaned in to read with Mrs. Stovall and felt my blood stop as my heart seized in my chest. ¡®All Cases in Regard to the Heartless Killer Murders Have Been Suspended and Transferred to Supreme Court,¡¯ the title read. I looked at Mrs. Stovall and found her face also paling as she read on, clearly digging deeper into the page than I had. My brain remained calm, but frantic, as it tried to calculate what that meant for my trial. I knew we¡¯d be counting on Morgan Hallsbrad¡¯s connection to the Shop account, and the other forty-something cases of Murder. What else did we have? ¡°We have your version of events. We have their inability to confirm that you have the Skill they¡¯ve claimed, and¡­ we have what they really want,¡± Smegma countered my racing thoughts. I had been mentally with him until his last point, but he clarified when he heard my confusion. ¡°The Demonic Vault Skill. It¡¯s clearly why they want you under them for two years. The rest is just bullshit.¡± [That doesn¡¯t change the fact that I¡¯d be under Guild Arrest, in Europe, for two years!] I shouted mentally, while staring blindly at the page in Mrs. Stovall¡¯s hands. Mrs. Stovall thankfully rallied on my behalf. ¡°None of this changes the fact that my client acted in self defense. While you¡¯ve woven a convincing tale and managed to get it on record. You and I both saw Judge Dench mark down a few notes that her Truth Seeker Skill picked out.¡± To my surprise, Mr. Varnish nodded, accepting that point. I hadn¡¯t noticed anything like that and so was slightly shocked at the news. That surely meant the jury would be told of the falsehoods Mr. Varnish had laid out. Didn¡¯t that mean I was fine? ¡°Ashley, please go get the member of Mirage,¡± Mr. Varnish said, sounding nonplussed about the Judge possibly puncturing holes in his woven tale of falsehoods. Ashley stood up and moved to the second set of doors our group hadn¡¯t entered through. She made a motion to someone outside and in walked a man in jeans and a stained white T-shirt. I narrowed my eyes, trying to understand what he was doing here. ¡°Oh husk!¡± Smegma cursed. I knew what he was going to say next before he even began. ¡°That¡¯s the guy that called the cops and who I offered a Skill to!¡± 087 Friday, May 3rd, 2069 ¡°This is Jesse Owens,¡± Mr. Varnish said, introducing the man that Smegma had just told me could ruin everything. ¡°He¡¯s a squad leader in the Mirage Guild. His team was one of the next to enter the Portal in the park, when it suddenly and unexpectedly closed. He has an interesting tale of being offered a Skill if he called the police. And you¡¯ll never guess where that offer came from? Jesse, would you care to tell them?¡± ¡°Uhh, the strange voice seemed to come from some sort of ¡®shadowy, Satanic-being¡¯.¡± Jesse said, sounding confused. I didn¡¯t blame him. Mrs. Stovall¡¯s eyes narrowed in skepticism before she sarcastically repeated, ¡°A shadowy, Satanic-being? Are you sure you didn¡¯t smoke too much Marijuana the night before?¡± I pointedly looked at the man from Mirage and Mr. Varnish, trying my best to look confused. In my peripherals, I also watched Smegma ,who was currently right beside Jesse. Mr. Varnish nodded a few times. ¡°Oh, I think you¡¯ll discover that Jesse is on the straight and narrow, Mrs. Stovall. Jesse, would you like to tell them the whole story of why you called the cops on Tuesday night?¡± Jesse looked between Mr. Varnish and then the others in the room before meeting my eyes. There seemed to be a moment of hesitation before he reluctantly began, ¡°I was in my tent, and was woken early due to the noise. Two of my squad mates came in and reported what had happened and how the Permanent Portal we were securing had suddenly closed.¡± He paused again and looked at my father and then at Mrs. Stovall, as if trying to place them. After a moment, he shook his head and continued. ¡°At first people believed it was a strike-team sent from Lynx or SnowBird¡¯s Guilds. Something to prevent our Mirage Guild from gaining traction or money. However, rumors began to spread that the people we caught were just the trapped Miners¡­¡± ¡°Regardless, as I returned to my tent about an hour later, with no real explanation and only more questions¡ªsomething spoke to me. Something sinister and powerful. It spoke out of the shadows in the corner of my tent¡ª¡° ¡°I guess the shock and awe worked,¡± Smegma commented from his spot beside Jesse. ¡°I had hoped it would make him reluctant to speak up, until he reached out to you for that Skill, at least.¡± Smegma¡¯s words overrode Jesse¡¯s to my ears, but I still heard him relate the offer the ¡®extra-dark shadow¡¯ made to him. Smegma just finished speaking as Jesse concluded as well, saying, ¡°¡ªI was told to find Alonzo Mars, and I¡¯d be granted a Skill for my service.¡± ¡°A Skill? This shadowed entity claimed he could offer you a Skill?¡± Mr. Varnish exclaimed, his voice filled with false-surprise. ¡°Goodness. How on earth do you suppose he could do that?¡± My eyes however weren¡¯t on Varnish''s antics. They were drawn to the two Larvae Guild members. Aerome and Seleff both leaned forward in their seats, clearly more interested in this piece of information than any before it. Smegma saw it, too. He hovered over to them and narrowed his eyes. ¡°So¡­ They do know about Demonic Vault and what my Abyss Sect offers!¡± ¡°Do you know who Alonzo Mars is?¡± Mr. Varnish asked after not getting a response to his first question. Jesse Owens nodded, even as he scratched the back of his neck. ¡°I found him on SwiftGram. When I realized it was just a kid, and a Miner at that¡ªI realized I¡¯d been fooled by a Skill, and well¡ªnow I¡¯m here...¡± ¡°Thank you Jesse,¡± Mr. Varnish said quickly, seeming to want to cut off any further story telling from the man. Mrs. Stovall picked up on it, though. ¡°Hold on one moment, Mr. Owens. Could you elaborate a bit further?¡± She said sweetly. ¡°You found Alonzo Mars on SwiftGram and discovered that you¡¯d ¡®been fooled¡¯? Why is that, exactly?¡± ¡°Well, I believed I was dealing with a powerful entity not of this world. Something with the ability to grant me a Skill. When I found out it was just a college aged child¡ªI realized he or someone in his group must have had a Skill that tricked me¡­¡± ¡°So, what did you do after discovering that this had nothing to do with this¡­ ¡®shadowy Demon¡¯?¡± Mrs. Stovall asked. She gave a smug look to Mr. Varnish, and the Court Reporter typed furiously on the tablet. ¡°Well, I was just trying to figure that out, when Mr. Varnish here approached me.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Stovall raised an eyebrow to Mr. Varnish. ¡°He approached you? And what did he say to you?¡± ¡°He said he¡¯d discovered who the anonymous caller was¡ªand¡ªumm¡ªencouraged me to tell him the story of that night.¡± ¡°So, he already knew about your ¡®anonymous call¡¯ to the police before you ever even mentioned it to him? How interesting. Encouraged, how?¡± Mrs. Stovall said, looking very pointedly at Mr. Varnish, who was frowning deeply. ¡°He offered me safety from Echo-Five and told me he¡¯d get me a spot in the Larvae Guild, which works overseas after the trial.¡± ¡°So, he convinced you that your life was at risk?¡± Mrs. Stovall asked, her voice neutral. My brain was whirring as I tried to process what was happening. I could tell there were a lot of underlying things going unsaid, but I couldn¡¯t quite understand what they were. ¡°He didn¡¯t need to do much convincing,¡± Jesse responded, his voice small and squeaky. ¡°Echo-Five was on a witch hunt after that night. I was already prepared to get out of Windsor, but Mr. Varnish just¡ªumm¡ªoffered a better plan.¡± ¡°So, there was no indication that he would reveal your identity to Echo-Five if you didn¡¯t testify?¡± Mrs. Stovall asked. Jesse swallowed visibly but shook his head at the same time. ¡°No, Echo-Five was already aware of my identity¡­¡± ¡°He was?¡± Mrs. Stovall said, looking pointedly at Mr. Varnish. ¡°He was,¡± Mr. Varnish said. ¡°He was the one who hired the investigator through my firm, Mrs. Stovall.¡± ¡°So, you helped Echo find Jesse, even though he planned to kill him?¡± ¡°Come now, Mrs. Stovall,¡± Mr. Varnish said, chastising her. ¡°Jesse is right here, and quite alright. Since Echo-Five hired the investigator through us, I was able to ensure his safety. He was never at any risk.¡± ¡°So, why the offer of sanctuary overseas?¡± ¡°Jesse misunderstood. We simply offered him a position in another Guild¡ªa better Guild.¡± Mr. Varnish seemed a bit shaken, being called out on the holes in his story. My eyes narrowed studying the interplay between Mrs. Stovall, Jesse and Mr. Varnish. It would seem that there was a reason Jesse wasn¡¯t called to the stand to testify in open court, in front of the Jury. What was it? Was it these rather gaping holes in the story? The fact that Jesse hadn¡¯t seen Smegma? Was it the clear coercion that Mrs. Stovall was emphasizing? ¡°Jesse.¡± Mrs. Stovall¡¯s voice was soft and concerned. She reached out and touched his arm. ¡°Are you aware that Mr. Varnish here has done more than just hire an investigator for Echo-Five? He just recently took on Echo-five and the Mirage Guild as clients?¡± Jesse¡¯s eyes widened as he turned toward Mr. Varnish. ¡°Wha¡ªWhat?!¡± Knots stood out in Mr. Varnish¡¯s jawline at Mrs. Stovall¡¯s words. His teeth clenched as he breathed out through his nose and opened his mouth to speak. Before he could, however, Mrs. Stovall cut him off. ¡°Yes.¡± Mrs. Stovall answered forcefully, her volume rising. ¡°We only found out just a few moments ago when we passed Echo-Five in the lobby. Mr. Varnish here made sure that we knew he¡¯d taken the man on as a client. In fact, you were nearly in the same room with Echo-Five, who you just said was on a witch hunt.¡± She paused and shook her head sadly. ¡°Jesse, I¡¯m afraid Varnish may be playing both sides here. He¡¯s the same man Echo-Five used to hire the man who found the rat in his Guild. Then when he does discover you, he brings you into this sham of a ¡®testimony¡¯ in a completely separate case? When he¡¯s finished with you here, do you think the offer from Larvae will still be good?¡± As more and more of Mrs. Stovall''s questions came out, they seemed to land on Jesse like hammer blows. He glared at Mr. Varnish. ¡°Is she telling the truth? Are you just using me?¡± Mr. Varnish¡¯s scowl disappeared as he calmly waved away Jesse¡¯s concern. ¡°Nothing so diabolical or contrived, I assure you. In fact, Mrs. Stovall is correct in some of her points, but I¡¯m afraid she¡¯s misconstrued the facts. I took on Mr. Five as a client, in a separate case against Mr. Flacarada here.¡± He gestured to me. ¡°Who you know of as Alonzo Mars. However, she seems to be implying that I need you to somehow win my current litigation case. There is a reason you are telling your story here and not in a courtroom Mr. Owens. One of which is for your possible safety. The other is that I already have more than enough evidence against Mr. Flacarada to win this case..Since I do have so much information on the man, it was only natural for the Mirage Guild to approach me to represent them against the same man I am currently prosecuting.¡± He chuckled good-naturedly when he finished. Jesse¡¯s heated glare cooled gradually. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ so sorry to interrupt. I just had one more question, Jesse,¡± Mrs. Stovall gently butted into their conversation. ¡°Aside from Mr. Varnish here refusing to grant you asylum overseas like you said he¡¯d offered,¡± Mrs. Stoval said, almost sheepishly. Her words drew another glare from Mr. Varnish, who clearly thought he¡¯d side stepped that part of the conversation. She gestured toward Mr. Varnish and the Larvae Guild members. ¡°Do you recall who first used the term ¡®Satanic-being¡¯? Was that your description or¡­ someone else¡¯s?¡± ¡°Umm¡ªI¡¯m not sure,¡± Jesse stuttered, still looking hopefully at Mr. Varnish for direction. I could tell that Mr. Varnish, Seleff and Aurome were all pointedly trying not to give him any. Not seeing any signs, Jesse eventually added, ¡°I think it was me?¡± ¡°You think it was you?¡± Mrs. Stovall asked. ¡°It seems like a pretty big-leap to take¡ªyou know from a talking shadowy creature, to something Demonic.¡± ¡°Well, umm¡ªthe voice claimed it was extremely powerful and lived for thousands of eons¡­¡± I fought the urge to roll my eyes. I was somewhat excited to learn that Smegma hadn¡¯t claimed to be a Demon or a ¡®Satanic-being,¡¯ but also embarrassed on the Demon¡¯s behalf to learn he bragged about his age. ¡°And you reached the conclusion that must have meant it was Satanic in origin? Could it not have been a powerful Angel or Spirit that came from the system?¡± ¡°I mean¡ªI guess it could have been?¡± Jesse answered, still looking desperately at Mr. Varnish. ¡°Okay, so you¡¯re saying¡ª¡± Mrs. Stoval stopped, blinking rapidly as though a thought had just occurred to her. A brilliant smile showed on her face for a moment as she reached into her purse. Pulling out her phone, she swiped at it for a few quick seconds before turning it toward the man. As she did, I could see that it was an illustration that very closely resembled the painting that Mr. Varnish had shown us a picture of in court. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was significant or not, but it looked like Smegma when I¡¯d first met him¡ªall thin and bony and much smaller than his current self. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jesse. Just one quick thing I wanted to clear up real fast. Does this painting look familiar to you?¡± Jesse frowned, leaning in and looking at the phone closely. Mr. Varnish scowled behind him. Jesse blinked, looking around and scratched his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I might¡¯ve seen it in a horror movie or something? Some kind of Renaissance thing, maybe? I can¡¯t be sure.¡± ¡°Just so we¡¯re clear,¡± Mrs. Stovall raised her voice, making a show of directing her attention to the Court Reporter. ¡°I am showing Jesse a picture I found online of a thin, emaciated Demonic figure, and which I am also showing the members of this room.¡± She turned the phone so that everyone could see and brought her attention back to the man. ¡°Are you sure this isn¡¯t the ¡®shadowy Demonic figure¡¯ that told you to call emergency services on the day of the closing of your Guild¡¯s permanent Portal?¡± Jesse chuckled. ¡°What? No way. Whatever it was, it was much bigger than that. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I don¡¯t know what it actually looked like. It was super dark and sketchy, but whatever it was, was bigger and scarier than that little thing. Don¡¯t forget ma¡¯am. I¡¯m a bonafide Hunter. I¡¯d eat that little guy for breakfast.¡± ¡°Fat chance, you gun toting little¡ª¡± Smegma flew up to the man¡¯s head and started swinging his clawed fists through the man¡¯s skull. [Dude!] My eyes rounded as kept my neck unnaturally still, refusing to look around. [Knock it off! This guy¡¯s doing us a favor, idiot! Didn¡¯t you hear what he just said?] Smegma stilled, but before he could do anything else, Mrs. Stoval continued. ¡°Super dark and ¡®sketchy¡¯, you say? But you¡¯re sure this couldn¡¯t have been the creature that spoke to you., Is that correct?¡± At his nod, my attorney looked directly at Mr. Varnish. ¡°Fascinating. Thank you, very much, Jesse.¡± Mrs. Stovall¡¯s smile was a sunbeam. The man smiled back, seeming both confused, but also a little proud and oddly shy at her praise. ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± a deep, accented voice said, and all eyes turned to Aurome. ¡°Everyone but the boy, out of the room. I¡¯d like to have a little chat.¡± ¡°That is highly inappropriate,¡± Mrs. Stovall stated. ¡°Any discussions regarding this case must be done in the presence of Mr. Flacarada¡¯s lawyer. Me!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe that Brodie, will want this discussion on record, Mrs. Stovall,¡± Aurome responded. ¡°I have no issue with your presence if he doesn¡¯t¡­¡± The man let that statement hang in the air, his eyes never leaving me. I looked to my father and Mrs. Stovall, but pointedly ignored Smegma. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°I want to hear what he has to say!¡± Smegma said excitedly. Slowly I transferred my gaze to Aurome. After a time, I nodded, indicating that they could stay. ¡°As you wish,¡± Aurome said, turning his steely gaze onto Mr. Varnish, the reporter and the other assistants of the Lawyer. ¡°Then I would ask that you give me the room for a moment.¡± Mr. Varnish bowed, and began ushering Jesse out of the room. Jesse looked a bit lost, but also happy to be getting out of the spotlight. The court reporter forced Mrs. Stovall to sign something before leaving, but I didn¡¯t get a good look at it. ¡°Good,¡± Aurome intoned in his deep and accented voice once the room only had Seleff, himself and the three of us. Aurome¡¯s eyes seemed to glow with power as he focused back in on me. ¡°Let me be Frank. That is the saying, correct?¡± Smegma scratched his head, clearly confused. [What now?] I asked. ¡°If he¡¯s going to be Frank, who are you supposed to be?¡± The effort to not roll my eyes nearly sent me apoplectic, so it took me a moment to realize he was actually asking that as a question. Someone on my side must have nodded, that or he just continued without prompting. ¡°Demonic Vault,¡± Aurome stated, that one word making my heartbeat begin sounding like a bass drum in my ear. ¡°You have it, and through it, offered a Skill to that man, yes?¡± I began to shake my head, seeing what that whole play with Jesse Owens had been about. Clearly, Mr. Varnish hadn¡¯t wanted Jesse to testify in court, but Aurome, the man¡¯s backer, had needed him to¡ªfor this moment. I even opened my mouth, planning to deny having the Skill when I remembered that Seleff may have a Truth Seeking Skill. So, I snapped my mouth shut and began planning my words more carefully. ¡°That isn¡¯t true. I can impart a Skill to Jesse Owens, though, yes,¡± I said slowly. Trying very hard to not reveal having the Skill but also hint at something else that Aurome might want. Seleff blinked at me, and then nodded slowly. Aurome¡¯s face broke into a huge smile as he leaned forward further. The Portal Wood Table creaked as he placed more than his weight one it. ¡°So, you can impart Skills because you are a Snatcher like Mr. Varnish and our leader believes, then?¡± ¡°No, I am not a Snatcher.¡± I responded simply. And I wasn¡¯t. My sub-Skill of Dragon Heart clearly said ¡®Skill Copy & Cannibalism¡¯. Seleff leaned forward this time, giving me a pointed look, but he still nodded after realizing I wasn¡¯t going to say anything more. ¡°So, you aren¡¯t a Snatcher, and you don¡¯t possess the Demonic Vault Skill?¡± Aurome asked. ¡°But you can still grant a Skill in another way?¡± ¡°Ooooh, this is an opportunity,¡± Smegma crowed. ¡°Because he asked multiple questions and even imposed a tense on the Demonic Vault one, a Truth Skill won¡¯t be able to distinguish between what you¡¯re answering.¡± [Okay, so I just focus on answering the final one in the affirmative?] I asked, trying to take the opportunity that Smegma with his knowledge of Skills saw. The Demon nodded, and I did exactly that. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct. I can reveal what my intentions for granting Jesse a Skill were but those secrets are quite valuable. Can you guarantee you¡¯ll pay a fair price and that what I say next will remain confidential?¡± I asked, thinking of revealing the Skill Altar. Aurome¡¯s smile grew broad, and he made some sort of motion toward Seleff. The man started to glow for a split second, and then a pulse of golden light shot out from his chest. It rushed past me, and the others in the room before affixing itself to the Crystal Glass walls. ¡°Seleff has made it impossible to listen in on our conversation. You have my word that what you reveal will not be divulged to hurt you. We will pay an appropriate price but we cannot negotiate without knowing this secret. I cannot guarantee more than that, it all depends on the information.¡± ¡°Will you sign an agreement to that effect?¡± Mrs. Stovall asked. ¡°An amended NDA for now¡ªwith promises of paying ¡®market value¡¯ to be discussed later.¡± Mrs. Stovall looked to me right when she finished. ¡°We could do more but I assume you¡¯d like this conversation to continue today?¡±. ¡°Are you okay with me revealing this?¡± I asked my father. He shrugged when my eyes moved to him. Clearly, he was leaving the decision in my hands. ¡°For the husking record, I¡¯m not okay with revealing this!¡± Smegma shouted. ¡°This is completely stupid. Why by the Seven Deadly Trials would you offer something like this to our enemies? This has real husking value.¡± Closing my eyes, I pretended to be making a difficult decision. In truth I realized that Smegma had good points but he was missing quite a bit as well. [We are in a room with two men that are very high up in a very powerful Guild. If we try to go speak with Taz or some other far lesser group, we won¡¯t even be admitted. Then there¡¯s the fact that they are the ones pressuring me and my family. So, with this secret we can negotiate for them to back off. Likely even end this farce of a husking trial!] ¡°It¡¯s still stupid! You could just keep the information for yourself, use the fourteen Skill bestowals on you and the group and then become a Hunter and collect more. Never telling anyone!¡± Smegma countered. [Yeah, right! Smegma, don¡¯t take this the wrong way, but I¡¯m starting to see why the Demon¡¯s failed to Ascend.] Smegma went deadly silent after that comment. I opened my eyes and glanced in his direction, where he floated behind the two men. He was blinking in stunned silence, and I got the feeling he realized I might be right. I took a deep breath, and then turned back to the two men. ¡°Sign what Mrs. Stovall suggested and we¡¯ll negotiate afterwards.¡± The two men signed the hurriedly amended Non Disclosure Agreement Mrs. Stovall pulled from her briefcase. She nodded to me when they finished. With a deep breath I began, ¡°We were the ones who closed the Portal in the park. Not intentionally, mind you¡ª¡° I added quickly as I saw Aurome grow excited. ¡°¡ªit was through the help of a Creature of immense power¡­¡± I began telling an abridged version of our group¡¯s time in the caverns, leaving out a great deal, but highlighting the Snake¡¯s knowledge of the Skill Altar in the leader¡¯s Stone Hut. About how triggering it initiated the Dungeon closing, and how I received a reward. ¡°¡ªa ¡®low-ranked Skill Altar¡¯ was granted to me,¡± I said, as I made the small bird fountain-like object appear on the desk. Eyebrows shot up, as the Altar suddenly materialized. I saw both Seleff and Aurome¡¯s eyes flick to my Necklace. Still, they dismissed the low-ranked Spatial item rather quickly after discovering it. Aurome pointed to the Altar instead, as he asked, ¡°So, this object can impart Skills if you place nine Cores in it?¡± I nodded, and he stood up as he indicated wanting to pick up the object. ¡±There are, however, only a limited number of uses,¡± I added, wanting to drive up the value as much as possible. ¡°I see.¡± Aurome replied. His small smile seemed to indicate he understood what I was doing. ¡°May I?¡± I nodded after a time, and Aurome moved around the table. I hadn¡¯t realized when he was sitting just how big Aurome was. He easily was six and a half feet tall, and his biceps were likely the size of my head. I may have been imagining it but each step Aurome took seemed to be felt through vibrations in my feet. I swallowed, as he reached past me. Sitting down in the chair, and having the dark-skinned, huge man reach over me, felt terrifying. Like I was somehow feeling the weight of his power pressing me into the seat, and floor below. ¡°Does he possess a Skill that can manipulate Gravity?¡± Smegma surmised¡ªwhich at least allowed my brain to focus elsewhere as Aurome took the Altar and moved to the head of the table, where the court reporter had been sitting. ¡°What does your Skill say, Seleff?¡± Aurome asked. Seleff looked at his fellow Guild member with a bit of disapproval on his face, and then looked at the three of them, making it clear he didn¡¯t like having whatever his Skill was revealed. I looked at my father and Mrs. Stovall and we all shrugged. It wasn¡¯t like we were going to reveal Seleff¡¯s Skill to anyone. ¡°Yutlaq ealayh madhbah almaharat munkhafid alrutba, Aurome,¡± Seleff said. My eyes narrowed, and I blinked as I realized he must have spoken another language. Smegma, hearing my thoughts said, ¡°He just said, ¡®It calls it a Low-Rank Altar, Aurome¡¯.¡± [You can understand¡ªumm¡ªArabic?] I asked, somewhat guessing at the spoken language from the tone and sound. ¡°The System translates languages for me, yes,¡± Smegma responded. Still, Aurome¡¯s eyes on me made me return to acting like I didn¡¯t understand what was going on. ¡°My colleague says that it has something to do with Skills,¡± Aurome stated. ¡°But can you prove that it grants Skills?¡± I shook my head, ¡°I don¡¯t have any Cores¡ª¡± A pile of at least eighty Cores appeared on the table, cutting me off. I blinked at them, and then looked to Mrs. Stovall and my father. I didn¡¯t want to get another Skill, but maybe one of them would want one? ¡°It only has fourteen uses left,¡± I said slowly, waiting for Mrs. Stovall to meet my eyes. My father had shook his head while indicating Mrs. Stovall with a slight jerk of a thumb. When Mrs. Stovall did look over, I nodded and said, ¡°If you want?¡± She stood up rather quickly, with that little prompting. Her voice was high as she asked, ¡°How does it work?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not an expert, but from my understanding you need to use F to C rank Cores, because this Altar can¡¯t accept higher ranked ones. I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s what the ¡®low-ranked¡¯ part of the description means. I think there are also affinities or elements to consider. So, try to pick Cores that are similar or compliment each other. Once you slot them, you place your hand on the impression, and a window should pop up¡­¡± ¡°May I?¡± Mrs. Stovall asked, as she pointed at the pile of Cores, and included the Altar in the gesture. Aurome stood back and nodded. It was slightly strange to watch three adults acting the way they all currently were. It was akin to seeing a video of a child and its parents on Christmas morning. It made me smile, even as Mrs. Stovall began sorting out the Cores that fit into the depression and were all white or brown in color. That would probably be light and earth elements? But without a label her guess was as good as mine. Once she had nine she excitedly placed them in the slots and then put her hand on the impression. She made a small squeak of excitement when the screen appeared. Aurome placed a hand on her shoulder at this point and said, ¡°One moment, if you please, Mrs. Stovall.¡± She reluctantly stepped back, removing her hand, and he placed his in the place. The screen reappeared and he tilted his head. Looking at me he asked, ¡°So, what rank Skill can this provide?¡± ¡°So far, only F and E ranked Skills,¡± I answered. ¡°Do you believe that other permanent Portals could contain these Skill Altars?¡± He followed up. ¡°I can¡¯t say,¡± I responded. ¡°Does anyone else know about this?¡± Aurome asked, his voice excited but also deathly serious. I frowned, not wanting to lie to the man. At least, not with Seleff in the room, but also not wanting to expose anyone. I didn¡¯t think the tone was a threat, per se, but I could tell that Aurome was extremely powerful. In fact, I was starting to question my decision to reveal this to him. He must have seen my worry, because he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m assessing the value of this information. Suffer to say, you haven¡¯t gone public with it yet?¡± I could tell that he meant to say ¡®suffice¡¯ but let the slip pass. Instead, I simply nodded in affirmation. He motioned to Mrs. Stovall and indicated the Altar. She¡¯d been completely occluded by Aurome¡¯s monstrously large bulk, but when I saw her face I knew she had worried she wouldn¡¯t get a Skill with how everything was progressing. Her face broke into a tentative smile before growing, as she rushed forward to place her hand on the impression again. ¡°You do remember that everyone who got a Skill passed out, right?¡± Smegma said, reminding me of something I had indeed forgotten. ¡°Wait¡ª¡° I began to say, even as the screen vanished and Mrs. Stovall¡¯s eyes rolled into the back of her head. Thankfully, Aurome caught her before she collapsed face first onto the table. ¡°What is this?¡± The big man asked, putting his fingers to her neck to feel for a pulse. I scratched my neck in embarrassment. ¡°Umm, I kind of forgot to mention that the Altar kind of knocks the person out when granting the Skill¡­¡± Aurome narrowed his eyes, but glanced at Seleff, who stood nearly atop of him. Seleff¡¯s yellow eyes were wide with shock, and his mouth was partially open as he stared at Mrs. Stovall. ¡°¡¯aelaa muharatiha alan hi salasil alhaqiqati, ''ayuha alqayid,¡± Seleff whispered. ¡°Her highest Skill is now ¡®Chains of Truth¡¯, Chief,¡± Smegma translated. Aurome¡¯s reaction also made it very clear what Seleff had just said. The man¡¯s eyes widened and he stared down at the Altar. ¡°What do you want for this?¡± I looked to my father, who blinked back at me. Then he coughed and turned to regard Aurome. ¡°I don¡¯t think we should be making deals with the man that is trying to convict my son of a crime he didn¡¯t commit.¡± Aurome¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Your son. Is he not the one who kneed my Guild member in the face, causing his death?¡± ¡°Kneed your Guild member in the face in self defense, to protect his own life,¡± my father countered, his voice growing aggravated on my behalf. ¡°Are you telling me that you aren¡¯t aware of the crimes he was committing?¡± ¡°Morgan Hallsbrad was committing no crimes that I¡¯m aware of. He truly was investigating the death of one of our members'' daughters.¡± My brain froze. Even Mental Fortitude was unable to deal with the fallout of that statement. I didn¡¯t have a Truth Seeking Skill, but I could tell that Aurome¡¯s words were genuine. He truly believed that Morgan Hallsbrad was not a serial killer. Still, I was there. The man admitted it, and was in the process of stealing my Skill! My Dragon Heart Skill¡­ ¡°What is going on?¡± Smegma asked, clearly as confused as I was. ¡°Isn¡¯t he supposed to be the Guild Leader?¡± The question gave my brain a direction to pursue, which helped me focus. What if Morgan had actually been living a double life? He was both Morgan Hallsbrad the serial killer, and Morgan Hallsbrad the private eye? ¡°Still, someone had to have known. Someone was feeding him targets,¡± Smegma said. [So, if it wasn¡¯t the Larvae Guild, then who was it?] I asked. Smegma shrugged. In a burst of sweat I realized everyone was watching me. I¡¯m sure my body passed through multiple stages of emotional reactions to Aurome¡¯s words. I pointed to Seleff. ¡°He has a Truth Skill of some sort, right?¡± Aurome nodded, and I continued, my voice hard. ¡°Morgan Hallsbrad was trying to kill me that night. Kill me and steal my Skill. He held me at gunpoint, and Mana Raped me. He wasn¡¯t acting as a Private Investigator that night. I don¡¯t¡ªNo I know, he was there to kill me, all because of some Skill he had¡ª¡± I almost said that I didn¡¯t know what he wanted from me, but stopped myself, because I realized that I actually did¡­ We¡¯d already speculated that Morgan Hallsbrad had found out about Dragon Heart, or at the very least, that I¡¯d possessed a Skill better than the low-quality UNMH Assessment indicated by listing me at F-rank. I now knew that was because my Mana Pool, a part of my B-ranked Dragon Heart Skill, had been at ten points, and that the equipment used only could check power that radiated from you. Since then my Pool had grown but stalled at fifty. Smegma had speculated that my pool would grow again when I reached an evolution for the Skill or something else that caused it to break through. The problem was that someone behind Morgan had fed him my name. Known my mis-identification by UNMH, but not fully informed Morgan of everything. I could clearly recall the Serial murderer being surprised by my low Mana. In that vein, Smegma had told me about Skills like Seleff¡¯s a while back. He¡¯d given us the example of the Eyes of Truth when we realized that someone must have been either working with or following Arnando¡¯s photoshoots to use it on Awakened people. The photographer dealt exclusively with helping young aspiring people get their foot in the door, mostly as Mana Batteries. It was why I had been there, after all. I studied Seleff more closely. Could it have been him? I didn¡¯t remember seeing the man before our first initial introduction by Mr. Varnish, but still¡­ Seleff blinked at me, and then whispered something to Aurome. ¡°He says you are telling the truth, or what you believe is the truth. Still, I personally knew Morgan Hallsbrad. So did Seleff. He could not have been this man, you describe.¡± I blinked in confusion. But my father realized something long before I did. My dad pointed at Aurome, and said, ¡°Then why does your Guild want my son, if you think he actually murdered one of your members?¡± It was Aurome¡¯s turn to blink. He realized in the middle of his confusion that he was still cradling Mrs. Stovall, and lowered her into a chair. Then he slowly returned to his own chair and sat down silently. His frown and introspective look was telling. ¡°I apologize but this, I cannot answer. Let me call the boss,¡± he said, after a quiet discussion with Seleff in Arabic. Smegma summarized their conversation. ¡°It¡¯s obvious they¡¯re both aware of Demonic Vault¡¯s Shop, since they¡¯re the one that brought it up, and believe that¡¯s the reason why the boss wants you in their Guild. However, they both also see the strangeness of the situation, since you don¡¯t seem to possess it.¡± I put the Altar back in my Necklace at Aurome¡¯s direction and Seleff dropped his Skill, evidenced by the golden light on the walls fading. ¡°We will be back after making a call,¡± Aurome explained. Aurome and Seleff walked out of the conference room. The door didn¡¯t even close before Ashley stuck her head inside. ¡°Can I get you anything while you wait? Water? Coff¡ª¡° her eyes saw Mrs. Stovall slumped in the chair at the head of the table and she rushed inside. ¡°Oh my! Is she okay? What did they do?¡± ¡°She¡¯s okay,¡± I explained. ¡°She just was a little surprised by the conversation''s direction.¡± I lied. My father gave me a look even as he inhaled a deep breath. Ashley managed to get Mrs. Stovall out of the chair, and onto the floor. ¡°Should I call for a Healer?¡± I knew from experience that Healing wouldn¡¯t wake Mrs. Stovall, as I¡¯d already tried it on my family with previous Skill impartations, but in the present situation I just nodded at Ashley¡¯s question. I wasn¡¯t going to be the one using Minor Heal. I¡¯d already given away enough. 088 Friday, May 3rd, 2069 By the time Aurome and Seleff returned, Mrs. Stovall was awake, but sporting a massive migraine¡ªif her groans and swearing were anything to go by. Even as I watched on, the Healer attempted another Skill use, and Mrs. Stovall exclaimed, ¡°Mother-husker, would you stop? It feels like you¡¯re shoving a husking hot poker up my nose!¡± Aurome and Seleff raised eyebrows at her but I could tell it wasn¡¯t from her language. At first, I thought it was because of her obvious pain, but after a whispered conversation, Smegma corrected me. ¡°They wonder if more powerful Skills granted this way give worse ¡®hangovers¡¯.¡± I blinked. That was an extremely relevant thought. Not one that I would ever have to worry about¡ªor well I guess it was one I¡¯d kind of experienced firsthand. If everyone went through the pain I did upon the mid-rank Altar¡¯s Skill Ceremony, and they didn¡¯t have Recovery¡ªwould they die? Would I die if I ever ran into a ¡®high-rank¡¯ Skill Altar, even with Recovery? I¡¯d like to pretend I had a high pain tolerance, but admittedly there was no point of comparison. Plus, it wasn¡¯t like I was a Tank ¡®Class¡¯ Hunter, who literally took a beating for a living. So I was probably just overestimating the pain I¡¯d experienced. ¡°We¡¯ve spoken to our backer. They¡¯re willing to pay for this information, all of what you¡¯ve divulged but you¡¯ll have to prove your innocence on your own.¡± Aurome said, after he motioned the Healer to leave the room. Seleff barely got his Golden Bubble thing back in place before the words were spoken. ¡°What does that mean?¡± I asked, watching the door close behind the Healer. Had they heard that or did the bubble work regardless of physical barriers? ¡°If you are proven innocent in this trial then not only will we pay you for the information but we¡¯ll also sponsor you,¡± Aurome answered, like the answer was self explanatory. I looked at everyone in the room, forgetting for a moment that I was the only one who could see Smegma. Thankfully, he made a motion that quickly reminded me, and I scanned past him to Mrs. Stovall. Mrs. Stovall groaned. ¡°It means that they¡¯ll pay for you to attend a University or College that specializes in Hunter training. They¡¯ll also ensure you get the best treatment, and in most cases specialized tutors and trainers where needed. A Guild that does this gets priority in the Hunter Draft¡ªor can trade that person to another Guild for a higher spot in said Draft.¡± The Hunter Draft? Wait¡ªHunter College¡ªlike Phoenix Academy¡¯s Hunter Program? I shook myself, and even bit the inside of my lip to make sure I was awake and not dreaming. Sure, this wasn¡¯t as big of a deal as it once might have been¡ªbut I hadn¡¯t yet truly thought of it as a possibility. Dave was going to crack a tooth if I told him. Mental Fortitude was both a gift and a curse, and right now it chose the latter. Reminding me pointedly that I had to prove my innocence before any of that. It was a more sobering thought than I wanted. It felt like cold water being poured over me. My dad coughed politely and motioned around us. ¡°You have to realize that this¡ª¡± my father motioned around himself at the offices of Varnish. ¡°¡ªis a bit excessive. It feels like your Guild is practically buying a guilty verdict.¡± Mrs. Stovall groaned again, and my father looked at her sheepishly. ¡°Sorry, I wasn¡¯t implying that we weren¡¯t going to win¡ª¡° ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± Mrs. Stovall croaked. ¡°This trial is like being crushed under the wallet of a giant¡ªand I don¡¯t particularly like feeling like a bug.¡± ¡°La yumkin ''iikhfa'' alhaqiqa,¡± Seleff exclaimed, and this time I didn¡¯t need Smegma to translate, as I got it through context when Aurome spoke. Aurome first motioned at Seleff to wait a moment and then began,¡°Mr. Varnish certainly commands a heavy retainer and fee, but it was important for Larvae that the facts of this case were told. We do not like the idea of our Guild Member being painted in such a poor light.¡± My frown was instant and deep. Most Guilds would distance themselves from this sort of bad publicity. Abandon the Hunter and save their reputation. So, Aurome and Seleff clearly believed that Morgan was not in the wrong¡ªwhen I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was exactly who the media had painted him as. Why the disparity? And more importantly, why was the person higher up that fed Morgan my name, still pursuing this? ¡°Having met my son,¡± my father interjected. ¡°Do you truly believe he is as scheming and duplicitous as Mr. Varnish is making him out to be?¡± Aurome frowned while looking at Seleff. Seleff shrugged, seeming to convey something unspoken. ¡°We do not know what to believe. Having seen your boy and talked with him¡ªwe are even less sure. Still, if Morgan is truly the man Brodie claims, then we are even more unsure of our ¡®gut feelings¡¯. Seleff¡¯s Skill never triggered with him either. So, someone is telling a tale and is very good at it¡ªbut who is lying, is yet to be seen.¡± Despite everything, that initial admission from Aurome did make me feel better. It was a hollow contentment that faded just as quickly as it came when he continued. When the feeling faded, I noticed that everyone, including Smegma, was looking at me. I simply shrugged. ¡°I know I¡¯m telling the truth about what happened that night. I don¡¯t know how Morgan Hallsbrad fooled you both¡ªwell specifically you¡ª¡° I pointed to Seleff. ¡°¡ªbut I do understand it a bit. You just want to believe the best of a man you thought you knew. I can¡¯t convince you otherwise, but could you at least ask Mr. Varnish to not use any underhanded tactics?¡± ¡°kulu shay'' bi''amr allahi, ''alays kadhalika?¡± Seleff said. ¡°Seleff asks a good question,¡± Aurome began. ¡°Are you implying that what he has done so far isn¡¯t ¡®above board¡¯, like in your courtroom dramas?¡± I looked to Mrs. Stovall who shook her head while wincing in pain. ¡°It may only feel that way because the ¡®facts¡¯ he is presenting go against what you know. Still, there is the problem of the missing gloves. Maybe call him in here and ask?¡± Aurome looked at Seleff for a moment and held up a hand¡ªa gesture I didn¡¯t understand at first. ¡°This information about the Altar¡¯s is very valuable, and we must come to an agreement regarding it before we move on.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked, thinking we already had discussed the Altar, and what I¡¯d get for sharing the information. You know the money and possible sponsorship. ¡°Our Larvae Guild will possess a very strong advantage if you keep this information hidden. We would like to have early access to the information, and would offer a far higher price if you agree. We¡¯d like to discuss terms.¡± ¡°Who gives a flying husk what these jackasses want,¡± Smegma shouted. ¡°They are still willing to pursue a case against you, and in time, essentially make you a slave to their Guild! So, what does it matter how much money they give you now?¡± ¡°Selling this information to the UNMH may see this trial swept away, plus they¡¯d probably sponsor me and pay me royalties or something similar!¡± I answered incredulously. Putting together what Smegma said with my own displeasure but changing what I answered enough to be responding to Aurome. ¡°So, while I appreciate the attempt to get an advantage. You verbally agreed to pay a fair market price and I think matching what the UNMH agrees to will be acceptable.¡± Aurome chuckled softly. ¡°The UNMH can¡¯t offer you a deal until after this trial concludes. As a global entity it is tightly controlled by statutes and laws written into its founding declaration. One of those laws forbids them from negotiating with criminals or citizens undergoing criminal trials in their home countries. So, while they will offer you everything you just said, after this trial concludes¡ªthey will not be able to or willing to step in to ¡®sweep¡¯ Mr. Varnish and our Larvae Guild away.¡± ¡°What he says is correct, Brodie,¡± Mrs. Stovall said, while rubbing her forehead. ¡°However, that doesn¡¯t mean another Guild won¡¯t step in and pull some strings for this information. Or even the Canadian Government!¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Do you not find it odd that a lawyer from outside of the country is currently an acting Crown Counsel here?¡± Aurome asked. ¡°So, you made a deal with the Canadian Government?¡± Mrs. Stovall asked. The question sounded rhetorical, like she had known this must have been the case. ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± Aurome answered, despite the tone of Mrs. Stovall. ¡°We will be setting up a Guild headquarters here in Windsor, and in exchange¡ªthey granted our legal representative and members temporary citizenship and some positions in the local government.¡± ¡°So, you''re saying that they won¡¯t make a deal with Brodie for this?¡± Mrs. Stovall asked, her voice both pained and confused. ¡°That was part of the original negotiations,¡± Aurome admitted. ¡°What about Paradox?¡± Mrs. Stovall said¡ªtoo casually. Aurome froze. Subtle waves of an unseen energy began to radiate off of the man as he slowly stood to his feet. His eyes met Mrs. Stovall¡¯s with a level and deadly stare. ¡°What did you just say?¡± ¡°The Paradox Guild,¡± Mrs. Stovall enunciated slowly. ¡°You should probably take your seat. This is a negotiation, not an arena after all. ¡°I feel like Paradox might appreciate this information, particularly if we were to add that Larvae is seeking exclusive rights to it. They might even make things difficult enough for your Guild in enough ways that you won¡¯t have any choice but to back down from bullying a college student, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± ¡°A negotiation,¡± the man deadpanned. Aurome laughed then. It was loud, boisterous, and full of mirth as it echoed off of the meeting room walls. After a time, the big man wiped a tear from his eye and took his seat. As the laughter faded, he turned a much more serious face back toward the attorney. ¡°So you¡¯re threatening the Larvae Guild now? You¡¯ve got balls, I¡¯ll give you that.¡± ¡°In case you haven¡¯t been paying attention, you and your Guild have been both threatening my client and actively acting against him near constantly these past weeks.¡± Mrs. Stovall¡¯s words were soft, completely contrasting the steel in her eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve looked into our affairs, is it any surprise that we¡¯ve looked into yours? It seems like the Paradox Guild has had quite the animosity with Larvae over the years. In fact, your conflict seems to have its origins all the way back to the dawn of the Advent. What¡¯s keeping us from taking up the old adage that the enemy of our enemy¡­¡± Aurome smiled then. That in itself made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. The big man leaned back in his chair and casually planted his boots with a heavy thump on the finely-lacquered oak table in front of him as he pulled a flask from an inside pocket¡ªwait, did he have inside pockets?¡ªand brought it to his lips with an amused snort. ¡°You know,¡± he said after a long pull. ¡°It¡¯s cute that you think Larvae¡¯s been serious in coming after your boy here. In fact, I¡¯m flattered actually. You see, we actually do care, to some extent¡ªwho¡¯s ¡®the bad guy¡¯ in this whole thing.¡± He looked over at me, as if to check to see if I was paying attention. I nodded stiffly at him to indicate that I was. ¡°If Morgan was a monster, I¡¯ll personally dance and piss on his grave, Mrs. Stovall. But if you think that the answer to our very reasonable and understandable conflict, is to make things personal by involving genuine enemies of our Guild in our business? Well, I think that if you were to do that, then you will likely find out far too late just how reasonable we¡¯ve been throughout this whole affair. Now, if you¡¯re done with the empty threats, I believe we can return to our very civil negotiation.¡± Mrs. Stovall¡¯s face was pale, but she took a sharp breath, let it out, and nodded with the air of a professional. ¡°Quite. I believe you were just telling us that the Canadian government would be unlikely to make any deals in our favor in regard to this matter.¡± Aurome nodded. ¡°They won¡¯t interfere in this case as long as everything is ¡®above board¡¯, as you Americans say.¡± ¡°We¡¯re Canadians, but the term still fits,¡± Mrs. Stovall said. With clear agony she managed to stand up from her chair and return to her original spot at the table. Once there, she opened a leather folder to reveal a yellow legal pad. The same ones that Mr. Stovall seemed so enamored by. ¡°This sort of secret can benefit the whole world. How long of a head start is the Larvae Guild looking for?¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Smegma interjected, which only I could hear. ¡°How come she¡¯s even humoring a deal?¡± Hurriedly I repeated the question, ¡°How are you even considering a deal with the people trying to prosecute me?¡± ¡°Benefits. In this scenario, you can essentially double-dip,¡± Mrs. Stovall explained. ¡°So, if we hold off on telling the UNMH or Canadian Government¡ªwe could make quite the profit. Win the case and then still sell the information to the highest bidder.¡± Mrs. Stovall gave me a look which held something more than what she said. It took me a moment to replay her words and then catch up to the conversation and what she was leaving unsaid. It was true that the Skill Altar was something truly amazing, but finding it in the Goblin Dungeon didn¡¯t specifically mean it would exist in others, especially after the world had been interacting with and in Dungeons for dozens of years and any discovery of the sort we¡¯d found had never been found. Plus, I hadn¡¯t even considered revealing the information yet¡­ ¡°We will allow the discoverer to make the reveal, of course¡ª¡° ¡°Of course,¡± Mrs. Stovall intoned. Aurome smiled at her tone of certainty. I blinked some more. Was that not some sort of given? ¡°¡ªAs I was saying. Brodie or Alonzo Mars can make the announcement. We are just hoping that you¡¯d hold off for¡­ half a year?¡± ¡°Six months? I doubt you can provide us anything that valuable, but what are you offering?¡± ¡°This wasn¡¯t really part of our expectations today. So, we haven¡¯t prepared anything for this negotiation. However, if you have a proposal¡­?¡± Mrs. Stovall looked at me and my father. Then back to Aurome and Seleff. After a moment, she asked for some privacy and Seleff¡¯s Skill shrank to only encompass the three of us. Having it not affixed to the wall was even more bizarre¡ªand I studied the golden bubble as it seemed to undulate around us. I raised a hand without thinking, and moved to touch it¡ªbut froze just shy¡ªlooking to Seleff for permission. Seleff smirked and nodded. I inched my fingers forward, and they passed through the bubble like it wasn¡¯t there. I continued until my whole hand was through and then noticed a subtle difference. Outside the bubble my hand could feel the circulating air of the air conditioning. I glanced up at the vent, and then moved my hand back inside. The cool sensation vanished, and I smiled childishly. This bubble also blocked outside elements? With a skill like that¡ª ¡°What do you two want me to push for? Money? Items? Try again to have them pull back on the trial?¡± Mrs. Stovall asked, interrupting my moment of wonder. I shook myself and gave her my full attention. Then replayed her questions. ¡°I think they¡¯ve made it clear the last one is off the table, but definitely give it a try. If not that, what if we got them to support us in some other way?¡± ¡°You mean our company?¡± My dad asked, and I nodded, but held up a hand. ¡°That and definitely removing the holds on our current funds. Plus pressuring Jagger? Sponsoring us with Lynx and Snow Birds for Mining contracts, maybe? Something like that? Oh, and definitely interceding with Mirage!¡± Mrs. Stovall took notes, and began asking clarifying questions, digging into the thoughts. My father answered a good deal of these questions and even began texting my mother for some clarifications on certain parts of the business. To my childish delight he was forced to place his phone outside of the golden bubble to get a signal. Seleff noticed my excitement and tilted his head. I tried sending a text myself, and then shoved the phone outside the bubble to see the reception return, and send my ¡®test¡¯ message to Dave. Mrs. Stovall tried to smile but grimaced before closing her eyes tight and groaning. I stood up and stuck my head out of the bubble. ¡°Could you grab some water and more ibuprofen maybe?¡± Aurome nodded and Seleff stuck his head out the door. The Healer returned with a glass of water and a Health Potion. I blinked at the clear display of both wealth and generosity. Perhaps we could really get them to pay us an ¡®astronomical¡¯ amount for a few months of early access. After my request, I¡¯d ducked back into the bubble. The Healer came over and passed the Potion and water through to my father, who put them on the table in front of Mrs. Stovall. Smegma suddenly zipped into the bubble right about then¡ªstartling me. ¡°Have you not been listening to me?¡± I started drawing an even more curious look from Seleff and Aurome. Then I tried to pretend I hadn¡¯t jumped in my seat, even as my cheeks flushed crimson. [No, I didn¡¯t even know you were talking. Why are you screaming?] ¡°Oh? This bubble blocks out that much? I assumed because I was in a different phase¡ª¡° Seleff interrupted Smegma by promptly passing out, and dropping his Skill. I stared at Aurome and then Seleff who was now cradled in his arms, just as Mrs. Stovall had been an hour before. He looked at Seleff and then me. ¡°What did you do?¡± I shrugged¡ªeven as Smegma said, ¡°Oh. My bad.¡± [What the husk, dude!] I mentally screamed at the Demon. [I¡¯m already on thin ice here with these guys. What are you doing to me?] ¡°Yeah, sorry about that,¡± Smegma said with a wince. ¡°I think me being actually inside the thing was just too much overload on the Skill. I¡¯m both here and not here¡ªcommunicating and not communicating. I don¡¯t think it knew how to handle all that and just¡ª¡± He drew his finger across his throat and rolled his eyes up, sticking his tongue out like a corpse. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Stovall said. ¡°I had tried touching my Mana Pool and using the Skill. That¡¯s what started all this. Then I drank the Healing Potion. I didn¡¯t know it would cause a problem¡­¡± The Healer hurried back to Aurome and Seleff, and the discussions were put on hold for the night. We planned to meet up first thing in the morning, to resume, and I meant first thing. We were still hoping to have a Guild to procure our company''s services this weekend, and wanted to keep ourselves open from nine in the morning onward. Seleff watched me, my father, and Mrs. Stovall carefully as I left the room, clearly suspicious of me after his Skill went awry. [You¡¯re sure he won¡¯t know about you from that?] ¡°Unless he felt it before when Morgan Hallsbrad had Demonic Vault¡ªthen yes, I¡¯m sure. I¡¯ll stay behind and see what they say.¡± 089 Saturday, May 4th, 2069 ¡°We¡¯ve purchased Portals, Portal¡¯s, Portalz,¡± Mr. Varnish said distastefully. ¡°These documents will transfer ownership to Brodie Flacarada, and its assets¡ªincluding the Ores that were being disputed.¡± Mrs. Stovall began reading over the documents, as Mr. Varnish slid them across the table. Mrs. Stovall looked up at the next moment when Mr. Varnish continued. ¡°I¡¯ve also been instructed to release your accounts and stop ¡®unduly¡¯ pressuring you during the trial, but otherwise to proceed as previously intended¡ªunless I had done anything that would be deemed underhanded.¡± My inhalation became deeper and longer, as I held my breath. Hoping that he was about to admit to making up something that would prove my innocence. He shook his head in absolute disgust as he continued, ¡°I would never, and have never manipulated evidence in a case to get a good result. I can assure you that whatever dealings you¡¯ve made with the Larvae Guild won¡¯t change the facts of this case. Morgan Hallsbrad is a Private Investigator that worked with the Larvae Guild in London. He came over to America to find the killer of another member''s daughter¡ªthat is the facts of this case, as I see them.¡± ¡°What about the missing gloves?¡± Mrs. Stovall asked. Mr. Varnish scoffed. ¡°What gloves, Mrs. Stovall? My team happened upon that disparity in the case when reading over the Detectives statements. As far as I can tell, Detective Flair is misremembering¡ª¡° ¡°Misremembering two pairs of gloves?¡± Mrs. Stovall interjected angrily. ¡°This isn¡¯t the man¡¯s first day on the job!¡± ¡°That part did strike my team and I as odd, but what other explanation is there?¡± Mr. Varnish asked, his tone admitting that he too, was slightly suspicious of that fact in the case. ¡°What about you being hired for this case in the first place?¡± Mrs. Stovall continued. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it''s a little strange that you, of all people, were called in to replace the normal Crown Counsel for a case against a college student with a background of zero issues with the law?¡± ¡°The reason that exemption was made has already been explained to you Mrs. Stovall, and exactly how is it odd for a high profile Guild to bring in their own counsel for a case?¡± I was glad to see that I wasn¡¯t the only one who stared at Mr. Varnish with narrowed eyes. After a moment Mrs. Stovall sighed and returned to reading the papers. Clearly, Aurome¡¯s reasoning yesterday and Mr. Varnish¡¯s further insistence was enough for her. I was left studying the room. This meeting wasn¡¯t taking place in Mr. Varnish¡¯s opulent warehouse. Instead, it was happening in the Portals, Portal¡¯s, Portalz Offices¡ªin what I could only assume was Jagger Vance¡¯s office. I could even see spots on the desk and walls where paintings or degrees once hung¡ªnow marked by slightly brighter paint, scuff marks and screws. I would never have called the office plain or cheap before being inside of Mr. Varnish¡¯s ¡®Warehouse¡¯, but now it looked like a corner cubicle in comparison. Jagger¡¯s desk was a large dark black square¡ªmade of Aluminum, if I was judging correctly. The chair behind it was certainly pricey but made of false leather. Even Mr. Varnish¡¯s compact frame made the identical chair he was in look small. Aurome and the smaller Seleff beside him, made the things look beyond uncomfortable. Smegma had stayed to listen in on conversations the previous night, but because Seleff was just regaining consciousness, and put up a bubble again, he hadn¡¯t gotten much before the hundred meter tether to me cut his espionage short. Seleff did supposedly describe the occurrence that caused his blackout as ¡®odd¡¯. Like he¡¯d lost the ability to sense a particular ¡®space¡¯ inside of his Skil before he¡¯d reformed it. When he¡¯d tried to examine that spot further¡ªhe¡¯d caused a¡­ ¡®Mana Loop¡¯, which was Smegma¡¯s current assumption. Supposedly, that was the Earth term used for something Smegma believed was what he¡¯d known of as Backlash. When a Skill essentially went out of control and caused the user to slip in their ability to manage a Skill, spilling the resource being used into their own bodies. From what we could tell, they didn¡¯t draw any conclusions toward Smegma and Demonic Vault, but we also couldn¡¯t stay in the lobby for long without drawing suspicion. Mrs. Stovall tapped the last page of the document, and then motioned around at the building. ¡°Everything seems to be in order¡ªhowever, there needs to be one change. We would like ownership transferred to Gary and Clara Flacarada, instead of Brodie.¡± Mr. Varnish smirked. ¡°Worried that he¡¯ll lose his assets when sentenced?¡± Mrs. Stovall gave him a look with one raised eyebrow. ¡°We¡¯d simply like to have the company in Brodie¡¯s parents name because he¡¯ll soon be attending a Hunter¡¯s Academy, thanks to the Larvae Guild sponsorship.¡± Mr. Varnish didn¡¯t roll his eyes, but he did glance at Aurome and Seleff. I smirked, even as my father clapped a hand onto my shoulder proudly. Still, there was one thing I¡¯d promised to ask after. I turned to Aurome and Seleff as well. ¡°Would we also be able to offer my friend Dave an opportunity to attend a Hunter Academy?¡± ¡°We do still have one item to negotiate over,¡± Aurome answered, confusing me, until he added, ¡°The additional uses of the Skill Altar.¡± My flinch was somewhat involuntary as I looked pointedly at Mr. Varnish. Aurome began to chuckle. ¡°Mr. Varnish is our exclusive Lawyer. He has signed an NDA, and his team drew up the rough drafts for these contracts. He personally put the finishing touches on them once we shared the secret.¡± Mr. Varnish seemed proud of that, even as he smugly pulled out another document and slowly slid it to Mrs. Stovall. ¡°We anticipated that change. This contract should be acceptable. ¡°As for the additional¡ª¡± Mr Varnish looked at a notebook beside him, ¡°¡ªthirteen?¡± He glanced at me to confirm and I nodded, so he continued, ¡°¡ªuses of the Low-Rank-Skill Altar, the Larvae Guild could agree to Dave¡¯s sponsorship to a Hunter Academy, for the remaining uses of course.¡± The silence that followed that statement was loud. I hadn¡¯t planned to trade away any of those uses. In fact, with the Mirage Guild off our backs, I¡¯d been planning to buy enough yellow cores to provide my mother and some select others with skills. Still, Mr. Varnish¡¯s tone one Low-Rank and his statement seemed to make it a final offer¡ªbut I doubted that. ¡°Four uses,¡± I said, and got the pleasure of seeing Mr. Varnish¡¯s smile falter slightly. Aurome and Seleff looked at each other with a small smirk. ¡°Twelve,¡± Mr. Varnish countered. After that Mrs. Stovall took over and a ¡®middle ground¡¯ was reached at Nine¡ªmeaning I could give four people skills. That number was actually rather perfect, since my mother needed a skill¡ªthat and Dave and my father could use a second. So, I¡¯d have one left over. ¡°Nine and you¡¯ll provide thirty-six D-rank Portal cores,¡± I quickly added, before Mr. Varnish and Mrs. Stovall could shake on the completed deal. Mr. Varnish rolled his eyes and looked at Aurome. ¡°Acceptable, do you want any specific element in the Portal Cores?¡± Aurome asked. ¡°I¡¯ll let the people pick for themselves, and send you the bill if that¡¯s okay?¡± ¡°No point buying them from stores. Send us the choices and we¡¯ll drop off the Cores and Altar immediately,¡± Aurome answered and I nodded. With that the documents were signed by all parties. The completed agreements included: P-Cubed Purchase for over a hundred Million dollars and its name change to Abyss: Portal Services and Consumables. Our agreement to keep the secret of the Altars for three months.Larvae Guild¡¯s full protection from Mirage, and Mr. Varnish dropped Echo-five as a client. Four Skill bestowals for us, with all needed Cores paid for by Larvae¡ªand finally, sponsorship for Dave and myself to a Hunter Academy we could get accepted to on our own merits, if I was proven innocent in the case. Of course, I was going to be allowed to sell the secret again later to the UNMH or other Guilds¡ªafter three months. Just as everything was signed, Mr. Varnish looked at his watch and smiled. ¡°You might want to get going, P-cubed has a Portal Contract with Lynx in the Detroit Field that leaves in forty minutes.¡± ¡°What?!¡± My father exclaimed as he shot to his feet. ¡°Not to worry. It¡¯s just for a D-rank Portal of one of their sub-teams. Missing today probably won¡¯t cause too many problems.¡± I got to my feet and smiled. That might be the best news I¡¯d heard today! With Portals, Portal¡¯s, Portalz acquisition¡ªAbyss didn¡¯t have to worry about hiring. That and I¡¯d purchase some Tools from Smegma on the drive over!This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°We¡¯ll take our leave then,¡± I responded. ¡°I trust you¡¯ll see yourself out?¡± I added, only indicating Mr. Varnish in that minor insult. The man took it in stride, with a simple nod of acknowledgement as he did begin packing up his gear. Aurome offered me a handshake as he stood, and I was slightly surprised but did quickly jump forward to accept. The monstrous mitt that engulfed my hand, forearm and almost elbow was almost fascinating but I couldn¡¯t dwell on it because in his deep baritone Aurome said, ¡°I hope what you¡¯ve claimed is true. It would be wonderful to work with you in the future.¡± ¡°Uhh¡ªthanks!¡± I said, and then motioned over my shoulder awkwardly. ¡°I should get going.¡± Aurome nodded and let go of my ¡®hand.¡¯ ¡°Yes, yes. Don¡¯t keep your employees waiting on you.¡± I smiled. ¡°You mean my father¡¯s employees.¡± I pulled out a gleaming Pickaxe from the inventory in my Necklace and casually swung it over my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m just a regular ol¡¯ Miner..¡± * * * We made one call in the car, thanks to everyone waiting at my parents'' place. After hanging up, I began purchasing a number of Skinning Knives, Mining Picks and Gardening Kits. The exact number of workers we had wasn''t something my mother knew at the moment, but she was on her way into the P-cubed building to find out. Still, she estimated at least thirty of each. Our Ford Escort pulled into the parking lot with the multitude of ATV¡¯s just like we had in the past, and my father¡¯s eyes narrowed as we drove by an expensive car that was extremely out of place amongst the beaters. ¡°That¡¯s Jagger¡¯s car!¡± My dad said while trying to look through its tinted windows. As far as I could tell no one was inside, which probably didn¡¯t bode well. ¡°What¡¯s that idiot doing?¡± Smegma asked, and I conveyed the question to my father. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I can¡¯t imagine it¡¯s anything good.¡± Smegma flew up ahead, considering we didn¡¯t know what ATV we were assigned. My father and I did try asking a few people for directions but the Demon found Jagger Vance first. My father and I jogged up to discover Jagger openly recruiting a group of Cleaners. ¡°¡ªSpecialists so I could easily take all of you with me to my new, better company,¡± Jagger said. We were a bit too late to hear the exact number of Specialists that Jagger was claiming to possess but Smegma filled me in, with a simple ¡®ten.¡¯ ¡°Ahh, and here¡¯s your new owners¡ª¡° Jagger motioned at me and my father. ¡°They¡¯ve got absolutely no experience in running a Portal Goods Company, and even worse, don¡¯t have any connections to keep you working with top tier Guilds. Within a month, anyone who stays will be running with Low-Ranked Guilds.¡± A visible shudder went through the crowd. For a split second, I honestly was worried, but then I remembered what we were offering, thanks to Mental Fortitude instantly calming my emotions. Calmly, I met eyes with one of the group members that hadn¡¯t shuddered in revulsion at Jagger¡¯s words. ¡°Would you care to go grab the Miners and Gardeners? Like Jagger here, we have an offer¡ªthat I believe is far better than anything he¡¯s willing to make.¡± Jagger scoffed, and crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°I¡¯ve already got all the Specialists with me! What could you possibly give these workers?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather not repeat myself, but if you¡¯ll wait just a moment for the others to arrive¡ªyou¡¯ll be very happy you stayed.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can offer. I still own all the equipment and Bags of Holdings for the runners!¡± Jagger guffawed. ¡°This should be good!¡± We had three ATV¡¯s that were parked side by side, and so it only took a few minutes for the willing people to arrive. The total was probably just over a hundred and fifty, which made my earlier purchases of forty of each item a little lacking in at least one Professional category. But I would fix that later. ¡°I haven¡¯t gotten to speak to everyone yet,¡± Jagger said first, raising his hands above his head to get everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°However, I¡¯ll make the same offer to anyone who wishes it. I have ten Specialists in Gardening, Cleaning and Mining with my new company P-Squared¡ª¡° ¡°Oh the originality,¡± Smegma interjected sarcastically. ¡°¡ªthe new owners of Abyss,¡± Jagger sneered along with the emphasis on our new company''s name. ¡°Don¡¯t have a single Skilled Specialist in any of those three. Come with me, keep your current job, and I¡¯ll have new contracts with the top Windsor Guilds as early as today¡ªgo with them and you¡¯ll be working with the Low-Ranked Guilds by next week!¡± I waited patiently, even as a few people in the crowd stepped forward to hurry to Jagger¡¯s side. Part of me wanted to interject and cut him off, but I figured it was better to have a smaller group of loyal people than a larger group of flaky ones. Once the mass exodus was over, I was sad to see only sixty odd faces not standing behind Jagger. Of those sixty, thirty of them were Miners that likely stayed because they personally knew my father. ¡°Did you tell them about them all becoming Specialists?¡± Willa said as she jogged over to join the group. Dave and Jarred were unsurprisingly with her, since they¡¯d all been having breakfast at my place. A few people in the group behind Jagger perked up at that statement but I shook my head. ¡°Thank you for coming to hear what I have to say,¡± I announced to the group that remained, instead of answering Willa. ¡°Jagger may be offering you the same job you had with P-cubed, over at P-squared, but what I¡¯m offering you is something more.¡± A few people behind Jagger who put two-and-two together attempted to cross back to the group, and I held up a hand in their direction. ¡°We¡¯ll be taking applications if you¡¯re interested,¡± I pointedly said to let the one who¡¯d moved the quickest know that they were certainly not included in my offer. He froze even as a few others slunk back into their place behind Jagger, clearly hoping they weren¡¯t noticed. ¡°What Abyss: Portal Services and Consumables offers is Enchanted equipment for anyone we employ, making them Specialists. That, along with each of your years of experience¡ªthat is something truly valuable. We¡¯ll also be offering bonuses with higher caps and¡ª¡± I was forced to stress the conjunction as Jagger attempted to cut me off. ¡°¡ªbetter benefits!¡± I shouted the last word, knowing that my father and mother often complained about the coverages they¡¯d had with P-cubed. ¡°Come on!¡± Jagger shouted over the murmurs that broke out in both groups of workers. To my surprise, the better benefits were probably discussed more than the offer to purchase Enchanted tools for people. ¡°You¡¯ve all tried your hand at purchasing Enchanted gear and earning more in bonuses than you spent before it breaks. It doesn¡¯t work. Any company offering to supplement those costs will go bankrupt within a year! Don¡¯t be fooled.¡± His rant did help explain why the excitement of the crowd had seemed focused on the benefits. I looked to my father who stepped forward. We¡¯d discussed what to say to the workers that waffled in this situation in the car¡ªwell what he¡¯d say. But we clearly hadn¡¯t expected Jagger to oppose us directly¡­ ¡°Maybe with someone who was keeping over fifty percent of the profit for himself, it would be difficult to keep a company running. What we¡¯re offering is partial ownership to all our employees. The company will still take a percentage, but only to cover the cost of equipment repairs, healing, back of house, insurance and other such expenses. Some of you may not know me, but my name¡¯s Gary, and until recently I was a simple Miner¡ªone of you. I¡¯ve already become a Specialist, through the same process we¡¯re offering you. That rise has gotten me and mine a significant raise in wage and standard of living!¡± Jagger scoffed, but did glance over both shoulders, trying to catch people who might be persuaded. Not that I would have allowed them to cross over anyway. The lines had been drawn¡ªfor now, and I was okay working with this smaller number of hopefully trustworthy people. Why? Because I was going to reveal to them the prepared ¡®Equipment Repair Mark¡¯ tale. Not that it mattered much at this point, but I still wasn¡¯t comfortable with that knowledge being ¡®public.¡¯ Sure, it would eventually have to come out, but the longer I kept it hidden, the less questions I¡¯d have to answer. Especially in the courtroom. ¡°This is your final chance,¡± Jagger shouted. ¡°I¡¯m going to take these workers with me and go discuss future Portal work with Taz¡ªor maybe¡ªI¡¯ll even get tacked onto this pathetic run.¡± Thankfully, Taz couldn¡¯t break the contract with P-cubed, now Abyss: Portal Services and Consumables, without accruing a massive penalty. But admittedly, our skeleton crew of workers might put the man off. And yet, we now only needed one ATV. And we¡¯d all be Specialists. So, it might be a cost effective trade-off. I wasn¡¯t aware what renting the ATVs cost¡ªor the price of simply running them into the Detroit Field if Lynx owned them. ¡°Hopefully the latter,¡± Smegma said. ¡°Otherwise, Lynx already paid rental fees¡­¡± I winced, looking at the three ATVs that had been assigned to P-cubed. Still, it would be best to handle a few other problems that Jagger had highlighted. His group slowly began turning away to follow after the pompous man in his expensive suit. Some seemed reluctant to go¡ªand a few of the group that had stayed even rushed to my father to plead the cases of those individuals. Unfortunately, we also lost another five to ten leaving our total at about fifty, which admittedly wasn¡¯t great¡ªconsidering that thirty of them were Miners, fifteen Cleaners and only Five Gardeners. My father did allow the ones that were pleaded for by current ¡®members¡¯ to return which upped our numbers slightly, bringing the total of Cleaners to twenty-two, and Gardeners to eight. It wasn¡¯t ideal, but with everyone working at the level of a Specialist, it might be enough. Still, there was one other major problem that Jagger highlighted and I needed to solve. Mentally, I sent Smegma, [We need Bags of Holding.] ¡°Yeah, the good news is that Bags of Holding are far cheaper than your Necklace¡ªthis one¡¯s probably best.¡° Bag of Medium Holding Grade: High-D A Bag that has a space inside it of 300 cubic feet. Items can be summoned into and out of this space by mental command. This Bag is made with Dread Stallion Hide and can hold no further Enchantments. Cost: 250,000 mC Cheaper was a bit of a misnomer¡ªconsidering that it cost half as much as my Necklace but held about two hundred and twenty-five cubic feet more. Still, I didn¡¯t really have an option. I turned to my father, ¡°I¡¯ll head back to the car and get the gear.¡± He nodded, even as I asked Smegma, [What¡¯s my current mC total?] ¡°After the equipment earlier and the sale of the B-rank Crystals for insurance against Mirage which is now Abyss Company Capital? Eight-hundred and ninety-five thousand Mana Coins and change.¡± Since I needed a Bag for each group, that meant I¡¯d be down to a hundred and forty-five thousand pretty soon. There was one final consideration¡ª Would my purchase increase my Contribution to Demonic Vault enough that I¡¯d create a light show? 090 Saturday, May 4th, 2069 I made the purchase in the bathrooms, which were a permanent trailer installation¡ªjust in case. I held my breath as the Bags fell out of the coalescing Mana in the air, just like the Fishing Rods, Picks and other purchases always had. I caught them and waited. Nothing happened, making me sigh in relief. Losing Smegma today of all days wouldn¡¯t have been good. My eyes moved to the Bags I¡¯d just caught and I couldn¡¯t help but marvel at the sleek look of them. It reminded me of the time I¡¯d held a friend''s designer purse. The leather was practically glowing, and the stitching was done in some sort of golden accent. There wasn¡¯t an obvious mark on the Bags, like there would be on a designer purse, but they just screamed money. ¡°This could be a problem,¡± I grumbled. Smegma looked at me and then the Bags, before scoffing. ¡°It should just make it look like Abyss: Portal Services and Consumables has a lot of money to invest. Isn¡¯t that the image you¡¯re cultivating, moron?¡± I raised my eyebrows and nodded in acknowledgment of his point. Still, my guess was that they also had a self-repair or cleaning Enchant on them¡ªso, they wouldn¡¯t even get scuffed up over time. Which was going to be mighty suspicious in a few months. I shrugged. By then, we would have either succeeded with the company or have failed. I exited the bathroom, holding the three Bags and literally almost ran into a cart of equipment. I blinked at the items inside the cart, trying to figure out what the cameras, booms, stabilizers, iPads and other expensive computers were needed for. That was when Kristen and Geneva, pushing the cart from behind came into view. The two women were so short that they couldn¡¯t see ahead of themselves¡ªthus how I had almost become a ¡®casualty¡¯ of their efforts. ¡°Ladies, what are you doing here?¡± I called, getting a start from them both before their eyes found me. They must have realized that they¡¯d nearly run me over with the cart, from my position pressed back up against the trailer. ¡°Oh, shoot! Sorry Brodie,¡± Geneva began. ¡°This is a bit too heavy for one of us, but with both of us pushing, we can¡¯t see¡­¡± I moved forward and shoo¡¯d the women off the hands of the cart, making it clear I would push the thing even as I said, ¡°That didn¡¯t answer my question.¡± ¡°Well, I would think why we¡¯d be here was pretty obvious!¡± Kristen exclaimed. I gave her a canted head, and a raised eyebrow, which conveyed my exasperation with that response. She laughed and said, ¡°Mrs. Stovall called us. She thought it would be good for us to start working with Abyss: Portal Services and Consumables¡ªyou know, managing your new company page!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have a company page,¡± I said, even as I began pushing the loaded cart under their direction. ¡°Oh yes, you do!¡± Geneva answered, brandishing her phone, which was open to a SwiftGram page. She quickly flipped tabs on the device and I saw that the women had somehow set up a page on every social media platform¡ªand a website in the time it had taken us to drive here and fend off Jagger. ¡°Wow,¡± Smegma said. ¡°Do these two women have a Skill for Internet Management?¡± I repeated his words for the women and they smiled widely even as a slight blush crossed their faces. Personally, I watched the two women, realizing that they may benefit from a Skill from the Altar. If they could accomplish the things they had without System assistance, what could they do with it? Would it be better to gift them one, or a second to my father and Dave? That decision didn¡¯t need to be made now. Right this moment, we needed to get on the ATV before it left. I¡¯d steered the cart to a place near the Ford Escort and then pretended to rummage through the back, even as I transferred Skinning Knives, Gardening Kits, and Mining Picks from my Necklace to the Bags. Seeing the items again made me acutely aware of just how lackluster what I was about to present the Abyss workers appeared to be. The Gardening Kits were leather work-belts that looked like they were one stitch away from snapping and disgorging the Tools they carried onto the ground. Worse, those fruit pruners, hand trowels, shears, multi-tools and hand rakes all looked like they¡¯d break if they were dropped even the three-foot distance from a worker''s hand to the ground. I knew that they¡¯d look better as the day progressed but damn was handing them over going to be embarrassing. The Skinning Knives might have been the worst. The metal edges were certainly sharper than the Filleting Knives had been, but the metal felt both pliable and brittle. I hadn¡¯t held a Skinning Knife before, and wasn¡¯t sure if the flexibility was intended or not. Then of course, there was the ¡®handle¡¯ or lack thereof. It was impossible to tell if the tang of the blade was wrapped in wood, leather or twine, because whatever it was looked rotten and mostly decomposed. A lump began climbing my throat¡ª ¡°Stop it, dumb-dumb,¡± Smegma said, interrupting me. ¡°First, you¡¯re going to tell them about your ¡®Repair Mark¡¯ in the ATV so no one can escape. Second, you have the newly bought, rough-looking Mining Picks and the repaired ones to show them.¡± I nodded to myself and then moved back to the women and the cart. Motioning at the gear, I asked, ¡°Would you two be okay if I put this gear in a Bag of Holding?¡± I probably could have done so earlier and avoided having to push the cart, but I¡¯d just had the thought. They of course nodded in relief, and I put the entire cart and equipment inside. The Bag did get noticeably heavier, and I¡¯d have estimated it had increased by about a hundred pounds. I was impressed that it worked, and even made sure I could summon it out as an entire unit. Just to be sure. It worked. I considered giving the Bag with the equipment to one of the ladies, but I needed all three for the Professions entering. I motioned to the Bag and said, ¡°I¡¯ll get you one of these later if you¡¯re going to be coming into Portals with us more often.¡± They nodded, and we made our way to the ATV. Thankfully, most of the workers had their own equipment and Jagger had left behind the armor and loaner equipment as well. Whether he left the stuff by accident or because it was in the contract, I wasn¡¯t sure, but I was glad in either case. All thirty Miners, twenty-two Gardeners and eight Cleaners loaded into the ATV. My father was already talking to a member of the Lynx Guild while indicating the other two ATVs intended for P-cubed¡¯s use that Abyss no longer needed. The Lynx member didn¡¯t look happy and quickly rushed off afterward. ¡°Arms up,¡± Willa said, as she helped Geneva into a set of spare Miner¡¯s armor. Kristen watched and attempted to climb into her own set, but Dave seeing the issues rushed up to help. As the two women got ready, I looked at the Bags of Holding. As soon as the doors closed, I¡¯d reveal¡ª ¡°That was a squad leader for Lynx, and he says there¡¯s no way a team of eight Cleaners is going to be enough. Especially as ¡®Equipment Specialists¡¯¡­¡± My dad said, as he climbed the loading ramp. I was thankfully looking at Dave as he said that. Dave¡¯s Cut skill was certainly more useful as a Cleaner than in the Mines. Plus, I could join that group as well, considering I¡¯d likely get a Skill for it at some point, and hopefully, another unlocked Stat¡­ ¡°We¡¯ll move Dave and myself to that group,¡± I answered, looking around at each of the core group in turn. My father grimaced, making it clear that he, too, thought that was just a stop gap. I nodded in acknowledgment to his point. But there wasn¡¯t a lot we could do, so I shrugged and began planning what I would say to the workers. Just as our ATV¡¯s doors began to close I saw the Squad Leader that had been speaking with my father returning. Beside him was Jagger Vance¡ªin a suit of armor that looked out of place even beside the Hunter that stood right beside him. It was like looking at a child playing dress up. Or like the Bags of Holding¡ª The gear Jagger wore was red leather with black accents. I swore I could hear the squeaking it made even over the motors of the loading ramp.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Well that can¡¯t be good,¡± Jarred said as he stepped up beside me to watch the P-squared team return. Jagger had a smile on his face that seemed to suggest he¡¯d already beaten us upstarts, which aggravated me¡ªand from the clenched fists of my father, Willa, and Jarred¡ªthem too. The door snicked shut, removing the infuriating piece of shit from my sight and I spun¡ªthe aggravation of the man¡¯s smug smile motivating me in a way I hoped would transfer positively to the others that stayed with us too. ¡°Look,¡± I declared, while pointing back over my shoulder. My tone and volume caused a great deal of people to start, but I definitely also got their attention. ¡°That piece of shit Jagger Vance is going to also be inside the Portal with his ¡®new¡¯ company. I don¡¯t think I need to go into detail about all the ways he¡¯s likely screwed you out of money over the years¡ªdo I?¡± Almost every head in the ATV bobbed in acknowledgment of that point. I smiled. ¡°Well today, we get the chance to do something about it. We may have fewer workers, but less can be more. Today, we will focus on quality over quantity!¡± A few blinks and one muted cheer was the only answer I received to my call to arms. I didn¡¯t let it dissuade me, and exclaimed, ¡°Miners! Today, you¡¯ll focus on Mining whole Crystals. At the end of the day, each of you will pick one soft metal to extract as well. Understood?¡± Thirty confused looks were my only answer, and again I forced myself to move on. Thankfully, Smegma helped me with the rather large gap in my knowledge in the next two groups. ¡®Living Specimens¡¯ and ¡®Full Hides¡¯. ¡°Gardeners!¡± I announced, turning to our second-largest group. ¡°You¡¯ll work on cultivating full specimens when possible. I¡¯ll be starting with your group and show you some tricks to maintaining freshness of fruits, herbs and plants. Afterward, Dave and I will be with the Cleaners.¡± My cheeks were bright red saying I knew something they didn¡¯t about their jobs, but Smegma assured me that he had a few helpful tidbits of information that weren¡¯t being used. The Gardeners looked at each other with skepticism written clearly across their faces. [Whelp this is going wonderfully.] ¡°Shut up and keep going!¡± Smegma countered, sounding proud. ¡°Cleaners!¡± I croaked, trying to get over my embarrassment. ¡°We will have the hardest disadvantage to overcome. With only ten of us, we¡¯ll need to work three to four times as hard. I know that¡¯s asking a lot but if we focus on full hides, we¡¯ll stand out. Plus, I¡¯ll get started on Cooking bite-sized meals that will keep you energized as you work.¡± Again, Smegma added that idea to my speech and again, I flushed deeply with embarrassment. Sure, I could Cook some meals for them, but how that was going to help left me just as lost as their looks were. ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡ªstupid man-child! if you''re starting with the Gardener¡¯s I have a plan,¡± Smegma announced confidently. The silence after my speech only made it worse. Not to mention when I got a punch in the arm from Geneva. ¡°You could have given us back our recording equipment before you did that!¡± ¡°Maybe we can have him do it again, and all of you can even cheer after each pronouncement?¡± Kristen suggested. Was it possible to die from mortification? ¡°How are we supposed to do that without Enchanted Gear?¡± One of the people in the seats of the ATV asked. I closed my eyes, at an utter loss for why things had gone so wrong. Sure, I hadn¡¯t expected my speech to be met with cheering as Kristen implied, but I hadn¡¯t expected the silence and that question to immediately follow it. I took a deep breath, opened my eyes, and looked at Dave, Willa, Jarred and my father pleadingly. They were all smiling and holding back laughter. I could tell they were enjoying the moment¡ªenjoying my awkwardness. I silently cursed at them, which Smegma of course heard. ¡°It isn¡¯t their fault that you¡¯re a totally useless public speaker,¡± Smegma said, between chuckles. It seemed everyone was going to just let me hang myself. Husking perfect! ¡°Okay¡­¡± I began trying to build up my courage for what came next. ¡°So, about the equipment¡ª¡° ¡°What, you don¡¯t have any?¡± Someone called. ¡°He has it,¡± my father shouted, his voice a bit high pitched due to his clear mirth. ¡°Yeah just let him speak,¡± Willa shouted, openly laughing. My fingers massaged the bridge of my nose, as I let my chin touch my chest. I looked up after collecting myself and actually found a good deal of smiles greeting me. Clearly, ¡®my¡¯ group¡¯s mirth was contagious, because now the sixty odd people were excited to be let in on the joke. I personally didn¡¯t think this would end well¡ª The ATV lurched into motion causing me to take a step forward to brace myself. Now I had a timer, too. I needed to finish my explanation before we were through the Gate... ¡°Okay!¡± I exclaimed, this time aiming the words at myself. ¡°The equipment I¡¯m about to give you doesn''t look like much¡ª¡° I raised my volume to keep people''s attention. ¡°¡ªIt¡¯s very second hand, and that¡¯s because I possess a Skill called Repair Mark.¡± I glanced at the Lynx Hunters that were stationed in our ATV, and saw them look at each other with raised eyebrows. ¡°It only works on non-combat gear,¡± I hedged, not wanting them to think I could somehow begin repairing their stuff. ¡°So, what I¡¯ve purchased is the best quality Enchanted Gear¡ªin some of the worst states!¡± Murmuring broke out, even as I pulled out my own Pickaxe. ¡°This is a piece I purchased about three weeks ago. As you can see, it looks nearly brand new, and will continue to repair itself. This¡ª¡° I began pulling out a ¡®new¡¯ worn and beaten pickaxe. ¡°¡ªis what it looked like when I started.¡± ¡°Bullshit!¡± Someone called. ¡°It¡¯s truth!¡± Someone else called, and I was surprised when it wasn¡¯t one of my immediate group members. I scanned the crowd for the voice, along with everyone else on the ATV. The person I found made me smile. Miguel was pointing at the pickaxe that looked like it was a step above driftwood. ¡°Saw kid bring that into Portal. I thought he stupid, but each day, it look better. Then we fight Golem, and that what three of Picks look like after.¡± Dave¡¯s words seemed to do more to move the people in the ATV than mine would have alone. I was unsure if Willa, Jarred or my father would have had the same effect¡ªbut I nodded to the usually reserved Miguel in thanks all the same, before coughing and getting ready to continue. ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± I said as calmly as I could. ¡°My Pick was in just as bad condition as the ones you¡¯ll be getting today, and this is what it looks like now.¡± Mentally reaching into my Necklace, I pulled out my Miner¡¯s Pick. As it fell from thin air, my fist wrapped around the smooth, glossy handle that resembled a dark Walnut in appearance. Three feet of pristine, textured wood ended at a gleaming crescent of elegantly blackened steel. The metal of the Pickaxe flowed and arched gracefully into a deadly blade on one end, and an exquisitely crafted Pick on the other. I wasn¡¯t being completely genuine due to the fact that the Pick had been Upgraded somehow after my fight with the Golem, but I didn¡¯t think anyone would begrudge me a little embellishment here. These people needed to know that their equipment was going to be significantly better and more reliable as time went on, and that was the truth I cared about. Eyes widened at the sight of my personal Pickaxe, and the crew finally seemed to be getting excited for the first time. I also didn¡¯t fail to notice that one of the Lynx members'' eyebrows seemed to be trying to crawl up into his scalp. ¡°So, when I hand you the equipment you¡¯ll be using today¡ªdon¡¯t get down on yourself. At first, it might not work the greatest¡ªbut it will only get better throughout the day. That¡¯s a promise!¡± I picked up the first Bag of Holding from near my feet where I¡¯d put them all and looked inside. Mining Picks. ¡°Jarred,¡± I called¡ªpicking the only one of my group not still chuckling at my expense. ¡°Could you hand out a Pick to each Miner onboard?¡± Jarred took the Bag and began moving to distribute them. As he did so, I raised a hand to get everyone¡¯s attention again. ¡°Keep in mind that these need to come back to me at the end of the day so I can reapply the Marks. Otherwise, they will act like any other piece of Enchanted Gear¡ªwearing down and breaking.¡± The next Bag had the ten Skinning Knives and the media cart. I picked it up and then called, ¡°Dave, can you hand the Knives out to the Cleaners, please?¡± Dave came forward and accepted the Bag. As I let go, he squealed, overbalanced and promptly collapsed to the ground with a loud crash. I looked at him in shock, even as he groaned in pain. I asked, ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Then after a moment¡¯s thought added, ¡°are you okay?¡± ¡°What do you mean? What the hell was that? This Bag probably weighs three-hundred pounds, jackass!¡± Dave grumbled as he rubbed his back with one hand and his face with the other. Thankfully, it looked like his head had hit the Bag¡ªso other than some reddening from the impact, he was okay. ¡°Oh,¡± I said, recalling the Bag gaining in weight from putting the video equipment inside earlier. I¡¯d thought it had increased maybe a hundred pounds at most, but even if it did weigh that much, I probably should have warned my friend. Seeing everyone chuckling at Dave¡¯s faceplant, and recalling his earlier giggles at my expense, I changed my thoughts on the matter. I reached down and pulled out the media cart while chuckling. ¡°Don¡¯t laugh, jerk-face. That could have really hurt me.¡± That only startled more laughs out of the attentive audience. Geneva and Kristen rushed to their cart and quickly began loading themselves up with cameras and iPads. Standing back up, I looked to the final group of people. ¡°Gardeners?¡± I said addressing them with a question. ¡°Do you have someone who can act as a leader among you?¡± Everyone turned to look at a skinny brown-haired woman wearing glasses. She hadn¡¯t immediately raised a hand, and even sighed when she realized everyone¡¯s looks. Reluctantly, she answered, ¡°I guess I can do it.¡± ¡°Perfect. Do you mind handing out the Gardening Kits to everyone?¡± I asked. She nodded, and I handed her the final Bag of Holding. The muttering changed once everyone got a look at their ¡®equipment,¡¯ and I could tell that it wasn¡¯t in a good way. I raised my hands once more and said, ¡°I assure you all that they will look better after each task you perform. Look forward to it.¡± My words may have changed a few muttering conversations for a time, but I couldn¡¯t truly tell. Shrugging, I took a seat, even as Geneva and Kristen began capturing the moment. Kristen in particular was recording, but constantly looking back to me. Finally, she said, ¡°Can you give the speech one more time?¡± I began to roll my eyes, as my cheeks grew hot. Then to my utter horror someone called, ¡°Speech!¡± My head spun on Dave so fast, that I felt it twinge. My father joined the traitor. ¡°Speech!¡± Willa guffawed but caught the next call, ¡°Speech!¡± ¡°Speech!¡± Others began picking up the chant, and I truly considered crying. 091 Saturday, May 4th, 2069 ¡°I¡¯m saying I¡¯ll need an escort from the Gardener¡¯s to the Cleaners,¡± I reiterated for the clearly-stupid Hunter. As if to confirm my opinion of him, he stared at me with no comprehension on his face. Did he speak a different language maybe? It would be rare but¡ª ¡°I cannot permit workers to move around in the Dungeon unescorted,¡± he said, slowly. I blinked at him. Then I looked at the Gardeners behind me. We were just inside a Sective Agora Portal, and about to split up to go to our separate areas to work. Thankfully, I saw a different Hunter behind me, with the Miners, and moved to him. ¡°Hello, my name is Brodie, I¡¯m the foreman of the crews here today,¡± I said in way of introduction. ¡°I¡¯m going to need to move from the Gardener group to the Cleaners after the first hour. Can you provide me with an escort to do so?¡± This Hunter turned to look at me, then did a slow top to bottom, followed by the bottom to top assessment that spoke volumes. He was clearly questioning how I could be any sort of leader at my age. I knew I looked young, and on SwiftGram that helped me, I thought? But here, amongst adults¡ªit was admittedly not a great look. My dad stepped forward. ¡°I¡¯m the owner of Abyss: Portal Services and Consumables¡ªhe is, in fact, the foreman of the two other groups. Please do as he says!¡± The Hunter finished his appraisal of me and gave my father a skeptical look. ¡°The owner of the company is inside the Dungeon with us? And I¡¯m the Dragon King!¡± My father¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he pointed across the field to Jagger in his far too expensive armor. ¡°That¡¯s the owner of P-squared, which is why I¡¯m here to make sure we destroy them in Gathering!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The man said and studied Jagger Vance. He clearly looked the part more than my father or I did. He turned his judgmental gaze back to us and seemed to come to a conclusion. ¡°He¡¯s just here to observe and you¡¯re actually going to step up and work? I can respect that. Okay, give me a sec¡­¡± The guard walked away to a gathering group of Hunters, and I sighed in relief. At least he had decided to get an escort for me. I looked at my father and he could only give a chagrined shrug. It was clear that even the Hunter Guards of Lynx were already catering to Jagger and his group of workers. Just watching the man preen in his armor made my blood boil! Abyss would kick his ass today! ¡°You do realize that he has almost double the numbers in all of the Gatherers here, except Mining¡ªwhere you¡¯ve got a slight advantage. Which surprises me¡ª¡± Smegma began but I interjected mentally. [¡ªYeah, where did he get the extra Miners? Didn''t they all join us?] ¡°¡ªAs I was saying he must have been hiring more Miners because of the Ten Specialists he contracted. That means he could have as many as a hundred other workers, according to the ten to one rule he went by in P-cubed.¡± [Oh, shit! So, those guys weren¡¯t there when I told them they¡¯d all be Specialists¡­] I turned to my dad. ¡°There are about twenty Miners that aren¡¯t Specialists with Jagger. See if you can¡¯t convince them to join our company.¡± ¡°Oh, okay. When we take lunch, I¡¯ll try to chat with them.¡± My father then whispered a question, ¡°I assume we shouldn¡¯t tell them about the ¡®Repair Mark¡¯?¡± I nodded in confirmation as a group of five split off from the congregation and moved in unison back toward us. The guard for the Miners was one of them, and the other four seemed to be made up of a Hunter and her Mana Banks. To my surprise, I recognized one of them¡ª Not the Hunter, but a dark-skinned beauty that was with him. Or what had been a stunning young woman last I saw her. Eva walked along with the three other Banks, and she was nearly unrecognizable compared to when I¡¯d met her in line at Armando¡¯s photoshoot. She didn¡¯t even look at me or her surroundings as she sluggishly moved toward me. I swallowed bile as it rose in my throat. When she¡¯d won the ¡®picture of the day¡¯, at Armando¡¯s photoshoot I¡¯d been so jealous¡ªbut now¡­ I looked at her. She almost looked like a zombie. Her skin was grayish, where it once held a golden hue¡ªher arms, once sculpted perfectly by a combination of muscle and grace, were now skeletally thin. And her hair! It looked like a rat''s nest atop her head. Like she didn¡¯t even have the energy to run a comb through it. I stepped forward, ready to¡ªdo something¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t you dare, moron,¡± Smegma practically shouted. ¡°There is nothing you can do right at this moment. If you cause a scene right now¡ªyou¡¯ll not only accomplish nothing, but also hurt Abyss!¡± Husk! I swore at myself, and the Demon for good measure. He was right, but that didn¡¯t mean I had to like it. I was forced to swallow again as disgust at the decision I had to make tried to overturn my stomach. Another goal was added to my current list. Get back at Mirage¡ªFind the person behind Morgan¡ªSave Eva! ¡°Save her from what, you idiot?¡± Smegma countered my internal thoughts once again. ¡°For all you know she just started with this Hunter and she¡¯s acclimatizing to it. Look at her other Banks, they are helping her and don¡¯t look to be suffering under the Hunter¡­ Maybe she was injured doing something else, or working for someone else and this person¡¯s taken her in and is helping her out. You need more information before you go around full-cocked like an Incubus at an orgy.¡± I finally tore my eyes off of Eva, and studied the other Banks and then the Hunter. To my surprise the Hunter was a female, as were the two Banks by Eva¡¯s side. Smegma was right, the two other Banks looked quite healthy, but that didn¡¯t mean he was right about her not needing saving¡­ The Hunter was clearly a caster of some sort. She wore light-fitting armor, and had both a wand and a large staff in hand. It actually looked a lot like the staff I¡¯d had in the pictures taken with Armando. It had a blue gem at its head and was made from some sort of blackened wood. The woman herself was beautiful in the exact opposite way of Eva. Where Eva was lithe and graceful, this woman was thick and sturdy. Short hair with shaved sides graced her head, and both arms were tattooed with half-sleeves that I couldn¡¯t make out from this distance. They arrived at me and my father even as I studied the dark, black lines¡ªtrying to understand what I was looking at. The Hunter held out a hand, ¡°Hi, my name is Alexus Fawn. I¡¯m told you¡¯ll need an escort between our Gatherers?¡± I tore my eyes off of Eva. Surely there was something I could do? ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± Smegma scolded. ¡°Plus, she¡¯ll be with you all day¡ªat least husking confirm she¡¯s being mistreated first!¡± [Fine!] I mentally shouted back, and then turned a disapproving frown onto Alexus. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± I accidentally exclaimed. I didn¡¯t bother correcting myself, and just spun away from her to return to the Gardeners and the stupid Hunter that they had. ¡°What¡¯s his problem?¡± I heard one of the women behind me ask in a whisper. I tuned out any response, feeling my cheeks flush with both anger and a hint of embarrassment. * * * ¡°What you need to find is a sapling tree, preferably Antikwa,¡± Smegma explained, as I stood in a field. The other Gardeners had already moved off to begin work as I prepared to show them some of the tricks ¡®I¡¯d¡¯ promised. I scanned the forest, looking for saplings in the heavy foliage. Alexus and the Mana Banks stood behind me. Three of the women looked skeptically at my back, with clear distaste for me after my earlier outburst. My fists clenched as I thought of the fourth. Eva, last I saw, still looked like she was barely able to stand on her own two feet.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. [The problem, Smegma, is that the canopies of these larger trees won¡¯t let saplings grow.] ¡°Use your brain and check in the small gaps of sunlight, imbecile!¡± Smegma scolded. I frowned and scanned for a patch of sunlight. Nearly right beside the first patch of bright yellow I found, was indeed a sapling. I wondered only for a moment why it wasn¡¯t in the sunshine, when Smegma scoffed. ¡°You really aren¡¯t bright. Sunshine moves!¡± [God dammit, Smegma!] I responded, not in the mood for his taunting at the moment. I knew what was distracting me! [What do I husking do with the thing?] ¡°Carefully dig it up, and then place it and some soil from around it into the Gardening box.¡± I followed his instructions and wasn¡¯t the only one who was skeptical of his method. Small snickers and questions sounded out from the Mana Banks behind me and I fought my urge to turn on them. [Now what?] I mentally asked Smegma, venting some of my frustration on him. ¡°Take it back to the Gardeners, idiot! Don¡¯t get all changeling with me for stopping you from ruining your life and destroying your company all on its first day.¡± Standing up, I turned around and carried the box back to the Gardening area. The area was a clearing that was nearly a perfect circle. In fact, it was eerie in its symmetry, like it hadn¡¯t formed naturally but was somehow stamped by some godly creature in the heavens. ¡°That¡¯s ¡®cause it was created by the System. Just like the Mines, and Monsters¡­¡± Smegma explained, his voice finally less scathing at my thoughts. Instead, he was introspective, like he once had asked the same questions. The clearing had numerous plants, bushes, vines and grasses that were clearly not from Earth. While the trees of Secretive Agora could be mistaken for extremely large maples from the planet¡ªthese plants would be alien no matter what. Except for maybe on Pandora in that movie Advantor Fourteen: The Last Stand. The grass was five feet tall and ocean blue. The vines were pink, and had purple flowers right beside yellow fruits, that could have been bananas if they didn¡¯t glow. The bushes contained fruits, and nuts both¡ªand one bush could hold every color of the rainbow. I shook off my returning marvel at the scene, and hurried to the bush area, as directed by Smegma¡¯s orders. ¡°¡ªshut that clap-trap of a mouth and get in them bushes, soldier!¡± He shouted in my ear, causing me to jump and obey. Once I arrived he continued in a slightly softer drill-Sergeant-esque voice. ¡°Now, get out the shears, and cut exactly where I tell you and on the angle I confirm.¡± It took several minutes to change the angle of the shears and find the perfect spot along a stem just in front of a purple bulb of what could maybe pass for overly large garlic. ¡°Cut slowly and with the same force the entire time.¡± I managed to follow his instructions thanks in large part to my Dexterity, or at least I thought I did. I figured there was just no way one of my Stats wasn¡¯t helping my hand stay steady and slow. ¡°Move the other hand to catch the Grackle before it falls even a millimeter. But carefully time it for your hand to arrive as you finish the cut.¡± Again¡ªI managed to follow his instructions. The ¡®Grackle¡¯ didn¡¯t fall at all, and I slowly brought it back to myself. The already fragrant air now hummed with what I could only describe as the smell of coconut-melon. It was a sweet smell but had a depth that spoke of vacation. I wasn¡¯t the only one who noticed this change, and a few nearby Gardeners stopped to sniff the air. Following their noses, their eyes landed on me. They watched as I continued to follow Smegma¡¯s directions. Slowly, I brought the stem of the Grackle, which was cut at a steep¡ªalmost eighty-degree angle, to the sapling. With the same precision as before, I notched a matching ten-degree slot in the thin sapling¡¯s trunk, and then cut off the backside of the Grackle¡¯s stem-bark to expose green cells beneath. Smegma continued to direct me and I slid the Grackle inside the intended slot ¡°Press the sapling¡¯s bark firmly onto the Grackle and then stem-feed a tiny amount of Mana to it. Because this isn¡¯t an Antikwa Sapling you¡¯ll need three drops of Mana or more.¡± To my shock, at five drops of Mana, the Sapling not only healed around the Grackle, but also grew about one centimeter wider, now easily supporting the fruit''s weight. The fruit seemed to glow as well, maintaining the aroma in the air. ¡°What did you just do?¡± One of the Gardeners nearby exclaimed as they rushed over to check on the ¡®fruit.¡¯ I did my best to explain, having Smegma explain some of the process as I went. Unfortunately, none of the other Gardeners had any idea how to control their Mana yet, but Smegma assured me that the Tree would pull Mana from the air, and have a high probability of accepting a transplant of more Grackles every five minutes. When I was done, I showed the group currently tackling this bush, how to make the cuts to a sapling, and the matching ones on the Grackle. Then Smegma had me move onto what he called a KnuckleNut, which also was abundant on this Tree. As I moved to gather it, one of the Gardener¡¯s held up a hand above my shears. ¡°Don¡¯t bother. Those aren¡¯t worth much,¡± he explained when I looked at him. ¡°Idiots! All of you Humans are morons. KnuckleNuts can increase Demon¡¯s skin thickness and density over time. They only work up to the E-rank, but they have a great deal of value!¡± ¡°Thanks for your advice, but if prepared properly, these Nuts can improve skin density and strength,¡± I explained to the man. He lowered his hand while simultaneously giving me a stare that questioned my sanity. I moved to bite my nail, as I realized I had no way of explaining how I knew that. A glance at Alexus showed she was staring at me and listening to the interaction intently. It was too late now, so I doubled down and followed Smegma¡¯s instructions as I moved to cut clusters of the Nuts. This time, we didn¡¯t fix them to the Sapling, and instead placed them in the soil around the tree. We also didn¡¯t have to make any specialized cuts, making the harvest of the Nuts far faster than the Grackle. I showed the Gardeners the method and explained that buried KnuckleNuts¡ª ¡°They are called Farells, are you sure you¡¯re thinking of the same Nut?¡± The same Gardener that nearly stopped me corrected my explanation. ¡°Yep. Yep. Sorry, I know them by a different name!¡± I blurted. For the next thirty minutes, I moved around the clearing and showed Smegma¡¯s instructions to the workers. I was sure I was drawing a great deal of suspicion with each piece of knowledge I ¡®showed off¡¯, but there was nothing I could do. Thankfully, Jagger¡¯s group had been brought to a different clearing. I still had at least fourteen other visible plants to address when Smegma vanished. I groaned, knowing what was happening. I had just picked up a new Skill. A quick peek at my Mental Universe confirmed it. After some deliberation, I announced, ¡°That¡¯s all I have time to show you today. I¡¯m going to go join the Cleaners now. Keep working as hard as you can. I¡¯ll send back some lunch later.¡± I placed my sapling with KnuckleNuts, Grackle, Versail Leaves, Basilia, Ocean Grass, Eden Root, Witch Hazel, Wizard Bark, and Yellow Gardle to the side for someone to collect, unwilling to walk around and find the Gardener with the Bag of Holding. I¡¯d put it in my Necklace if it wouldn¡¯t kill the thing instantly. I then turned to Alexus and grumbled, ¡°Could you take me to the Cleaners now.¡± Grumbling was the only way I could control my volume and somewhat keep my dislike of the woman out of my voice. Still, the two currently aware Mana Banks caught my tone and frowned deeply at me. ¡°What¡¯s your problem?!¡± One of the two asked, no longer able to contain her frustration with my tone, and where I was directing it. ¡°My problem?¡± I questioned right back, my tone now joined by volume. Unfortunately, we were right in the center of the clearing, so everyone heard. As if Smegma could somehow hear me husking up, while making a Skill in my Mental Universe, he popped back into existence at my side. ¡°Kid, don¡¯t do this!¡± Smegma shouted in my ear, after he only took a split second to put together the situation. But I ignored him. ¡°My problem?¡± I repeated, adding even more distaste to my words as I indicated Eva. ¡°She¡¯s my problem. I met Eva at a photoshoot a few months ago! She was lively, energetic and healthy!¡± I paused to suck in a breath. Eva seemed to rouse herself for a moment, looking at me with confusion in her eyes. Her lack of recognition only fueled my anger as it boiled over what controls Mental Fortitude put in place. ¡°Now look at her. She¡¯s a shell of her former self! You think I can just stand here while a Greed takes advantage of her?¡± To my utter surprise, Alexus smiled sadly and moved to Eva. What she did next quelled my anger like a hot plate getting dunked into water. Alexus gently raised Eva¡¯s chin to meet her eyes and coaxed softly, ¡°Eva, did you hear that? This man knows you. Do you remember him?¡± I stood stock still, at an utter loss at the disparity between Eva¡¯s appearance and my assumptions and Alexus¡¯ words. What in the husk was going on? Something hit me in the cheek, and because of the surprise, I tightened my neck muscles, not moving at all as one of the other Banks slapped me. It was the one who had spoken out, and she had tears in her eyes. In a whisper she hissed, ¡°Let¡¯s move away from here and not put my sister on display!¡± The others, including Alexus nodded, and the Hunter helped guide a still-confused Eva to follow. It took me several moments to even register the request, and a few more long seconds to actually relax my tense muscles. ¡°I told you, kid. You should have left it alone. Now you¡¯ve got a horn in your mouth,¡± Smegma said, quietly. [What is going on?] I asked, wanting an explanation. ¡°Follow them. You¡¯ll figure it out.¡± That got me finally moving, but thanks to Eva¡¯s slow speed while being guided, I didn¡¯t have to even jog to catch the four women. Once we were far enough away, and the person leading the procession¡ªthe Mana Bank who¡¯d slapped me¡ªfound a large, flat stone and we stopped. Eva was lowered onto the rock by Alexus, and the Mana Bank spun on me. ¡°How dare you say that word in front of her, without all the information. You stupid, little boy! Eva was just getting better and now look at her.¡± Sure enough, Eva was shaking as Alexus held her. Any remaining spark of anger fled in that moment, and I felt like a cooling hot air balloon. I¡¯d clearly misread the situation, and made it worse! 092 Saturday, May 4th, 2069 ¡°Stop it Dana!¡± Alexus said, as the woman who just slapped me seemed to square up in preparation to fight with me. I went as far as to purposefully place my hands in my pockets to show I wasn¡¯t going to fight back. I realized now that I had made some terrible assumptions. And in this case, I¡¯d really put the ass in the word. ¡°You can¡¯t fault him for caring for a friend. Wouldn¡¯t you want someone to speak up if they saw this situation?¡± Alexus continued. To my surprise, Dana¡¯s reddening face and wide, wild eyes vanished almost like they¡¯d never been there. Her shade even went slightly white. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. She¡¯s right, but for you to accuse Alex,¡± Dana whispered her apology but then regained a bit of heat as she explained her reasoning for the reaction. ¡°I realize now that I¡¯ve made a terrible mistake,¡± I said. ¡°Still, I don¡¯t like seeing Eva like that. Can you explain what¡¯s happened?¡± ¡°Dana, come look after Eva,¡± Alexus said, not letting the young, skeletal woman go until Dana followed her instructions and took her place. The other Mana Bank moved over and did the same. Only then did Alexus stand up and move to stand with me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for Dana, she¡¯s¡­ very protective of me. You see, Eva isn¡¯t the only Mana Bank I¡¯ve rehabbed from similar situations.¡± My anger flared again as my eyes grew wider. This had happened to others and Alexus was involved¡ª ¡°Now there you go assuming again,¡± she said with a bit of a chuckle and I shook off the rising surge in large parts because of her soft understanding tone. ¡°Sometimes, the first Mana Pull from a Bank can cause¡­ issues,¡± Alexus explained. ¡°In Eva¡¯s case, she contracted with a member of Garneau in Toronto, and her Mana Pool cracked¡ª¡± ¡°Ohhhh!¡± Smegma interrupted, and my head jerked to his position. He was studying the interactions between the three Mana Banks. I was the only one who heard him, but my strange head jerk alarmed Alexus enough that she spun with a hand on her weapon. She performed a thorough scan before asking over her shoulder, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Uhh, my bad. I thought I heard something¡­¡± I lied¡ªwell kind of¡ªI had indeed heard something. I wanted nothing more than to interrogate Smegma, since he seemed to know something more about Eva¡¯s condition but instead, I let Alexus turn back to me and continue. ¡°As I was saying. When a Mana Pool cracks, it¡¯s like a fragile glass of water. It may leak, or it may not, but continued use will definitely make the problem worse. In Eva¡¯s case the Mana is ¡®leaking¡¯, causing her to feel physically ill. She has barely kept food down and I had put her on an IV until recently. But the good news is that the Mana Leak has grown smaller now, and in time, like Dana and Lauren, it can heal.¡± ¡°Uhh, what¡¯s this ¡®in time¡¯, Felhound Feces? Is she just another example of how all of you humans are idiots? You could fix her right now!¡± Smegma scoffed indignantly. My heart began hammering in my chest as I sucked in a deep lungful of air out of surprise. After a blink, I found Alexus looking at me like I was not reacting normally. I deliberated on what to do for a split second longer, before sighing out an exhalation. Revealing what Smegma had just told me could raise questions, but this was Eva! ¡°I think I can fix her,¡± I whispered. ¡°Fix her?¡± Dana shouted, clearly being riled up again. ¡°She¡¯s not a broken toy, asshole.¡± ¡°No!¡± I raised my hands, shaking them back and forth. ¡°That¡¯s not¡ªI mean, not her. I meant¡ªher Mana Pool.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Lauren the redhead from the two Mana Banks exclaimed as she shot to her feet. Alexus¡¯ look had morphed into one of clear suspicion, and perhaps more telling¡ªher hand had moved to her weapon on her hip again. I scanned down to the blade, and tried to figure out if it was a long dagger or a short sword. Why was that important? ¡°A long dagger wielder will likely castrate you, where a short sword wielder will only stab you in the stomach,¡± Smegma answered, and I gulped. My reaction caused Alexus to realize what she was doing, and to a man who still had his hands in his pockets. She quickly let go of her short sword. I refused to think of it as the former after Smegma¡¯s words. ¡°I¡¯ve visited thousands of the top Alchemists, Healers and other Experts in the past. Everyone said the only cure was time. So, you can excuse Lauren and my reaction to your words. I know she is your friend, so, I¡¯ll let you take it back if you have some half-cocked idea. I¡¯ll also let you know that I¡¯ll kill you if your idea hurts her!¡± Lauren and Dana were glaring at me from beside Eva, and Alexus was glaring daggers from a foot away. Mentally I screamed at the Demon for not immediately offering me the method, I rather liked being alive, and having my balls. [Smegma!] ¡°What? I want to see if she¡¯ll actually stab you,¡± Smegma stated, ¡°you know¡ªfor science,¡± and he actually sounded like he meant it. [If I die, don¡¯t you die, asshat?] ¡°Well, not exac¡ª¡± I mentally ¡®glared¡¯ at the Demon. ¡°Fine¡ªfine. It isn¡¯t anything super special. First, you¡¯ll need to Cook her a meal with high calories, ¡®cause what we¡¯re about to do is going to take a lot out of her¡ª¡° [You do recall that she can barely keep food down?!] ¡°Oh really?¡± Smegma asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. ¡°I thought she just liked the anemic look. Now shut up and husking listen¡­ ¡°...Next, you¡¯ll need to mix the KnuckleNut and Sea Grass into a Pill. For that you''ll need her exact weight¡ªbecause too much or too little will cause¡­ issues. And third, you¡¯ll need to apply constant Healing and Cleansing, to deal with the slight poison that KnuckleNut and Sea Grass will create.¡± [You do realize that these three women aren¡¯t going to believe a word I say, right? How am I going to convince them to let me feed her an unknown mixture of Portal Herbs while claiming it¡¯s only somewhat poisonous.] ¡°You should probably say something to the women first, you¡¯ve been silent for about thirty seconds and I do think that¡¯s a long dagger, the more I look at it.¡± My paling face caused Smegma to howl with laughter. I pulled a hand out of my pocket to scratch at the back of my neck. ¡°I do have a method to heal her, I¡¯m just trying to come up with a way to make it safer.¡± ¡°Yeah, no!¡± Alexus exclaimed her voice barbed. ¡°Dana, Lauren take care of Eva. Let¡¯s escort this idiot to the Cleaners.¡± With that Alexus simply began walking away, and so did Dana, Lauren and Eva supported between them. I stood still for a moment, before deciding that I would follow from a distance that might make them feel like I wasn¡¯t about to try to force some sort of strange healing method onto one of their numbers. I¡¯d really messed this up. ¡°There is another option,¡± Smegma said from near my shoulder. [What¡¯s that?] I asked, truly curious. ¡°If you get an Alchemical Pill Cauldron we can create a much better Pill by burning off the toxins and poison in the KnuckleNut and SeaGrass. However, since you have next to no experience in that¡ªI doubt you¡¯d succeed, which was why I offered the other alternative that could heal her today.¡± I had Smegma explain more about an Alchemical Pill Cauldron and how it worked as I walked behind my escorts. The way he described the process sounded highly theoretical, telling me he didn¡¯t have any actual experience in the method. It brought into perspective a few things. Smegma had been a researcher with the Abyss Sect, and he had a great deal of knowledge¡ªbut that was likely mostly theoretical. He did say that he¡¯d had real-world experience inside of Portals but, it seemed like the rest may be ¡®book smarts¡¯, at best. For example¡ªthe Gardening tips I¡¯d handed out and performed this morning. Smegma likely had never performed those tasks himself, but had read about or studied them. Thinking about it that way caused me to shiver. Our time in the caverns negotiating with Nagina, the massive Universe Eating Snake thing, had been him acting as a leader with minimal actual experience¡­ Just how badly that could have gone became apparent enough that I fixated on it, until Smegma said, ¡°Stop it, moron. Just because I learned things from a book, doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t know it. Also, at least I¡¯ve actually learned it¡ªyou have no clue!¡± Any response I might have given fled, as we exited the trees into a clearing. Not a System-created clearing, like the Gardening one. This clearing was Hunter made. Well, Hunter and Monster made. I froze, staring first at the destruction of the massive trees, which were reduced to splinters, kindling, and campfire sized segments.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. But then my eyes crossed over numerous mounds of flesh and once my brain realized what I was looking at, I couldn¡¯t look away. My eyes were frozen on a mound. It wasn¡¯t the largest mound I¡¯d seen, but it was the only one that had the Monster¡¯s face pointed in my direction. I swallowed when I put together the hills of flesh with what they actually were. Some sort of Pig? No, maybe a Porcupine? Hedgehog? Either way, they stood three meters tall with their legs broken and collapsed beneath them. There were sparse quills intermingled along their backs, and they seemed to have the heads of predatory canines. Not only did they have a mouthful of fangs, they had elongated snouts that were meant to rip and tear. ¡°Ahh, Gwyls,¡± Smegma said. ¡°I thought your people said this was a D-rank Portal?¡± ¡°Uhh¡ªwhat?¡± I answered, accidentally forgetting to keep my question internal. ¡°Porcu-hogs,¡± Alexus said. ¡°Frickin¡¯ pain to deal with. They shoot those quills out at high speed from range, before charging in to fight like wolves amongst the sheep. The only good news is that they have tough hides, and good-tasting meat!¡± ¡°Yes, on the meat,¡± Smegma retorted. ¡°Hell no on being a pain to deal with. These are F-Ranked Gwyls. They bombard you from range, and then charge in stupidly¡ªfighting by themselves mostly. They have no tactics or pack dynamics, and are relatively easy to deal with¡ªother than a slightly high defense and strength.¡± My brain felt like it was short circuiting. Why would Smegma claim they were F-rank, while Alexus was clearly describing the difficulties of the fight as a D-rank Hunter? Plus, this was definitely classed as a D-rank Portal by the UNMH. I thought back on that, and nodded, recalling our first-semester classes discussing Porcu-hogs. They were low-D-Rank, but still D-rank. Smegma heard my thoughts and floated over to one creature. He began hovering around the body as he tapped talon to tooth. ¡°Maybe the System upgraded them since my time?¡± That simple explanation allowed my brain to stop frying itself with the worries I¡¯d had. That would have been bad if Humanity was fighting relatively low-ranked creatures and overestimating their strength¡­ Smegma¡¯s nearness to the corpse also unfroze my locked legs, and I began walking forward to examine it as well. Crossing over the sawdust and splinters eventually brought the nine Cleaners into view. They¡¯d broken into three groups. Two of four, and Dave. My eyes narrowed, thinking they¡¯d excluded Dave because of his lack of experience. However, the three Cleaned skeletons of Porcu-hogs in his direction told the actual story. I smiled. Cut was revealing its worth. I changed my course, moving toward Dave, who had seen me and was waving in my direction. I figured studying one corpse would be the same as another. ¡°This Cut Skill is husking Epic bro!¡± Dave shouted in greeting. I winced, but he clearly didn¡¯t see it, ¡®cause he continued, ¡°Thanks for giving it to me!¡± Husking idiot! ¡°You were definitely lucky to Awaken it,¡± I answered pointedly. Dave blinked for a moment and then saw the women that were eyeing him and me with a great deal of suspicion. ¡°Oh, right! Of course, that¡¯s what I meant. Like, getting stuck down in that cave may be the best thing that happened to us¡ªouch!¡± Dave said and I punched him in the arm. ¡°So, how is the Cleaning going?¡± I asked, changing the subject. ¡°Good. Great actually,¡± Dave answered, holding up his clearly much-repaired Skinning Knife. ¡°The others are working in groups to get the hang of it, but as you can see, they¡¯re moving faster and faster.¡± With the Knife held up, it was clear what he was insinuating. ¡°Okay, well who has the Bag?¡± I asked as a follow up. It would be a good idea to Cook some food for them before I joined. Plus, if I could Heal each one of them in a subtle way¡ªthat would relieve a great deal of fatigue and go a long way to helping us meet or exceed the quota. ¡°I do,¡± Dave said, and pointed to the Bag of Holding. ¡°There¡¯s some really interesting cuts of meat that come out of these big things. Still, I would say, Cook the loins or¡ª¡° ¡°The hearts,¡± Smegma interjected. ¡°If you Cook the hearts with some minced Grackle, it will give everyone who eats it a great deal of Martial Power.¡± [Not that I¡¯m disagreeing, but you do remember humans don¡¯t have Martial Power, right?] ¡°It should still do something,¡± Smegma said. Dave had stopped talking at some point, recognizing my distracted look. When I blinked and looked back, he smiled. ¡°What are you planning to Cook?¡± ¡°The hearts,¡± I answered, and his smile grew even broader. ¡°Awesome¡ªthere¡¯s five in there, and they¡¯re each about the size of my head.¡± ¡°You¡¯re planning to cook?¡± Alexus interjected into our conversation. I nodded distractedly, as I moved to the Bag. ¡°You do realize that a fire will attract monsters if they¡¯re still out there, right?¡± She added, sounding very similar to my reminder to Smegma from a moment before. I blinked and then looked her way sheepishly. Her eyes narrowed slightly at my expression. It was probably clear I wasn¡¯t going to give up on cooking that easily. She sighed. ¡°Okay, let me warn the guards, but you better give us some too!¡± It was my turn to sigh, but in relief. Food of this quality would help my workers keep working, and hopefully beat out P-squared. That and my Healing. We needed to prove to Lynx that we could keep up¡ªor Jagger would likely take any new contracts after our current backlog ran out and our reputation was put in the dirt. Once I had the Bag of Holding, I used it and my Necklace of Holding to gather up sawdust, kindling and appropriate sized logs. Then, using a simple lighter, I worked at the somewhat damp sawdust until it caught. I¡¯d chosen to build the fire in a pit that had either been where one of the Porcu-hogs fell or where one of the Lynx¡¯s Skills had carved out the underbrush and trees to a depth of probably three feet. The crater was also about ten feet wide, so whoever created it had impressive power. I let the fire build and moved back to Dave. I needed to help the Cleaners as the fire built up some coals to cook on. Dave was knowledgeable on what he was doing, but unhelpful. Why unhelpful? Well, his Cut Skill just required him to envision where he wanted to slice, and then have Mana supplied, and it happened. Since he had one of our three Mana Batteries¡ªhe could make a single Cut and carve off the entire hide. I needed to understand how to work at the hide in small sections. I was about to join the other Cleaners when Smegma said, ¡°Go to that one over there. I¡¯ll help like I did with the Gardening.¡± My moment of hesitation was apparent, probably ¡®cause he read my thoughts. ¡°Book knowledge is better than no knowledge. Now get over to that one.¡± ¡°Start by removing any remaining quills,¡± Smegma began, and for the next hour I worked under his direction. It turned out that, once again, he was quite an adept teacher¡ªand it was also apparent that my Stats were immensely useful. When the hour finished, I had cut away one shoulder of the Porcu-hog, but simultaneously was speeding up as the Knife gained sharpness and became denser while still maintaining flexibility. Still, I took a quick break to add to the fire and check on the progress of the coals. I estimated another thirty to forty-five minutes would reduce the new logs and the remaining ones to coals, and then I could Cook. That time passed in a near blink to me, as I cleared the other half of my Porcu-hogs body. I wanted to continue, but also needed to get to Cooking. There was just one issue. I looked down at my hands, arms, and clothes. They were all covered in blood. Dave sidled up beside me, and noticed my scrutiny. ¡°Wash station is over there. You about to get Cooking?¡± I nodded at him and he smiled. ¡°Good, I was getting husking hungry! I¡¯ll finish this hog up for you. Now get your ass over there!¡± My smile was short-lived because Dave made one single Cut and finished skinning the hog I¡¯d been working on for the better part of two hours. I looked down to my much-improved Knife, my Mental Fortitude somewhat counteracting my jealousy to remind me that my work had accomplished something. My Skinning Knife was, of course, covered in blood like my hands. But it had also obviously undergone a great deal of change. The most noticeable of which was the tang and hilt. It was something I hadn¡¯t been able to see when Dave proffered his much-repaired Skinning Knife because of him holding it. The leather or wooden wrapping had become what it likely was meant to be. A combination of the two. There was now a wooden handle clearly carved to conform to a grip, and there was a leather wrap that kept the blade handle from slipping, even when drenched in blood. The leather may have even been some sort of plant, because it was porous and squishy in my fingers, allowing me to change its shape easily with my grip. The Knife was the first thing I cleaned when I got to the buckets of water. The station comprised a barrel-sized bucket of water, and then two other buckets, one that was slightly red with blood already but clearly intended for an initial clean off before you used the second bucket to grab a portion from the large barrel. The leather or twine grip of my knife didn¡¯t become distinguishable even after a good cleaning, but the blade and edge sure shone now. After cleaning off my arms in the now very red water, I grabbed the other bucket, emptied the initial one and refilled both. Then I used the initial bucket for another secondary clean of my clothes and arms again, before using the other one and a handful of grass to scrub away at any lingering stains. My clothes would never be the brown they started as, again, but I didn¡¯t care. Once finished, I moved to the fire pit, which was now just a bed of coals. I pulled out the Frying Pans from my Necklace, and the Grackle Fruit. Using the backside of a Frying Pan as a cutting board, I first harvested the Grackle, and then broke it into bulbs¡ªall under Smegma¡¯s directions. ¡°Skin the bulbs, and set them aside. You¡¯ll want to dice and cook them as a side.¡± I did so. ¡°Mince the meat of the fruit. Smaller, and thinner. Good!¡± ¡°Cut the heart into half-inch or smaller sized shavings.¡± I gave him a confused look and Smegma added, ¡°You¡¯re essentially looking to create bacon, but like that odd looking Canadian version.¡± I rolled my eyes. How had the Demon picked up on that sore spot of Canadian Back Bacon? Still, I did as instructed, having to cut the heart into eight sections to be able to get my Knife to pass through it as intended. When I was finished, Smegma continued, ¡°Saut¨¦ the skin first, until the smell of the Grackle goes from sweet to slightly tangy.¡± I inhaled deeply, not realizing just how much of a fragrant aroma my butchery of the Grackle fruit had immersed the area in. The smell from the harvest and subsequent grafting paled in comparison. This was to that like a fairground¡¯s fresh cotton candy was to the bags opened from a store. There simply was no comparison. Still, I added the sliced skins of the Grackle to the heated Huge Frying Pan, and thirty seconds after, I smelled the change. It was akin to the fragrant aroma of caramelized onions, only in reverse. Still, following Smegma¡¯s direction, I spread out the skins, and then placed the heart meat atop it. I only could fit about a quarter of the meat into the Pan, but clearly Smegma didn¡¯t want me to cook on multiple Pans, or he¡¯d have directed me to split the skin. ¡°Add the minced fruit atop each piece, and then flip them after five minutes.¡± My mouth began to water as the caramelized Grackle tang was joined by a rich aroma of pork fat. It was similar to bacon but also not. The exact aroma was difficult to describe because I¡¯d never smelled something so wonderful before, but if I had to try¡ªI¡¯d say it was like a barbecued steak that was wrapped in sizzling bacon, while a controlled fire sizzled from the drippings beneath. I sucked in my drool even as I flipped the pieces, causing the Pan to hiss and sizzle as the juices of the minced fruit attempted to cook to the metal, but failed. The smell became mesmerizing, morphing from the best barbecue aroma to something only gods should smell. My eyes were glued to the bubbling fats and juices beside the meat, so when I heard a noise from the lip of the crater, I jumped. All of the Hunters and the Cleaners had ringed the edge. A few wiped drool from their chins, which made me realize I, too, had some saliva to take care of. [Thanks for warning me about the audience,] I said jokingly to Smegma to distract myself. When I got no response, I looked around and found my Demon missing. A quick peek in my Mental Universe found a newly forming Planet¡ª Wait¡ªthat¡¯s not a single Planet¡ªand there¡¯s another beside the one that I had assumed was Gardening! 093 Saturday, May 4th, 2069 The mystery of my new Skills¡ªpossibly four of them, both intrigued and worried me. Intrigued, because if the Skills acted like Mining, Cooking or Fishing, I would unlock a new Stat¡ªand in this case, multiple Stats. That thought gave me pause. Surely these four wouldn¡¯t unlock my final four Locked Stats, right? Meaning I would most likely be doubling up on some. I shook off my tangent and returned to considering my worry. Why was I worried? For the obvious reason. Smegma claimed Skills inherently came with limits and filling up on all these ¡®Blue-Collar¡¯ Skills, wouldn¡¯t be good in the long run. Warm drool leaking from my mouth reminded me of the cooking food, and I hurriedly removed it from the Pan. I then waited, letting it rest, while I crossed my fingers and hoped Smegma would return before the Cleaners and Hunters ringing the crater decided they couldn¡¯t wait any longer. I would totally understand that sentiment too. It felt like Mental Fortitude was the only reason I wasn¡¯t immediately devouring each piece of Porcu-hog Heart Bacon with Saut¨¦ed Grackle! ¡°Uhh did you see the new¡ª¡° Smegma said, as he popped back into existence. [¡ªyep! If I get some privacy I¡¯ll try to activate a spent Mana Crystal, but right now, I need some instructions.] Smegma scanned the ringed crater before turning back to me. ¡°This isn¡¯t like the Mirage Fish. It isn¡¯t high in calories and isn¡¯t soporific. Still, the medicinal effect should occur even if people just have a small taste. Since we don¡¯t have anymore Grackles, without returning to the Gardeners¡ªcut it up into eighty portions.¡± My eyes began making the cuts, and I frowned. [That will only leave about four ounces of meat per person.] ¡°I know you¡¯ve got to be thinking with your own stomach right now, dumbass. You can just Cook more without the Grackle to fill them up,¡± Smegma retorted, his voice sounding almost jealous. ¡°Right now, all you should be caring about is that everyone gets the buff from eating this recipe. You can fill up bellies later. Maybe he remembered what this tasted like¡ª ¡°Stop it, and just start portioning!¡± Smegma ordered. Thankfully, my eyes met Dave¡¯s. He became the first one to break his drooling stupor to advance on the food. If I portioned this food, it would likely be uneven¡ªbut¡ª ¡°Dave, can you turn this into eighty even portions, including the Grackle Saut¨¦ and Mince equally with each piece?¡± My words caused him to start, and his somewhat unfocused eyes blinked a few times as he registered the words. I realized then that he had been intending to devour the food, as the aroma from the resting meat only grew more succulent. He nodded even as his jaw clenched and he wiped his chin. His breathing was forced through clenched teeth in loud hisses. Seeing the impending disaster of the nearby observers and small portions, I began cooking more of the Heart Bacon. Thanks to his Cut Skill, it didn¡¯t take longer than a few seconds to portion, which of course brought us to our next issue to overcome. Dave was clearly barely keeping himself back from devouring the entirety of the pork. How could I hand it out¡ª ¡°Form a line!¡± Alexus shouted. ¡°Food will be handed to each of you individually.¡± Her words had a very small effect as the Hunters on guard began to move. Even Dana, Lauren and Eva, her own Mana Banks, didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Hunter¡¯s,¡± she tried again, her voice firmer. ¡°Get everyone in line!¡± Alexus then followed her own orders and immediately began grabbing the people closest to her. The first two Cleaners she grabbed blinked and began moving as instructed, as if they¡¯d woken from a pleasant daydream. The third, she had to forcibly manhandle. Dana, Lauren, and Eva were thankfully of the first category of people. I turned to Dave. ¡°Will it be more helpful to abstain from eating a piece or have one now?¡± His jaw clenched tighter and his hissing breath intensified but he did manage to get out a head shake. That told me quite a bit and Smegma realized it too. The Demon muttered, ¡°Shoot, I didn¡¯t think this would have such a profound effect on people.¡± [Why would the Hunters be less affected?] I asked, already considering one possibility. ¡°What you¡¯re thinking right now is part of it. They¡¯ve had training to overcome fear and other emotions in battle. However, the more prevalent side is likely they¡¯ve had food of similar quality before. The Cleaners, Miners and Gardeners you brought likely haven¡¯t even been near Portal food of this quality this before.¡± [But, Human¡¯s eat Monster Meats on a daily basis.] ¡°Sure, you all eat F-ranked Monster Meat, but not only is it the poorest cuts, from what I¡¯ve seen your family eat¡ªit also isn¡¯t prepared with a D-rank Portal Fruit.¡± [So, I just spent a great deal of expensive materials on one meal?] I asked.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°No clue. I can tell you that Demonic Vault and my Abyss Sect would have given you ten Mana Coins for the Grackle and a hundred for each heart. What you humans would have paid is unknown to me.¡± I looked at Alexus, who was near the front of the line of Cleaners and Mana Banks. I motioned for her to come over and she misunderstood, bringing the first person in line with her. That first person was Eva though, which made me somewhat happy. I quickly flipped the Heart meat I was currently cooking in the Frying Pan, and was dexterous enough that I finished and met Alexus and Eva as they crossed the eight feet of crater to the coal pit. Then I stood there dumbly, wondering if I should let Eva take a portion for herself or hand her one. It wasn¡¯t like I had thought to bring disposable plates or even napkins. Even Smegma didn¡¯t berate me with his usual snark. I guessed he couldn¡¯t, considering we¡¯d come right from signing papers that bought us P-cubed. Eva solved the problem by tentatively snatching herself a piece. It was in her mouth before anyone thought to react¡ªbut Alexus solved a further problem by physically escorting her away with the mouthful of food. That then became the procedure for the next twenty people who came by to grab a bite. It gave me no time to ask Alexus my intended question about prices, until the twenty Cleaners and Mana Banks had each taken a portion. Only then did the five Hunters come forward to also have a much-earned piece. The rich aroma had faded somewhat at that point, which allowed Dave to take a piece calmly and move off to join the other Cleaners and Banks with larger chunks of the Heart bacon without the Grackle. He carried these pieces inside one of the smaller Pans that I¡¯d acquired when we needed to cook the one-hundred Mirage Fish or risk death. Alexus eyed the food, and then me, not taking a portion for herself. A glance over at Eva told me why. She was thinking of giving a second helping to her Mana Bank. This beyond everything else that had happened made it even more clear to me, just how much Alexus cared for her Mana Banks. She was a true Selfless, which only made my earlier accusation of being a Greed, more embarrassing. ¡°Dave¡¯s handing out additional portions without the Grackle Fruit,¡± I whispered, my cheeks red. I could barely meet her eyes as she regarded me once more. ¡°The what now?¡± I motioned to the top of each of the ham slices. She narrowed her eyes and took a piece for closer inspection. She looked at the minced pieces that had adhered to the meat, and the caramelized skin that had been placed atop each portion. ¡°The Amaranthine Fruit?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I answered with a shrug¡ªagain realizing that my naming schemes were coming from a very unreliable source. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m right here,¡± Smegma said. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen that reaction to food before,¡± Alexus admitted as she seemed to oscillate between eating the food and questioning me. She decided on the former and popped it into her mouth. A hum of appreciation came from her. ¡°Mmmm. It melts on your tongue! You know, with skills like that you could likely be a chef in a top restaurant, right?¡± She shook herself, seeming to get back on track, but then asked another question about the food. ¡°What did you do to the meat for the tenderizing effect?¡± My brain was completely blank. I hadn¡¯t done anything to achieve that¡ªnot really. Not knowing what she meant, I suggested, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just the quality of the meat?¡± ¡°What did you use?¡± ¡°Porcu-hog Heart,¡± I admitted sheepishly. She scoffed loudly, and then started laughing. ¡°Good one.¡± I watched as her eyes narrowed in true suspicion. ¡°Wait¡ªwas that the Tenderloin Medallions? You know each Hog only has a single portion of about two pounds. If you used that¡ª¡± I held up both hands and waved them furiously. I hurriedly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t use the¡ªTenderloin Medallions¡ª¡° She looked at me pointedly even as I regarded her. Considering her reaction to my admission of using heart meat, I scanned up the crater to the people eating, or rather, choosing not to eat the second portion of heart meat that Dave offered. It seemed like they weren¡¯t eating because the ones that were looked like they were chewing through shoe leather. ¡°Grackle has a tenderizing effect on certain meats,¡± Smegma explained, a bit too sagely, and definitely too late. [You couldn¡¯t have said that earlier!] ¡°I¡¯m unreliable, remember?¡± Even as my muscles threatened to tense in frustration at the Demon I motioned up at the people eating. ¡°I can assure you it¡¯s heart meat. Amaranthine Fruit can tenderize tough meats.¡± ¡°No, it can¡¯t. Amaranthine Fruit is a great snack for anti-cramping, and is often used in Alchemy to produce cures for Petrification¡ª¡± it dawned on her and me the moment she started saying the potion name and fruits effects. Anti-cramping and Petrification Cures could both be considered softening of something hard or tough. She undid her ponytail, finger brushed it out and then retied it, clearly, thinking as she worked. Then, just to confirm what I said, she grabbed a portion of the cooked Heart meat without the Grac¡ªAmaranthine Fruit. Her jaw worked overtime to part the meat, but she did force it down after some excessive chewing, which was more than I could say about the people behind her. Still, her reaction answered one of my earlier unvoiced questions without meaning to. Clearly heart meat wasn¡¯t the choicest of cut, at least not for humans. That didn¡¯t mean it was worthless, but at least I was less likely to cause problems from using it. Unlike the Tenderloin Medallions, apparently¡­ I really hoped my crew was keeping those in peak quality. My stomach unknotted, and I took a piece for myself. As soon as I placed it into my mouth I felt the melting sensation she described. It wasn¡¯t actually melting, so much as my entire mouth was salivating to the extreme and my tongue pressing it into the roof of my mouth as it spasmed. The combination was enough to separate the fibers of the meat and turn it into a paste, drenched in my now highly flavorful saliva. I swallowed convulsively, eyeing the portions. I wanted to snatch four more pieces, but a red screen that was now blocking the other portions from view and Mental Fortitude stopped me.
You have consumed a Well-Cooked Meal made by a Professional. Your Stamina Stat has increased by 1 for eight hours. [Locked] will regenerate at an increased rate for eight hours.
My unfocused eyes, or what likely looked like an unfocused look to others caused Alexus to put a hand on my bicep. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I shook myself and nodded, glancing at Smegma as I scanned back to Alexus. He was smiling broadly. He smugly said, ¡°Ask Alexus if she feels different?¡± ¡°How are you feeling?¡± I dutifully said. ¡°Good, why are you¡ªhuh¡ªactually, now that you mention it, I feel really good. Almost like I didn¡¯t fight in this Portal the last few days!¡± She answered. Smegma¡¯s smile grew broader. ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re going for,¡± Smegma crowed. ¡°Now hurry up and Heal all of your workers so we can go deliver this to the other groups, and kick Jagger¡¯s ass.¡± 094 Saturday, May 4th, 2069 It definitely wasn¡¯t as simple as Smegma made it sound, to subtly Heal each Cleaner. Even excusing myself from the ongoing conversation with Alexus became impossible. She followed me as I moved away after placing the still hot Frying Pan atop the portions, and then went to ¡®check on¡¯ each member of my company. ¡°What are you worried about?¡± She asked, as I climbed the eight feet out of the crater. ¡°Well, we¡¯re trying to beat P-squared, but we have less than half their numbers,¡± I answered, looking back at the unattended portions of food. ¡°Do you think you could keep an eye on the food? I¡¯ll be right back, and then need to be escorted to the other groups again.¡± ¡°Jorri, Masvidal, can you two come guard the leftover portions?!¡± Alexus ordered and two of the guards jumped to follow her instructions. ¡°Do you offer this kind of food to the workers every day?¡± ¡°We¡¯re a new company, so I can¡¯t say we offer it every day¡­ Or rather, I suppose I could say that, since it''s only been the one day¡± I chuckled. ¡°But I¡¯m not sure I can always do so going forward. For jobs like this though, where we have an abundance of materials and cuts of meat that might otherwise get thrown out? I don¡¯t see why not.¡± I answered, even as I motioned at Dave to come over. ¡°So, this is something that you¡¯re doing to motivate your employees to work harder?¡± Alexus assessed. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s it,¡± I said, a bit too slowly, which caused Alexus to narrow her eyes. Thankfully, Dave¡¯s arrival saved further questions. I hurriedly grabbed his hand, and gave it a shake. ¡°I know you¡¯re doing a great deal of the work, so thank you. How are you feeling, though?¡± Dave got my not-so-subtle hint. As did Alexus. Her eyes narrowed further, and she studied me and our handshake pointedly. Thankfully, my Minor Heal, which was being applied through our palms, wasn''t very noticeable. Not with the sun so bright. The slight redness to my hand and Dave¡¯s from the glow, hopefully just looked like increased blood flow. ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± Dave answered. I could keep at this all day. He shook my hand back, as more of my Mana went into his body. ¡°I should thank you for that meal. I¡¯m sure all the others will do the same! Boy was that good!¡± I smiled broadly, partially at the compliment, but mostly at the Skill finishing after four drops of my Mana got converted. ¡°You¡¯re welcome. I¡¯m going to run through here and check on everyone.¡± Dave nodded, and then released my hand. My eyes found the closest Cleaner, and I moved to them. ¡°Hey, just wanting to check in,¡± I called with a wave. The woman turned to regard me with evident confusion in her eyes, but before she voiced it, I grabbed her hand in a forced shake. ¡°I just want to thank you for joining our company instead of Jagger¡¯s. How are you finding the first day?¡± ¡°Umm¡ªwell¡ªthat food was certainly something I¡¯d never have gotten with Jagger?¡± She said, seeming to question what answer would satisfy me and get her hand back. Then her eyes lit up, and I forcibly stopped my hand from squeezing. This was going to get out eventually, anyway. ¡°The equipment is repairing itself, just like you said it would! Look!¡± She held up her Skinning Knife, and it was leagues better than it had been. There was even a hint of the point gaining a bit of a deadly look and the backside becoming serrated and perhaps a hook forming below the handle. My Minor Heal finished, and I held out my hand as I asked, ¡°May I see it?¡± She hurried to hand it to me. ¡°Absolutely. It¡¯s the company¡¯s, not mine!¡± I chuckled to ease the worry I heard in her voice. ¡°Not to worry, I just wanted to see its shape. Mine hasn¡¯t repaired anywhere near as much.¡± I showed her my knife which had a bit of the handle and blade repaired, even as I turned her Knife over in my other palm. My peripherals tracked Alexus as she leaned forward, clearly interested.
Intelligence Increased by 1. Intelligence Stat Unlocked. --- Stats Strength: 10 Locked. Stamina: 10 (+1) Intelligence: 2 Locked. Dexterity: 10 Locked.
The Stat unlocking made me flinch and accidentally knick myself with the blade in my hand. I hissed, and felt two hands from two different people suddenly on my forearm and another on my back. Both women asked, ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yep, I was just checking its sharpness,¡± I said, and quickly proffered the small cut in their direction before it could Heal from my passive Recovery. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± I faded off not knowing the woman¡¯s name. She didn¡¯t get my hint, and instead of making it more awkward, I handed back the Knife and moved on. [Smegma, why are my stats not increasing past ten?] ¡°Most likely?¡± Smegma asked rhetorically, even as I heard his talon start tapping his tooth. I reached the next Cleaner and performed the same song and dance, while shaking his hand and Healing. ¡°Ten is the card level between High-F and Low-E. So, I¡¯m guessing you need to find a way to evolve or breakthrough? How that will work I don¡¯t know. However, it could be a unique encounter like the Golem¡­¡± [Same with my Mana at fifty?] I asked. ¡°That one is strange. Since it¡¯s part of a Skill that is B-rank. I¡¯ve been actually wondering if Dragon Heart is a true Mana Pool¡­¡± [What?!] I mentally exclaimed even as I healed another Cleaner. That thought surprised me. How could it not be a Mana Pool? It gave me Mana didn¡¯t it? ¡°It¡¯s just a thought, but would you for example be able to get yourself a second Mana Pool Skill? Normally, us Demons could only have a single ¡®Mana¡¯ Card in our Heart Decks. However, Dragon Heart has no Mana abbreviation. It could theoretically be a secondary Pool.¡± [And what, getting an actual Mana Pool Skill could be the key to breaking through the fifty point cap?] I confusedly recapped. ¡°No idea. I¡¯m just throwing out theories. If Mana Pools weren¡¯t so expensive in the Demonic Vault Shop¨CI¡¯d suggest trying it out.¡± That gave me a lot to think about as I continued to move through the final five Cleaners. Each workerCleaner took about two Mana to ¡®wipe away fatigue¡¯ as Smegma called the Minor Healing I was doing. Then I was ready to move on. Smegma floated in front of me as I carried the double stacked Frying Pans with the food inside. Alexus was eying me, as were her Mana Banks, and I could hear themtheir whispering. ¡°How is he carrying those massive pans so easily?¡± Dana asked Lauren. ¡°Look at his muscles bulging,¡± Lauren answered, ignoring the question or answering it depending on who you asked. Smegma guffawed. ¡°These women can¡¯t keep their eyes off of you, and you still think she¡¯s trying to explain how strong you must be with that comment? Honestly, Brodie, you really need help with women.¡± [I husking do not!] I retorted angrily. [Are you sure I can¡¯t put these in my Necklace of Holding?] I asked, wanting to stop being a spectacle. Smegma shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to, but remember the Mirage Fish. Your Necklace will freeze the food and you¡¯ll need to defrost it for each group. I held back my groan even as the women continued to stare at me, clearly sensing that something was off about me¡ªregardless of what Smegma thought, I was sure that was why they were staring.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. [What do you think the Intelligence Stat does?] I asked Smegma even as I saw another moon around the Planet, the Stat was coming from pop into existence, and began orbiting. ¡°No clue,¡± Smegma admitted. ¡°However, if it¡¯s anything like Strength, maybe I¡¯ll be able to stop calling you a dumbass.¡± Smegma sniffed, ¡°but I¡¯m not getting my hopes up. Even System miracles can only go so far. I wanted to roll my eyes, but he was a bit too spot on with that assessment to my consideration. How could a person tell if they were getting smarter? I didn¡¯t feel like I suddenly knew more¡­ ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be how that worked,¡± Smegma answered my thoughts. ¡°You can¡¯t just suddenly learn something new. If Intelligence is increasing your brain, it would be capacity and memory or something like that. The System can¡¯t create something from nothing. So, you¡¯d just have a greater capacity for learning. You know, increased reading speed and comprehension. Better recall or something along those lines. Maybe all of the above. If you look at the definition of the word without System involvement, intelligence is basically how quickly you pick up and are able to apply information to a situation. So maybe you have that to look forward to.¡± [I literally just asked you how it works and you gave me a sentence, but you had all those assumptions!] I complained. ¡°The problem with unproven theories is that they sometimes get relied on, or become a ¡®fact.¡¯ Trying to define the limits and understanding of System-related aspects is dangerous. You¡¯ll inevitably find that your definition lacks the complete grasp of the thing, and if you try to use your limited, ignorant knowledge with the assumption that it¡¯s absolute truth, well¡­ it usually blows up in your face.¡± Smegma retorted, his voice sour and aggravated. There was clearly a story there, but the Demon waved his hand at me even as I thought to ask. He did at least give me something. ¡°Yes, there¡¯s a story there. Suffice it to say something that gets put out can¡¯t get taken back.¡± Oh!¡ªThis was sounding more and more like that story about the guy who hypothesized that wolves had an Alpha and then found out that he was wrong and spent the rest of his life trying to show people his initial hypothesis was inaccurate, but never succeeded. Smegma¡¯s groan told me I was very close, but also that I wouldn¡¯t be getting anymore from him. We arrived back at the Gardener¡¯s just as they were taking a break for lunch. Thankfully, this time the smell of cooking meat wasn¡¯t a problem, and the aroma from the food in the Frying Pans was just addictively fragrant, as opposed to drool-inducing. I placed them down and then shouted, ¡°I¡¯ve brought lunch for everyone. Please line up and come forward one at a time. I¡¯d like to meet everyone and thank you all personally for joining Abyss.¡± A half hour later, I was done. Each Gardener was given two pieces of Heart Bacon¡ªI¡¯d decided to name it. One of the pieces was the Grackle softened version and the other the shoe leather. I of course shook each person''s hand and performed a quick session of fatigue wiping. This time, I didn¡¯t offer any of the food to the Hunters since there were twelve surrounding the clearing, and their Banks. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t want to but that I couldn¡¯t. I had only thirty-three portions remaining. And Abyss still had thirty Miners to feed. * * * ¡°I can see that it¡¯s Fool¡¯s Gold!¡± My dad hissed, even as he took a portion of the Porcu-hog. I held out my hand with a bit more insistence, even as my eyes tried to warn him off that topic. Alexus was literally right¡ªthere. Her suspicions¡ªtake your pick of which, were clearly only growing. My father didn¡¯t get either hint, as he popped the food into his mouth and instantly seemed to lose any semblance of caution. ¡°First, my new Mining Skill, and now more food like the Mirage Fish!¡± I snatched his hand and squeezed, startling him. Very pointedly I growled, ¡°Thank you for taking such good care of all the Miners here, dad. How much Ore do you think you¡¯ll be able to mine by the end of day?¡± He looked to his hand, saw the slight change in color, that was slightly more visible down here in the caverns, and then scanned over to Alexus. I watched him put the pieces together and wince. Sheepishly, he answered, ¡°It¡¯s going well. Willa and Jarred haven¡¯t stopped Mining deposits since we got here. So, I¡¯m assuming we¡¯ll get something like fifty to a hundred finished by the time we call it a day.¡± Just like Dave, Willa and Jarred both had a Mana Battery of absurdly good quality, meaning they could use their Skills without risk. Both of their Skills were excellent for Mining, which would reduce the wear on their Picks. Even though their Picks were of the ¡®best¡¯ quality we had. Willa¡¯s in particular being an evolved version. Since we were in a D-rank Portal, the cavern that Abyss was Mining was massive. Nowhere near the size of the one we¡¯d gotten trapped within, but still large enough that we¡¯d be working multiple days if it was just us. But maybe not with the two crews¡­ ¡°Why don¡¯t we hold off on using the new Miner¡¯s Equipment for today if we can, then? Since, we likely won¡¯t need the single soft metal they might be able to handle after the Crystals,¡± I suggested but added, ¡°Any idea how much Jagger will get done?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. He¡¯s in the cavern further in. He has ten relatively high-grade Specialists working with him. So, if they can do five each¡ªmaybe fifty total?¡± ¡°Wait¡ª¡° Alexus interjected pointedly. ¡°You¡¯re claiming that ten Specialists will get fifty Ores done, and your two Specialists may get a hundred?¡± ¡°We have thirty Specialists,¡± I answered. Hoping she¡¯d leave it be. ¡°Don¡¯t try that bullshit. You just said you can save their Equipment for today¡ªas long as you¡¯re going to get more than the other group.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what he meant. Each Specialist will still be Mining a deposit today,¡± my dad said, attempting to cover our combined mistake. ¡°That was included in the one-hundred estimate.¡± ¡°She can do math, imbeciles,¡± Smegma guffawed. ¡°I can do math!¡± Alexus stated. ¡°That still means that two of your numbers, maybe three, if you¡¯re included¡ª¡° she pointed at my father. ¡°¡ªare going to get seventy deposits on your own.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be tackling a great deal of deposits that others don¡¯t, though,¡± I said as I began to sweat. Thankfully, I only had Willa and Jarred left to wipe free of fatigue or this interruption would have meant we were holding up a line of hungry Miners. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it. I¡¯ve had enough¡ªI¡¯ve been watching you all day, kid. Tell me what the hell is going on.¡± Alexus ordered. Dana and Lauren moved in beside her, looking ready to fight. ¡°They¡¯re going to fight you now?¡± Smegma asked, sounding a bit excited, but also confused. ¡°No.¡± I regarded the three women cooly. I gestured at their formation and stances. ¡°Are you going to attack me for protecting the operational security and Trade Secrets of my dad¡¯s company? I thought you¡¯d read the contract. Are you prepared to take responsibility for the lawsuit your questions and actions are about to bring down on your entire Guild?¡± I tapped the 360 degree camera that I¡¯d gotten into the habit of wearing during my ¡®working hours¡¯ for emphasis. Alexus looked at her two Banks and paled, realizing the picture she was painting. Dana and Lauren went bright red and began stammering words that clearly intended to convey that attacking wasn¡¯t their intention. I didn¡¯t let them off the hook and kept regarding them with the same icy coolness I¡¯d asked my earlier questions with. I didn¡¯t think it would do much, but maybe it would at least stop Alexus from sticking her nose into things I¡¯d rather she didn¡¯t.
Agility Increased by 1. Agility Stat Unlocked. --- Stats Strength: 10 Agility: 2 Stamina: 10 (+1) Intelligence: 4 Locked. Dexterity: 10 Locked.
The Screen popped up, changing my focus and making me start. My jerk only grew as I suddenly felt my chest tighten, followed quickly by my left arm going numb. My panic rose as I realized that I couldn¡¯t feel my heart-rate increasing, like it normally would in a moment of life or husking death! My right arm moved up and grasped my upper left biceps and chest, clutching hard. Was I having a heart attack? Alexus was at my side in a few moments, her mouth moving and her eyes filled with concern. My father was there too and just as I felt my legs weaken, he caught me before I could collapse to a knee. What in the hell was going on? ¡°Your Mental Universe is shaking! Oh, this is big. Something¡¯s happening!¡± Smegma exclaimed, his voice strangely warbled. Still, how could I hear him, when I couldn¡¯t hear anything else? Not even the background twangs of pickaxes were audible. Plus my eyes could clearly see my father shouting and the same was true of Alexus.
Inherent Qi Pool Unlocked Qi Pool Capacity: 32
A new Screen popped up and the pain fled with it. I was just about to sigh in relief, as the sounds of the world came back, but suddenly a pulse of blinding light shot through the cavern. ¡°Oh, come on!¡± I growled, even as I watched Smegma vanish. ¡°¡ªBrodie! Can you hear me? Brodie!¡± My father was shouting, going as far as to shake me. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m okay. Plus I don¡¯t think shaking someone who might be injured is the best course of action,¡± I answered. Alexus, who was standing right behind my father, sighed in relief and immediately ran off, shouting for Dana and Lauren, who had apparently run off to get help, to return¡ªand shouting that they didn¡¯t need a Healer. With the small privacy that bought us, my dad asked, ¡°Did you just awaken a new Skill?¡± I shook my head, but grinned broadly. ¡°I think it might be even bett¡ª¡°Another couple of Screens popped up all at once, cutting me off for a moment. ¡°¡ªher?¡± I finished slowly.
Class-Awarding Feat Achieved! Class Available: Uncommon rank: Martial Artist You have unlocked three synergistic Stats and gained access to your inherent Qi. You can now select the Martial Artist Class. Martial Artists are granted two Skills: Body Reinforcement (1) - F-Rank Power Blow (1) - F-Rank Agility and Strength Stats are unlocked and can be increased through the Martial Artist Class.
I blinked at the Screen, seeing the other three tabs behind it. Were they all Class options? 095 Saturday, May 4th, 2069
Class Awarding Feat Achieved! Class Available. Uncommon rank: Spearman You have unlocked three synergistic Stats and gained access to your inherent Qi. You have killed a monster in a Portal with a spear. You can now select the Spearman Class. Spearmen are granted two Skills: Body Reinforcement (1) - E-Rank Pierce (1) - F-Rank Agility and Strength are unlocked and can be increased through the Spearman Class. ¡ª Class Awarding Feat Achieved! Class Available. Rare rank: Battlefield Healer You have unlocked three synergistic Stats and gained access to your inherent Qi. You have unlocked the Common-ranked class: Healer. You have additionally saved someone¡¯s life and killed a monster in a Portal. You can now select the Rare-ranked class: Battlefield Healer. Battlefield Healer¡¯s are granted two Skills: Heal (11) - E-Rank Cleanse (11) - E-Rank [Locked] and [Locked] are unlocked after choosing this Class and can be increased through the Battlefield Healer Class. ¡ª Class Awarding Feat Achieved! Class Available. Rare Crafter Class You have unlocked three synergistic Stats and gained access to your inherent Qi. You have learned the Gathering Skills of Mining, Harvesting, Gardening, Butchering, and Skinning. You can now select the Crafter Class. Crafter¡¯s are granted three Profession Skills: Alchemy (1) - F-Rank Leather Working (1) - F-Rank Blacksmithing (1) - F-Rank [Locked] is unlocked after choosing this Class and can be increased through the Crafting Class.
My brain whirled, and I wished in that moment for Smegma to not be suddenly absent again. A quick check in on my Mental Universe showed me that I wasn¡¯t having new Skills formed, and his disappearance wasn¡¯t guaranteed to be short. ¡°Are you having a stroke? A heart attack? What is going on?!¡± My father practically shouted, breaking me out of my distracted musings. His face was beyond worried and pale, but I saw him sigh slightly when my eyes refocused on him. It must have looked strange when I suddenly started reading something that hung in the air that was only visible to me. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll tell you about it tonight, yeah?¡± My father clearly wasn¡¯t happy with that response and as I tried to brush him off so I could stand. He seemed to either resist slightly or not move fast enough because I had to move his hands on my way to my feet, or risk knocking him over. He gave me a look that answered that thought, though. What had just happened paired with my experience of my Strength Stat. Had Agility made me faster? It was only two points though, right? I still hadn¡¯t really gotten to test how much my Strength Stat had changed me, and I figured it was about time to start figuring out just what each of my unlocked Stats was doing. I realized that everyone was looking at me as I scanned the cavern. Right, the flash of light¡­ ¡°What in the hell was that? Did me holding you bother you that much?¡± My dad asked, sounding confused and hurt. Alexus hadn¡¯t gotten far in her run, and was excitedly storming back toward me. ¡°I unlocked my Agility Stat!¡± I whispered right into my father¡¯s ear. He jerked in surprise, mostly because I had just moved at a speed that I would have called urgent earlier that day¡ªbut now felt normal. ¡°You-you-you. You will give me an answer to my earlier question!¡± Alexus ordered, after stuttering over her starting point multiple times I could tell that she was flustered, and grasping for something to say, mostly due to her blotchy red face, and jerky pointed finger¡ªthat soon would have poked me in my chest if I didn¡¯t lean out of the way. She blinked in surprise when her finger passed through empty air. But then jabbed out the finger again, and I had no chance of ¡®dodging¡¯. It wasn¡¯t like I had intended to move away from the first one, I kind of just saw it coming and flinched a bit too early. ¡°What is going on with you and your crew?¡± Alexus asked, each word accentuated with an absent minded, overly excited jab of her finger. Each finger poke increased in strength as well. I winced away from each more out of instinct than actual pain. ¡°Do we need to go over my earlier statement regarding operational security and Trade Secrets? Are you ready and prepared to negotiate on behalf of your Guild for proprietary information from my father¡¯s company? I¡¯ll warn you ahead of time¡ªthe negotiations will be expensive.¡± I answered. She pulled back her finger menacingly, clearly intending to jab at me harder, and flinching, I hurried to add, ¡°I awakened another Skill, obviously.¡± ¡°Obviously!¡± Alexus exclaimed and jabbed me again, even as her cheeks flushed from the admonishment. ¡°But what in the¡ªno why in the hells would you Awaken a Skill now?¡± My dad regarded the interaction nervously. I could tell he wanted to help me in some way, but I forestalled him with a raised hand. People already knew about my last Awakening outside the Portal, when Demonic Vault had upgraded. So I weaved that into my lie, ¡°It¡¯s happened before. In each case, I think I¡¯ve Awakened a Skill associated with Mining.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°You have multiple Skills?¡± Alexus asked, incredulously. Her voice rising in octaves, as she fought to contain her disbelief. ¡°Well¡ªyes,¡± I answered. ¡°But they aren¡¯t very strong.¡± ¡°What rank are they?¡± She asked. That question got a genuine wince from me, due to her rudeness. In her hyper-excitement, she misunderstood, in the worst way. ¡°What? Wait¡ª¡± Alexus continued. ¡°¡ªdon¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t been tested?¡± My wince became a grimace, because her words sounded a lot like Varnish¡¯s. I received another sporadic jab from Alexus¡¯ finger, even as her voice softened, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you get tested again when you re-Awakened the first time?! The world needs Hunters!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you only have a Mana Pool?¡± A weak tentative voice whispered. My eyes turned to find Eva standing nearby, looking at me with wide eyes, that sparkled with unshed happy tears. She¡¯d clearly remembered who I was, and our talk while waiting in line for our photoshoot about my dream to re-Awaken a Skill in a Portal. It wasn¡¯t a hard dream to remember since she and about eight other people around us in line had similar aspirations. ¡°You¡¯re telling me, you¡¯ve Awakened multiple Skills and have a Mana Pool?¡± Alexus asked, looking at Eva with soft eyes, before realizing what she said and spinning on me. ¡°Look,¡± my father interjected. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time or place for this discussion. We have work to do and you¡¯re interrupting it.¡± My mouth clenched shut, as a sigh of relief attempted to escape. I probably should have thought of that reasoning a heck of a lot earlier, but was just glad my father had pulled it out. Alexus frowned at me, and then looked over to Eva, her eyes softening and then lighting up with joy. She nodded to my father and moved to Eva¡¯s side, whispering, ¡°I¡¯m so glad to see you remembered him! How are you feeling?¡± My father and I moved away from Alexus and Eva. My dad must have only just noticed the Miners who had stopped and were staring. ¡°Get back to work! Do you want to beat Jagger or not?¡± They all rushed back to working at the Crystals. I was pleasantly surprised to see full Crystals being pulled from the walls more times than not. I could tell by the clarity that these were a mix of F to E-Rank Crystals which likely meant that their value was nearly the same as shards or full Crystals, but I still thought it would help us stand out. My dad turned to me. ¡°Any idea how we¡¯re doing against Jagger¡¯s teams in the other areas?¡± I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m guessing we¡¯re losing out in terms of quantity for both. I¡¯m hoping we¡¯re going to stand out in Quality, but¡ª¡° I looked around myself and then whispered, ¡°¡ªthere are a lot of Herbs and Meats Smegma says are worth a lot, but others didn¡¯t seem to think so.¡± ¡°So, we¡¯re Harvesting things that aren¡¯t valuable?¡± My dad asked, his voice sharp and extremely worried. Again I looked around and whispered, ¡°I mean, along with other things. Plus, Smegma knows what they¡¯re good for¡ª¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what value you think something has. Guilds will only care about how many Greenbacks we make them. Head back and make sure they¡¯re focusing on the expensive items!¡± My father responded hotly. I grimaced, realizing that I had overstepped earlier with the Gardeners. The Cleaners were likely okay, since they were already focused on full hides¡ªand they¡¯d already harvested the Hearts without my direction. Surely they wouldn¡¯t have changed anything¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll go back,¡± I said urgently, already scanning for Alexus and her Mana Banks. ¡°Good! Quality is a good thing to focus on but only if it isn¡¯t hurting the bottom line, like with the full Crystals here. We aren¡¯t really slowing down to get them, not with the new constantly-improving Picks,¡± my father explained. ¡°I get it! We¡¯ll talk about this later and that food that you just ate and you can tell me again all about how the stuff I asked them to focus on is worthless,¡± I answered hotly, finding Alexus. ¡°I¡¯m going!¡± * * * We were halfway back to the Gardeners and had walked in awkward silence the entire way from the Mines. Finally, Alexus coughed and asked a question. One I hadn¡¯t been expecting. ¡°Can you really cure Eva?¡± She whispered. I¡¯d turned to look at her and just blinked in confusion. Cure? Oh right. I¡¯d said I could Heal her because Smegma had said we could create a Pill¡­ Well, wasn¡¯t this just perfect! ¡°I can,¡± I answered weakly. Not liking that it was a partial lie. I couldn¡¯t right now, not unless Smegma returned. I just didn¡¯t have the ability¡ª Wait. Didn¡¯t I have a new Class that technically upgraded my Minor Heal to Heal and gave me an additional Skill? Would that be enough? More importantly, could I show that kind of capability to Alexus and the others? I glanced at the three Mana Banks and found Eva looking at me with pleading eyes. Not just pleading eyes but eyes that glowed with recognition and fondness. Maybe feeding her that heart meat had gotten her out of her shell? Perhaps it was the Stamina increase or the unknown regeneration at work? Either way, I owed it to her to try¡­ Alexus let me come to whatever decision I was making. I assumed my emotions were clearly written across my face and just as obviously, she had put some things together as well. The things I had been doing were not normal. I was clearly keeping secrets from her¡ªand she likely understood that I was choosing whether to share them. With a deep breath, I opened up the Class Selection tabs, and picked Battlefield Healer.
Wisdom Stat Unlocked. Perception Stat Unlocked. +1 to Wisdom and Perception from Heal and Cleanse Skill Level. --- Stats Strength: 10 Agility: 3 Stamina: 10 Intelligence: 4 Wisdom: 2 Dexterity: 10 Perception: 2
I managed a single step in Eva¡¯s direction before the ground beneath me shook¡ªno¡ªit vanished. The only reason I made that startling realization was that I was suddenly experiencing a falling sensation as the four women grew taller around me. Then my vision behind the Screen went black, even as I continued to fall. New Screens began taking the place of the Stat unlocking ones and my left arm went numb once again, even as my heartbeat came to a standstill.
Magic Control Unlocked Current Control: +5% ¡ª Inherent Soul Pool Unlocked Soul Pool Capacity: 22 Congratulations! You¡¯ve unlocked all available Stats and Pools. This makes you eligible for a System Tutorial. Upon entrance to a Portal, Brodie Flacarada will enter the Tutorial. E-Rank Portal entered. Tutorial Rank: E-Rank
¡°No husking way!¡± I shouted, trying and failing to find the hole I just fallen through. Instead, my eyes only found a black with no hint of light, no matter what ¡®direction¡¯ I turned in. Perhaps the worst part was the experience that I was still speeding up in my fall. Was I going to die once I reached this Tutorial? It seemed highly likely since I had absolutely no way of slowing my descent. I began to scream. It must have been an hour later when my screaming cut off¡ªand that was only because it hurt my throat so badly that it snapped me out of my brain-paralyzing dread long enough for Mental Fortitude to regain control. How was I still speeding up? In fact, by the sensation, I was likely moving faster than I ever had in the Ford Escort. Probably faster than any earthly plane either. Just how fast was I traveling? It was impossible to tell, even if I was good at math, I didn¡¯t know the laws that governed this strange empty space I fell through. Something in the distance made me twist my body and head around. After some effort, I managed to lock my head and eyes onto the growing blue spiral in the distance. It was about the size of a star in the night sky. However, it grew at an alarming rate, becoming a marble, baseball, beach ball, full moon, and then uncomprehendingly large in seconds. Suddenly, it felt like I was heading straight toward an actual star in the sky¡ªthat¡¯s how big the strange swirl felt, and it was still growing. I fought my descent, trying desperately to move myself off the current course, which was directly at the thing. It didn¡¯t work. There wasn¡¯t resistance or wind in this place that I could use. Instead, I just kept falling toward the far left edge of the thing that was now so big I couldn¡¯t even see its edges. Then I began to slow. My body didn¡¯t feel the force friction against the air that I would have expected from such a high-speed descent, and I was apparently being controlled by another braking force. I didn¡¯t feel a single discomforting sensation as I quickly drew to a complete dead stop, hovering over a large shimmering blue Portal¡ªone that looked like the Portals we had on Earth but simultaneously nothing like them due to the sheer size. Then I was sucked in. 096 Monday, May 5th, 2069 ¡°Your honor, I can assure you that Brodie Flacarrada has not run away,¡± Shami Stovall assured Judge Dench. The Judge didn¡¯t bother looking at Mrs. Stovall and regarded Mr. Varnish with a level stare that clearly asked him what his opinion was. Shami would have thought this was bad news, even if it was just a few days ago. Surely, before Saturday, Mr. Varnish would have asked for the maximum sentencing for a failure to appear. Even the fact that he hesitated was surprising. Still, what his next move would be would likely depend on the Larvae Guild. ¡°Brodie Flaccarada has failed to appear, for the second time. I¡¯m sure Mrs. Stovall has another excuse prepared, but haven¡¯t we heard enough, your honor?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to agree with Mr. Varnish, Mrs. Stovall. Brodie Flacarada will pay the court a fine of¡ª¡° ¡°If I may your honor?¡± Mr. Varnish interjected, surprising Judge Dench who was clearly about to begin fining Brodie for each day he missed. Mrs. Stovall raised an eyebrow in surprise at his interjection, which overwhelmed her capacity to keep a straight face. These things always started with fines and then escalated. Then again, Mr. Varnish had never pushed for jail time¡­ ¡°You may, Mr. Varnish, but in the future, make your suggestion during the time you have to speak, not by interrupting me.¡± ¡°Yes, Judge Dench. Your honor, I was simply going to suggest that instead of fines, arrest warrants or jail time¡ªlike usual, we court order Brodie to undergo an Awakening Assessment.¡± ¡°That is highly irregular, your honor,¡± Mrs. Stovall stated. ¡°I agree, Mr. Varnish. To go against his Hunter Rights before they¡¯re removed upon criminal arrest would need a more significant reason than failing to appear.¡± ¡°For the second time, your honor?¡± Mr. Varnish suggested. ¡°Even for the second time,¡± Judge Dench stated flatly. ¡°Last time he missed multiple days, your honor,¡± Mr. Varnish reminded the Judge. ¡°He was trapped in a Portal!¡± Mrs. Stovall reminded Mr. Varnish. ¡°And this time, Mrs. Stovall?¡± Mr. Varnish asked sweetly. Shami wanted to sigh but managed to hold it back by adjusting her jacket. Instead of responding to Mr. Varnish she looked to the Judge sitting behind her desk. She looked anything but imposing, in her over-large chair, but the furniture itself, on the other hand¡ªwas the exact opposite. Shami could picture it in the offices of a Prime Minister or President¡ªmaybe even the British Royal Family. The leather was a deep brown with hints of red that perfectly complimented it. It was simultaneously ostentatious and imposing. All of it was. The desk was dark amber and polished to a near mirror shine. Shami knew it was all from Portals¡ªand could almost feel an aura coming off of it. She shook herself. Ever since Brodie allowed her to use the Altar, she¡¯d been having these moments. She hadn¡¯t yet used her new Skill, nor gotten an explanation of what exactly it did. Gary had claimed the man from Larvae had called it Chains of Truth, but that was all she knew. Judge Dench blinked at her, reminding Shami that it had been a moment since Mr. Varnish asked his question. She gave a polite cough and answered, ¡°I have eyewitnesses from the Lynx Guild who were present when Mr. Flacarada vanished. The leader of the team he was with was his escort as he moved between locations inside the Portal.¡± ¡°What will this witness say?¡± Judge Dench asked, leaning forward slightly. ¡°That Brodie Flacarada fell into a hole that opened up beneath him on the ground and he vanished along with said hole in the blink of an eye. She will also testify to the Lynx Guild delving deeply into the caverns, forests and valleys in search of Brodie, but finding nothing¡­¡± ¡°Your honor, may I?¡± Mr. Varnish asked politely, which set Shami¡¯s hair on her neck to attempt to stand on end. She scratched at it even as Judge Dench nodded. ¡°This witness will also testify to Mr. Flacarada undergoing another Awakening, just before disappearing. There is no proof that this hole that appeared and whisked him away, wasn¡¯t his new Skill activating.¡± ¡°Why would he activate his new Skill and get left behind in a Portal, your honor,¡± Mrs. Stovall asked. ¡°Why else, your honor?¡± Mr. Varnish said, his voice derisive. ¡°Brodie Flacarada is running from the outcome of this trial.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a child who lives at home with his mother and father, your honor. We established early on that he wasn¡¯t a flight risk!¡± Shami countered. ¡°Since the incident on April first, Mrs. Stovall, how many re-Awakenings have occurred with Brodie that you know of?¡± Judge Dench asked, looking through some of her notes in a red-scaled leather folder. With a sigh, Shami answered, ¡°At least three.¡± ¡°When I made that initial ruling, I believed I was dealing with a uni-Skilled F-ranked Mana Pool Hunter,¡± Judge Dench said with a nod of confirmation to Shami¡¯s answer. ¡°I see where Mr. Varnish is taking us, but do not agree with his conclusion. Still, I believe Brodie would rather have a forced Assessment of his new rank and his Skills than end up in jail for failure to appear, if only because they will Assess his rank and Skills anyway. Is that your intention, Mr. Varnish?¡± Mrs. Stovall eyed the man. If this was his only intention, she¡¯d eat her business jacket. Sure enough, he gave a self-deprecating smile and answered, ¡°That was my train of thought, yes. I¡¯d never dream of illegally violating a person''s Rights, I was merely following events to their logical conclusion and attempting a peace-offering toward a more equitable end. I¡¯ll admit that I¡¯d also be interested in commuting any jail sentence to community service under the Larvae Guild as well¡ªif you¡¯re looking for full-disclosure on my part.¡± Shami wanted to growl, but her hands were rather tied. Sure, she could fight for the length of time until Mr. Varnish¡¯s suggestion would be imposed. But in the end, community service in place of a jail sentence for Failure to Appear was an outcome she¡¯d normally have to fight for. Mr. Varnish was giving her that olive branch, along with removing fines, fees, and possible arrest warrants from the table. She had to accept it, but that didn¡¯t mean she had to eat the whole pie. ¡°Placing an individual under Guild Arrest, under a Guild that blames him for the death of a member, would be near criminal your honor. May I speak candidly?¡± Shami countered and then asked. Judge Dench nodded, and Shami continued, ¡°We are all of us in this room aware of the outcome of the vast majority of Guild Arrests, and as such we can assume that putting Brodie under the control of a Guild that is not his fan, is elevating those already abundant risks. With that in mind I would like to accept Varnish¡¯s terms in parcels. Four months of failure to appear seems like a good timeline to re-assess, your honor. Don¡¯t you think?¡± Mrs. Stovall suggested. Mr. Varnish¡¯s jaw clenched and Shami smiled. ¡°Certainly not, your honor. How long would a normal Failure to Appear take to move to arrest warrants and jail time?¡± Shami knew that answer too. For a first-time offense, it would be a few weeks up to a month before the fines escalated. Judge Dench looked through her notes before responding. ¡°I think we can all agree, Mr. Varnish, that Brodie Flacarada doesn¡¯t appear to be a criminal mastermind?¡± Mr. Varnish¡¯s jaw clenched further. ¡°Yes, your honor,¡± he answered around those clenched teeth. ¡°I¡¯m willing to offer Mrs. Stovall sixty days to find her client and make him appear before this court before re-assessing and ruling entirely in favor of your suggestions. Is this an acceptable compromise for both parties?¡± Shami, clenched her jaw tight but nodded, even as she turned to Mr. Varnish, watching him closely.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°With that length of time, we would have to restart all proceedings at the time Brodie reappears, your honor,¡± Mr. Varnish countered. ¡°I cannot hold the Jury in seclusion any longer than a week, Mr. Varnish, and I¡¯m unwilling to sentence Mr. Flacarada to jail time for Failure to Appear in five days.¡± Mr. Varnish eventually nodded very reluctantly Judge Dench soon dismissed Shami and Varnish. Shami gave the man a look as soon as the door closed behind them. He got the message and they moved to one of the small side offices in the Court House. As soon as Varnish turned around and Shami had closed the door, she exclaimed, ¡°What the hell? The Larvae Guild purchased P-cubed for Brodie¨Cas payment for the information, but failed to check for non-compete clauses?!¡± ¡°I can assure you Mrs. Stovall that we are looking into that problem heavily. So far we¡¯ve uncovered that the non-competes that the Specialists signed for P-cubed, have a rather nefarious loophole in the contract. P-cubed is synonymous with Jagger Vance, in the original Corporation Documents. Thus, he was able to take his new Specialists with him.¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be legal,¡± Mrs. Stovall stated. ¡°That has yet to be determined¨C¡± Mr. Varnish began but was cut off. ¡°--and there¡¯s nothing your backers can do about that?¡± Mrs. Stovall stated angrily, recalling the threats from Aurome when she¡¯d mentioned Paradox.¡± ¡°Mrs. Stovall, I can assure you that Jagger in time will be in a world of problems. However, Larvae must operate within the confines of the Law.¡± ¡°Sure they do¡­¡± Shami muttered, thinking of the gloves and other oddities in the case against Brodie. Mr. Varnish narrowed his eyes and then shook his head sadly. ¡°Mrs. Stovall, rest assured that Larvae will make good on its promises. However, in no way does that promise impact the criminal case Brodie Flacarada is undergoing. Do you understand?¡± Shami nodded, and collapsed into one of the chairs. ¡°You do realize that Brodie isn¡¯t running from this case, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware, Mrs. Stovall. I¡¯m also aware of how odd my request in the Judge''s office was. If the Larvae Guild truly wished to punish Mr. Flacarada, then jail time would surely be the obvious choice, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Do you have any idea what¡¯s going on?¡± Shami asked, even as her neck jerked up in interest. Mr. Varnish shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve received no further instructions since before the beginning of the Trial, Shami. So, no¨CI¡¯m as lost as you.¡± *** ¡°We have to head to the Portal, Mr. Flacarada,¡± Dave encouraged. ¡°The last thing Brodie would want is for Abyss to fail as a company because he¡¯s missing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my son you''re talking about!¡± Mr. Flacarrada answered hotly. ¡°Exactly, and what do you think your son would want?¡± Dave asked, looking at the others in the small kitchen. Mrs. Flacarrada was glaring at him, but both Willa and Jarred were nodding in agreement. Geneva and Kristen had cameras out, which did make him slightly uncomfortable¡ªbut they couldn¡¯t take another day off. Not if they wanted to earn future contracts with the top Guilds of Windsor. ¡°You expect my husband and I to work, while our son is missing?¡± Mrs. Flacarrada asked, her eyes drilling holes into Dave¡¯s back. ¡°Whatever happened to Brodie, I think we can all agree¡ªit wasn¡¯t normal.¡± He looked around until he got nods of confirmation from everyone. ¡°To me, it smacks of either System huskery, or something to do with a certain, Demonic gargoyle¡­ Husk knows that thing disappears whenever it feels like it. Either way, I don¡¯t think it''s helpful to act like Brodie¡¯s never coming back. So, shouldn¡¯t we all act like he is, and in that case¡­ wouldn¡¯t we all want him to come back to a thriving company and not one that fell apart as soon as he was gone? Dave sighed and looked to the others in the room for support. No one met his eyes, or even coughed. He gave a polite throat-clearing and said, ¡°Clara, Gary¡ªBrodie isn¡¯t in that Portal¡ªthat we can say for certain, right?¡± They both blinked at him¡ªseeming to be asking how he arrived at that conclusion. Clicking his tongue he answered the unspoken question. ¡°If he was simply lost in the Portal, he would have popped out when it was closed, which was last night. Lynx defeated the Boss, and closed it¡ªwe also,¡± Dave hurried to continue as Gary and Clara both began to look worried. ¡°¡ªcan assume he is alive¡ª¡° ¡°Why is that?¡± Mr. Flacarrada asked, his voice pleading with Dave for a good solid reason. ¡°Well, this is just an assumption, but all of the gear, Bags of Holdings, Mana Batteries and even that is still here,¡± Dave answered¡ªpointing at a small red Crystal that had appeared where Brodie had fallen through the floor. The light inside the Crystal pulsed, reminding him of a heartbeat. ¡°You know what that is?¡± Clara asked, also hopeful. Dave shook his head, and bluntly answered, ¡°No idea, but I assume it¡¯s got some sort of link to Brodie, don¡¯t you all?¡± Finally, Willa spoke up. ¡°It did show up on the spot that he vanished¡ª¡° ¡°¡ªand only people close to Brodie could even see it!¡± Jarred added. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean¡ª¡° Gary began. ¡°You can either look at the negative side or the positive,¡± Dave interjected. ¡°No one else could even see this thing except us and Mrs. Stovall¡ªwe checked. So, either we get back to work and trust in Brodie, or we fold right now, but I know which one is going to upset Brodie more when he returns.¡± ¡°Returns from where?!¡± Mrs. Flacarrada shouted. It was Dave¡¯s turn to avoid eye contact. That was the part he hadn¡¯t worked out yet. He doubted he would ever work it out¡ªnot until Brodie returned and told them where the hole in the floor took him. Clara, seeing his reaction, sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Dave. I know you¡¯re only trying to help.¡± She looked at the others in the room. ¡°You¡¯re all just trying to help, and I think you¡¯re right¡ªbut I also don¡¯t think you can understand what we¡¯re going through right now.¡± Willa moved to give Clara a hug, but no one else moved. With a polite cough Jarred said, ¡°You¡¯re right, Clara. We can only imagine what this must feel like¡ªbut just because you two aren¡¯t working today¡ªdoesn¡¯t mean that Abyss can¡¯t.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gary asked. ¡°We have contracts, and they invented leaves of absences for a reason. Let the kid take charge,¡± Gary suggested, gesturing at Dave, who blinked. He couldn¡¯t be impl¡ª ¡°Yeah, put Dave in charge of the crew¡ªI¡¯ll get my husband to take some vacation and work on hiring. Jarred, can your wife take any time off from her job yet?¡± ¡°Maybe a few days,¡± Jarred answered. ¡°That should be enough,¡± Willa responded. ¡°Let us handle the logistics and crews this week, Clara,¡± Willa continued, hugging the woman tightly. ¡°We¡¯ll try to give you as much time as you need.¡± Clara began to sob, which prompted Gary to stand and move in to hug her. Willa disentangled herself after a moment, and they all stood around awkwardly for just a moment. Then Gary nodded¡ªgiving his approval, and they all sighed, except for Dave. He couldn¡¯t take charge of the crews. He didn¡¯t know the first thing about how to organize them. A hand clapped him on the shoulder, and he turned to find Jarred looking him in the eye. ¡°Come on kid, we¡¯ll help you get it set up this morning. You¡¯ll have a handle on it in no time!¡± Jarred said, his tone fatherly and proud. *** Evelyn Treesong looked down at her unanswered text messages and then scanned to her computer screen one more time. It was certainly a handy device, and one of the few she might have taken back with her to Canopy, her original world¡ªor what the Demon¡¯s who had led them astray had called Sective Agora. Evelyn was unsure if her multiple missed appointments and unanswered texts were a sign of a lazy-minded young man with more important things on his mind¡ªor if it was a sign of something more. He certainly had possessed the right aura to her senses when she¡¯d first seen him. Still, was it worth contacting her people over? It was quite the pain to send messages back to the Hive on Canopy. Pricey too. There was also no guarantee her messenger would make it¡ªand even less that the messengers would return to Earth. A good example was that she¡¯d sent thirty-two messages, each with redundancies to Canopy¡ªbut only received three responses. Those responses were cryptic at best, and completely senseless at worst. Was she truly supposed to find a savior? Or were her people asking her to send them more trained Humans to act as saviors to the Hive? Or was she meant to be the savior and start a refuge here on Gaia? She¡¯d prepared for each possibility and had created a Guild called Canopy in an out of a way city. It was a place that was barely thought about in the minds of the general populace. Unless, of course, they lived nearby or had family living in the town called Windsor. The Guild was somewhat well-situated with a few large towns nearby and even had one of those abhorrent Fields right next door. If her people arrived en-masse, she was prepared for any reaction from these Humans. Still, for her people to come here, to a planet that had only just begun its journey of Ascension would be hasty. Humanity didn¡¯t even understand the way the System was working yet. As far as she knew, and her people did have spies in many countries around the world¡ªHumans hadn¡¯t fully realized how to even acquire new Skills. Not that she or her people knew the method yet, but they did know the System. There was always a way, and if she wasn¡¯t mistaken¡ªthis particular test was somehow highly personalized. Unlike her planet, and Crendalar, which had used Card-Shards that needed to be collected, formed and traded¡ªthis planet seemed to have Monster, Portal and Elemental Cores as a central aspect to System function. What they were intended by the System to be used for, however, Evelyn had no idea. Still, the Humans were certainly creative in finding their own¡ªhighly inefficient uses for them, she supposed. Her inherent Elven magic had yet to find how the Cores could be combined but she was somewhat positive that they could be. She¡¯d actually sent a rather large number of the Cores back to Canopy and the Hive, hoping that the World Singers, Enchanters or Crafters could discover the method. Those were things that had been sent along with each of the thirty-two messengers. However, despite the return of three of them¡ªthey couldn¡¯t recall handing the Cores to the Hive, or if the Hive had a message regarding them. Needless to say, something Draconic was going on. 097 Tutorial Day 1 ¡°Interesting. I haven¡¯t heard of a new guy entering in months, and then one falls right into my lap!¡± A robotic sounding voice intoned. A peculiar quality of the voice made it seem like someone was speaking from beside my shoulder. I was laying on my back looking up at a sky filled with numerous suns. I had just started counting them, but the nearness of the voice and the sound of boots crushing leaves from farther away made me turn my head. A short man with dark hair, brown eyes, and smooth features looked down at me with a broad smile. My slow study of the man brought my eyes to the sword on his waist and I jumped to my feet. The man held up his hands and began moving his mouth, but to my surprise no sound came out¡ªuntil approximately his third attempted word. ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt you. I was just out hunting and returning through this forest.¡± Again, the voice sounded odd, mechanical¡ªand far too close. It reminded me of my earlier assumption of having come from multiple people. I scanned my surroundings. Quite a few trees that looked like Evergreens surrounded me, but no other people. One of my new Skills highlighted some of the foliage with plaques that likely would give me the names of the plants, and there were even a few dots and lines that probably were indicating how to Harvest them. My eyes returned to the man in confusion and found him already speaking again. ¡°There¡¯s translation magic here. Sounds strange right? It will slowly get better the longer you stay. Still, we should get you back to town. It¡¯s dangerous out here without a weapon! ¡ªI¡¯m Fong, what¡¯s your name?¡± Fong said. The gestures of his hands were deliberately slow and clearly meant not to startle me. Slowly I answered, ¡°My name is Brodie. You said something about a town?¡± ¡°Tutorial Town, follow me,¡± Fong said, but I didn¡¯t hear it until he spun around and was already making a gesture over his shoulder for me to follow. His words brought back the memory of my final moments in the Portal with Alexus. The System notices had claimed I was ¡®eligible for the Tutorial¡¯ and then sucked me through a portal to an ¡®E-ranked Tutorial¡¯. I wasn¡¯t an expert on games, not like Dave, but weren¡¯t Tutorials usually where you learned the buttons and functions of the game at a basic level? So, was this Fong not really a man but a Tutorial Guide? Also, I had to pre-qualify for the basics of a literal universe-altering change to my world and my life? How did that make any sense? Coughing, I asked, ¡°Are you a Guide then?¡± Fong laughed, which was highly disturbing, because instead of hearing a sound from what clearly was mirthful body language and laughter¡ªI heard a robotic evil ¡®ha-ha-ha-ha,¡¯ then the same robotic voice answered with no inflection, ¡°I asked the same question when I first got here. But no, this Tutorial isn¡¯t what any of us expected. Basically, we''re all trapped here.¡± Because of the lack of inflection, it took me a moment to register his last sentence and blurt out, ¡°What?! Trapped here?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that yet. It¡¯s only your first day. Today we¡¯ll get you signed up for a room and listed as a member of our Tribe. Then the boss will decide how best you can contribute.¡± That only brought up more questions, but I clamped my mouth shut, thanks in large part to Mental Fortitude. While I could tell I was still running high on adrenaline from the realization that I was in a ¡®Tutorial¡¯ and along with the word ¡®trapped¡¯, I was thinking everything through. Fong was giving away a bit more than he might have intended. Instead of asking about the ¡®contribution,¡¯ which was my first thought, instead I chose a different route. ¡°Is ¡®the boss¡¯ in charge of the Tutorial?¡± I asked, somewhat expecting that this boss was a human, and not some sort of Tutorial Guide or whatever games would lead me to expect. ¡°Nah, the boss has been here for many decades. He¡¯s the strongest of our Tribe and protects us from the other bosses.¡± There it was. The answer I was somewhat expecting but hadn¡¯t wanted to outright ask and alert Fong to my suspicions. The ¡®boss¡¯ was someone who was stronger than most other people here, and he used that power to control weaker Hunters, like myself. Not only that, but there seemed to be other people and groups with a similar hierarchy, which meant¡ªconflict. My stomach began to knot but I continued my casual questioning. ¡°Your Tribe? Is that like a Guild?¡± I asked. ¡°Yep!¡± Fong began his voice still robotic, but since he glanced over his shoulder at me when he answered, I could see that the movement of his mouth and the translation came faster. ¡°Only difference is that you¡¯ve got to join a Tribe in Tutorial City or live outside of it.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± I asked, my heart hammering in my chest as my fears were confirmed. Some of my thoughts must have shown on my face, because Fong used a hand to ¡®wave away¡¯ something in the air. Likely meant to dispel my concern or worry. Then a moment after the gesture the translation came through to say, ¡°Nothing sinister. The town is owned by the Four Tribes, and the food, Shops, supplies and Districts can only be accessed only by Tribe members.¡± Some of my concern did melt away. It sounded like I wasn¡¯t about to be brought into Town and press-ganged into a Tribe against my will. ¡°So, if you don¡¯t join a Tribe, you can live outside the Districts?¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Yes, but I wouldn¡¯t suggest it. Our Tribe wouldn¡¯t attack unaligned, but others do,¡± Fong said over his shoulder, even as he stopped and put a hand on his sword. I stopped as well, trying to figure out if his actions were meant as a threat to me, or an indication of him sensing something I¡¯d missed. I heard the breaking twigs and rustling branches a moment later. The smell in the air changed as well, going from the clean smell of pines to the somewhat rancid smell of a swamp. Fong pulled his sword in a fluid motion and a moment later words were translated into my ear. ¡°Stand back.¡± A mudslide undulated around a pine-like tree at my eleven o¡¯clock. For a moment, I wondered what Fong¡¯s sword was going to do against the approaching natural disaster until he started swinging. His sword glowed with blue light, and each swing parted a portion of the mud, revealing that it wasn¡¯t mud at all, but moving balls of¡­ stuff. My brain gave me a name for creatures like this in video games. Slimes. The two halves of some pulled themselves back together after Fong¡¯s Skill-infused slashes cut them apart, while others fell into pieces, becoming swampy brown puddles. Now knowing what I was looking at, I made a quick count. twenty, or twenty-five. It was tough to tell how many were still behind the tree, so there could be more of them. Not only was Fong fast, but the Slimes moved somewhat slowly. Still, with each slash that didn¡¯t disable the lead Slimes, they seemed to speed up, forcing Fong to step back as he fought. To my eyes, many of Fong¡¯s movements were blurs, but even with all his speed and clear skill with a blade, he¡¯d only actually disabled about three of the Slimes. His back was only five feet in front of me when he did something that changed the light on his sword from blue to white. His next slash also changed, becoming something of an exaggerated swing from hip to hip. Where Fong¡¯s movements had been hard to follow before, this swing was easy for me to track. In front of his swing, the Slimes segmented, almost looking like scalloped potatoes being cut by a master chef. The Skill cleaved through row upon row of the creatures and not even one of the Slimes caught by the ability pulled itself back together. Fong fell to his knee after the strike, his breathing heavy, sweat pouring down his forehead to drip to the pine needle forest floor below. Only now did I register the red stain on his armor. I hadn¡¯t seen him get injured, and the stain looked relatively dry. Had he been hurt before this fight, and still moved like that? I stood frozen, staring at the Slimes, hoping they wouldn¡¯t reform, because Fong likely couldn¡¯t take on another one. Not with the way his hands were shaking. Of course, I could offer to Heal Fong, but decided against it. While, I didn¡¯t want to face Monsters without the man on my side¨CI also couldn¡¯t be sure he was truly on my side. So, for now, I¡¯d keep everything to myself, if I could. I approached slowly and asked, ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I just¡­ need a moment. Bottomed out my Qi,¡± Fong explained through translation. Then he asked, ¡°Could you go collect the twenty-five Cores while I recover?¡± My body tensed. I wasn¡¯t thrilled with the idea of going toward the mud that could still be alive. And yet, could I refuse to do as the clearly-powerful Fong ¡®suggested¡¯. There hadn¡¯t been any indication that the man would react poorly if I refused, but simultaneously, there hadn¡¯t been any hint of his Skills in the moments leading up to the fight, either. He likely was a D or C-rank Hunter, even injured as he was, and he could kill me without blinking. Eventually, I decided on the safest route¡ªobedience, and slowly approached the mud puddles. If even a bubble formed on the surface of one, I planned to get behind Fong. No such disturbances occurred, however, and the round lump in the flat mud was easy to see. I reached the nearest puddle and pulled out a round, muddy ball about the side of a softball. Then I looked for a place to put it and chose to begin tossing them in a pile outside of the puddles. Sure, I could have used my Necklace, but then I¡¯d be revealing to Fong I had it, and just like with the Healing, I wasn¡¯t sure how that would go. Bags of Holding were somewhat common on Earth, but I hadn¡¯t ever seen one in the form of a Necklace. Then there was the fact that even a Bag of Holding could be beyond rare here. I found twenty-eight Cores, and considered ¡®stealing¡¯ one, but thought better of it. Fong may be aware of the actual number of Slimes he¡¯d killed and just said twenty-five as a test. I just didn¡¯t want to chance it, not before I understood a bit more about this place and the others who were here. Twenty minutes or so later, Fong got to his feet and shakily approached the pile. They vanished as he touched them, letting me know that he had some sort of Holding item. ¡°Oh, there were twenty-eight, lucky, lucky,¡± Fong said, making me wince. Maybe I could have gotten away with one to study. They hadn¡¯t felt like normal Monster Cores, but the mud on them made it hard for me to tell. Still, Fong had seemed willing to answer my questions earlier so as we started walking again, I asked, ¡°Are those Monster Cores?¡± ¡°Not quite, but they¡¯re the equivalent of Monster Cores here, yes. You can sell them in Tutorial Town for Tutorial Points.¡± ¡°Tutorial Points?¡± I asked, prodding Fong to continue his explanation. ¡°That¡¯s correct. You can spend Tutorial Points at the Shops in our District or on Learning. But be careful. The rent for rooms has a monthly fee. You also must pay for food, Healing or any other service provided by other Hunters. So don¡¯t go getting all spend-happy no matter how many Points you started with.¡± ¡°How many points? I started with?¡± I asked, unsure what he was talking about, or how to check the number. ¡°Just pull up your Status sheet,¡± Fong said in his robotic monotone. I did so and blinked at the blue System Screen. It had changed. However, before I could really study it, the view behind the Screen made me close it and stare. We¡¯d exited the forest and were standing on the top of a shelf that overlooked a valley. In the center of the valley was a massive castle wall, with a Town contained within. However, even more eye-catching was the massive yellow arrow and the signpost in the sky. It read ¡®Tutorial Town¡¯, in bright purple cursive. A multitude of other languages other than English were clearly displayed on the massive sign board as well. The interior of the town was split by the wall that was evident from this vantage but likely wouldn¡¯t be anywhere else because the cross-shaped walls that segmented the interior circle were shorter. Inside each quadrant there were wooden buildings of questionable construction and a few stone buildings of clearly superior make. Fong held out his hand theatrically and began speaking, followed a moment later by the translation. ¡°Welcome to Tutorial Town.¡± 098 Tutorial Day 1 Fong looked down the sheer face of the step, and I joined him. It was probably a forty-foot drop to the rocky floor below. My eyes scanned for a path down but didn¡¯t find one. I soon found out why, when Fong simply leaped off the edge and landed with a non-robotic grunt. My mind argued with my eyes, seeming to question if I was seeing what I really thought I was. Was the drop less than forty feet? Maybe, but it was certainly higher than I wanted to free fall. Fong looked back up then and found me staring down at him. I saw the confusion cross his face before he seemed to understand something. ¡°What is your Strength Stat?¡± ¡°Uhh,¡± I stuttered, unsure if I should tell someone else my Stats. Especially someone who was clearly stronger than me. Would he take advantage of my weakness? Still, it was obvious that I had a low Strength Stat from the very fact that I didn¡¯t jump. So, I said, ¡°...Ten?¡± ¡°Gazi! I should have asked,¡± Fong responded. The voice sounded slightly less robotic. He looked back up the rise. ¡°Mine¡¯s nearing a hundred, but I still can¡¯t jump back up there. Follow me. There¡¯s a place to climb down about a kilometer this way.¡± I nodded and Fong started walking to my right. I stayed close to the shelf cliff, keeping a wary eye on the forest edge now on my right side, for Monsters. Still, if we were going to walk, it also gave me the chance to study the changes to my ¡®Status sheet¡¯, as Fong had called it. I was glad my knowledge of gaming jargon would come in useful. So, with half an eye, I began looking at my Screen while keeping both the forest and Fong in my peripheral vision.
Status Tutorial Name: [Enter Name] Tutorial Points: 25,000 Skills: Demonic Vault, Dragon Heart, Reptilian Body, Heal, Cleanse Role: Gatherer / Healer Mana Pool: 50 / 50 Qi: 33 / 33 Force: 11 / 11 Stats: Strength: 10 Agility: 3 Stamina: 10 Intelligence: 4 Wisdom: 2 Dexterity: 10 Perception: 2
Obviously, the first thing I noticed was the Tutorial Points, and my ability to enter a name. I figured I could ask Fong about the name, but I¡¯d likely have to wait till we got to town to discover if twenty-five thousand points was a good or bad amount. Or I could of course risk asking the man¡ªbut that seemed dangerous. What if I was the Tutorial Town equivalent of a millionaire? I wished Smegma was here, so I could bounce ideas off him. That, of course, made my stomach knot in worry. I didn¡¯t have any true idea of why he was absent this time. I returned to studying the Status page, so I didn¡¯t have to think about that. The next oddity was staring me in the face. Skills. The first strange part was that they were listed at all, but also, I was missing about four that I¡¯d seen Cards for, but likely eight since I¡¯d gained four new Profession Skills in the Portal. Still, the underlines below Dragon Heart, and Demonic Vault made me smile. I had a feeling I knew what was going on. I mentally clicked on Demonic Vault first.
Demonic Vault Sub-Skills Butchering Classes Cooking Fishing Gardening Harvesting Mining Overdraft Skinning
My smile grew larger.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. This may be the answer I was looking for. I studied the title again. ¡®Demonic Vault sub-Skills¡¯ and a wave of relief washed over me. It still wasn¡¯t certain, but it would appear that I only had Five ¡®official¡¯ Skills at the moment, but a great many sub-Skills under the umbrella of two of my more powerful Skills. I clicked Dragon Heart next.
Dragon Heart Consumed-Skills Heat Sense Mental Fortitude Recovery Dragon Heart Sub-Skills Mana Pool (Growth) ¨C 50 / 50 Skill Copy & Cannibalism
The title of this one did make me a little less sure, but also brought up another rather large question. I had received Demonic Vault right alongside Mental Fortitude and Recovery. So, why was it considered a Skill, while they were ¡®sub-Skills?¡¯ I didn¡¯t have an answer to that question. Nor did I truly think I¡¯d be able to ask Smegma for confirmation. The Demon hadn¡¯t even mentioned a Tutorial before, which either meant his people hadn¡¯t had one, or perhaps it was just as difficult to enter and he and no one he knew had been able to do so? Or worse yet, been able to leave in the five thousand years? Then I had another thought. Was unlocking Stats that difficult? Unlocking Stats had been relatively simple for me, but that didn¡¯t mean it was for everyone. For example, how had Fong unlocked his Stats to enter the Tutorial? How had the others in the Tutorial done so? What about the boss? Fong said his Strength was nearly one-hundred. How had he grown it to such a degree? Questions for later certainly¡ªright alongside the question of could my Overflow give other people Gathering Skills and therefore Stats like it had me? Either way, Smegma hadn¡¯t seemed to have been aware of the Tutorials existence, and the System certainly changed things between planet integrations, as evidenced by Nagina, and other races that Smegma described. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re passing the path down!¡± Fong shouted in his robotic voice. I started and looked down, realizing I had failed in my original idea of keeping an eye out for Monsters or for Fong. I was about ten feet past a clear path down. It wasn¡¯t a walkway per se, but it was a pathway that I could use, without needing to leap from the ledge and fall forty feet. It was somewhat slow going, but not as slow as I might have feared before I made it to the bottom and rejoined Fong. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head into the Town,¡± Fong instructed, and we began walking together again. I still had the Status Page opened, but decided to focus on pumping the man for information. ¡°Fong, how did you get here, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡± ¡°Not an issue,¡± the robotic translator said in my ear. ¡°Everyone has their story. For me, I found a Fruit in the Dungeon. It was Purple with moving hues of every other color I could picture. I knew it was special. When I picked it, the scent made it irresistible, so I ate it. Then, here I am.¡± Again, Fong¡¯s movements were off compared to the timing of his voice. His gesture of the area around us was slightly early when compared to his final statement. I asked, ¡°Is that how most people end up here?¡± ¡°Some. Others find new ways to use Skills, unlock a new Stat and keep exploring. They teach lessons now. Others are what we call Body-Awakened and have a Skill that ties them to Stats right away. Too many to list now, but everyone here can now grow.¡± I wanted to know more but his final sentence stopped me from the proverbial, ¡®I¡¯ve got time,¡¯ response. Instead, I said, ¡°Now everyone can grow?¡± ¡°Yes, with Tutorial Points. You can buy items to train or raise Stats, Evolve Skills and even learn new ones.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no limit to that?¡± I asked, my voice likely sounding as surprised as I felt. Not that Fong would hear it. ¡°Limit? Yes, you can only raise Skills from F to E to D Rank in the E-rank Tutorial. Or do you mean Skill limit? Then, also yes. Ten to Fifteen¡ªdepends on the person.¡± I blinked at his answer but Id id realize that the second part was in line with what Smegma had always claimed. ¡°Can you do more in other Tutorials?¡± ¡°I do not know if other Tutorials exist. But assume they must, because of the message we receive before coming here. Everyone that is here gets the same one.¡± I recalled the specific mention of ¡®E-ranked Tutorial¡¯ and let that line of questioning drop. Should I return to the questions about other ways people got here? No, there were other more important things to ask before we arrived at the growing walls. ¡°How many people are here?¡± ¡°There were about eight thousand, but now it¡¯s only about five and a half thousand.¡± ¡°I thought you said people can¡¯t leave.¡± ¡°They cannot. Well, that is not true. Some disappear, from time to time¡ªso maybe they found the way. No, the majority of our loss of people is from war.¡± Fong didn¡¯t even look back as the mechanically robotic voice translated his words to me. He just kept walking toward the walls with his hand on his sword. There had been a war, and two thousand five hundred or more people died? That didn¡¯t seem like a lot until you realized that it was more than thirty percent of the previous population. My voice froze in my throat even as any further questions died on my tongue. This place was even more dangerous than I originally thought. I was even less sure now that I wouldn¡¯t get press-ganged into some kind of future war. The next five minutes passed in silence as I followed Fong. Then we moved close enough to the gate and walls of Tutorial Town, and I was quiet for a whole different reason. The walls were lined with turrets, and the gate manned by guards that were definitely not humans. Giants maybe, but not humans. Worse, I could see more of them up on the walls patrolling behind or in front of those turrets. Fong took pity on me and said, ¡°They are the Guards of Tutorial Town. As far as any know, they have almost always been here. Even the boss says that there was never a time before the Guard. Do not cause harm to anyone inside of the walls, or they will descend. We do not know how powerful they are, but even a man with an A-rank Skill was forced to flee. Flee, or die.¡± ¡°So, don¡¯t break any rules?¡± I asked to clarify, still staring at the ever-growing giants in suits of full plate armor. ¡°That¡¯s the only rule¡­¡± Fong whispered. 099 Tutorial Day 1 The sight of the Guards made me a bit tunnel-visioned and I missed all the people coming and going from the open gate. The only thing that clued me into their presence was when someone shouted, ¡°Hey Fong, got a new one?¡± This voice was entirely normal to my ears, lacking the strange robotic quality of Fong¡¯s, causing me to look for the speaker. I found a lumberjack of a man with blonde hair covering his entire body. Sure, he had a quaffed bird¡¯s nest of a hairstyle on top of his head, but he also wore a massive beard that obscured most of his face from view. Then there were his arms, back and chest. While he was wearing a leather vest that obscured some of the latter two from sight, I could see curls of the same blonde hair trying to escape its confines. Had the man been a wooly mammoth in a previous life? The closer he got to me, the larger he became, making me think for just a moment that he was the spawn of one of the Giant Armored Guards. Definitely a reincarnated wooly mammoth, I thought. Fong put his hand on his sword, and faced the approaching man, making me step back into a ready position as well. Ready for what? I wasn¡¯t sure, but escape was at least a part of my current thoughts. ¡°Yes, Bear,¡± Fong said, with a slight dip in his head. ¡°This one just arrived, and I was bringing him to Maelstrom.¡± Bear¡ªapparently I had been slightly off on the man¡¯s heritage¡ªeyed Fong¡¯s hand on his sword with wary eyes. The rest of his features were impossible for me to read, before he transferred his gaze to me. ¡°What Skills you got kid?¡± ¡°That is none of our business, Bear,¡± Fong said, his voice still robotic. I heard a squeak of leather as his hand tightened around his hilt. What were the chances, I wondered, that killing each other in the doorway to Tutorial Town qualified as ¡®doing harm inside the walls¡¯? I took a further step backwards, eyeing both of the men and the massive Guards not a hundred meters away. I guess we were outside of the Town. Still, I was sure I was missing something. Was Bear from one of the rival factions? ¡°Maelstrom was the one that told me to look for you, Fong,¡± Bear answered, his eyes on the man¡¯s sword again, even as his own went to the pair of hatchets on his waist. I hadn¡¯t noticed the weapons on the massive man, at least not at first. Now I couldn¡¯t look away. They were sinister looking things with spikes on the back and other such decorations that clearly made them worse for chopping wood and better for debilitating a man. Fong and Bear¡¯s interaction had gathered a crowd and I could feel the press of the circle that was forming choose to include me inside it by about three feet. I glanced back and found Hunters wearing all manner of armor, and weapons. I also found representatives of every race. The fact that Fong spoke a different language and some of the cuts of clothing, and armor in the group confirmed that these people were from every corner of the globe. Not just Canada. ¡°Thank you for informing this humble one, Bear. This is fortuitous timing, friend¡ªas I was on my way to see him,¡± Fong responded, his voice still devoid of any emotion because of the translator. From his body language, he was still ready to fight, or perhaps defend himself from this man. ¡°See that you do and get that useless kid inside before one of these onlookers chooses to take his Tutorial Points!¡± Bear commanded, and then started laughing. Others in the circle joined his laughter, leaving me even more confused. That hadn¡¯t been funny. A threat? Maybe. Especially if people could kill eachother to steal Tutorial Points¡­ Definitely not funny!. So, was Bear so powerful that people laughed to kiss his ass, or was I missing something, and people had tried and failed to steal Tutorial Points in some humorous way? Fong bowed and then began to take a route around the massive Bear, his hands still on his sword. Over his shoulder he said, ¡°Brodie, follow me, please.¡± The crowd dispersed with grumbles of disappointment and even a few catcalls at Fong, but the man ignored them. We crossed the final hundred meters of hard packed earth and stone, each step bringing us closer to the Guards, and the Gate. Before us was a clear line of delineation; inside, and outside of a partition on the ground, and Fong was moving purposefully toward it. Slate pavers exiting the Gate formed a semi-circle twenty feet forward, which both Guards stood upon. The edge of that paved semi-circle seemed to create a strange shimmer in the air. Fong stepped through it and a great deal of his tension left his body. Seeing that, I didn¡¯t hesitate and stepped through as well. The change was noticeable to almost every sense my body possessed. First was the temperature. One step earlier the air felt hot and muggy¡ªcausing me to sweat while merely walking. As for inside the stones, it felt like someone had set an air conditioner to a perfectly comfortable temperature and removed the humidity. The light levels changed also¡ªgoing from drab browns and muted, washed out green foliage to near LED quality. I looked up to the sky and still found the several suns shining there, but where there had been clouds before, now only sparkling crystal-blue graced the heavens. The next thing I noticed was the smell. Ever since the Mud Slimes, I hadn¡¯t been able to get the slight but persistent odor of swamp out of my nostrils. Upon crossing the Tutorial Town threshold, the smell seemed to vanish. I raised a hand to my nose and sniffed, knowing that the swamp smell had lingered on my fingers from collecting the Cores. Nothing¡­ Finally, was the sound. The catcalls and grumblings from the crowd were gone, changed to the constant hum of a mall. People conversed in groups as they moved through wide-paved streets. Others stood alone, shouting out wares and hints of strange desires I didn¡¯t fully understand. The closest one that I could hear had his voice translated robotically into my ear. ¡°Looking for four others to run Tutorial¡¯s End. Need Healing and three damage dealers,¡± the translation intoned. Fong looked at me with a small smirk on his face. His mouth moved and the translation said, ¡°Strange, isn¡¯t it?¡± Unsure which part he was talking about, I took his words to mean everything I was feeling. I nodded and his smirk grew to a smile. ¡°Come with me. We¡¯re going to the North District.¡± With that, we walked straight up the wide street in front of us. Once clear of the Gates, I noticed that the street was lined with the walls I¡¯d seen from the top of the ridge. Each side of the street had one, making where we walked a strange, enclosed pathway between what felt a bit like retaining walls. For just a moment I wondered why the walls were here, but Fong opened his mouth, clearly anticipating that question. ¡°The walls and this street allow people to cross the city to the different Districts they want without having to enter others. They were purchased by the Tribes to keep people out of their zones of influence.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Why would they want to keep people out of their Districts?¡± I asked, not understanding what was so important about the districts. ¡°This is hard to explain in full. The simple answer is that each Tribe holds a building within its District. This building is where you can purchase Tutorial Items with Points. It also gives any member who gives tithe to the Altar within, a boon.¡± ¡°A boon?¡± Fong stopped walking and looked at me with a strange expression. Then scratching his own neck he said, ¡°Translation is not perfect. A boon. A limited time increase to Stats or regeneration. Sometimes, even increases to comprehension.¡± ¡°Oh, a buff?!¡± I exclaimed, and Fong nodded, before returning to his purposeful walk. Knowing what he meant only brought up more questions. ¡°Why would the Tribes wish to keep people from getting this buff?¡± ¡°My apologies,¡± Fong answered. ¡°It is not the ¡®buff¡¯ that is special¡ªwell it is special and unique for each building. However, it is the items inside that are what they most want to protect.¡± ¡°The items inside?¡± I asked and then followed up with, ¡°Do you mean the ones you can purchase?¡± ¡°Yes. Some are limited items. Some items are only restocked once a month, others¡ªonce a year, and some only restock when the user dies. Items, also different. With descriptions. So keeping out others keeps one safe. No exposed weakness, see?¡± I was starting to get the picture. These ¡®buildings¡¯ provided a unique buff that the Tribes monopolized to a lesser extent. Then the Shops had items that had limited quantities and descriptions of said items that would give information on what a given District had access to to other Tribes when read. There was one glaring issue with the whole thing. ¡°I thought you said you can¡¯t kill inside the city? I assumed that meant fighting as well, so how do you keep others out?¡± ¡°Limit entry points,¡± Fong motioned at the walls and the translation came through a moment after. ¡°If enemy comes, block entrance with bodies. If they push or attack standing Tribesmen, Guards come. Secrets safe, yes?¡± The heads of people on top of the walls took on a bit of a different meaning. Still, to constantly have to patrol your walls and guard your entrance¡ªthat must take a lot of manpower. Then, on top of that, to block a building entrance with bodies? Were the people in these Tribes constantly on call? I didn¡¯t bother asking that question, since the response was likely exactly what I was thinking. I even had a suspicion as to why Maelstrom was looking for Fong¡­ It took about five more minutes before we arrived at the place in the center of the Town where the four walls met. The central square wasn¡¯t ¡®square¡¯ in shape. Instead it was an octagon with four diagonal entrances parallel to each other and the four walkways entering in between. Outside, when Bear confronted Fong, I might have seen fifty people. Here, in the central square, there were at least a hundred. Just like near the town entrance, people called out for group members, but now that I was closer, a few other shouted requests could be heard. Some translated and some not. ¡°Need a Ruby, will trade for two of any other gems.¡± ¡°Looking for Devilsaur Leather, willing to trade forged equipment.¡± Other such requests were being made and the people making them stood out to my casual inspection. They, unlike the people outside or even Fong right in front of me, didn¡¯t look like Hunters. They looked more similar to the employees of Abyss, or Crafting Fortune Five-hundreds. Sure, they had weapons, and armor¡ªmany even looking physically fit and were moving at speeds as they gestured that were far quicker than I could with my Agility, but the armor I could see was too clean¡ªthe weapons, too ornamental. It was an assumption, certainly, but I believed that the people looking to trade for items were Crafters of some kind. I pointed to them and asked Fong about it, and he responded as expected, ¡°Yes. They are all Crafters. They stay inside the city mostly, unless brought out by the Tribes for specific tasks under heavy guard.¡± ¡°Do they get treated differently?¡± I asked, looking at Fong¡¯s serviceable armor, and the Crafter¡¯s pristine garments. ¡°All Skills get treated differently. Fighters¡ªdamage dealers, as they are often called, are the most common. Then Tanks¡ªHunters specialized in defense, and finally¡ªHealers. Crafters are rarer than Fighters but more common than Tanks as a group, but specific Professions may be rarer than others. Understand?¡± Fong answered. The translations for those particular roles were spot on. The terms ¡®DD¡¯, ¡®glass cannon¡¯, or more simply¡ªDPS or ¡®deeps¡¯, was well understood in online gaming. As were ¡®Tanks¡¯ and ¡®Healz¡¯. Fong had actually stopped to tell me this, and for the first time I had the suspicion that Fong was answering my questions intentionally. At first, I believed the man was just talkative, but I was beginning to believe it was something else. The way he aggressively responded to Bear had been a major hint. Was Fong protecting and preparing me? I still wasn¡¯t willing to tell him my Skills, but I pulled them up to check the changes myself.
Heal (11) Low-E-Rank Heal can only be used on others the Skill User is touching, and heals the individual''s Health Pool at a rate of one health per half point of Mana expended. Additionally it will stabilize injuries once Healing has begun, preventing nearly all Health Deteriorating Effects. -- Cleanse (11) Low-E-Rank Cleanse can only be used on others and removes contaminants, poisons, venoms and diseases from the individual. Limited to Rare, Common or Uncommon maladies. Costs 5 Mana per use.
Looking at them I considered what I might be willing to reveal to this Maelstrom character. Disappointingly, Heal didn¡¯t allow me to cast it on people I wasn¡¯t touching. Still, if a Healer was the rarest Class here in the Tutorial, then I was certainly in an advantageous position, thanks to my Battlefield Healer Class. Healing was likely to be a very powerful negotiating chip. On the flip side, though, there was another worrisome possibility. ¡°Just how rare are Healers?¡± I asked, recalling the man at the front looking for one to join his group. Fong nodded to the guards at the entrance to the gate across the square to our left on entrance, as we passed through. He waited for about forty steps before he answered, ¡°Rare enough that they are guarded resources with limited freedom in the Maelstrom Tribe.¡± I swallowed hard. My question had clearly or at least potentially¡ªtipped my hand to the swordsman. Fong was definitely trying to help me out and now that we were inside the District, I had limited time to figure out what I should be telling Maelstrom about my Skills. One thing was already certain¡ªI¡¯d be keeping my Healer Skills to myself. ¡°What about Gatherers?¡± I asked, recalling what the Status Page had called my other ¡®Role.¡¯ ¡°Gatherers are very important, and protected on Raids, Excursions and Dungeon runs. They often also become Crafters in this place,¡± Fong answered as he moved down the street between buildings. The buildings inside this portion of the District were of shoddy construction, looking worse than the Goblin huts from the caverns. In some I could hear the sounds of people at work, letting me know that the ones nearest the entrance were likely in use by Crafters. Many others were nearly falling over, with doors wide open and in serious disrepair. ¡°Why are these buildings so poorly made?¡± I asked, pointing them out to Fong. ¡°These are man-made, and not purchased yet with Tutorial Points. You will see¡­ difference as we approach¡­ center,¡± Fong answered. ¡°So¡­ the Crafters are just¡­ bad?¡± Fong snorted a laugh, which sounded incredibly odd from the mechanical translator, not to mention letting me know that I¡¯d accidentally said my thoughts out loud. Sure enough, the further into the District we went, the more the buildings changed. It was almost like there was a line drawn. Suddenly they were brick constructions that began as one-story and grew with each block we passed. The fact that the brick perfectly accentuated the gray tiles with the onyx and tan patterning made me realize what Fong meant by ¡®purchased¡¯. It also became clear which building we were heading toward. A tall tower-esque building, reminding me of a clock tower could just be seen over the taller buildings near the center. At first I hadn¡¯t noticed it due to the many other sights to take in. Now I wondered how I could have missed it from atop the ridge or as we walked up using my peripherals. It was clearly of different quality than even the ¡®purchased¡¯ buildings we now walked between. Instead of bricks, it was made from one seemingly solid piece of stone that somewhat resembled marble but shone like it was a polished piece in Go. The other thing I noticed was just how many more people occupied the central section of the Districts. Another thing that stood out was how the buildings were a combination of shops, crafting halls and residences. I wondered if residency was based on seniority or contribution or perhaps even through the simple expedience of wealth. I opened my mouth to ask, but Fong held up a hand. ¡°The escorts are here,¡± he said. I looked around confused, until I saw the cloaked figures on the rooftops. I guess question time is over. 100 Tutorial Day 1 The cloaked guards followed us, or continued to multiply as we neared the onyx-marble clocktower. At first I had believed it to be of one solid coloring, but it actually resembled a Go piece more than I originally believed. With its black and white coloring. The only reason I considered that the guards might not be the same men or women was that the stories of the buildings we passed continued to increase and I couldn¡¯t understand how they could be moving that fast and climbing higher. Fong ignored them, and me to some degree, as he continued to lead the way. I, in some ways, ignored him as well, too focused on the cloaked danger surrounding us. So when he suddenly wasn¡¯t in front of me anymore, it took me another five steps to notice. A polite cough echoed off the brick walls, causing me to look around. I don¡¯t know what I expected to find. Perhaps a cloaked individual who had descended from the roofs, but I didn¡¯t expect to see Fong in the doorway of the last building before the central Onyx-Marble tower. ¡°Oh, shit,¡± I mumbled as I rushed back to join him. He gave me a tight-lipped smile and then ducked through the doorway into what looked like darkness beyond. I wasn¡¯t far behind him, which was why I discovered that the darkness was just in comparison to the multi-sun illumination outside. Inside the building was lit by flickering candlelight, but also not. The light was coming from fixtures on the walls, but instead of fire, the interior of the sconces were filled with orange crystals that flickered. Fong spoke up for the first time in minutes, ¡°These are called Sun Stones¡ªit is how we determine night and day here.¡± He pointed back through the doorway, seeming to say, ¡®You know with all those suns.¡¯ ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked, truly confused by how a flickering stone could determine the night or day cycle. ¡°Six suns are blue, six suns are yellow. They take a long while to revolve. Likely ten to eleven days for each sun to rise as another disappears. These Sun Stones go from a bright constant light to flickering, and finally dark before reversing in a twenty-four hour period. ¡°Right now, it is either early morning or evening.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± I asked, incredulous. He smiled and gave a small shrug, before leading me down the hallway past staircases on both sides and a few doors. The doors at the end of the brick hallway were clearly different. Like Mr. Varnish¡¯s double doors. They were huge wooden things with inlaid metal bands holding together the planks. There were also metal spikes driven through, and would likely injure people who attempted to batter their way in bodily. I wondered if that made them stronger structurally or not, but Fong reached a hand forward and knocked, cutting that question short. The sounds of scraping wood behind the door made me squint as I tried to understand what was going on. Only when I heard the scraping stop and something slide free in a swish, did I fully grasp the situation. The door was ¡®barred¡¯ in the literal sense. A moment after the bar was taken out from the door, which swung open to reveal eight cloaked figures. In my distraction, I¡¯d missed Fong unbuckling his sword. He held it out to the individuals and they took it before patting the man down thoroughly, but not roughly. I was next, and when they found no weapons, they checked again. I couldn¡¯t see anyone in the hoods, and I tried. Their hands also felt odd. More like a single wooden oar than an appendage with fingers that could act independently. Still, I could see five-fingered black gloves on the hands, so I shrugged the strange sensation away. The eight figures surrounded us after the second pat-down check and Fong moved forward again. I wondered why they hadn¡¯t taken Fong¡¯s Bag of Holding, and only his sword. Surely, I could pull a Pick out of my Necklace if needed¡ªand Fong likely had back up swords, no? The moment we passed through the doorway, something in the air changed. It was like gravity had increased, or perhaps¡ªlike my mind was aware of something that it couldn¡¯t quantify? The only way I could think to describe it was with an idiom I had never understood. The room felt oppressive. Like my clothing was pressing into my skin instead of sitting atop it. Like the oxygen in the air was fractionally harder to breathe. My eyes scanned the room, looking for the cause of the change. They found nothing but more shadows and a man seated in an overly large wooden chair with red cushions. The fact that my eyes found hundreds of ¡®shadows¡¯ made me question something Fong had said earlier. How could there only be fifty-five hundred people total, when I¡¯d seen at least two or three hundred of these cloaked figures already? Was this Malestrom Tribe the strongest in the Tutorial and able to dedicate this many people to ¡®guard¡¯ duty? Fong sighed wearily, ¡°Kai, you must leave this room from time to time. You will not discover an exit if you stay locked here and only send out your Shadows.¡± ¡°Maybe I would leave more often, Fong, if you didn¡¯t vanish every time I turned around!¡± The man on the throne¡ªclearly Kai, answered, his voice also robotic. Kai wore a black suit of leather armor and a crown made of the same Onyx stone as the Clocktower outside. His features were eerily similar to Fong¡¯s.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I told you that I refuse to be confined to Tutorial Town.¡± ¡°Enough of this, Fong. Who is the boy?¡± Kai ordered, looking like he was angry with Fong, or perhaps just frustrated by what he had said. It was tough to tell with an inflectionless voice. Still, why would Fong wanting to leave Tutorial Town frustrate Kai? ¡°Maelstrom, this is Brodie, yet to choose an alias. He is a new arrival.¡± ¡°A new arrival? Fong I told you that I don¡¯t want any others around that I can¡¯t trust. Why would you bring a possible spy into our Tribes¡¯ deepest sanctum?¡± Fong sighed and motioned at the room around us. ¡°This stupid room that you paid extra for because you feared assassins. You¡¯re calling it a sanctum now?¡± ¡°What do you know, Fong? You weren¡¯t the one attacked by those assassins. There are loopholes to the rules, and I almost died!¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been here for thirty years, Kai,¡± Fong responded. ¡°Perhaps it is more risk that will grant us freedom.¡± The interplay between the two was strange. I couldn¡¯t be sure what it all meant ,but I had a feeling that the war had started between the Tribes for nefarious reasons. The other thing that was abundantly clear the more they said, was that Fong and Kai had known each other since before the Tutorial. And that Fong wanted out. Was he out searching for an exit when he¡¯d found me? The other piece of information Fong had let slip was that the cloaked people surrounding us weren''t people at all. They were ¡®shadows¡¯ and likely created by one of Kai¡¯s Skills. The two men stared at each other, making me feel like I should be sweating, especially in the room we were in. ¡°At least ask the boy what he does, Kai,¡± Fong said. ¡°Why?¡± Kai answered. ¡°I don¡¯t want any new members.¡± ¡°And I do,¡± Fong stated. The Shadows moved off the walls getting into stances that seemed martial to my eyes. The glaring resumed and this time I did begin to sweat. I could feel the line it traced down my spine. Maybe it would have been better to have been found by someone else? It was clear that this Maelstrom, whose real name was likely Kai, wasn''t taking new members for his Tribe. ¡°Fine!¡± Kai¡¯s mouth moved and the translation came through. ¡°Boy what do you do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a Gatherer, but I think I could use my Skill for Crafting as well,¡± I answered, my voice sounding unconvincing even to my own ears. Fong looked at me with a raised eyebrow, but gave no other reaction, even as Kai leaned forward in his seat. It was only then that I realized that my tone likely wasn¡¯t coming through to them, if the translation worked the same way it did for me. Kai¡¯s words a moment later confirmed it for me, ¡°You have a Skill that you¡¯ve used for multiple things already? Or are you unsure and just hoping you can figure it out?¡± Drawing on what Fong had said on the way to Town, I slowly answered, ¡°That¡¯s how I unlocked all my Stats, yes.¡± I saw Fong smirk. Even if someone had a Skill that could detect the truth¡ªI wasn¡¯t lying, not exactly. So, why was Fong smirking? Kai showed only an interested look as he leaned even further forward in his chair. ¡°That is something few here can do now¡ªand you¡¯re claiming that kind of Skill Mastery?¡± He made an appreciative noise and then leaned back in his chair. ¡°What Crafting Skill do you think you¡¯d be most suited for?¡± That question had been something I¡¯d been thinking over in my head since Fong had become more withdrawn in the presence of the attending Shadows. There were really only three that I could claim¡ªsince they¡¯d been on the System message when I¡¯d unlocked the Crafter Class. Two of which were Blacksmithing or Leather-working which I highly doubted I could pull off. Even with Smegma¡¯s help. That left Alchemy, which I figured I might get away with. First, it was a rarer Profession on Earth, so the chances of someone having it here were lower. But second, and more importantly, I hadn¡¯t seen any in the cross-corridor that bisected the Districts or in the Central Square. Fong had also claimed that many Gatherers became Crafters here¡ªso if I claimed I thought my Skill could help me with a rarer Craft¡ªall the better, right? ¡°Alchemy, I think?¡± I said, and got to see Fong¡¯s smirk fall and his lips purse out of the corner of my eyes. ¡°Have you done any Alchemy before?¡± Kai asked, the translated voice not matching his expression. I shook my head. ¡°Do you have any of the Equipment needed?¡± His body language looked upset and so I wanted to give a non-verbal response, but realized I couldn¡¯t convey what I needed to say without an answer this time. ¡°Not yet, but I believe I can make some in time.¡± ¡°Have you worked around Alchemists on Earth?¡± Fong asked, his hand twitching toward me, like he either wanted to place it on my shoulder or hit me. Since he''d only tried to help me on the way here I chose the former and nodded while ¡®thinking¡¯ heavily about Smegma as an Alchemist. Fong turned to Kai. Kai was studying me with narrowed eyes and a face that was beyond my capability to read for emotions. Something was going on, but what it was, I couldn¡¯t say. ¡°Maybe the kid could actually do it?¡± Fong suggested. ¡°You know the targets of the previous war as well as I do, Fong,¡± Kai answered, and I blinked. Targets? Of the war? So the war was between the Tribes not with some outside force?! Fong looked at me with a slight grimace. ¡°I am assuming we can keep this one or whichever inheritor is chosen better protected then?¡± Kai leaned forward and all of the Shadows even stepped up as well. ¡°Fong, are you offering to personally watch over the child?¡± Fong studied my face, and then gave a world-weary sigh. ¡°No, I will not. Perhaps in time, if he proves to be a potent Alchemist, but I must search outside the Town for the exit.¡± Fong¡¯s head fell and I thought for a moment it was in disappointment or perhaps sadness at the words he¡¯d just spoken. Instead, I saw his hand cradling a locket on his chest, holding it out just far enough that he could likely see it. It was a locket that usually held pictures of precious people. Like wives, children or other family. 101 Tutorial Day 1 Four Shadows stood around me as I waited outside the large doors into the central room. With my exit came a profound sense of relief. The cloying pressure instantly dissipated and while there were still threatening Shadows surrounding me, they clearly hadn¡¯t been the cause of the discomfort inside. Fong and Maelstrom were clearly having a ¡®private¡¯ discussion, since I¡¯d been asked to leave. I had a lot of questions I¡¯d like answers to, but for now, could only speculate as to what had gone wrong with my choice of Crafting Professions. How could an Alchemist cause a war? Poisons maybe? Or perhaps it was a very profitable career inside the Tutorial, so money or prestige had become heavily involved. On Earth, Alchemists weren¡¯t the most wealthy or the least¡ªthey¡¯d probably fall somewhere in the upper middle. Then again, like Smiths, they relied heavily on what they could make. A Smith on average was near the bottom, but on the high-end likely were one of the top earners. Plus, each was highly dependent on having a Skill that complimented their Craft. Or two, in many cases. Still, the undisputed top Crafting profession was Enchanting, which was why I hadn¡¯t even considered claiming it. That tangential thought brought me full circle. So why would an Alchemist be highly valued here in the Tutorial? The only answer I could think of was that the last Alchemist had been a real monster. Someone who could create something extraordinary, or¡ªcould Alchemy be a key to leaving this place? I remembered that Fong had mentioned purchasing items that could help the people in the Tutorial grow their Stats and even their Skill levels and Rankings. Was that the key? Could Alchemists make¡ªwhat? Stat Potions? Skill Potions? My mind whirled as I continued to think of ever more elaborate and convoluted possibilities. Thankfully, Fong came out of the room at that moment, stopping my speculation. The look he gave me spoke volumes and I didn¡¯t need him to say anything to know I should wait to ask any questions I had. Fong¡¯s mouth did move and the translation kicked in a moment later, ¡°Follow me. I¡¯ve been told to find you a room in one of the inner buildings. Also I will introduce you to the guards, so you can access the Alchemy Academy¡¯s rooms with most of the stored Herbs. This way.¡± The Shadows, sadly, separated from their places on the hallway walls and followed, meaning I probably wasn¡¯t going to get a chance to ask any questions. Not yet at least. We left the building the same way we came in and crossed the street to the next building directly across from Maelstrom''s. The Shadows following us, making me more nervous just by my sheer proximity¡ªeven if by proxy, to Kai, but also due to the man¡¯s words inside. Fong eventually coughed politely to get my attention, which made me realize I was standing stock still just outside the entrance to the other building. He gave me a sad smile. ¡°Do not worry overly much. Kai is not a bad man. He is just a bit single-minded in his focus on the Tribe.¡± He mumbled something else that the translation didn¡¯t pick up. It only gave me a single word. ¡®¡ªmade¡ª¡¯ which left me more confused. Fong grimaced after he saw my expression, and waved away my concern. ¡°Sorry, just my own musings. If you can truly become an Alchemist, you¡¯ve somehow ended up exactly where you need to be,¡± Fong continued, before turning around and walking into the building. ¡°Perhaps it is providence.¡± Like that statement didn¡¯t make me more confused. Still, at least his earlier words reassured me a little bit. As soon as I walked into the building, I could tell it was different than the last one. The hallways were far wider, at least on the main floor we entered on. Another stark difference was the lighting. In here, the lights were closer to true sunlight, or at least LED¡¯s that could mimic them. The other building had been left almost intentionally dark, which seemed odd, until I glanced at the four Shadows. They looked truly miserable in the bright light. Not like it was hurting them, but it just highlighted all the oddities that made them clearly not human. In the building with Maelstrom and on top of the roof, I could mistake them for living beings. In here? There was just no chance of that. The clothes looked almost see-through, gossamer and semi-real. I reached out to touch the dark cloak of one and had my hand grabbed by Fong. He shook his head with a soft smile. In truth, the Shadows looked like black, wooden puppets made from poor-quality wood. The intimidation I felt from them reduced greatly with their appearance shift. Right in front of the entrance was a staircase that went up a half story before ending in an atrium reminiscent of High School entryways. A quick glance inside an open door as we climbed those stairs further correlated this building toward a school.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. There were large rooms filled with desks and chalkboards, which admittedly¡ªwere a bit outdated, but I definitely didn¡¯t think I was going to be able to get a Tablet or Laptop in here. So, I guessed blackboards and paper was going to have to suffice. I did have my cellphone, and the lights above seemed to at least imply the existence of electricity. The only problem with that¡ªI didn¡¯t have a charger. I wondered if anyone else in the Tutorial had brought one? It sure would be nice to be able to keep notes on something a bit more secure than paper notebooks. My assumptions became dashed when I discovered that the desks in the rooms held only beakers, flasks, titration apparatuses and other Alchemy equipment. I only grew more confused when I found two to three people working within each room. I pointed to them and Fong smiled. ¡°You didn¡¯t think you would be the only one, did you?¡± ¡°Then how¡ª¡± I began, clearly meaning to ask about the war, which got me a raised hand and a look at the ¡®Shadows¡¯. Fong approached two men in leather armor, and they snapped to attention. The man with blonde hair and blue eyes spoke and a moment later the words came through the translator. ¡°Sergeant Fong! It¡¯s good that you¡¯re back. Our current teachers of the sword¡ª¡± Fong cut him off with a raised hand. ¡°¡ªI¡¯m not back. This is Brodie, a newbie I picked up while outside Tutorial Town. He thinks he can use his Skill for Alchemy. I¡¯m here to introduce him and get him settled.¡± ¡°Another one, for the inheritance?¡± The blue-eyed man said, eyeing me up and down. ¡°Is he going to study anything else?¡± He asked. Fong looked at me, seeming to be expecting me to respond. I stared back at him, and gave a small shrug, trying to convey how lost I was. ¡°I like to cook¡­¡± Fong chuckled, turning back to the guard. ¡°He didn¡¯t mention any weapon proficiencies or that his Skill may be able to find combat uses. Let¡¯s let him get settled and decide after his first week.¡± The man saluted Fong and then turned to the second guard. ¡°Adam, since you can speak English, go get him settled.¡± ¡°Yes, Erik!¡± Adam said with a salute. I was thankful to hear some actual emotions instead of the robotic tones of the translator. ¡°What was your name, again?¡± Adam said, directing the question at me. ¡°Brodie,¡± I answered quickly. ¡°Okay, Brodie¡ªthis way. We¡¯ll get you settled on the fourth floor. It¡¯s nearing night-time, according to the Sun Stones, so probably best to find you a bed.¡± Adam marched off, hand on his sword, and I was left with the choice to follow after him or stay with the only man I felt I knew in this Tutorial, Fong. Fong smiled at me and gave me a motion that clearly said I should move now or risk losing Adam. I sighed and took off at a brisk walk to match Adam¡¯s. The Shadows, thankfully stayed with Fong¡ªwhich made me realize that I probably wasn¡¯t their target from the very beginning. At least the Alchemy choice didn¡¯t appear to be totally the wrong one. Maybe. As soon as we were in the stairwell and I had caught up to Adam a bit I asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on with the whole thing about Alchemist¡¯s causing a war?¡± Adam looked at me over his shoulder. ¡°Did you not know about that before you said your Skill could be useful in Alchemy?¡± ¡°Fong had said Gatherers often become Crafters in the Tutorial¡­¡± I mumbled. ¡°Well shit, here I thought you were just another Inheritance chaser,¡± I blinked and Adam shrugged. ¡°Back to your first question though. It wasn¡¯t ¡®Alchemistsss¡¯,¡± Adam stressed the plural. ¡°It was one Alchemist that caused the war. You see, in our Shop we have a Skill for purchase that allows an Alchemist to Mass Produce Potions, Pills, Elixirs and Tonics. The last guy who had it was a bit of a monster, and could create powerful items for Tribe use, and then replicate them. It was really giving us an edge for a while¡ªso the other Tribes banded together to assassinate him. ¡°We protected him and retaliated of course, killing their Tribes¡¯ Inheritors. So each Tribe is kind of in the same boat.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± I said, even as I continued to climb flights of stairs. ¡°I thought you couldn¡¯t fight in town?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t, as long as War isn¡¯t declared. Once War was declared, the Guards vanished. It became pretty bad for a while. Thankfully, after the Inheritors were killed¡ªthe War quickly came to a stop.¡± ¡°Why would anyone want to become an Inheritor then?¡± I asked. Adam gave me a withering look, that seemed to question my manhood. I let it slide off. Getting assassinated simply because people knew you had a Skill seemed like a really dumb decision. Adam looked away only long enough to open the stairway door and exit, followed closely by me. ¡°Risking your life to get such an amazing Skill will ensure you¡¯re set once you get out of this place,¡± Adam answered. It was my turn to give Adam a withering stare. ¡°Do you know of a way out of here?¡± Adam¡¯s jaw clenched and he didn¡¯t reply. In fact, he doubled his pace and arrived at a door with numbers on it far in advance of myself. I called out after him. ¡°Can¡¯t have a ¡®set¡¯ life if you''re dead, right?¡± I slowly walked up reading the three numbers. Four-twenty-one. ¡°This is your room,¡± Adam stated and touched the door handle. ¡°Guards have access to all rooms, and I¡¯ve just activated the door to recognize the next Mana Signature to touch it. Push a bit of Mana into the handle and it will only allow you access, along with anyone you grant permission.¡± I stepped closer, but Adam was already blowing by me, his parting words were stiff and unpleasant. ¡°Good day!¡± I guess I had said something wrong¡­ 102 Tutorial Day 2 I¡¯m unembarrassed to say that I passed out in the double bed as soon as I saw it. I didn¡¯t even bother looking around the rest of the room. The pillow and white linen sheets were just too inviting. Now, as I blearily opened my eyes and found myself in an alien room, many things were coming back to me, along with worries that my brain had dismissed yesterday. I had been transported to a Tutorial World or something like it. Literally vanishing from a Portal on Earth to arrive here. Vanishing from a Portal filled with workers and my family! Any sluggishness I felt vanished as I sat bolt upright. What did my family think had happened to me? Kai¡¯s offhand comment about being here thirty years, as well as Fong¡¯s locket, took on a-whole-nother meaning. First, that number was impossible. Humanity hadn¡¯t had the System that long, so he likely just meant nearly thirty years. But, if I had to spend twenty four years here, like he likely had, what would my family think happened to me? The answer was glaringly obvious¡ªthey would think I died. My infuriating Mental Fortitude Skill inserted a thought into my head. ¡®At least I had left them in a good place.¡¯ I picked up my pillow and attempted to tear it apart. I figured I would be able to with my Strength Stat of Ten. The fabric proved itself to be stronger than I could have ever imagined. What was it made of? That tangent almost succeeded in pushing my worries off the center stage in my brain, but I shook the considerations away with a few thumping punches into the offending pillow. There were still so many other issues. Smegma had vanished just before I was teleported here. That likely meant that he or his Demonic Vault Skill were undergoing an evolution. But it didn¡¯t have to mean that. What if the Demon was somehow locked out of this place? How could I possibly¡ª This time Mental Fortitude was beyond helpful in stopping the toilet bowl of my negativity. I sighed. It was right, I hadn¡¯t even tried to access Demonic Vault this time¡ªso I may still be able to. Sending a bit of Mana into the large Sun that was the Skill in my Mental Universe did yield results.
Demonic Vault 4.3.4 Crendalar Five ¨C Abyss Sect¡¯s Wares Skills Consumables Armor Miscellaneous Available Currency: 142,011 mC (Mana Coins)
I was unsure if that was a good or bad thing if I was being honest. It ruled out the Skill going through an upgrade. Or at least I figured it did¡ªsince the last few had rendered the Skill unusable. So, then where was Smegma? My worry increased exponentially thinking I might be trapped in a Tutorial Realm, Planet or Dimension, without the Demons knowledge of the System. Outdated or not¡­ Still, it wasn¡¯t something to worry about just yet. He¡¯d always returned before, right? I moved to the Miscellaneous tab and began scrolling through options. Thankfully, Alchemy Equipment wasn¡¯t far into the list. Disappointingly there were no Recipe Books or instruction manuals listed. Maybe I¡¯d get one with the purchase? But based on the Miner¡¯s Pick, I doubted that.
Miscellaneous Professions Gear Alchemy Pill Cauldron (1) Low-F-Rank Durability: Unlimited This Pill Cauldron needs a constant application of Mana, Endurance and Qi to run. It will repair and strengthen itself making it unbreakable. The Pill Cauldron will create more even Flames the better the Magic Control. Cost: 100,000 mC ¡ª Miscellaneous Professions Gear Alchemy Potion Making Set (1) Low-F-Rank Durability: Unlimited This Potion Making Set uses precise knowledge and measurements to create base liquids that can be infused with Endurance, Mana or Qi to realize their full effects. The set will repair and strengthen itself making it unbreakable. The Potion Making Set will create better Elixir¡¯s Potions and Flasks with more precise Magic Control. Cost: 1¡¯000,000 mC ¡ª Miscellaneous Professions Gear Alchemy Body Enhancement Tub (1) Low-F-Rank Durability: Unlimited This Tub uses is designed to contain and strengthen herbal mixtures designed to force body evolutions. The creation of which needs precise knowledge and measurements to create. The set will repair and strengthen itself from body run offs making it unbreakable. Cost: 100,000 mC
There were a few other items related to Alchemy that I didn¡¯t quite understand, and so I skipped them. Of the three I wanted, the Potion Making Set was the one I wanted the most. The reason was simple. Potions, Elixirs and Flasks were by far the only items I¡¯d heard of or seen on Earth. However, the price tag made it impossible in my current situation. I¡¯d never heard of a Body Enhancement Tub, and figured I¡¯d like Smegma to explain that one to me before I purchased it. The Alchemy Pill Cauldron I had heard mentioned by Smegma already. It was what he had suggested I get to help heal Eva¡ªanother thing I¡¯d left undone.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Strangely, when I was downstairs I hadn¡¯t seen many Pill Cauldrons, if any. I couldn¡¯t recall them, at the very least. Maybe I could go out on a few excursions and collect Crystals, Cores or something similar to exchange for mC? As long as the selling feature worked without Smegma¡­ I attempted to sell one of the Scales from my Necklace and discovered that it was functioning. I quickly canceled that transaction, still feeling like the HeartScale and its smaller compatriots were needed. This wasn¡¯t a decision I needed to make right now anyway. First, I should explore my new room and this building. Maybe I could find some things with some value that wouldn¡¯t be missed¡­ I got out of bed and found a set of blue clothes folded neatly atop a dresser that I hadn¡¯t made note of the previous night. Had someone come in and placed the clothes there when I slept? No, Adam had said that only people I gave access could enter. Well, and me and the guards, I supposed. Somewhat out of spite I attempted to sell the blue robe and got no response from Demonic Vault. Figured. This clothing must have already been there when I entered. Taking a look at myself highlighted just how badly I needed them. My clothes were about to fall off. All except for my Miner¡¯s Boots which were held together by the thin metal that protected my feet. I chuckled and slid the rest of the way off the bed. My laughter died as the lights turned on in the room and the bed glowed for a brief instant. I caught the glow from the corner of my eye and spun to find the bed made up behind me. ¡°Wow, my parents would have loved this!¡± I whispered, and gave a low whistle. I stared at the bed for another minute¡ªdebating about messing it up just to see it function again. However, I wasn¡¯t sure if it only worked once per day or something like that, so in the end I left it alone¡ªmostly due to not wanting to potentially create extra work for myself. Instead I spun and examined the rest of my room. There was a bedside table with a lamp on it. A lamp that wasn¡¯t lit, which led my gaze to the ceiling, where a massive overhead fixture was sunk. It was what provided the nearly blinding amounts of light. After that I noted that I had two closets. One looked normal, with sliding doors, and another that literally looked like a floor to ceiling nook with no doors. I opened the closet first and found two other sets of clothes. One black set, that consisted of a tight lycra t-shirt, and pants and another robe that had white coloring, and a green leaf symbol over the left breast. I stared at it, marking it as odd. It looked a bit like a Doctor¡¯s uniform¡ªwhich might mean it was meant for a Healer. So, either everyone got the same uniforms, this room had a previous owner who had left some clothes behind, or the room was able to analyze and take Roles into account¡­ I decided right then that no one would be coming into my room. Not until I knew more. Next, I went to check the cubby and felt that strange tingle run over my skin as soon as I walked into it. I froze, and then stepped back out, looking at myself. I ran my tongue over my teeth and felt a distinct lack of fuzziness that I associated with cleanliness. I stripped out of my defunct clothing and stepped back into the nook. The same sensation washed over me, and I smiled. I could get used to a magic shower. It was certainly going to be a time saver. Maybe not great for my sanity¡ªsince I enjoyed long scalding hot showers when I needed time to collect myself¡ªbut then again I¡¯d been having those far less frequently thanks to Mental Fortitude. I put on the blue robe, hoping it was something for Alchemists or Gatherers and then moved to my door. I opened it and found myself face to face with Adam, who had a hand raised to begin pounding on the exterior. He looked upset. ¡°I¡¯ve been husking knocking for five minutes. Did you not change the settings to notify you?¡± He shouted. I winced. Maybe he was supposed to say something like that to me after he told me to bind the door¡ªbut he¡¯d left in a bit of a huff. ¡°Oops,¡± I mumbled and then spun to apply the setting changes he¡¯d failed to instruct me on the previous night. ¡°Oops?¡± Adam scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re lucky you opened the door now, otherwise you¡¯d definitely have missed breakfast. The only reason I was sent up here was to inform you that you had fifteen minutes until the buffet closes and the classrooms return to Alchemy stalls!¡± With that message delivered, Adam stormed away, clearly still unimpressed with me and my lack of discipline. Or at least I figured it was something along those lines. I rushed down the stairs nearest my room, and thankfully did arrive on the ground floor while there was still a massive table of food set up in the center of the Foyer. I rushed to grab a plate and then looked around to find a place to sit and eat. What I discovered explained what Adam had meant when he said the classrooms ¡®returned¡¯ to Alchemy stalls. Many of the stalls were currently filled with groups of men and women wearing the same blue robe as me. I considered joining an existing group but thought better of it. I needed to eat quickly and I¡¯d likely have other opportunities to speak with the people here. However, I only had one such chance to eat before the Alchemy equipment might magically reappear. I quickly grabbed a helping of some type of meat in gravy, a biscuit-like bread, some saut¨¦ed greens and something that had the same fluffy consistency of eggs, while clearly not being the earthly eggs I knew of. Mostly because of the purple coloring. I rushed to an empty table and began scarfing down my food, discovering that it was all quite delicious. I caught a few people giving me looks as I hurried to finish, but ignored them for now¡ªwanting to possibly go back for seconds. The purple eggs were, in fact, the exact same consistency as normal scrambled eggs, making them far more palatable¡ªas long as you ignored the color. The meat tasted like pork but clearly was more gamey. The ¡®vegetables¡¯ were the best part but what they were, I couldn¡¯t tell. I managed to get a second plate, by skipping the biscuit for now. Thankfully, the table I sat at didn¡¯t magically refill with Alchemy Beakers, Flasks and other apparatuses. Instead, the people around me began to stand up and slowly clean up their areas before they themselves moved to gather equipment from nearby glass cupboards that I had failed to notice. The central buffet wasn¡¯t cleaned up but there was a far more ¡®mundane¡¯ method for its removal. One of the guards approached and simply summoned the whole thing into a Spacial Bag. I briefly wondered what would happen to the heating elements if the Bag froze things like my Necklace, but dismissed it as unimportant. A lady in her mid-thirties approached my table and coughed politely. ¡°Do you mind if I start getting Alchemy Equipment out and placing it on one side of the table ¡®till you finish.¡± Mouth full of food, I nodded and gave her a universal thumbs up. She thankfully had spoken English and also understood my gestures. With a polite smile, she began moving to the nearest cupboard as I continued to stuff my face. By the time she returned with her first load, I was left with only the biscuit and a mouth mostly empty. Carefully, I asked, ¡°Where do I put the plates?¡± She smiled and pointed to a table in the corner of the room, currently empty of all plates but with a guard standing by it, tapping his foot. I rushed over and the man snatched the plate out of my hand, making it vanish right after my fingers left it. ¡°Next time, show up on time, newbie.¡± I shook my head and moved back to the table to see if the friendly girl was willing to chat. She was setting out equipment. I stopped a good five feet from her and said, ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Brodie. Thanks for your help.¡± She smiled at me, and answered, ¡°You¡¯re welcome, now kindly husk off. I¡¯ve got work to do and don¡¯t like people hovering.¡± I blinked at her casual dismissal of me¡ªwith a smile no less, and then stepped back when I realized she meant it. I looked around the room and discovered many groups and individuals in the same situation. Each group clearly was already getting to work, moving back and forth between cupboards and collecting herbs. Some conversations could be overheard. ¡°We need the Gatherers to really start focusing on less Grasses and Herbs, and finding more Fruits.¡± ¡°You know as well as I do that the Fruits are often eaten in the field. Don¡¯t expect too much¡ªsince they spoil so quickly.¡± ¡°Are we out of Blood Leaf again?¡± ¡°We had so much more resources before the War¡­¡± I stood there just listening to the scattered conversations, unsure if I should be attempting anything. Eventually, I made a decision and moved to the cupboards and drawers which I¡¯d seen other individuals collecting materials from. Mostly, I just wanted to check them out, but I was also hoping that my Skill would recognize a few. After several minutes of searching, I had to admit that I was way out of my league in this room. I slowly left and checked the other classrooms. My mood soured further each time I discovered new containers of Powders and Herbs that my Skill couldn¡¯t recognize even with the name provided. Finally, I entered the smallest and least frequented room and immediately knew something was different. Just looking at a few of the cupboards and shelves I could see blue hovering plaques.
Fire Grass Rank: Low-F
I instantly recognized the red plaque since my Mining Skill and done something similar. Of course, then it had given me information on the vein as well as the rank and name, but I instantly felt better knowing that one of my two Gardener Skills would be able to help me¡ªespecially if I leveled it. 103 Tutorial Day 2 I didn¡¯t instantly go take stock of the rest of the shelves and instead returned to the foyer and the guards it held. Approaching one of them got me a look of disdain, which spoke pretty loudly. It was clear that the guards didn¡¯t think too highly of Crafters. Taking a deep breath, I steeled my nerves and asked, ¡°I¡¯m new here. Are the things on the shelves for us to use freely?¡± ¡°As long as you¡¯re wearing that blue robe, and pay the fees, then yes,¡± the Guard said, his voice strangely mocking. I knew he was attempting to be disparaging and my brain worked overtime to find the hidden meanings, if there was more than one. I could only find one. ¡°Meaning that the robe can be taken away?¡± The second guard gave a hint of a smile, which screamed the answer even though the other guard only shrugged. Instead of responding, I thanked them for answering my question and walked away. As I left, I heard the second smiling guard whisper, ¡°It¡¯s always so satisfying to throw them out!¡± Now I only had one further question and since there were more guards at the bottom of the half set of stairs from the entryway, I approached them. ¡°If I choose to go Gather materials on a mission, will I lose my Alchemist Robes?¡± They blinked at me, seeming confused by the question. They even looked at each other, not seeming to be confident in giving me an answer. Eventually one of the two took the lead and stumbled over his first words, ¡°Ummm, well no. Alchemists only lose their designation if they¡¯re in debt with the Tribe after each thirty-day cycle.¡± ¡°Do they have to pay back that debt?¡± I asked, thinking I was understanding what the function of this place was. Not only would I have to pay for Food and my stay, which I¡¯d learned from Fong¨Cbut also any ingredients I used in Alchemy. ¡°Of course!¡± The guard answered, much more sure of this answer. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said and then continued, ¡°Where can I find Tribe members going out on missions?¡± ¡°Just before the District Exit is for our Tribe exclusively. If you don¡¯t find what you¡¯re looking for there, you can enter the Square and find a random group.¡± Again, the way the guard said ¡®random¡¯ set alarm bells off in my head. Either Maelstrom looked down on Tribe members joining others, or joining random groups was dangerous. Regardless, I wasn¡¯t going to be making that mistake. Nodding to the men, I returned to my room and changed into the black Lycra-like clothing, hoping it was what marked Gatherers. It was pleasantly tight on the arms and chest, while the pants were still somewhat baggy and cool. I did wonder how they would feel once the sun hit them, but also put on my old Mining Gear over them, just to have some protection if Monsters attacked¡ªwhich should also serve to keep a great deal of the punishment from the multiple suns off the black attire. After I was changed, I left the Alchemist Building, which I had yet to discover a name for. Outside, I walked back up the main street of the District back toward the Square. My mind was abuzz with thoughts as my body fully finished waking up after breakfast. It was quite clear to me that the goods in that building belonged to the Tribe. Each one had a price, and as such, using them would incur that cost onto the Alchemist. If the Alchemist succeeded in making something of value, then it likely belonged to the Tribe as well. In that quasi-ownership, I wasn¡¯t yet sure of a few things. Amongst those was if the Tribe paid the Alchemist in credit for usable products, if those prices were a fair wage, or if the Tribe charged Alchemists and other Crafters for the provided food I¡¯d partaken in. Fong had made it clear that I would be charged for the room, but not how much. No matter the answer to those questions the result was still the same. It was better to go find my own supply of resources. At least until Smegma returned, or if the Demon truly was unable to be in the Tutorial--until I learned more. The good news for me, was that as far as Gathering went, I had the ability to perform multiple roles¡ªwhich hopefully would mean I could find a group. Between one block and the next, I was into the ¡®poor¡¯ area of the District, which invoked further considerations. Were these people the ones who thought like me? The ones who chose to go it on their own without the Tribe¡¯s ¡®full support¡¯? Or were they just unfavorable Professions? Low Skill levels? UnSkilled Crafters? Some of the people exiting the wooden houses were also Combat Hunters, which gave me some hope. It was likely just cheaper to live out here. Maybe you wouldn¡¯t get breakfast, the strange magic shower, and constant guards, but you also wouldn¡¯t end up in debt to Maelstrom. A thought I¡¯d just had brought me up short. Why the ¡®unnecessary¡¯ Guards? Surely if you couldn¡¯t harm others¡­ then I realized. It was to settle disputes and prevent theft! Nodding to myself I continued my walk. I¡¯d try to find out more from the group I joined. There was still the question of how the members of Maelstrom felt about the Tribe. When I got to the entrance, I quickly discovered a complication. Many of the people that had been exiting houses simply walked directly to a group and then waited. There was no shouting of what groups would need. No, this was like a series of well-oiled machines that had been running efficiently from eight-to-five for years. Even as I watched, groups collected final members and left. I wondered how many Maelstrom groups had already started their days. Swallowing the nervousness I felt, I rushed to speak to the nearest group. ¡°Do you need a Gatherer by any chance?¡± I hurried to say. The members looked at me, taking in my Mining gear and shook their heads in near unison. Thinking they might have assumed I could only Mine, due to the gear, I added, ¡°I can collect Herbs, Skin and Butcher as well.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. A few of the individuals perked up a bit, at that but a man sitting near the middle sighed wearily. ¡°Everyone here can Skin and Butcher kid. It¡¯s not a hard Skill to pick up. Do you actually have a Skill that will help you Gather Herbs and maintain their freshness?¡± ¡°Well, I do have a Skill that will direct me to some extent up to high-F-rank, and I also have a Skill that will store them in a frozen state.¡± The lie about the Necklace of Holding was a bit spur of the moment, but I realized in a cold sweat that claiming to have a Bag of Holding might make me a target of thievery, same tribe or not. Not to mention the Mammoth Bear¡¯s insinuation that people might just kill me for Points. The leader scratched his beard and looked at a few other Gatherers that sat in a group of four inside the circle of eight Hunters. They looked back at him with distaste clearly written on their faces. The man shook his head and answered, ¡°Sorry kid, we have all the Gatherers we need.¡± Nodding, I moved on. I could tell he would likely have taken me, if it was his decision alone. My guess was that there was a contract of sorts between the Gatherers and Hunters¡ªlike it was back on Earth. So, disrupting that would take negotiations that he wasn¡¯t willing to deal with. Four more groups had similar responses and another five groups left before I could even get to them. Finally, I was left with three groups remaining in the Square. Two of which were large and looked like every other group that had already left or denied me. The final group had four members in what would be a stretch to call serviceable armor. I had a feeling where I would end up, but stubbornly I approached the two larger groups and was denied. The group of four was my final option, and I sighed. One of the reasons I hadn¡¯t approached them yet, was the distinct lack of other Gatherers standing or sitting with them. It didn¡¯t bode well. Nor did their attire and age. They were likely the same age as me, and even I could admit that I had no business leading a group. There was a decision to make, and with a few deep breaths, I made it. Going back to the Alchemist Building and wasting resources would simply dig me into a hole. As would eating ¡®free food¡¯ and staying there. The rejections wouldn¡¯t change from one day to the next either. ¡°Husk, I wish Smegma was here,¡± I grumbled under my breath. I knew that with him this wouldn¡¯t have even become a problem. I likely could have created a Pill with his help and the equipment available or maybe even a Potion¡­ That thought showed me just how much I relied on the Demon, and that made up my mind. If I wanted to be a Hunter, I needed to take a risk. I walked up to the final group. The only good news was that they were far less threatening in looks than most of the others. One of them smiled at my approach and stepped forward to meet me. With an excited voice he said, ¡°I was wondering how long it would take for you to arrive at the same conclusion we all did. I¡¯m London, what¡¯s your name?¡± The young man had dirty blonde hair, brown eyes, and stood a whole foot shorter than me. However, where I was tall and slim, London was stocky. The shield and sword he carried looked like they¡¯d seen a lot of use too. He even held out his hand to shake. I grasped it and answered, ¡°Brodie, I¡¯m a Gatherer¡ªI can¡ª¡± ¡°We heard you with the other groups,¡± a soft voice interjected. ¡°We could really use your services if you¡¯d be willing.¡± My gaze found the speaker, and I was somewhat surprised to see a young lady with two fencing swords on her hip. I knew that style of blade had a name, but couldn¡¯t recall it. London took pity on me and said, ¡°She doesn¡¯t speak to just anyone, so she must already like something about you. This is Sarah.¡± Sarah was the only one of the group that was shorter than London. Her features were definitely feminine when standing this close, but since she wore a leather hood and tight fitting armor, it hadn¡¯t been immediately apparent that she was a woman. Of her facial features, I could only see a small nose that was almost unpointed and light eyes that could have been green or blue. ¡°What do you guys usually do?¡± I asked, not wanting to commit to a group that entered Dungeons in this place. Not without understanding what that even meant. ¡°We¡¯ve been going out and killing Monsters,¡± another member of the group said. His tone was anything but excited, especially when compared to London¡¯s. ¡°You can tell by our gear how well that¡¯s going!¡± The speaker was a tall man with a long sword resting on his metal-plated shoulder. His straw colored hair was what I would normally describe as a bird¡¯s nest, and his face was freckled to such a high degree that one could almost call it a tan¡ªif it hadn¡¯t been broken up by patches of pale white. His eyes, like London''s, were brown. ¡°This is Gavin. Don¡¯t pay his tone much mind. He just wants to buy plate armor and can¡¯t afford it,¡± London explained, his voice still exuberant. ¡°However, if we finally have a Gatherer, that could change.¡± ¡°Not if he¡¯s useless!¡± The final member of the group whispered a bit too loudly to be called under their breath. The last member was also a woman. But where Sarah was small and lithe, this woman was tall and stocky. However, she was the only one not wearing a sword or any visible weapon. She had dark black hair and wore an expression that made her seem to be smelling dog shit right under her nose. Her deep chocolate brown eyes didn¡¯t meet mine¡ªtelling me that she hadn¡¯t meant the comment to be confrontational. ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee anything, since I just arrived,¡± I admitted. ¡°I was pretty good back on Earth, but that might just mean I¡¯m the worst Gatherer in the Tutorial for all I know. Still, I¡¯ll be better than nothing.¡± ¡°This is Jacky. She thinks of herself as a realist,¡± London explained, and then in a low whisper he added, ¡°Most of the time people just call her a rude-witch.¡± I held my face neutral at the joke, even as Jacky¡¯s eyes came up to glare at London. ¡°I don¡¯t have to hear what you say to know you just called me a name!¡± London broke into laughter, while simultaneously shrugging at Jacky. ¡°Then maybe learn to actually mutter under your breath. Or stop ¡®keeping it real¡¯.¡± Jacky scrunched up her nose but let the retort go unchallenged. London smiled and then turned to me, ¡°You game to give us a shot? We¡¯d gladly give you a sixty-forty split.¡± ¡°Eighty-twenty,¡± I retorted, having been around Smegma enough to know that haggling was a necessity, when you didn¡¯t know the actual value you had. ¡°Come on!¡± Jacky complained. ¡°Sixty-forty was a deal. Those big groups do fifty-fifty at best.¡± London held up a hand. ¡°We¡¯ll go seventy-thirty, but Equipment repairs come out of your cut. Deal?¡± ¡°Uhhh,¡± I motioned at their current gear. ¡°That seems a bit unfair.¡± London smiled. ¡°Deal or no deal?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pay for repairs, within reason,¡± I answered. ¡°By ¡®within reason¡¯, I mean if it exceeds ten percent, then the rest is on you, and not for anything that happened before I joined.¡± ¡°Fine!¡± London answered, his voice filled with false sadness even as he winked and held out his hand. Jacky¡¯s face soured further, which I hadn¡¯t thought possible, but the other three nodded. Sarah even went as far as to crack a half smile. I didn¡¯t shake right away and instead asked, ¡°Where do you usually Hunt?¡± London¡¯s smile came back and he pointed in a vague direction. ¡°We don¡¯t go out of sight of Tutorial Town. You know, the classic Bunny Hunters.¡± I laughed, knowing he was meaning it as a joke. It was a classic RPG trope that you usually had to hunt small creatures such as Bunnies to gain power early in a game. Let¡¯s hope hunting Bunnies around Tutorial Town didn¡¯t require Holy Hand Grenades¡­ 104 Tutorial Day 2 Leaving town made me more anxious than I thought it would. Due to Mental Fortitude, I had to truly concentrate on that feeling to know I was feeling it, but when I did¡ªit was certainly there. Especially when our group of young adults crossed through the milling crowd just outside the Gates. That step from paving stones to hard packed mud, was the hardest I¡¯d taken since arriving in the Tutorial. I felt the cleaning magic pass over me again, making goosebumps rise. I almost held my breath. However, Mental Fortitude allowed my brain to counter my physical response with calm calculation. I possessed a Skill that most people here probably did not. Plus, at this point, no one knew about it. The calmness and logic inside my head reserved by Mental Fortitude simply pointed to a single Skill of mine to alleviate the chill. Recovery. I had it, and it would certainly increase my survivability. I wasn¡¯t the only one in my group that was feeling the increased tension. A quick glance showed that the two women were holding their breath and the two guys were breathing heavily, like they had been jogging here. Did they go through this same ¡®gauntlet¡¯ each morning? Instantly I began to sweat, as the perfect temperature of the city changed back to the humid heat that I vaguely recalled from yesterday. I gained a newfound respect for the group¡ªrealizing that they were far braver than I¡¯d originally known. I¡¯d only been past this entrance once and somewhat forgotten about the milling crowd of people. The eyes of the rabble followed the group. I could tell that a few were cataloging my presence with them. A few individuals made it more obvious by narrowing eyes before rushing back inside. I was pretty sure the people manning the Gates in the Central Square would already have informed the other Tribes about me, but I guessed that there was a second layer of informants mixed in amongst these people. Would Maelstrom be upset that I didn¡¯t immediately start working toward Alchemy? It had certainly seemed important to the man. Whatever the significance of that Inheritance was, it seemed it could either help him directly or the Tribe. I hadn¡¯t gotten a good enough read on the leader to tell which yet. My mind scolded me as I tried to begin speculating on what the other Tribes would do with the knowledge of a new Tutorial arrival. I had zero information on them. I figured I could fix that, and as soon as we were close to a kilometer from the gates, I turned to London. ¡°As you know, I just got here. Can you tell me about the other three Tribes?¡± I almost added a ¡®please¡¯, but killed my inner Canadian. I didn¡¯t want to pander. Plus, London had seemed like a talker when we first met. ¡°Oh, yeah. Sure,¡± London said, coming out of his own anxiety ridden state thanks to my leading question. I watched as he shook the remaining goosebumps off himself before smiling and regarding me seriously. ¡°I know you said you can Gather almost anything, but don¡¯t go getting any ideas on trying to change Tribes. I don¡¯t think anyone has survived that before.¡± That statement caused me to frown and consider. What could London say that would make me want to switch Tribes? ¡°The Maelstrom Tribe is known as the Mage District. That¡¯s because the Skills that are offered inside its Tower are all Caster-based, that and Swords but the Sword Skills are kind of weak¡ª¡± London cut-off as Sarah gave him an elbow to his kidneys. The short woman had to make the gesture at about her head height to not hit him in the mid thigh or hip. He looked to her and somehow her scowl and impatient gesture at me conveyed something to him. ¡°Oh, right!¡± He exclaimed. ¡°You¡¯re a Gatherer so you likely would also want to know what Profession Skills the Tower has. Maelstrom is known for Alchemy. Happy?¡± He said the last pointedly to Sarah who nodded. ¡°After Maelstrom in the North, is the Warrior District in the East. It¡¯s owned by the Hero Tribe. Its Tower supposedly offers Body Strengthening Skills, and a good variety of weapon Skills. For the Crafting side of things, its known for Armor and Weapons¡ª¡± Jacky broke in. ¡°Blacksmithing, you moron. They both fall under Blacksmithing.¡± London¡¯s face shaded slightly red, as he tried to pointedly ignore Jacky and continue, ¡°¡ªThen there¡¯s the South, which is known as the Assassin District. Its Tribe is called Shadow, and most of us can only conjecture what its Tower specifically offers. Definitely Skills that are based around sneaky shit.¡± He caught another elbow from Sarah. ¡°Oh, umm yeah no idea on the Crafting stuff there. It¡¯s speculation that they work with Leather, or Enchanting since the other Districts don¡¯t have those. I¡¯ve never spoken to a member of their Tribe, if I¡¯m honest.¡± ¡°How would you know if you did?¡± Gavin asked. ¡°We never see anyone entering or exiting their District through the gate. You can only see the Guards on duty at the gate, and the heads atop the walls. So if they got out and claimed they were from another Tribe, you¡¯d simply have to take their word for it.¡± ¡°Unless you have a Truth Skill,¡± Jacky countered. ¡°Right, cause there¡¯s so many of those in here!¡± London responded a bit too hotly for what I felt the comment warranted, letting me know he was still upset over the name calling earlier. Jacky stuck her tongue out and flipped him the bird as she pointedly turned away from him. It might have been amusing if this wasn¡¯t the group I was about to Hunt with. As it stood their dynamic just made me nervous. London continued though, distracting me from that line of thinking. ¡°The West District is kind of a catch-all. It¡¯s got Skills that don¡¯t focus on any one area. They also are the weakest of the Districts because of that. The Tribe is called the Hunter Tribe, and I guess they do produce more ranged fighters than any but the Maelstrom Tribe. They are also not known for any one Crafting Profession. I¡¯ve personally seen members use Magic Traps, Formations, Skill Scrolls and other assorted items in combat.¡± London looked at me after he was finished. ¡°Do any of those sound more appealing to you?¡± Despite him not saying it, I instantly understood his implication from his tone of voice. I looked at the four members of this Hunting party. Only Jacky might have been a Mage, but they were all part of Maelstrom¡ªa Tribe that offered Mage Skills primarily in its Tower. London was projecting his feelings onto me. He wanted to join a different Tribe and from the information he¡¯d just offered¡ªhe¡¯d likely fit better in the East Warrior District¡ªor the Hero Tribe. Next, I studied Sarah, who was small and thus used two rapiers instead of more weighty weapons. I could picture her with two daggers on her hips easily, and if the Southern Shadowy District really did specialize in Stealth, she¡¯d likely be a better fit there. Finally, there was Gavin, a man who wielded a large Sword, which might make him fit with Maelstrom¡ªor it might not. He could also likely fit in the Hero Tribe or maybe in the Hunter¡¯s of the West¡­ I only had to look at my own situation to realize what had likely happened. I was found by someone in Maelstrom and was thus a member. If what London said was true and people who left Tribes were often killed, then they were probably in the exact situation I was. ¡°Why do they kill people who try to leave?¡± I asked, not understanding that particular point. I could perhaps see why Shadow, who was largely secretive, might do so, but the Maelstrom and Hero Tribes seemed to be pretty well-known for what the Towers offered. ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± Gavin answered, causing me to look away from London, who I¡¯d expected the answer from. ¡°We think it¡¯s a hangup from the early days. But we¡¯ve only been here for about five years. Some of the old -hats and the Tribe leaders have been around for thirty plus years.¡± That wording made me stop in my following walk. ¡°Wait¡ªthe Advent was only twenty-four years ago. How can people have been here before that?¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Sarah said as she stopped and spun to look at me. ¡°That was one of my first questions. Maelstrom said it¡¯s total speculation, but he thinks there is a Time Dilation on this place. He wouldn¡¯t give specifics but he definitely arrived well after the Advent and is one of the ones who¡¯s been here for Thirty or more years.¡± The rest of the group had stopped to look at me also. I blinked as my brain turned that information over. So, as others arrived and were asked the year outside, the leaders of this place must have discovered the disparity. My hand rose to the nape of my neck as I began to scratch at the sweating, small hairs that were standing on end.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Bet his next question is about the severity of the Time Dilation,¡± Jacky said haughtily. ¡°Now it will be,¡± London growled. ¡°Way to ruin it Jacky!¡± The group started walking again, as London called back, ¡°It¡¯s approximately three to one. Or that¡¯s the best guess of the smartest people I¡¯ve talked to.¡± My eyes widened. So, I was still in my first day in this place? At least as far as Earth¡¯s time was concerned. So, it could be Saturday night back home? Despite everything, that did make me feel slightly less worried for my family. Surely, I could discover a way out of here before they pronounced me dead, right? Mental Fortitude silenced that line of thinking instantly pointing my attention to the start of the forest and the hovering plaques I could already make out. ¡°Boar,¡± Gavin called, stopping my smile before it managed to raise the edges of my mouth by more than a millimeter. To my surprise, the group seemed to calm in opposition to my slight tension. London moved forward first, his shield swinging off of his shoulder-carry position and onto his forearm. His sword dangled toward the ground a moment before it was flipped and held in a practiced grip. Gavin stepped in on his right shoulder and Sarah on his left, forming a triangle around Jacky who raised her hands, before spinning her neck to look at me. ¡°You¡¯re with me. Get over here. Now!¡± The fact that she didn¡¯t sling any names and even had a commanding voice made me instantly jump to her side. The three in front separated then. London moved forward while the other two moved on forty-five degree angles away from each other, but still toward the grazing boar Gavin had spotted. I could tell it would be alerted to London¡¯s presence first, since he was moving directly toward it. I took the moment to study the creature. It was nowhere near the size of the Porcu-hog, but simultaneously it was more sturdy looking. It was easily six or seven feet at its shoulders and had two gleaming tusks protruding up past its bottom lip, which was clearly apparent with each bite of foliage it took. To my horror, I watched as a plaque near its mouth vanished down its throat. I scanned the forest for the other plaques I could see. Knowing what to look for now, I could see Boars foraging through the trees near a few of them. Damn, so collecting Herbs wasn¡¯t going to be as easy as it looked on first approach. The thick mane of a mohawk on the Boar¡¯s back jumped as it stopped foraging and jerked its head up to stare at London. A few loud grunts sounded out, followed by a squeal, making me unsure if it was angry or afraid. Either way, before I could blink, it leaped forward to begin a charge directly at London. London raised his shield, looking like he was getting ready to meet the couple tons of muscle head-on, and I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how much Strength the kid must possess to be willing to do that. I still hadn¡¯t tested my own limits with ten Strength but I doubted I could even lift double what I used to in the gym. If London was thinking of catching that thing with his legs planted¡ª Gavin and Sarah struck from the sides¡ªGavin with a slash of his great sword at the creature''s front legs, and Sarah with piercing strikes from her rapier that glowed red. Even as her body closed the gap with the bulk of the beast, I saw her arms pumping back and forth in actions that were so quick I couldn¡¯t count them. Needless to say, she struck more than once, but no more than ten times in that split second. The Boar squealed and crashed forward as Gavin¡¯s slash sheared through leg muscles that supported it. London¡¯s shield glowed then and instead of the Boar charging him, the man was suddenly flying forward to charge against its skidding snout. The shield made contact, and the percussive sound was far louder than it had any right to be. It sounded like one of those ornamental tanggu drums that I¡¯d often see the Chinese use on TV. Light from beside me made my head turn to find Jacky weaving her hands and forming something between them. At first I watched on without understanding what I was seeing. My mind oscillated between Wind or Water¡ªuntil I heard the strange crackle that only came from water freezing. She was forming an Ice Spear. Once the spell had become almost totally white around the blue core of the five foot piece of ice, she shot her hands forward and it exploded outward. I followed her trajectory, somewhat worried for London. The Spear passed by his right hip, skewering into the red eye of the Boar. Between one breath and the next, the Boar went limp. The fight was over and I was left marveling at the coordination on display by the four in front of me. I might have had misgivings at first but that teamwork had been beyond impressive. London looked back at me, seemingly unconcerned with how close the Ice Spear was to his hip. ¡°You good to Skin and Butcher this guy?¡± Blinking, I was about to nod when I remembered the foraging Boars and Herbs that were likely still far enough away from the visible ones so I could collect them. Unsure, I suggested, ¡°I should probably collect the visible Herbs first, no?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve never had a Gardener before. Do you think you can get them without pissing off another Boar?¡± I pointed twice in quick succession, then added a third. ¡°Those two for sure, that sapling probably. After that, I doubt it.¡± ¡°Sapling?¡± Gavin asked, turning to look at the small tree I motioned toward. ¡°What good is a tree?¡± Jacky asked, from right beside me. Her volume and level of derision almost making me jump. ¡°It¡¯s a little trick I discovered in a Portal.¡± ¡°Okay we¡¯ll guard you just in case. Plus we all help out with Butchering anyway. We just don¡¯t have Skills for Skinning so we often are just left with scraps.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I¡¯m a bit slow on the Skinning myself, but I think I can get the hide off in one piece.¡± I directed the group to the sapling first, London moving in front of me, and past it to ensure it was safe. One problem quickly became apparent. I had no bucket to place the thing in. Sarah solved it rather quickly though by handing me a bucket made of woven leaves. I wondered if this was something she already had on her, in a Storage item or if she had made it that quickly. I was leaning toward the former, regardless of how fast her hands could move. Soon I had the thing dug out, thanks to my Gardening Tools and we retreated to the two Plaques I could see. Without a pot to put the Sapling in, I first dug another hole outside of the forest and then prepared it for fusing as Smegma had instructed. Afterward, I returned to the nearest Plaque.
Witch Hazel Rank: Low-F Quality: Good Efficacy: 75%
The plant itself was more of a bush with something I¡¯d have called yellow flowers adorning it. One of my two Gardening Skills, I assumed Harvesting, highlighted in blue where I should cut the flowers off. Another line in purple highlighted where I could cut an entire branch off. Due to the angle and clear intention of the Skill that the instructed cuts were those needed to graft it to the sapling behind me, I assumed this was the Gardening Skill that my Status Screen mentioned. I performed the branch trim first with my shears and then hurried it over to the sapling before trimming away a thin branch and inserting the cut stem and some of my Mana into it. Once the wound on the Sapling closed over, I returned to the bush and collected more of the Witch Hazel flowers, following the clear instructions from Harvesting. Sarah crouched beside me and began putting the flower into a Bag. I could tell it was magical because the yellow Witch Hazel vanished from her hand. Guess that answered where my ¡®leaf bucket¡¯ came from. At my glance she explained, ¡°This is a Bag of Holding meant to keep items fresh. It has a time dilation on it, but it isn¡¯t the most expensive. So, if we stay out here the whole day, things will probably lose half of their freshness.¡± After I had collected roughly a hundred Witch Hazel flowers, I moved on, not wanting to collect the entire bush if the plant itself wasn¡¯t too valuable. Plus, leaving the bush to grow more would surely mean I could come back in the future. Unless of course a boar ate it whole¡­ The group protected me as I walked to the next Plaque.
Earth Vine Rank: High-F Quality: Poor Efficacy: 35%
This time, there was no purple line and only two blue ones. I followed the cutting ¡®instructions¡¯ and soon had a wriggling vine in my hand. It felt like a snake trying to escape. I hurriedly held it out to Sarah who made it vanish. The group gave me a look and I answered the unspoken question. ¡°Probably not worth the risk to try to grab any other ones that are closer to the other Boars right now. We¡¯ll Skin and Butcher the first kill, so we don¡¯t have to abandon it if we alert multiple Boars while going for the other Herbs out here that I recognize.¡± Sure, the ¡®recognize¡¯ part was a total lie, but I figured the group needed me to sound like I knew what I was doing instead of relying blindly on my Skill. Then again, for all I knew they were used to others relying on similar Skills. When I turned around and looked at the Boar corpse, I was first shocked to find a Plaque hovering above it. It was a bit far away to read and I first wrote the thing off as being the plant the thing swallowed. I figured that perhaps the System had been just letting me know I could get it from its belly. However, the closer I came the more the size and length of the plaque paired with the color of the lines floating on the Boar¡¯s skin, which began to stand out as different from the ones on the Herbs I¡¯d collected. When I finally got in range and saw the red plaque fully, I realized one other part that stood out. The final portion was orange, and while it clearly had something to do with my Skinning Skill, it also hinted at so much more.
Borker Skin Difficulty Rank: Low-E Damage from Fight: Low Quality: High Skinning Rank: 10-30
Where had that final line been when Harvesting Witch Hazel or Earth Root? What did it mean? At times like this, I wished I had Smegma hovering around annoying me. Even if his knowledge of the current system had some gaps, he still was smart enough to theorize possibilities. I certainly was smart enough too, but it would be nice for someone to confirm my current theory¡ªwas this Tutorial actually simply a place to level Skills, and maybe even Evolve them? Interlude 2 Another Place¡ªA Different Time Amty-oha scowled as she heard the Mining team from an adjacent Clan return. Literally heard them, not because of their boots or gear. No because they sang some stupid dirge to someone who either died in the Portal or did something heroic. Amty-oha was not an expert on their idiot songs. Mining tales of Miners tells, Of one who went to Mine and Fell, For though they crossed the Line within, All Mines and Miners meet their ends. But, ho'' today''s a Mining Day! And lo'' the Miners come to play! We take our Picks for Mining licks, To each our own, the Mining tricks. But woe to those, the Mine it Picks For lo'' they go give Death a Kiss, Who was Kissed amisdt the Dark? T''was Silvia who played their Part! Who Fell that day, like it was Art? T''was Silvia who played the Part! Mining tales of Miner''s Tells, Of one who went to Mine and Fell! Amty-oha tried very hard not to crumple any of the reports on her desk as she was forced to listen to the Miner¡¯s pass. Where in the Nine Hellish Sects was Lorant. She¡¯d sent back plenty of opportune Portal locations. Sure they weren¡¯t S-ranked but those didn¡¯t appear for at least a hundred years after a new planet gets integrated to the System. She scanned a paper on her desk, the location of a still open B-rank, the highest she¡¯d discovered so far. Surely, Lorant wouldn¡¯t find it difficult to climb from C-rank back up to join her at her current A-rank. Maybe one of the other demons from a rival Sect had come through first? She growled and placed that paper off to the side of her desk she had other reports to go over. Problems to solve. She thought she¡¯d have made more progress in the year or so that she¡¯d been on this subterranean world. Yet, her Larvae Clan was falling behind many of the other Dwarven Clans. The crumpled and then re-flattened report in front of her claimed it was because of superior weapons and armor. The Dwarves in her Larvae Clan reported that they had too few Blacksmiths, Alchemists, Enchanters and Researchers. With teeth clenched she made a note at the bottom of this page. ¡®More funds need to be allocated to buying equipment.¡¯ She would not let these Dwarves make the same mistakes as her people on Crendalar had. Too many Skill slots taken by Crafting Skills and Research oriented Imp-dung. With a click of her tongue she moved on before her frustration at Crendalar¡¯s failure could overwhelm her. She needed to stay on task. There was just too much different about this Luther¡¯s Edge that she never could have expected. The next report of what Fragments her people had collected summarized one of the most major of these. While they were Card Shards they also weren¡¯t. On Crendalar Card Shards could be collected and pieces of equal Rank could be combined to form Skill Cards. What you got was largely random, and you could then choose whether to add the new card to your Heart Deck, Sell it, Trade it, or one of many different options. Sective Agora¡ªshe moved to a shelf and pulled out one of her many journals from the Elven planet. She skimmed the pages reminding herself of the differences that were present. As she remembered, the Card Shards and combination were identical. Sective Agora had the same system to Crendalar. She skimmed over a note, and paused. Many Elves claimed that the Cards that formed were highly dependent on who collected the Shards after a battle. That the Cards formed were possibly less randomized? That had never been proven. She kept skimming, and growled as she reached her own note about the problems on Sective Agora.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡®Too many Crafting and Gathering Skills are forming. It¡¯s like the System wants the Elves to fail.¡¯ Right, that was possibly the only difference between Crendalar and Sective Agora. On her planet Crafting and Gathering Skill Cards made up perhaps thirty to at most fifty percent of the market. All she remembered was that those idiot Researchers and Crafters had to search for what they wanted. Imbeciles one and all. Just like those fools that chose to accent their Skills with the Pink Element. She placed her journal back onto the shelf forcefully and returned to her desk. She needed to stop letting her emotions overwhelm her. She took a few steadying breaths and then sat back down, returning to the report on the Fragments. These Fragments were essentially pieces of a Crystal, that could be combined together based on Rank. That part was where the similarities to Crendalar and Sective ended. Once combined together, the Skill was ¡®learned¡¯ and as far as she could tell, couldn¡¯t be unlearned. Crendalar and Sective simply allowed an individual to pull unwanted Skill Cards out of the Heart Deck. If removed for more than a few hours the Demon or Elf would lose all progress and stats associated with the Card, but it gave Elven Jaegars or Demonic Van?tors the opportunity to test out Skills and replace them. Here she¡¯d been forced to stop Dwarves in her Clan from combining Fragments into Skills, because they too often received useless Crafting or Gathering Skills. Instead she focused on Braun-Doranthal, one of two Dwarves she¡¯d found with the Demonic Vault Skill on Ulther¡¯s Edge. The fact that there was two of the Skills made her excited. Had there been two on Sective Agora? She quickly lost that excitement though, when she realized that Fare-ahm had a significantly poorer quality Demonic Vault. Like Aurora¡¯s and Braun¡¯s it could still upgrade and gain Sub-Skills, Buy and Sell Skills, but Fare-ahm¡¯s had no curator to help the individual¡ªand had far fewer Skills to offer. Amty-oha flipped to the next report, and almost crumpled this page as well. Her Mana farms weren¡¯t working! She¡¯d collected hundreds of Dwarves that only had the Mana Pool Skill and thus were considered relatively useless to the Clans. She figured that her two Demonic Vault users could simply Pull Mana from the Farms and trade it in for mC. But this report claimed that they could Pull and send the Mana to the Skill, it didn¡¯t give them mC at a one to one ratio. In fact, the last couple lines of the report claimed it awarded mC at a fifty-to one ratio, meaning she¡¯d never make enough that way to buy her people powerful Skills. At least the Fragments for Skills sold well for mC, otherwise she would have just given up and moved on from this stupid world. Well, she would have considered moving on. But probably waited until Lorant arrived so she could take him with her. An urgent knock sounded on the door, and she looked out the window of her Cave Office. The moss was glowing orange, so it must be early morning. Time for the newest reports. ¡°Come,¡± she said. A messenger stepped in. One of the few she allowed to see her¡ªsince the Dwarves seemed adverse to her appearance. The short and slim messenger, at least in comparison to other dwarves, bowed low, waiting for her command. She gave it and he stood back up to his full four-foot height. ¡°Mistress Amty, there is one urgent report this morning. I will start there,¡± the messenger said nervously. He¡¯d worked for her for the last few years, and she instantly was on edge. What could make him nervous? ¡°Go on,¡± she intoned, keeping the nerves out of her voice. ¡°There is a report from Crendalar,¡± the messenger said after a hesitant pause. Oh, now she could see why he was nervous. Messages that pertained to Laurent-Axe did have a habit of making her upset. Still, if this was a response to her sending the location of the B-ranked portal, then it was surely good news. The corners of her mouth turned up as she began anticipating better news. When he didn¡¯t immediately continue she crooned, ¡°Go ahead, Jasper-Aurent.¡± Jasper swallowed and mumbled something, which made her smile falter. She hadn¡¯t heard him, but she detested when people didn¡¯t speak clearly. He saw her look and immediately bowed saying, ¡°Sorry Mistress, I¡¯m sure this isn¡¯t the news you were expecting.¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°Do not apologize for the news I didn¡¯t hear. Apologize for not speaking clearly! Now what is the report from Crendalar say!¡± The Dwarf paled, as he should, under her displeasure. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for mispeaking Mistress¡ª¡± again he paused to swallow. ¡°¡ªWhat I said was that Lorant-Axe has entered a Portal¡ª¡± her mouth began to return to its previous smile. ¡°¡ªbut it isn¡¯t one for Ulther¡¯s Edge¡ª¡± ¡°What?!¡± She shouted, even as she poured out her Martial Power, Mana and Endurance, flooding the room with her power. Her fists clenched, and her teeth ground together. For a moment the orange lights of early morning turned red, as he Aura surged forth. She thought it only lasted seconds but by the time she got a hold of herself, she found Jasper bleeding from his ears, eyes and mouth¡ªtwitching on her floor. The messenger¡¯s inability to convey more information or answer her question sent her back into a rage. She¡¯d just go find someone who could! * * * Nearly a hundred years later Amty-oha stood in front of another Portal, this one leading off of Ulther¡¯s Edge. This place was doomed to fail. The System awarded to many non-Combat Skills that were meaningless when pitted against the Ascension Trials that she knew would come. At least S-rank portals were beginning to show up, which meant she could enter this one with her full power, and wait till after night fall to exit its Time Dilation Bubble. Then she could search the dying planet for a new place to go. A new World with better stock. Amty-Oha stepped through the portal and arrived in ankle deep swamp water. She growled at her unfortunate choice but still spun and began walking in a direction that looked like it contained dry land. Then she simply continued moving in that same direction till she arrived at the Vale. Many Monsters attacked her, but they all discovered just how powerful her carefully selected Skills and leveled stats were. They may be considered S-rank but she would be a World-Power at the very minimum. She had very little to fear from an un-Ascended World. Her one disappointment in leaving Ulther¡¯s Edge was that she¡¯d failed to take the Demonic Vault Skills with her. Not for a lack of trying. She just wasn¡¯t able to push them into her Heart Deck. She assumed it was because they weren¡¯t Skill Cards, but she¡¯d been able to form Fragments and get Skills that way. Skills that worked and leveled. Skills that were unerringly Combat oriented, unlike the useless Dwarves. ¡°Thus why I left,¡± she said to a corpse of a Wyvern near her feet. Unsurprisingly it didn¡¯t answer back. Still a shadow behind her did. A shadow created by her Necromancy Skill. ¡°It was the right decision Mistress,¡± Braun said, even as he formed together into a Shadow Puppet of his previous self. She smiled at him. ¡°The Dwarves were too focused on Crafting and Arts. Thus why they Awakened such useless Skills.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± Amty-oha responded. ¡°And it isn¡¯t like I haven¡¯t started over before.¡± ¡°Exactly, Mistress,¡± Fare-ahm said as he too formed together. Soon, an entire Clan, no multiple Clans of Dwarves formed together around her, and began to serve her food, and distract her as time slowly passed toward nightfall. 105 Tutorial Day 2 I stared at a new plaque which surprised me in its simplicity and sense but confused me because I hadn¡¯t seen it before.
Borker Skin Difficulty Rank: Low-E Damage from Fight: Low Quality: High Skinning Rank: 10-30
My Skinning Skill was yet to be identified with the use of a Spent Crystal¡ªso I wasn¡¯t sure where it sat, but thought that it must be at the peak of High-F, and waiting to upgrade. I¡¯d noticed that there was a noticeable stoppage when Skills reached the top level of a rank. For example Mining had been at ten, then raised strength to ten, but remained stuck and in-evolved until I Mined that Unique Meteorite. After that it broke through, and was likely now at Peak E-Grade. So, for that reason I assumed Skinning was sitting at ten. Still to see a Skinning Rank in orange at the bottom of the blue plaque made me wonder why I hadn¡¯t seen that anywhere else. I would have said it was the Tutorial¡¯s influence but I had just Harvested Witch Hazel and Earth Vine¡ªand they hadn¡¯t shown me anything like this. It also was interesting because of the name of the creature. I¡¯d been calling it a Boar but the plaque identified it as a Borker Skin. I couldn¡¯t pause long because London and the others who were forming a defensive circle around the corpse began giving me odd looks. I pulled out my Skinning Knife trying to be subtle and make it look like it came from under my armor and not my Necklace of Holding. As soon as the knife was in my hands a orange line appeared down the Borker¡¯s stomach and around its head. Moving closer I also found the same circles around the limbs of the beast. It would appear I got a guiding line for this task as well. It soon became apparent why the line was orange and not green. My knife struggled to cut through the hide of the beast, forcing me to use the slightly repaired serrated edge to saw back and forth at the thick hide with its sparse coarse fur. While it was a bit slow going at first, it began to speed up, once I had a starting point. Once I had the line cut around the Borker¡¯s head, I started on the line down it¡¯s stomach and was surprised as something slowly changed. First, as I cut and peeled back the skin, a new line appeared between the Boar¡¯s fascia and skin. Showing me where to run the knife to promote further peeling. This line was a yellow verging toward green. The more I worked at that line to free up my guiding line down the thing¡¯s stomach, the more that large line also morphed¡ªgoing from orange to yellow. Only once did something else occur that made me twitch in start. I missed a cut between the skin and fascia and the line flashed red. I thought for a brief moment I¡¯d cut myself or something important which had spurted blood, but as the red line calmed and faded back to yellow-green, there wasn¡¯t any blood. After that I redoubled my concentration ensuring I hit the line and only the line. It was probably forty minutes of work to hit all the yellow-orange guidelines around the stomach, limbs and head. After that peeling the skin became simple, and took about ten to twenty minutes. Just as I peeled off the last area I could reach without the Borker being flipped, London asked, ¡°First time working with a Boar?¡± ¡°That obvious?¡± I said, with a wince. Were they about to scold me for taking so long? ¡°Well, when you speed up that much toward the end, it usually means that you¡¯re getting used to a creature. Seeing that this area holds only Boars, by the end of today you¡¯ll probably have the time down to a half hour, is my guess.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take that bet,¡± Gavin said good-naturedly, and my tense muscles instantly relaxed. I guess they weren¡¯t upset with the time because it was my first creature. After that Gavin and London helped me flip the thing over, so I could clear the hind portion. Then the entire skin was free of the Boar and covered in bloody dirt. To my surprise the lines weren¡¯t done, though. A blue line appeared on the skin highlighting a triangular-like pattern around the Boar¡¯s mane.
Borker Mane Rank: High-E Quality: Excellent Collect ten Perfectly Skinned Excellent Quality Borker Mane¡¯s and hand them to the Skinning Training inside the Tutorial to rank up your Skinning Skill.
I stared at the plaque. The words at the end didn¡¯t change, and they weren¡¯t red, like I thought they might be due to Demonic Vault¡¯s influence. London, Sarah, Gavin and Jacky descended on the skinned corpse as I stood stunned. Their quick movement made me glance at the plaque that hung on the meat boar body, but after a quick read, I dismissed it as nothing new.
Borker Skinned Corpse Nutritional Quality: Moderate Contamination: None
There was a hint of something blue deeper into the corpse of the Borker, and I vowed to myself to keep checking in as the group worked¡ªbut my eyes instantly returned to the blue outline on the Borker Skin. I had a problem. Clearly, that piece of the Skin was a Borker Mane, which could be cut out of the overall skin. I was somewhat certain that the value of the Skin would be decreased with that piece removed. Just for the simple fact that the system was indicating it. Was it the only piece of value to the whole thing? Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. On top of that, what the words said about the Skinning Trainer¡­ Was there something or someone inside of the Tutorial that classified as a Skinning Trainer? If it was just another human in here, how did this notice get sent to me, and offer his training in trade of these Mane¡¯s without his input? If it was not a person, and instead a object or artificial being, where in the hell would I find him. The obvious conclusion was that the person whether they were human or somehow System created would be in Tutorial Town. As would the object if something like that existed. Furthermore, the interactions with Fong and the Monster Cores, told me that he could sell them to the Tribe Building and get Tutorial Points. Was that what this was offering? I just needed to take ten Manes to that building and get trained up in a Skill? That surely seemed far too good to be true. But it also certainly didn¡¯t hurt me to try. I moved toward the Skin and looked back at the group who were gouging out pieces of meat behind me, with no care to quality. Shrugging, I decided to ask them after I extracted the indicated piece. As soon as I started I jerked the Skinning Knife back as the line flashed red. I had made an assumption that the line was guiding me. It wasn¡¯t. In fact, I soon discovered that other than flashing red as I attempted to work out the Borker Mane the ¡®System¡¯ assistance did nothing else. It didn¡¯t for example flash green when I was doing something right. Or a different shade of yellow, or orange when I was mildly wrong. Just red and nothing. Using the that input I was able to somewhat deduce that the angle of my knife, which had started at a ninety-degree vertical was wrong. It seemed it needed to be just off ninety, angled to remove more of the skin on the bottom than on the top where the ¡®mane¡¯ of fur sat. However, that can¡¯t changed at some point making me adjust it again and and again toward the bottom of the triangular point. I was sweating profusely and covered in dirt and blood by that point. What in the hell was this? I tried to mirror my actions on the second side of the triangle and it did go better, but the plaque that hung over the Mane after was lackluster to say the least.
Poorly-Skinned Borker Mane Rank: Mid-E Quality: Moderate
My eyes practically popped out of my skull. Poorly-Skinned? The quality had dropped a minor rank and the quality had went from Excellent to Moderate, which was certainly a downgrade, but how much, I couldn¡¯t say. ¡°Wow, you can even separate out the Borker Mane¡¯s?¡± London said enthusiastically, making my already queasy stomach rumble in discomfort at the clear sound of praise in his voice. Shaking my head, I pointed at the mane. ¡°I screwed up, and it dropped in Quality¡­¡± To my surprise Sarah gave me a shot in the arm playfully. ¡°Pshh, you only get Tutorial Points for what you have. So, if we sold it as a Borker Skin¡ªit wouldn¡¯t matter if it still had the Mane or not. Essentially you just doubled our Points with a bit of extra work. Trust me, no one is going to complain¡ªshut-up Jacky.¡± Her final words made me turn to Jacky who was giving the Skin and Mane a sour look¡ªlike she was in fact about to complain about my work. Thankfully, she appeared to be in the minority as Gavin, and London nodded along with Sarah¡¯s words. Looking at the earnestness of the ¡®majority¡¯ of the group, I decided to ask a question, but carefully. ¡°Have you guys ever heard of how people evolve Skinning Skills here?¡± My gesture around at the world in general was probably unneeded. Instantly the group began looking at each other, and shrugging¡ªclearly having an unspoken conversation. It was London who finally spoke up after everyone seemed to indicate that they didn¡¯t know or that there was only one answer. ¡°You can buy upgrade tokens in the Tribe Tower, but I wouldn¡¯t suggest using it for Gathering Skills. It¡¯s too expensive by far for what worth upgrading it will do, at least here,¡± London answered, while also motioning around himself at the Tutorial World. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked. Jacky scoffed before saying, ¡°If you can already Skin and Butcher a Borker, then you can likely handle all Monsters in here, other than Dungeons and Bosses. Unless you¡¯re using a Combat Skill to Skin these things, than just buy a Skill from the Tower and upgrade that. Get stronger so you can Hunt on your own, get more points and maybe get the hell out of here.¡± From the beginning of Jacky¡¯s spiel I was confused but my head tilted at her final statement. Was there a way out of here that was based on Tutorial Points? ¡°Jacky, you know that people have been here for thirty-plus years, right?¡± Sarah said. ¡°What makes you think that they wouldn¡¯t have enough Tutorial Points to buy there way out by now!¡± Gavin chuckled and shook his head. ¡°Sorry, Jacks, I¡¯m with Sarah¡ªmore Tutorial Points is still the goal, but only so I can get stronger. Strength is safety if another war happens, right?¡± Jacky scowled at all of them. ¡°So what you think it¡¯s impossible to get out of here¡ªlike all the others?¡± To my surprise the dynamic of the group shifted quickly after that. Sarah went to Jacky¡¯s side and put an arm around her. Gavin moved closer but then stood awkwardly unsure of what to do. London glanced at me with a wince and a gesture at the frost-spear throwing badass of a woman. He then explained, ¡°It¡¯s pretty tough being here, since no one has found a way out. I guess the only good news is that no one has really aged either?¡± He clearly meant the last part to lighten the mood but a growl from Jacky or Sarah made him instantly regret it. If his looking down to the ground told me anything. I could tell that this was a touchy subject but also desperately needed to know more. ¡°Fong, the guy who found me, when I first arrived, seemed to hint at people maybe getting out,¡± I said, hoping to better the mood and get answers at the same time. ¡°Plus if more people are coming in doesn¡¯t that mean that people can get out too?¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t wrong Jacky!¡± Gavin said encouragingly. At my change of focus to the large man with the longsword he explained a bit more in a whisper, ¡°She has a younger sister, who counted on her. Parents died when they were both pretty young.¡± My teeth clenched in commiseration even as I desperately tried to think of something else to say. There really wasn¡¯t anything I could say or do though. Suddenly I understood not only the groups awkwardness on this subject but also Jacky¡¯s ¡®mood¡¯. I felt it to a lesser extent myself. Sure my parents didn¡¯t exactly need me around but¡ªthey¡¯d certainly be worried. What about my own trial? Thankfully Mental Fortitude reminded me of my earlier vow to find my way out of here. Plus the not aging part, might be kind of nice? Thankfully everyone returned to butchering after that and I discovered what the small orange indicator was showing me deeper inside of the Boar. It was the Monster Core, or well what was the equivalent of one here in the Tutorial World. To my surprise it carried with it Butchering lines that somehow included the creatures heart which it was adjoined to. Before I could stop London, he already stabbed his belt knife in and began working the Core free. I accidentally made a noise somewhere between a scream of horror and a grunt of pain. The group looked at me, as the guiding lines for the ¡®dissection¡¯ went red and vanished. I hadn¡¯t realized but my hand was outsold toward the now destroyed heart. Swallowing nausea at what I just witnessed I ¡®vomited¡¯ out, ¡°Let¡¯s let me collect the Cores from now on. Okay?¡± ¡°Why what¡¯s up?¡± London asked, looking confused. ¡°I think I just saw a way to make them either more valuable or perhaps even function differently?¡± I answered, making sure they understood I had no idea what I had just seen. I wish there had been a plaque, but I guessed some simple experimentation would be fine. The group looked to each other, and for just a moment I could see something in their eyes. I worried that it might be nefarious but soon recognized it as simple greed, or perhaps just excitement at the prospect of discovering something new. I doubted that this particular piece of information wasn¡¯t already known here. Not if they had a single individual with the Cleaner Gathering Skills, but if I was being honest, their excited looks had even made me consider if it was knowledge that I might want to keep to myself. Being new here, meant that I was behind all these others. Even my current group which I guessed was likely the dregs of the Maelstrom tribe had Tutorial Points. And I didn¡¯t even know what they could get me, let alone how much my twenty-five thousand was worth. 106 Tutorial Day 2
Rock Lavender Pearl Rank: High-E Quality: Excellent Collect ten Perfectly Excellent Quality Rock Lavender Pearls and hand them to the Harvesting Trainer inside the Tutorial to rank up your Harvesting Skill.
My eye twitched as I tried to focus in on the minuscule blue circle which identified the small blue pearl-like fruit at the center of the Rock Lavender Flower. It was difficult to even see where the blue pearl ended and the System generated line began. ¡°How much more do you think this Core Heart will sell for?¡± London said, turning the bloody heart of the last Borker in his hands. I glanced up from the Rock Lavender Flower I was holding and looked at it. Still, no plaque sprang up around it, and so I shrugged. After some consideration, I concluded I¡¯d done a pretty good job according to the guiding lines Butchering had shown me. ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty good quality. How much do you usually get for the Core?¡± ¡°Ten points,¡± Sarah answered in his place. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll see how much we get for it, and how much it differs from Borker to Borker?¡± I suggested. Everyone nodded, and I turned away from the continued butchering of the second Boar Monster. Butchering was highlighting better ways to section the meat, and if I began that task, I¡¯d lose the time to try my hand at the Pearl. I looked at my Herbalist Belt Pouch and tools that came with the set. What could I use to try to extract the fruit? A glance at my second failure for the Borker Mane, I decided I needed to be careful, and really think this through. The second attempt at removing the Mane from the Borker Skin showed me just how little actual information the Blue line and red flashes were providing. I¡¯d stupidly thought that removing the Mane without a single red blip would improve the quality. And while it had improved it in the factual definition. It hadn¡¯t been anywhere near enough.
Roughly-Skinned Borker Mane Rank: Mid-E Quality: Passable
What the difference between Roughly and Poor or Moderate to Passable was, I didn¡¯t know. I did know one thing however, neither of them seemed close to Perfect or Excellent. I growled as I removed my Gardener Kit and began examining each tool. The only one that seemed to be remotely useful were the shears, but surely they wouldn¡¯t want me using these bulky heavy-duty, glorified scissors to remove a fruit that small?! I looked again. Then one more time. I could almost hear Smegma¡¯s insulting words telling me something like, ¡®Only a poor craftsmen blames his tools.¡¯ Holding in my growl was hard but I didn¡¯t want questions from the group. Instead, I pulled out the somewhat large penknife that the kit came with. It was rusted shut, which was why I¡¯d dismissed it and thought of the Shears first. Was this really the only other option? I worked the blade back and forth until the metal came free of the petrified wooden handle. To my horror only a little portion of the internal metal came free and I thought I¡¯d broken it. Except what did come free wasn¡¯t a broke blade. Well not in the way I knew them. Instead it was a long thin hook, with what would undoubtedly one day be a blade on its interior, but was currently just a rust filled indent. I looked back to the rest of the metal still rusted into the petrified wood and realized I was holding something like a Gardening Swiss Army knife. I wished I had some oil to work into the metal and handle, but after a moment shrugged. This should have a self repair enchant on it, like all my other Gathering Equipment from Demonic Vault. Using the ground, my fingers and even my teeth I pried each of the tools out. I found a small pair of scissors that kind of closed and opened but definitely wouldn¡¯t cut anything. There was a small saw blade, and even another knife. Actually, with its rough edge it might be a file. To my surprise when I got each tool out, I found that the Rock Lavender Flower had new suggestions to work on. For example I could cut off the Rock Lavender Petals individually. I could do the same with the leaves and the small stamen and carpels inside the flower itself. Essentially I could dissect the plant into its parts. I folded back in all but one tool, and followed the System guidance to use the tools held within the multitool to follow the lines as best I could. By the end I was left with a small portion of the flower, and the Pearl. However, this time with all the outer parts of the plant removed the task seemed far less daunting. Plus I could view the blue circle in different ways as well. I then had an internal debate. Should I use the hook knife or the small scissors. The latter seemed far more appropriate. So, using the small, still dull, Scissors I crushed the small stem holding the Pearl Fruit in place, to a resounding red flash. I looked at the small scissors and then the Pearl.
Rock Lavender Pearl Rank: Low-E Quality: Poor
Was that the wrong tool or the dullness of the blade? There was absolutely no telling at the moment, and a quick glance at my party showed them cleaning up after finishing the Butchering of the Borker. I guess I¡¯d just have to try, try again.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. * * * ¡°Husk what a haul!¡± London crowed as we walked back out of the sparse forest. I looked back and frowned. Four Borkers and twelve collected plants was a haul? Gavin patted my shoulder with a booming laugh. ¡°Trust me, Brodie, that was a good amount for a five man team. Plus by the end you were much faster at Skinning, and even helping us more on Butchering. So, tomorrow we might be able to go for more!¡± Sarah bumped her shoulder into Gavin¡¯s other side and he put his arm around her in such a way that told me they were dating. Jacky of course scoffed at that hopeful optimism. ¡°Tomorrow Brodie is probably going to try his hand at Crafting. Don¡¯t all the Gatherers do that?¡± Despite her tone, I felt heat rise to my cheeks from embarrassment. That was definitely my plan for tomorrow. I had discovered that each plant I collected today, other than the Earth Root, could be Harvested into parts with the multitool. Plus I had created a fused Sapling that I wanted to attempt to coax to fuller life up in my room. I scratched the back of my neck and that paired with my red cheeks was answer enough for Jacky. ¡°See, he¡¯ll be gone till the next time he needs a top up on Herbs! We really need to get some Gathering Skills for ourselves¡­¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t you?¡± I asked, seeing an opportunity to maybe get to the bottom of the messages I¡¯d read. ¡°We¡¯ve tried,¡± Sarah said, her voice the grumpiest I¡¯d heard it. ¡°Our current Skills should in theory be able to be used in such a way, but I can¡¯t figure out how to change my mindset, like others seem to.¡± ¡°Mindset? Aren¡¯t there people who can train you?¡± I coaxed. London raised an eyebrow. ¡°We¡¯ve been taking lessons from people, Brodie, but they certainly aren¡¯t free. Plus it¡¯s frustrating when someone who¡¯s figured it out throws abstract concepts at you for an hour then takes your Tutorial Points.¡± ¡°So, these are people that are part of the Tutorial?¡± I asked. London gave me a look of inquiry. I looked around and saw it reflected from three other faces. ¡°You know like in video games when there are NPC¡¯s?¡± ¡°What? No! Of course not,¡± London said politely. Jacky had no such compunction, and she exclaimed, ¡°What a moron! This isn¡¯t a video game. People die in here, you know?¡± ¡°But surely others in here get the Plaques I can see,¡± I said before I fully thought it out. ¡°Sure, even if they didn¡¯t we can all see the massive Tutorial Town sign above the castle!¡± Gavin said pointing at the town and sign we could see in the distance. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t make it a video game with fake people inside. It¡¯s the real world, and there¡¯s real consequences, Brodie. Don¡¯t go taking this place lightly.¡± I decided to stop asking more questions after that. I could tell that it was a touchy subject for each of them, and while I wanted to know why, I also didn¡¯t. They¡¯d kind of spelled it out already¡ªpeople died. Taking on that baggage wouldn¡¯t help me get out of here, right? Or was that just my Mental Fortitude Skill? The group walked in silence after that, each person thinking their own private thoughts. Right up until we were perhaps a kilometer from the Town¡¯s nearest gate. ¡°Good haul today?¡± Someone said, startling my gaze, which was resting on my footfalls, up, and onto the well armored man. He wasn¡¯t alone, and by the way my group formed up around Jacky, the one holding the Bag of Holding¡ªI instantly could tell that this was serious. Were they here to rob us? ¡°Our usual four Boar¡¯s, Andron,¡± London said, hand pointedly held out away from his weapon. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll take two of the rags you call a skin, two cores, and two corpse worth of Boar meat,¡± Andron the big armored man responded. His hand was resting on his weapon. I glanced at my party, and found their hands held away, and in contrast every member behind Andron was fingering or gripping theirs. This wasn¡¯t a robbery. It was a tax. I made a quick count of the other group. When I reached forty I stopped going. They had more than any of the group¡¯s I¡¯d seen leave Maelstrom. My brain whirred with theories and questions, that I knew wouldn¡¯t get answered in this moment. Instead, I watched as London pulled out half of everything excluding the Herbs we¡¯d collected. When Andron saw the two pelts, his eyes landed on me. ¡°Ahh took a Skinner along this time, huh Landon?¡± ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s pretty good right,¡± London answered not bothering to correct Andron¡¯s slip up. ¡°This way you get intact Skins and not rags, right?¡± ¡°Right,¡± Andron said holding out his hands for the two Cores, and Skins. I noticed that the second Core wasn¡¯t one with the heart attached, and realized that either London knew this was coming and destroyed one of the three I¡¯d collected, or passed off an old one in its place. My group stood frozen, even as Andron¡¯s twitched with pent up inactivity. After a pause that felt like it would cause my heart to explode form the stress, Andron said, ¡°I¡¯ll expect this quality of Skins from now on¡ªif he¡¯s coming along. Don¡¯t fall short.¡± That seemed to be a signal because Gavin, Sarah and Jacky nearly leaped forward to continue walking toward the gate. London was only a step behind, as he placatingly blurted, ¡°Thank you Andron.¡± As soon as we were about five hundred meters further down the road I turned and hissed, ¡°What the hell was that?¡± London surreptitiously looked behind him and than seeing what he must have deemed sufficient space said, ¡°That¡¯s Andron. He takes a levy on goods coming into the city.¡± ¡°But why wouldn¡¯t the Maelstrom Guild stop him?¡± I asked, matching his volume, which was close to normal. ¡°It isn¡¯t worth it,¡± Gavin said. ¡°Fong actually was the one who talked to Andron. Now Andron takes a levy based on your groups size and gear.¡± ¡°I¡¯m confused, how is fifty percent of what you collect not worth it?¡± I asked, genuinely curious. ¡°It wasn¡¯t fifty percent of everything was it?¡± Jacky said conspiratorially, seeming happy in the knowledge that they¡¯d hidden the herbs from Andron. I frowned, because I had been counting on the Meat, Skins and Cores to offset the cost of the herbs so I could keep them all. ¡°Okay, I get that you don¡¯t have to give him what his actual due is, but even the concept of fifty percent is high.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only fifty percent for us,¡± London explained. ¡°We¡¯re too small of a group and under geared. Andron set¡¯s the price that he deems reasonable. If one of the larger groups came back his way, he¡¯d likely ask for ten percent.¡± ¡°And they¡¯d just hand it over?¡± I asked, aghast. ¡°Again, not all of it, but yeah. Otherwise we need to mobilize forty Maelstrom members to constantly be ready to fend him and his lackeys off. Then the taxes on goods sold in the Tribal Tower go up to pay our own members. Fong deduced it was cheaper to pay these groups, and avoid fighting, then it was to constantly have skirmishes where we sometimes lost Tribe members. In the end our small group might save some Tutorial Points but most of the big groups paying ten percent wouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Plus, it isn¡¯t like our Maelstrom Guild doesn¡¯t have a group doing the same thing. We just got unlucky that it was Andron, and not our guys this time,¡± Jacky stated. ¡°So, why don¡¯t you go in the direction our Tribe is Levying? Also what Tribe is Andron part of?¡± I asked, and saw everyone look at each other. ¡°No clue, on both counts. There¡¯s kind of an agreement from the Tribes. Our Levying Crew can¡¯t post where they¡¯ll be, and neither can any other. Otherwise, groups fight over what Farming Grounds to monopolize,¡± Sarah said after a short delay where no one spoke. We went silent as we passed through the milling crowd in front of this Gate into Tutorial Town. I felt the cleaning wave of Magic wash over me. My breathing became slightly easier. We didn¡¯t talk again even as we moved through the Towns internal pathway to the central square, and into our District. The first thing was said only after we we past the non-System purchased buildings. Gavin clapped his hands together and said, ¡°Good switch out on the Core, London.¡± ¡°Well, it might not be that great depending on if the Core Heart isn¡¯t valued higher,¡± London explained sheepishly. I wanted an explanation but my question was answered before I could ask it. ¡°Based on the scale of the one you kept?¡± Gavin said. London nodded. ¡°Yeah, I had checked that other Core previously and it was in the upper mid-range at twenty-two Tutorial Points.¡± I put two and two together. Each core didn¡¯t sell for the same amount. Meaning that each Boar out there could be worth more or less points. Even after my scolding about the video game relationship with this place, I couldn¡¯t help but return to the analogy. Surely that meant these Boars had levels, or different ranks. That was when we arrived in front of the Tower, and I forgot all about the groups conversation. The black stone of the Tribe¡¯s Tower was as shiny as ever, and from this close it practically became a funhouse mirror, reflecting a strange version of me and the group. The two Guards and numerous visible Shadows that stood nearby didn¡¯t even glance in our direction, as the group walked through the darkened door of the Tribal Tower! 107 Tutorial Day 2 The inside of the Tower was nothing like what I expected. There were no staircases, or hallways or even rooms. It was hollow. My neck craned as I stared up the ever narrowing walls of black stone. There at the top glowed a blue cloud or gem¡ªit was too high up to be sure. A line or wisp of blue descended from the top down the center of the hollow coned interior, and I followed it, arriving at a massive faceted diamond like Gem. We were perhaps three steps into the space that could likely hold thousands of people if pushed, and there were even people milling about the central gem¡ªand the gem still looked as big as a Necrograph ATV. My mouth went dry and I swallowed against the pasties that came with it. Due to my scrutiny and shock it took me several minutes to realize I was using the proverbial we a bit too liberally. My group were all moving toward the Gem, without looking back. After a brief hesitation, I unstuck my feet from the floor and jogged a few steps to catch up. London was the first to notice me, or the sound my feet made with that momentary jog. ¡°Oh, shoot¡ªthis is probably your first time in here. Uhhh¡ªwell welcome to the Black Tower, sometimes called the Maelstrom Tower¡ª¡± ¡°Or the Hollow Tower,¡± Sarah added. ¡°I¡¯ve heard people call it the Mage Tower too,¡± Jacky stated, her voice bored. Why was she offering the information if she clearly didn¡¯t want to? Gavin just pointed to the Gem. With a big smile he said, ¡°That¡¯s the Tower Shop.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll sell one Core and you sell the other,¡± London said proffering the groups Bag of Holding. ¡°That way you¡¯ll know what the price is worth. Normally the Cores go exclusively to the fighters, and we¡¯d split the Meat, Skin and Herbs payment down the middle. I realized that we never explained that. However, if¡­¡± He let that statement hang in the air with a pointed look at the milling people around the Crystal. I got his hint. If the Cores sold for more than they should¡ªhe was willing to concede the fifty-percent on them as well. I wouldn¡¯t say that admission was a huge trust builder with me. The reason was both complicated and simple. Simply put that fifty percent was a pittance for the knowledge that the group would retain if the Core Heart was worth more. Additionally, it felt like he was attempting to buy my silence with that pittance. This is where I felt it grew a bit complicated, and my Mental Fortitude even kept me calm as it analyzed that consideration. London could truly be a virtuous wonderful man¡ªand by all accounts today, he was. However, he could just be a Hunter trapped in the Tutorial acting the part of a White Knight to take advantage of Gatherers, Hunters and Crafters. Honestly, I would have been too naive to even consider that possibility before Smegma, but in his absence I felt I owed the Demon to at least consider that possibility. I looked at London, and motioned for him to sell the first Core Heart¡ªthen scanned the others in the group as they didn¡¯t even flinch. Either my assessment was wrong and they trusted London to be honorable¡ªor they were in on it. Still, when the Bag was handed to me, to make my sale¡ªI did a quick check of its contents. I¡¯d learned the trick with my Necklace some time ago. Sure enough, all the herbs, Skins, Manes and Meat seemed to still be in there. I¡¯d watched London closely and all he¡¯d done is walk up to a vicinity about ten feet from the Gem¡ªso I did the same. Unlike Demonic Vault¡¯s windows, and Plaques¡ªa blue screen appeared in front of me. I¡¯d associated the blue screens with the system¡ªso its appearance made me somewhat more comfortable, but also apprehensive.
Northern Shop Tutorial Town Buy Tutorial Points: 25,000
I moved the cursor to sell, and then experimented with the Bag of Holding and the Shop till it reacted to what I was intending. It seemed I just needed to think about summoning the item from the Bag of Holding in the vicinity of the Gem and it would ¡®sell¡¯ the item.
Sell Borker Heart Core for 65 Tutorial Points? No
I blinked at the notification, and then scanned back to London. He had a remarkable poker face. The group had said that these usually sold for ten points or so right? London winked at me, and gave me a slight nod that seemed to say, ¡®sell that one.¡¯ I did so, but then took a moment longer to ¡®sell¡¯ the Skins, Herbs, Manes, and Meat. I started with the Meat and was unsurprised to find the meat simply appeared in my hand, instead of the Gem offering a sale. I guess selling Monster Meat for points would cause problems for those living in the Tutorial. Still, I wondered if it had any value if sold to Alchemy School or others in the Town?
Sell Poorly Skinned Borker Mane for 121 Tutorial Points? Sell Roughly Skinned Borker Mane for 151 Tutorial Points? ¡ªBorker Skin¡ª(2)25 Tutorial Points? ¡ªRock Lavender Pearl¡ª166 Tutorial Points? ¡ªRock Lavender Petal¡ª(4)25 Tutorial Points each? ¡ªRock Lavender Leaves¡ª(4)1 Tutorial Point each? ¡ªRock Lavender Stamen¡ª(6)10 points each? ¡ªRock Lavender Carpel¡ª(2)10 points each? ¡ªRock Lavender Stem¡ª22 Points? ¡ªEarth Root¡ª6 Points? ¡ªWitch Hazel Grafted Sapling¡ª200 points? ¡ªWitch Hazel Flower¡ª(25)10 points each?
Well this was going to be a bit of an issue, I thought as I did mental calculations in my head. Sure Tutorial Points were great but I wanted to keep all the Herbs and Fruit¡ªto try my hand at Alchemy. But the Math made it clear I¡¯d need to choose. Of the eleven hundred plus points on that screen¡ªI wanted eight hundred worth of Herbs and Fruit. That three hundred might be able to be supplemented by the Heart Cores, and Meat¡ªbut to get an additional five hundred seemed unlikely. Another troubling thought floated through my analyzing thoughts. How could the Gathered Items be worth so much more than the Monsters? Didn¡¯t most Hunters here get their points from the Monsters? Fong had said that Gatherers were important, and protected. Is this what he meant? I turned and handed the Bag back to London¡ªallowing him to check the numbers for himself. I assumed he hadn¡¯t yet, because of how fast he returned. London accepted the bag, and paused holding it, clearly cataloging the items inside to ensure I hadn¡¯t sold them off when interacting with the Shop. Then he took one more step back into range of the Gem and began checking through the rest of the items. I looked at the group who were all checking out the other Hunters, in most cases staring at the best geared amongst them. It was clear to me that they were coveting¡ª ¡°Outside, now!¡± London hissed from near my shoulder, and I jumped. I hadn¡¯t heard him move. A hand on my back, with a bit of pressure, got me moving. A quick view of London lover my shoulder told me that his poker face was entirely gone. Something made him pale. The group hurriedly followed in our wake, as I was somewhat marched back through the door. London didn¡¯t stop once outside and ¡®guided¡¯ me to the nearest building. One I hadn¡¯t been in before. To a Guard at the front London shouted, ¡°Table for five, in one of the Private Rooms!¡± The ¡®Guard¡¯ who I¡¯d only glanced at, bowed, and I noticed that he was in a suit that clearly marked him as something less threatening than one of the Hunter Guards I¡¯d seen. As he straightened back up I recognized his role thanks primarily to my avid time spent watching TV and Movies. He was a Ma?tre d¡¯. London and I were ten steps away when the man opened the door for us and a beautiful woman in a black dress stepped forward. The Ma?tre d¡¯ whispered something quickly, and the woman nodded before turning to London. ¡°Follow me sir.¡± She then walked confidently back inside, and up the stairs that were literally two steps from the entrance. London continued to apply pressure as we passed the suited man, and I heard more than saw him give the Ma?tre d¡¯ a nod. Then we too were inside the building and climbing the stairs. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked, and got shushed by London in turn. ¡°Wait till we get to a private room, I¡¯ll explain,¡± he whispered. I heard the feet of the others begin taking the stairs, and then heard a few mutters as we kept climbing past the first landing, second and even third. Only when the woman arrived on the fourth landing did she veer off and move to a door that led into the building proper.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. London whisked me through the door, and into a room that made me blink. First because of the startling amount of light coming in through the floor to ceiling windows, but then again for the sheer opulence on display. The woman in the black dress gown asked, ¡°Will the fourth floor be sufficient, sir?¡± ¡°Yes, a private room on the fourth is fine,¡± London said politely. The woman bowed and then led us to the nearest sliding door. I scanned the mostly empty room, cataloging the rich wood of the tables, and the Monster leather chairs. The chandeliers that held no illumination but refracted and reflected the suns from outside to create beautiful patterns. I didn¡¯t get much time, before London practically shoved me through the doorway and into the room beyond. Thankfully I didn¡¯t need to examine the large open concept room, since it appeared we were in a room that contained all the same accoutrements and more. Aside from the table, we were directly beside a window, with our own Chandelier that glowed and flitted beautifully as it hung above the center of the huge circular table. This close I saw the resemblance to a wondrous bird and my mouth fell open. My shoes squealed as I slid to a stop which brought my attention to the floor. Where I found white stones with Dalmatian like black spots shining up at me. They looked so clean and polished that I felt it was a crime to be standing on them. ¡°Sit down,¡± London ordered, and it took me a moment to realize it wasn¡¯t directed solely at me. ¡°We¡¯ll each take the cheapest food you have that will allow us to keep the room!¡± I¡¯d forgotten about the woman, and looked over my shoulder to see her nod seriously. She didn¡¯t appear disappointed in London¡¯s words. Nor even surprised. The others in the group hurried to chairs, even as London closed the sliding door. Any sound from the open fourth dining area was instantly cut off. Eerily so. I almost wanted to touch my ears and ensure they were still there. Still, Sarah spoke up which stopped the need. ¡°What¡¯s going on London you know we can¡¯t afford to eat here, unless it¡¯s important. Is it important?¡± I turned to London, and realized it was only me and him standing as I scanned over the room. He was staring at me, his mouth hanging open. ¡°Brodie, sit down¡ªwe¡¯re buying¡­¡± ¡°What?!¡± Jacky exclaimed, even as the others eyes focused in on me, and their mouths fell open. I lowered myself into the nearest seat, and watched as all eyes in the room followed me down. Before my butt touched the leather I asked, ¡°Can you explain what this is all about?¡± ¡°Uhh¡ª¡± London said eloquently. ¡°Well¡ªhow do I put this?¡± He continued. ¡°You just multiplied our earning by about ten times!¡± ¡°You guys only make a hundred tutorial points a day?¡± I asked, even as I internally corrected myself. Twenty-five each¡­ ¡°He what?!¡± Jacky shrieked. ¡°You¡¯re telling me that he earned up over a thousand points today with four kills?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve always husking wondered how other groups are doing so well!¡± London exclaimed. ¡°I think we know the answer now.¡± London sat down in a chair himself and started explaining. ¡°I was pretty surprised with the Heart Cores going for sixty plus points. That¡¯s already an awesome discovery, but you know how our ragged skins only go for ten points at most. His go for twenty-five each. But that¡¯s not the real earning potential. That Mane he cut out goes for over a hundred and fifty.¡± The silence that descended on the table seemed to crackle in my ears. Like fireworks heard from a distance. The Gathering Skills of Skinning, Harvesting and Gardening were worth that much? I had to wonder what would have happened if I had Butchered the meat of the Borker as per the instructions. ¡°Guys,¡± London continued over my roaring thoughts. ¡°The plants he collected also were broken down into the component parts, and while the skins and manes were worth around four hundred points¡ªthe herbs and fruit he collected is like seven hundred points!¡± ¡°Is that why the Gathering Skills are so expensive in the Shop?¡± Jacky complained. Which opened the floodgates. ¡°Shut up, Jacky!¡± Sarah said jokingly, even as she began to whoop and cheer. The others joined in, except for Jacky who just scowled at Sarah. ¡°So how much is this place?¡± I interjected into a moment where they all took a breather from celebrating. The decor alone made me believe it would be far more pricy than what we earned today. ¡°It¡¯s about a hundred points per person for a private room,¡± London explained, sobering a bit. ¡°Depends on the daily special, since it¡¯s usually the cheapest.¡± ¡°Then didn¡¯t you four spend almost your entire half taking me here?¡± I asked furrowing my brow in confusion. ¡°Plus, how much does it cost to simply live in Maelstrom?¡± I added, realizing I could get some more information. ¡°The living in Maelstrom is kind of free,¡± Gavin offered, but then scratched his head at my questioning look, before indicating London and ceding the floor. ¡°Anything bought or sold in the North Tower Shop is taxed. The sales prices you saw are totals after that tax. While owning a house, or renting a room in one of these buildings costs points. Simply being a member of Maelstrom is paid for by those taxes. We¡¯ll show you how the eating works after this, even though we won¡¯t need more food. ¡°As for the expense. Well I¡¯m looking at it as an investment and a necessity. First, either this information is kept from others to allow people to get ahead¡ªor people don¡¯t know about it. Either way coming into this¡ª¡± The door opened and London instantly cut off as five men and women all wearing identical suits entered. At the front was a new girl in another lovely black gown. ¡°Today¡¯s special is Roasted Rabbit, with Mushroom Alfredo, Leeks and Monster Vine.¡± She had paused for a moment before starting and as she finished I figured out why. In unison the five servers put a massive plate down in front of each of us. The reason for the sheer size of the plate was the gigantic Rabbit Leg that was strewn over it. That and the portion of vegetables. To my astonishment my Cooking Skill Planet inside my mental universe vibrated while looking at the plate, and I realized that the person or people in the kitchen at this ¡®establishment¡¯ were Skilled Cooks. The waitstaff and the woman who spoke exited the room and closed the door, removing the noise of the outer open room from theirs. As if the interruption hadn¡¯t happened London continued, even as I felt my mouth begin to water at the delicious scents coming off my plate. ¡°¡ªcoming into this room keeps that secret as either ours, or out of others hands. Finally, it¡¯s an investment because we need someone like you, and if I¡¯m being honest, I don¡¯t think you should go to another group with a secret like this¡­¡± The drool that was forming in my mouth dried up like a puddle on the Sun. Was that a threat? London was smiling while he uttered it, so surely it wasn¡¯t. Channeling a bit of Smegma I asked, ¡°Is that a threat?¡± ¡°Husk no!¡± London exclaimed waving his hands. ¡°I meant it protectively. We¡ª¡± London motioned around at his group. ¡°¡ªWill appreciate your value and give you seventy percent of the Tutorial Points. Plus, I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve heard the saying about greed?¡± ¡°Greed is in everyone,¡± I began, quoting a line from a famous movie. ¡°But it isn¡¯t always accompanied by Empathy,¡± Sarah continued. ¡°Appreciation,¡± Gavin added. ¡°Or Sense,¡± Jacky grumpily finished. London nodded and opened his arms as if to say, we¡¯re what you¡¯ve got. I had to admit to myself that he had a point. At least until I learned more. I was heavily leaning toward this being a known secret, since there were so many gatherers. A well kept known secret, but surely already discovered. The only question was why they wouldn¡¯t have told newbies like this group. * * *
Northern Shop Tutorial Town Skills Weapons Armor Tools Potions Miscellaneous
The group had eventually left me to my own devices allowing me to keep all of my herbs, and fruit. Taking only the Skins, Manes, and Meat with them. They claimed they¡¯d get about a hundred Tutorial Points for the meats or about two hundred in ¡®credit¡¯. That credit was essentially in a meal plan card that they¡¯d be able to use to visit a buffet restaurant near the edge of the permanent structures of this district. When they¡¯d offered to show me, I¡¯d chosen to stay near the Tower instead. London had promised to come back and collect me later, which I was still deliberating on whether I¡¯d allow it. I had a place in the Alchemy School, and if I was being honest, I didn¡¯t know if I wanted that fact to be known yet. However, London¡¯s group had been the only one to take me in this morning¡ªso did I have another choice. Even if I was making ¡®good¡¯ Tutorial Points, as the group seemed to suggest¡ªand I was currently about to discover by checking out the Shop. It didn¡¯t mean that I would succeed at making a pill later. I opened the Skills list first.
Northern Shop Tutorial Town Skills Random Profession Skill¡ªF-rank¡ª500,000 Tp (Limit Reached 0/10 Available) Random Gatherer Skill¡ªF-rank¡ª500,000 Tp (Limit Reached 0/25 Available) Sword Mastery Random Skill¡ªF-rank¡ª1 Mill Tp Acid¡­ Chill¡­ Fire¡­ Gust¡­ ¡­
The price of the Profession and Gathering Skills wasn¡¯t totally unreasonable, but simultaneously would be the product of years to obtain. The fact that combat Skills were twice as expensive¡ªmeant they would be nearly unachievable for small groups like London¡¯s. In addition many skills had limits, that were already reached meaning that people already purchased them. I assumed these were some of the limits that would reset from time to time, but for all I knew they could be the ones that required someone to die. The reason for the secret being kept were clear in those two lines alone. I scrolled through the Mage Skills that the tower offered until I arrived at a final page.
Northern Shop Tutorial Town Skills Mass Produce¡ªE-rank¡ª50 mill Tp (Limit 1/1 Available Purchase Locked by Maelstrom)
Alchemy and Mass Production. Yeah I could see the appeal. I truly wanted the Skill but simultaneously didn¡¯t want the trouble that would spawn with it. Still, if I found a way to get the Tp, which was an abbreviation that made me chuckle¡ªI¡¯d perhaps approach Maelstrom. Well if my attempts at Alchemy were possible. Still, the Skills section was leading me to believe that five hundred to a thousand Tutorial Points a day weren¡¯t very much. Then I opened the Weapons and had to reassess.
Northern Shop Tutorial Town Weapons Repair Weapon¡ªF-rank¡ª100 Tp Repair Weapon¡ªE-rank¡ª300 Tp Random Sword¡ªF-Rank¡ª250 Tp Random Sword¡ªE-Rank- 575 Tp Arming Sword¡ªE/F¡ª750/350 Backsword Baselard ¡­
These and the Armor section were extremely similar and remarkably affordable. If the weapons and armor had Enchantments on them which I assumed they probably did¡ªthen in a week I could have a set and begin fighting Monsters¡­ No wonder a thousand points or more a day was considered excellent. If London¡¯s group got better equipment they could Hunt more Monsters and with Gatherers get more Points¡­ Tools were items that were like the Mining Picks from the Demonic Vault, but just like the weapons and armor you couldn¡¯t see what enchantments they came with. I highly doubted they¡¯d have the Demonic Repair Enchant, but who knew. Potions was again far too expensive for current consideration but did have some pretty amazing options in there. One of which I couldn¡¯t stop staring at.
Northern Shop Tutorial Town Potions Stat Breakthrough Bath Liquid¡ªF-Rank¡ª100,000 Tp Stat Breakthrough Bath Liquid¡ªE-Rank¡ª500,000 Tp
My stats had all been stuck at ten points, and I guess I was starting to understand why. I needed something like this! Still, would the Liquid only work for one stat at a time? I¡¯d have to ask London or the others to see if they knew. Yet, with there level of poverty I doubted it. Miscellaneous was varied in price but also turned out to be where people were buying Earthly products and lumber that they were probably using to build the ¡®houses¡¯ in the outer area of this District. I closed out of the windows after my cursory overview of the shop and then looked around. I had some decisions to make. First amongst them, should I spend a few weeks gearing up London and his group, so I could also collect more Herbs and Fruit before attempting Alchemy? Or, should I use my twenty-five thousand points to live frugally and experiment? 108 Tutorial Day 2 London and the group returned to find me waiting outside the Tower and watching the Maelstrom Tribe Hunters as they came and went. Not all of them were Hunters, in the Earthly definition of Hunters, I was sure. But the fact that getting here required all Stats to be unlocked, meant that they were stronger than ¡®Normies.¡¯ That thought perked me up a bit. I wasn¡¯t a Normie anymore. I hadn¡¯t been for a long while but sitting on the stunning paving stones with my back to a huge magical tower on a strange Game-like world really drove that home. I had come a long way since Morgan Hallsbrad¡¯s assault. London, Gavin and Jacky marched into the tower, leaving Sarah to come sit near me. My eyes tracked the other three questioningly. Sarah smiled as she sat down, a sign she was about to explain. ¡°We all have a bit of saved up. We¡¯ve been keeping it back in case we have issues or a dry spell¡ªor if another war suddenly erupts. However, they¡¯ve decided that it¡¯s better to show you how serious they are.¡± My eyes opened and closed, trying to understand what she was saying. She gave me a flat stare, like I was being particularly dense. ¡°They¡¯re going to upgrade, or repair their equipment. They¡¯ve already bought second hand stuff from the Blacksmiths to fill in gaps.¡± Ooh, that made sense. Oh¡ª¡°Wait, I may not go out with you guys everyday!¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. They think they can mimic what you did with the Hearts at least¡ªwhich already should improve our earnings.¡± My lips pressed together as I looked into the doorway of the North Tower. I could still rush in there to stop them, but I had just been thinking about farming with them for the next week to get more materials. Eventually I turned to regard Sarah, thinking of a question for her that might help me make one of my decisions. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you in there then?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the newest member of the group after you¡ªwell not that I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re part of the group¡ª¡± she said waving her hands in front of her like she had just committed a terrible mistake. I smiled and she slowly calmed down. After she swallowed she sheepishly said, ¡°I barely have any Tp in saving, so I¡¯m going to wait a few days¡­¡± ¡°You definitely need to stock up on Tp then,¡± I answered seriously, while trying to school the features on my face. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want some sort of serious situation to hit and be left without any. That would be a cat-ass-trophe.¡± ¡°Do all of you men share a single brain?¡± Sarah asked, frowning at my pun. ¡°You know I¡¯m not the one who came up with the short form for Tutorial Points right?¡± I couldn¡¯t hold my laugh in anymore and exploded with guffaws loud enough to draw people¡¯s eyes. Sarah only grew more embarrassed at people stopped to stare. Eventually she punched me in the shoulder and while the strike looked soft, the pain that came with it wasn¡¯t. My laughter died instantly as my arm shot to my bicep and shoulder. ¡°Wow, what the hell? How¡¯d you do that?¡± By all accounts that had been a swat. If I was to assess her strike it was something that would kill a mosquito but only cripple a fly. She smiled at me. ¡°Figured you wouldn¡¯t know how to infuse Qi yet. You¡¯ve got a lot to learn newbie.¡± * * * Seeing as by all accounts, I had started with far more Tutorial Points than others, I chose not to spend them yet. It did raise a few eyebrows of the group when I didn¡¯t buy anything, but I simply told them that I needed to save it for now.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. With their show of sincerity from buying new gear, and gracious invitation to show me the cheapest places to spend the night¡ªI did finally admit that I had a place at the Alchemy School. There were just too many people inside of its halls for it to be that big of a deal. ¡°Trying your hand at Alchemy?¡± Sarah asked, for once sounding a bit like Jacky with her tone of distaste. ¡°Yeah?¡± I answered simply but infusing the word with the right inflection to make it a question. ¡°It¡¯s just that in Maelstrom that Profession has the highest competition. Everyone wants to be one,¡± Gavin said, his emphasis made me more confused. ¡°Are you angry cause there are too many Alchemists?¡± I asked, having not truly seen an abundance of potions in use from the group today. ¡°No, no,¡± London said, and I once again was struck by how different the young man looked in his full kit of sturdy, repaired, unpatching armor. It wasn¡¯t exactly a better look, since he looked more like a child who chose their own clothing for the first time¡ªbut he was certainly larger looking and less ragged. ¡°It¡¯s just that most Alchemist eventually stop going out with parties. It¡¯s one of the reasons that they¡¯re so low on Reagents all the time. In theory what we left you with in terms of Herbs and Fruits can be sold to the Alchemy School at a pretty significant mark up.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I asked sounding a bit greedy to my own ears. ¡°No, not really,¡± Jacky interjected haughtily. ¡°You probably are just making the amount of Tp that you¡¯d get if you didn¡¯t pay taxes in the Shop.¡± I¡¯d accidentally snorted a bit when Jacky said ¡®Tp¡¯ and her tone changed from just arrogant to upset and arrogant after. What? I hadn¡¯t been the only one. London and Gavin had cracked smiles or had a twinkle in their eyes, I swear! ¡°Why do they stop going out?¡± I asked, unsure how or why you¡¯d stop needing Tp. I chuckled again at my own accident pun. Everyone had an asshole right? Gavin looked at me and winked with a very wide smile on his face. Either he was still chuckling about Jacky¡¯s slip up, or he too had thought of a funny pun. I¡¯d ask him later. London was the one who answered though. ¡°Well, from what we know selling Potions to the shop is very lucrative. Even poor quality concoctions increase the price of the stuff inside them by two. Well that¡¯s what the rumors say.¡± ¡°I thought the stuff in the Alchemist School were owned by the Tribe?¡± ¡°They are,¡± Sarah answered my confused question. ¡°And in a lot of ways even the worst Alchemist in that place lives a life of luxury¡ªat least compared to us¡ª¡± she motioned to herself and the others. ¡°They¡¯re even given fifty percent of the profits after removing taxes and the cost of Reagents¡ª¡± ¡°So, they¡¯d rather just collect Tp safely while sitting on their thrones,¡± Gavin inserted. Sarah groaned and fully swung at Gavin, who caught her hand easily in his massive one. I stared at the scene even as I chuckled at his excellent toilet joke. With a slow moving swat Sarah had caused pain equivalent to a haymaker Charlie horse. What would a swing like that have done? Add to that the ease in which Gavin caught the damn thing. London saw my mouth hanging open slightly even as he preferred Gavin a surreptitious thumbs up. Jacky just sniffed and partially turned away from the group, as if to distance herself from our company. ¡°If you want to learn how to use Qi, Mana or Force, there are people who teach it,¡± London explained, but then licked a tooth sheepishly with his tongue, even as he scratched his neck. ¡°For a fee.¡± ¡°We could teach you the basics,¡± Gavin suggested giving London a stern look. London started, and looked at Gavin worriedly before back to me to hurriedly explain. ¡°We only know the basics¡ªpart of what we¡¯ve been saving up for is more lessons! Plus, we tried pooling our Points and having one person learn, then teach the others. It doesn¡¯t work as well¡ªfor some reason.¡± ¡°Maybe you¡¯re just a horrible teacher,¡± Jacky stated, matter-of-factly. The others nodded along, which caused London to flush. Under his breath he whispered, ¡°I didn¡¯t see any of you all doing better when it was your turns.¡± Everyone but Jacky blushed then, and she only sniffed. ¡°I never got the chance to try¡ªcause you idiots didn¡¯t make any sense. I¡¯ll teach the newb!¡± My eyes widened in horror and I looked around the group, pleading desperately for someone to step up and take over. They all just met my hope filled eyes with malice and hate. I could see what was happening here! London¡¯s mouth cracked into a terrifying smirk. ¡°I think that¡¯s a wonderful idea. Why don¡¯t you two meet up before we head out tomorrow? Assuming you¡¯re still coming with us tomorrow, Brodie?¡± I felt my earlier commitment to joining them for the week wither inside my soul. Maybe it would be better to try my hand at Alchemy and just sit on my Throne collecting Tp¡­ 109 Tutorial Day 7 The group had wanted to show me other Hunting grounds, but I¡¯d convinced them that we¡¯d make more money by becoming more efficient by staying in one area. An argument had ensued between the members, but once I pointed out that there was a higher chance of Maelstrom ¡®taxing¡¯ this road one of the days¡ªthey¡¯d eventually agreed. Part of me was glad that I hadn¡¯t had to use the take-it-or-leave-it approach. While I figured it would certainly work, I didn¡¯t want to strain what seemed to be a burgeoning friendship. And yet, I thought while studying the group from the back as we slowly walked back into town. I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to trusting them fully. I wanted to¡ªtruly I did, but they had something to gain from me joining them. So, it strained my ability to look at them as friends. Still, I guess I was getting something out of this relationship as well. The only question I had was, would it be worth me farming longer or starting on Alchemy? In my hands, I turned over my best attempt at harvesting a Borker Mane yet.
Well-Skinned Borker Mane Rank: High-E Quality: Great
From the angle of the cut, it was clear to me that the trick was to remove the Mane with a tapering forty-five degree angle. I had two problems accomplishing that currently. One was that the Skinning Knife, while in vastly better condition, wasn¡¯t sharp enough. Or at least it felt like it wasn¡¯t, because it kept getting caught and jerking in my hands. I pulled said knife out and realized it had reached the same point that my Pick had before I¡¯d fought the Golem. So, it needed something to cause it to evolve? I sighed starting to think about how impossible that would be¡ªbefore I realized that I actually was in a slightly better position if that opportunity arrived. Why? I was already studying the backs of London, Gavin, Jacky and Sarah. So, if a Monster popped out of some other creature we killed and I skinned, surely we could handle it, right? Thankfully I¡¯d made the realization about the Skinning Knife sometime ago, and had been using others I¡¯d stockpiled in my Necklace for general Skinning. It would be better to have a bunch at ¡®peak¡¯ level if I got out of here. When I got out of here! I corrected firmly. Today we hadn¡¯t found any Rock Lavenders, which was disappointing, but made me wonder if that was because I¡¯d ¡®over¡¯ farmed this area of them? Just like with the Skinning Knife, I¡¯d switched out my Gardening Kits for general collections getting two so far to what would be called their best possible quality¡ªbefore they too would need an evolution. And just like my Skinning Knife with Borker Mane¡¯s, I hadn¡¯t yet mastered the removal of the infuriatingly small Fruit.
Juicy Rock Lavender Pearl Rank: Mid-E Quality: Great
At first, I had thought it had something to do with the Fruit¡¯s stem, but I couldn¡¯t see how I could improve on the attempt I made yesterday. I¡¯d clearly managed to get the entirety of the stem¡ª ¡°Ahh, it¡¯s our rag-tag crew from Maelstrom,¡± Andron¡¯s unmistakeable voice crowed. My eyes narrowed in suspicion. How had the idiot been here all six days so far? Was it just that the groups had decided to post up for a set number of days this time? Surely not, right? That would defeat the purpose of what London¡¯s group had described to me. People gossiped about who they ran into all the time, and despite not specifically looking for news, the other areas had been changing daily. I could also swear I heard someone say that they¡¯d run into Andron, but I had somewhat assumed it was on this route¡­ I now wished I had paid more attention to the gossip over breakfast at the Alchemy School. ¡°This is more like it,¡± Andron continued. ¡°Even Sarah¡¯s recently repaired gear is starting to look sloppy again.¡± The only good news with Andron being here everyday since the group upgraded armor and weapons, was that they¡¯d only been give grief over it the first day. That scrutiny had cost them an extra skin and butchered Boar, but in the grand scheme of things that wasn¡¯t much. Today was no different and London handed over three portions of our ¡®total¡¯ haul on Borkers. He must have looked to casual as he did so because the dense neanderthal that was Andron did a double take. Dark eyes narrowing Andron asked, ¡°¡®ey, why do you look so ¡®appy about this.¡± London paused mid step to continue away from Andron and frowned. Only then did I realize he had been smiling broadly as he approached. With a cough London answered, ¡°We¡¯re getting more money for these better Skins too, Andron.¡± ¡°He¡¯s making shit up!¡± One of the forty behind Andron shouted. I scanned for the shouter but didn¡¯t find anything but hostile stares. I realized I¡¯d husked up too. In my hand was the Borker Mane. Thankfully the tiny Rock Lavender Fruit was easy to vanish into my Necklace. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to search yer bag, LondAn,¡± Andron crowed excitedly. My heartbeat leaped from an anxiety filled drumbeat to a hummingbird¡¯s wings in flight in an instant. Thinking fast, I moved to Gavin and held out my hand for the bag he had on him. The second Bag of Holding the group had. The one with far more capacity. Gavin raised and eyebrow before hesitantly offering me the Bag. I specifically didn¡¯t pause as I spun and started walking toward Andron. Even as I took my first step I sent a mental string into the Bag and cataloged what we¡¯d collected today. No plaque or inventory came up by my mind helpfully made one.
Bag of HoldingReading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. 12 Tons of Boar Meat 7 Boar Manes 5 Boar Skins 5 Boar Heart Cores 120 Witch Hazel Flowers 3 Earth Roots 4 Angry Fruit 6 Moon Stalks
As I had been hoping, I felt that I could summon them directly out of the Bag of Holding to my Necklace. Thankfully I¡¯d left the previous days Herbs and Fruit in a chest in my room in the Alchemy School. That and my single Sapling filled with grafted Witch Hazel and Tiger Fronds. Even with that consideration, there was absolutely no wayI could take the massive amount of Borker meat. All the Herbs and Fruits transferred over instantly. So did the seven boar Manes. I probably could have fit the Boar Heart Cores and a single Skin into the Necklace if I tried, but on rushed consideration I chose not to. The why in that moment seemed simple, and was probably in large part due to Mental Fortitude keeping my brain calm. If I took the Skins, and Cores but left the Meat, even a Neanderthal like Andron would get suspicious. I figured it was probably better to get caught with a small fib, than have the true depth of my deceit even hinted at. I handed the bag over to Andron and he snatched it, before eyeing what I was holding. With narrowed eyes Andron pointed to the Borker Mane, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to get the entire Skin off the Boars for a while,¡± I said. ¡°This part here has been giving me trouble¡ªI finally removed it better today but as you can see it¡¯s just a scrap.¡± London who had our other Bag of Holding, twitched minutely because he knew I was lying, but I had been very careful with my wording. In no way had I lied, not really. Not that I expected someone in this group of thugs to have Truth Seeking or a lie detector-esque ability, but you never knew. ¡°Your Skins sell pretty well,¡± Andron said, scratching his head. ¡°You saying you could do better?¡± ¡°Not yet,¡± I answered. Andron grimaced and then looked at the Bag he was holding. I could see the moment he checked out so he could ¡®focus¡¯ on what was inside. I wanted to groan, but held back. How the husk were we being ¡®robbed¡¯ by a husking moron? ¡°Ha! They¡¯ve held out on us boys,¡± Andron crowed. ¡°They got eight Boars today!¡± As if he was some great detective who had solved a case, Andron pulled a Skin, and another ton and a half of meat from the Bag of Holding. ¡°Lookie here boys!¡± He said. Then he pulled the Heart Core out and I fought my reaction to want to wince. ¡°No wonder you can¡¯t do the skin whole,¡± Andron said scornfully, before pulling out a belt knife that looked ready to break, and prying the Core from the Heart. ¡°You can¡¯t even separate the Core from the Heart with yours. Idiot.¡± He dropped the Heart on the ground, like it was trash, and my internal struggle became one not to sigh in relief. Andron shoved the second Bag into London¡¯s arms and checked his empty one with another long pause to ¡®focus.¡¯ After he was done he threateningly stated, ¡°You pull this shit again kid, and I¡¯m going to take everything you¡¯ve got¡ªyou ¡®ear me?¡± London went pale and nodded, which was either a true fearful reaction or the level of acting he should have maintained on approach. I unfortunately wasn¡¯t able to pale in fear of a man that I found utterly stupid. But I didn¡¯t have to because when Andron turned to me he surprised me by saying, ¡°With the right equipment, kid, you could be pretty decent. Next time me and da Boyz go out, we¡¯ll take you along. I¡¯ll let¡¯cha borrow my belt knife.¡± He proffered the thing like it was some sort of Epic weapon, and I fought desperately to keep my face neutral. I succeed well enough, and managed to nod to Andron, not trusting myself to keep it together I opened my mouth. ¡°Get the Husk out of here, another bigger group usually comes right behind ya!¡± The group couldn¡¯t speed walk any faster as they double timed it out of there. No words were exchanged, until we got into the Maelstrom District. Gavin spoke first, ¡°Holy shit, what just happened?¡± ¡°Where¡¯s all the Herbs and Mane¡¯s go?¡± Sarah asked, clearly having some ¡®suspicions¡¯ because she was looking at me. I held out a hand for the Bag of Holding from London, and he passed it over slowly, clearly also suspicious. I replaced all the things I¡¯d taken out, and then handed it back. London stared back at me, clearly having checked the insides after Andron handed it to him, and again now when I did. ¡°Okay,¡± he said slowly. ¡°That¡¯s a neat trick. What did you do?¡± My eyebrows raised, and I regarded him with a cool look. Currently no one in the group had ever asked for my secrets, or even where I had come from. I¡¯d taken that to mean one of two things. Either they were being respectful of each-others privacy. Or they knew each-others already and were just waiting for me to open up. Now¡¯s the first true test, I thought. Truly wondering if they¡¯d press me for information. It wasn¡¯t like my Necklace of Holding was something extremely rare¡ªand revealing it should be fine. Theoretically it could even help us as a Hunting Group, especially if we kept running into Andros. But, I needed to be able to trust them. London slowly started nodding his head, clearly seeing that I had no intention of answering, thanks to the long drawn out pause. After perhaps ten seconds of waiting he announced, ¡°Okay, I get it.¡± Turning to the group, he continued, ¡°Who cares why we get to keep the Points, right? Let¡¯s just be happy that Brodie figured out how to pull one over on Andros.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to trust him,¡± Jacky exclaimed. ¡°Just like that. He¡¯s been taking all the herbs and promising to pay us back in Points and perhaps Potions. If he wants our trust, he¡¯s got to show some of his own!¡± Here it was again. One of those moments where Jacky spoke and the group would tell her to shut up¡ªexcept this time Sarah, didn¡¯t call her out. Nor did Gavin. I looked to London who swallowed hard, as he began to sweat. ¡°Jacky, he¡¯s the reason we¡¯ve been doing so much better,¡± he scolded, but I could tell it was half hearted. It had been six days since I met them. Six days since I joined them and by all counts brought them nothing but benefits. Now, we were here¡ªat a juncture I didn¡¯t feel ready to meet. My Mental Fortitude calmed me down and let my brain ask why that was? And admittedly I couldn¡¯t put my finger on one specific reason. If I had to quantify the feeling, it was because they were too na?ve, to have survived. They were too weak, and pathetic when I¡¯d first met them. Too accommodating. Too helpful? ¡®Or are you just overthinking this?¡¯ My brain questioned. I had to nod at my own thought, but sometimes you have to go with your gut. Since silence had descended on our group for over a minute now, I stepped forward toward London. With a clear voice filled with confidence I didn¡¯t feel I asked, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. How much are the herbs worth to you?¡± ¡°What?¡± London asked, seeming startled by my words and what the question hinted at. I noticed he didn¡¯t answer, and that Sarah stepped forward toward Jacky. ¡°You idiot,¡± Sarah scolded. ¡°Look what your words have done. Now he¡¯s definitely going to leave!¡± ¡°Brodie, I¡¯m sorry for what Jacky said,¡± London stammered even as Sarah and Jacky got into somewhat of a humorous slapping contest. ¡°It¡¯s just we all know each other pretty well, and you haven¡¯t offered us anything about yourself yet.¡± ¡°I know,¡± I answered, before repeating my question. ¡°How much are the herbs worth do you think?¡± ¡°Just tell him! We¡¯ve been keeping a tally¡ªsince we¡¯ve got the thirty percent deal,¡± Jacky managed to get out as she dodged Sarah¡¯s slaps. ¡°I¡ªtold¡ªyou¡ªthat you¡¯re a¡ªbad¡ªteacher,¡± Sarah was shouting, with each slap attempt. I could tell that neither was being serious, having seen Sarah fight. London looked between Jacky and myself but it was Gavin who coughed up the answer. ¡°Just about thirty-three hundred points total. But only another twelve hundred since you¡¯ve let us keep the money from Skins, and Meat.¡± London transferred his shocked expression to Gavin, who returned the look with a shrug. ¡°What? It isn¡¯t like he said he was leaving.¡± I held out my hand and London reluctantly took it. I sent over twelve hundred tutorial points, and saw London¡¯s face fall. ¡°Brodie, this isn¡¯t what we wanted¡­¡± ¡°Gavin¡¯s right, I¡¯m not saying I¡¯m leaving, I just don¡¯t want to feel like I owe you anything. Keep the Skins, Hearts and Manes today, but please make sure I get a portion of meals at the Alchemy Academy, okay?¡± ¡°So, if you¡¯re not leaving, we¡¯ll see you tomorrow?¡± London asked, and even the slap fight between Sarah and Jacky stopped as the group waited for my answer. ¡°I think it¡¯s time for me to try my hand at Alchemy for a bit,¡± I answered, wanting to give myself a bit of separation from them for now. The more we talked the more I felt that my gut feeling was wrong and unfounded, but giving myself some time surely couldn¡¯t hurt. ¡°Okay,¡± Gavin said slowly, clearly intending to continue. To no ones surprise Jacky interjected, ¡°When will you be back?!¡± ¡°A week, maybe more,¡± I answered, before walking the increasing familiar main thoroughfare towards my room at the Academy. 110 Tutorial Day 7 It may seem odd, but I didn¡¯t stay in my room. Instead, I travelled the streets to the Academy, dropped off my Mining Armor, and other gear before changing and heading out one of the side doors of the School. I just couldn¡¯t shake the odd feeling of being watched, or of wrongness that had grown over the previous week. While I wasn¡¯t planning to try to spy on the group, or even catch them in the act of spying on me¡ªI did hope to walk around the District and perhaps learn some things from others. I had plenty of reasons to talk with others already, too¡ªso, it wasn¡¯t even suspicious. First, I needed to get a proper teacher to discover how to tap into my Qi, and Force Pools. According to London and the group there were people who specialized in that sort of training¡ªfor the right price. I¡¯d start there, and maybe try to weasel some information out of whoever I chose. The other area of import, from my observations, was Stats. Clearly mine were currently capped at ten, or High F. However, just a Quick Look at what the shop offered had made something clear to me that I had only suspected based on the name of the¡ªwell the whole place. Tutorial Town was meant to teach people how the System worked¡ªbut also it seemed to be a great area to increase stats and gain additional Skills. If my hunch was correct, this place was built by the System to give the Human race a better chance against the Monsters. There was just one major problem with it. Something meant to help us, was trapping us. I¡¯d spent a few sleepless nights this week fretting about just that. Yet, there wasn¡¯t an obvious answer¡ªat least not to me. What would the ultimate purpose be, of a place meant to teach Humanity about the System? I believed it had to be some sort of achievement that would prove your knowledge. A test, maybe? Or a trial of combat, maybe? I¡¯d leaned away from the second at first, because of the Crafting Professions that seemed to thrive here¡ªbut I still wanted to see how much power could be gained from us Crafter¡¯s through Qi and Force. If it was as much as it seemed from that joking tap of Sarah¡¯s, then I might have to re-examine that trial idea later. There was a glaring problem with that solution, or key to our cage. With all the people who¡¯d been here for decades¡ªno one had discovered it. Fong was probably out there looking right now¡­ I peeked my head into the first permanent structure across the street from the side door I¡¯d exited the Academy using. It was quite clearly another School¡ªso, I went inside. Even from the doorway I could tell it wasn¡¯t a combat oriented school, but why people were using pen and paper eluded me. Moving closer what I discovered made my eyes bug out. They were drawing intricate lines that could only be one thing. Enchantments! Almost as soon as I saw the man¡¯s paper he covered it and spun on me. ¡°What are you doing in here?!¡± He exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s one student per room¡ªwait where is your badge?¡± The reddening face of the man told me that his frustration or perhaps even anger was climbing. He also indicated what ¡®badge¡¯ he meant. It was a patch that had been sewn into his black clothing. Quickly I held up my hands and went with my usual excuse in situations like this. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I just arrived in the Tutorial and Maelstrom District. I¡¯m just exploring.¡± The redness of the man¡¯s face continued to escalate, making him look like he might pop a blood vessel soon. When he shot to his feet I stepped back. ¡°Did you get a good look, kid?!¡± The angry man shouted, while jabbing a finger at me. Thankfully I had already stepped back, or he might have hit me. I wasn¡¯t sure if that was good for him or myself. If he made contact wouldn¡¯t the massive Giant Guards come? That thought alone was enough to make me turn and sprint back out of the building. It was only when I was outside the side door again that I paused long enough to realize a few things. He definitely had been posturing. Maybe not about the internal Guards, but definitely with the finger jab and the ¡®apoplectic¡¯ rage. But most importantly what had he been trying to hide no his page? I hadn¡¯t seen enough of the scribbles to make a determination, but all it took from me was a peek back inside to confirm the man was gone. That was some good acting¡ªI was about to re-enter when I saw two of the Hunter guards similar to the ones in the Alchemy Building stroll down the hallway toward the side room the man had used. Hurriedly I closed the door and then power walked to the next building in line. This one was only three stories where the ¡®Enchanting¡¯ one had been four. It also had a few people milling about outside. In front of two well dressed men acting as guards. When I say well-dressed, I mean it more as a statement to their quality of armor and weapons. I joined the back of the line as I studied them. Full plate armor that clearly was coated in some sort of red paint. No¡ªthat wasn¡¯t it. The sheen of the metal still shone through. Was it an additive to the metal before it was cast? Was armor often cast? Some niggling thought, told me that it probably was hammered in movies for a reason, but what that reason was, I couldn¡¯t say. Then an additive before creating ingots¡ª ¡°Do you have an invitation for today?¡± The person in front of me asked. She practically whispered the words without looking directly at me. As I frowned in consideration she put both hands up and hurriedly explained, ¡°It¡¯s just that if you aren¡¯t waiting to see Donahue¡ªyou can go right in. This line is kind of specific.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I answered lamely, before flushing slightly red. The girl smiled, and showed me a golden piece of paper. A quick squint told me that it wasn¡¯t paper at all. It was gold that had been hammered so thinly¡ªthat it resembled paper. There was an insignia stamped into it, and somewhat beaten out of shape as well. Shaking my head I admitted, ¡°No, I don¡¯t have one of those. What does a visit with Donahue get you?¡± The girl looked through her lashes at me, still blushing. I blinked not understanding why my question might be embarrassing. She turned away without answering me, but it didn¡¯t seem disdainful. The guy in front of her was of similar age and looked enough alike her that when she tapped him on the shoulder and he spun¡ªI figured they were related in some way. Both had dirty blonde hair, with green eyes, flecked with gold. They both were skinny¡ªwhich was much more noticeable on the young man, since some women chose the tall lanky look. The man was of a height with me, and the woman was likely half a foot shorter. When the kid saw her red face he shook his head, and turned slowly more until his eyes met mine. Then with a blink he tilted his head appreciatively. I blinked not understanding, until he asked, ¡°Any chance you bat for my team?¡± It took me longer to understand what he was asking then I¡¯d care to admit if pressed¡ªbut my silent confusion seemed to be answer enough, cause he sighed. ¡°Dang. Well, Amelia this ones all yours. Sorry for my sister¡ªshe doesn¡¯t know how to talk to¡ª¡± he gave me an up down with his eyes then finished, ¡°¡ªmen¡± The way he said the last word was definitely meant to be a compliment, but only drove home his intended meaning from earlier. I took the compliment in stride¡ªquite aware that something about me seemed to have this effect on gay men. The only part that made my skin crawl was the unwanted advance¡ª Still, it wasn¡¯t like Dave wouldn¡¯t have done the same thing to a pretty girl. Maybe even to Amelia¡ªshe certainly was pretty enough for my friend to try his Casanova approach. In response to the man¡¯s advances I asked, ¡°I was just asking Amelia about the token for Donahue.¡± ¡°Oh. He¡¯s on of the best Blacksmiths in our District. He rarely returns to the city though. So, when he does any favor he owes to people comes due, and theirs a line to queue up orders from him. He¡¯s owes me a set of greaves to go over my boots. Amelia here is going to commission¡ªwas it a bracelet?¡± Amelia didn¡¯t respond but did bob her head up and down while still not looking directly at me. After a moment of consideration I saw a flaw in the story. ¡°If he never returns to the city, how can he owe you favors?¡± ¡°Oh, there are plenty of people that built houses out in the Wilds,¡± the man answered. After Amelia gave him a shot in the arm he flinched and shook himself. ¡°Oh, right. I¡¯m Liam. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Brodie. So, you met him outside the city?¡± ¡°Well, yes and no. We went to him outside the city, but met him in here. He commissions materials while in town¡ªand once you¡¯ve collected it¡ªyou bring it to him.¡± ¡°Then how does someone get to meet him and get a commission if he only sees people with favors in town?¡± I asked, confused by how this process started.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Have you never been inside?¡± Liam asked, sounding more confused than I felt. He got another shot in the arm from Amelia. ¡°Ignore his tone,¡± she whispered. ¡°You¡¯re probably just new here. Head inside¡ªyou¡¯ll see.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I responded including them both in my words and my Canadian dip of my head. Then to avoid anymore awkwardness¡ªand to save Amelia from her clear stage fright of others, I walked by the line and entered the door. There were still others lined up inside the entryway¡ªforming a single file group on the wall, just inside the doorway. I walked by them all taking the fifty-feet of hallway on the left, that then opened into a large open entryway, similar if not identical to the Alchemy Building. The line continued to snake along the left wall of the entryway to the first open door. There were two more guards who physically barred the entry¡ªeach wearing suits of red armor identical to the men outside. It only struck me now how odd having Guards was, if no physical harm could come to people in the Town. Well, I guess I wasn¡¯t quite clear on that, yet. If I attacked someone quickly enough could I kill them or injure them before the massive Goliath Armored Guards showed up? I shivered¡ªnot wanting to find out first hand. Only with the shiver did I feel how out of place the action was. The entry way was at least five to ten degrees Celsius warmer than outside. I couldn¡¯t see into the Classroom with Donahue, but a quick glance showed me that my assumption of the building being the same as the Alchemy School was false. The classrooms were filled with forges, anvils, shelves, and other Blacksmithing equipment¡ªand only one person worked in each space. To my pleasant surprise an apparatus similar to the one I¡¯d grown used to in the Naga Ruins was occupying the forge. Clearly intended to vent the smoke, and some heat. Two women worked in one of the room together, but other than that the rooms only had a single man or woman inside. I made a slow spin trying to understand what Liam and Amelia had meant about being inside¡ª Right in the center of the Entryway was an easel made from fused swords. It was almost artwork, if it wasn¡¯t rusty and a bit lopsided. A large board sat canted on top of the rusty sword shelf of the easel. And on it there were notices pinned so thickly¡ªthat for a moment I thought the board might actually just be paper stacked so thickly it looked like a board. One other person was looking at the board, while scratching his chin. Occasionally he reached up and lifted a paper to get a look at what was underneath. I slowly walked over, and as soon as I arrived the man glanced at me, before asked, ¡°Do you know which one is Donahue¡¯s?¡± I shook my head. Then trying to get a bit more information I risked saying, ¡°I just got here. What¡¯s so special about his favor anyway?¡± ¡°Pshhh. Do you see his guards?¡± The man asked in turn. At my nod and glance at the blocked doorway the guy continued. ¡°That¡¯s Magna Inferni Steel. It uses Magna Steel as its base¡ªwhich is already tough to work with, but Donahue has added something more making it extremely resistant to all forms of Magic. See the red tint?¡± I nodded again and this time the man waved at me dismissively, seeming to realize that he didn¡¯t want to keep explaining himself to someone who didn¡¯t even understand the greatness of Donahue. I shrugged, happy to have lost the man¡¯s attention¡ªso I could peruse the board. Sure enough there were requests for specific information all over the board. In almost every case a favor was offered in exchange for the material. I wondered why it would be a favor and not just a piece of gear, but then realized that with a favor you could appeal to everyone. With a specific piece of gear, you might lose the interest of someone because they didn¡¯t need the option you gave. Smart¡­ Still, this board was practically useless to me. I didn¡¯t know where a cavern or mine even was in this place. Not yet at least. Still, in my quick scan, I did discover Donahue¡¯s request, and with a smirk I read it while ensuring the guy who was still searching didn¡¯t notice.
Request Bring Metal of E or D-rank Quality to Donahue¡¯s Forest Smithy. If the Material is needed, then earn Donahue¡¯s favor. Favor¡¯s available: Copper Silver Gold Jade Maps available by touching this notice.
Frowning, I glanced first at the guy beside me. Had he been touching the other notices for Maps? How in the world could this thing provide a if I touched it? Scanning the paper again I did see something odd. I possibly only realized it was something at all because my first visit had been to the Enchanting Building. The paper was for the most part a crisp whitish-yellow rectangle. However, there was a pattern to the fading¡ªmaybe? It looked almost like an ampersand. Well, that¡¯s probably not true but I could somewhat make out a pattern in the yellowing that didn¡¯t look natural. There was only a few lines of the unnatural fading I could make out, and they crossed into other spaces. If I assumed they were straight then it was close to an ampersand but what happened in the hidden areas was anyone¡¯s guess. Dissapointed I would have to give away the location of Donahue¡¯s request, I reached out and touched the paper. All that happened was the text on the page vanished, before changing to a sheet with symbols and markings that made it clear to anyone looking that it was a map. Triangles without the bottom clearly marked hills or perhaps mountains. A star at the center with TT over it, likely marked this town. A hut with smoke emerging from a chimney, was at the very top of the page, far to the North. It was probably Donahue¡¯s Smithy. It was at the base of a broken triangle larger than others that also smoked. A volcano? That seemed the only likely possibility. Shrugging I scanned around the TT star to try and find something that might be the shelf I arrived on, or the forest I¡¯d just spent a week farming in. I was just hoping for some context in regards to distance. Unfortunately, while there was a forest marked in the general direction I thought we¡¯d farmed in¡ªit was behind mountains, that I knew I hadn¡¯t even seen yet. As for the shelf. Well there was a small semi circle right beside the star¡ªto the east. They almost touched. If that was the shelf, then the cabin and volcano were weeks of journey away. Sighing, I let go of the page before looking at the man beside me¡ªI was planning to tell him about the Request, but his had shot past me almost as soon as I let go of the sheet. Rolling my eyes, I turned and left. I considered studying the other Requests, but I figured I should find a Mine first, before I even bothered. I did study the equipment inside the rooms and wondered if picking up a Forge from the Demonic Shop would allow me to use some of this area¡ªmostly to gain the Blacksmithing Skill, but then dismissed that too. It was quite clear what was burning inside the Forges was Crystals¡ªwhich was actually a really good thing. That meant I could mine them, and sell the Mana inside. Which could get me more stuff from Demonic Vault or maybe I¡¯d actually finally buy a Skill. Once back on the street I kept exploring going from Building to Building¡ªuntil I finally found what I was looking for. I¡¯d found a Cooking Building, Tannery, Green House, and to my surprise, a huge amount of simply empty buildings. I stored there existence away for now wanting to ask my group about them if I returned. By the time I found a second Martial Pavilion¡ªone my group hadn¡¯t shown me on the fourth day here¡ªit was clear from the few Sunstones I saw that it was past sundown. Why did I come to a different one? Simple, if my group was actually reporting on me, which I was starting to doubt¡ªthe more I saw of this District. Well, then the Martial Pavilion they brought me to would have been one of their compatriots. As mentioned, my suspicions of the group were slowly abating, until I found this Pavilion in the shadow of the wall. It instantly made me question everything again. First, the building they brought me too was a four story construction near the center of town. Jacky who was never nice had even brought me through the interior to meet someone in particular. Again, not suspicious on its own. However, she claimed that the man she introduced me to was the cheapest in the District¡ªat a thousand Tp per hour. Then why did this wooden Martial Pavilion have a sign with white pain that read, ¡®A hundred Tp an hour. Qi and Force Lessons.¡¯ I¡¯d believe it was some scam if not for one thing. A familiar red screen popped up¡ªwhich told me the exact same information as the four story stone building had. Sanctified Martial Learning This space will help students to understand lessons by putting them into a more naturally relaxed state. Concepts, techniques and epiphanies will occur at a marginally increased pace. The only difference was that the word ¡®marginally¡¯ had said ¡®fractionally¡¯¡ªwhich I guess could be better? What was considered more¡ªMarginally or Fractionally. Regardless, I had long stopped just entering buildings, once I left the stone constructs and was in the area reserved for wooden huts. I assumed that each building was individually owned out here¡ªand unless it had the door swung open I didn¡¯t examine them. The people with the doors swung open were always looking to sell something¡ªand I felt that confirmed my consideration. Here the door was shut, but the sign made me wonder if I should just enter or knock. I landed on the latter, only because even if I was wrong, I¡¯d be politely wrong. Once I did rap my knuckles on the thin wood barrel liked door, and pulled back for a second¡ªa translated voice in my ear said, ¡°Come in, come in!¡± The door swung inward, and the tinkle of glass greeted my ears along with the creak of the hinges. Until my eyes adjusted from the exterior six sun brightness to the SunStone dimness of the interior, I assumed I was pushing some Crystals back from the entryway. Instead, I found empty glass bottles. I blinked as I scanned my gaze over the ¡®carpet¡¯ of multihued glass. There was literally almost no place to put a foot, other than the immediate area the door had just ¡®cleared.¡¯ I had already stepped inside, and considered turning around immediately¡ªbut the voice came again. ¡°Here for training, huh?¡± A loud belch punctuated the question, and without the translation I could determine where it came from. It drew my eye to the center of the room where a slim black man stood leaning on a spear. Well, using one hand to lean on the spear, while the other held a somewhat full bottle. The smell, which I hadn¡¯t noticed on my first step into the building told me exactly what was going on. The scattered bottles and the one in his hand were clearly beer. It had that stale aroma of vinegar, or urine. My nose scrunched even as I watched the spearman take another swig of the foamy substance he held bottled in his hand. ¡°You¡¯re the first person to knock in a while,¡± the translated voice said in my ear. As the man opened his mouth to continue I listened intently hoping to catch a word that would tell me what language he was speaking. ¡°Je m¡¯appelle Claude, I can instruct you on Qi, Force or even how to wield a spear!¡± Claude, who was clearly French held up the ragged looking spear proudly, but then stumbled because he¡¯d removed his third point of contact with the ground. ¡°I think I¡¯ll take my business elsewhere,¡± I said politely¡ªnot wanting a drunk to teach me. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that,¡± Claude said. His arm blurred, the spear vanishing with it. I felt the air stir from where I stood ten feet away. His body became hazy in the next instant, before the air stirring became a gale, then a hurricane. I raised my hands and squinted as pebbles or perhaps dust rushed by me, scraping at my skin. ¡°There that¡¯s better, no?¡± Claude¡¯s translated voice said. I lowered my hands and was shocked to find to all appearances a sparkling clean dojo. An inhale of shock told me the stale smell of beer was also gone. My glance over my shoulder showed a pile of sand in the street. Has he just casually turned the bottles to sand, before blowing them and all accumulated dust out the door? I eyed Claude and the half full bottle of beer in his hands. That was impressive as hell, maybe more so if he was a drunkard. 111 Tutorial Day 7 ¡°Now that it¡¯s¡ª¡± the man began to say but then vomited all over himself, his spear, and the floor. ¡°¡ªoh!¡± He added stupidly just as the butt of the spear slipped on said vomit and since his weight was resting almost entirely on the weapon¡ªhe crashed down as well. I watched as his thighs and legs landed in the vomit, which from the looks of things consisted of mostly liquor. Normally, a body part hitting the floor would slow a fall, but in this case it turned his tumble into a slip and slide, fulgruming his head down¡ªso he could introduce his forehead to the polished wood and vomit. The groan or perhaps startled exhalation of breath told me that he had seriously hurt himself. I was still standing in the doorway, and seriously considered turning around once again. Even though that move he¡¯d just performed was badass, that might not make it worth hiring him. Something tickled my skin, and I recognized the sensation of the magical shower, or the cleansing veil as you re-entered Tutorial Town. It passed over Claude, and I watched as the vomit and stains from beer vanished off his body. Whatever was left of the stale beer smell also seemed to get cleansed from the air. My eyebrow raised as I considered what had just occurred. Claude was clearly passed out from drink, or unconscious from the knock to the head. Either way, I didn¡¯t think he could have triggered the Cleaning Magic of the Tutorial Town. So, had it auto activated when the man vomited? It took a moment to realize what that might mean¡ªand to my surprise I felt a thrill run through me. In the wake of the cleaning wave, I felt heat rush over my cranium and down my back, all the way to my feet. This was what Gamonji and King Anubis did daily¡ªwell at least were portrayed to have done daily by the documentaries. Train so hard, that you expected your body to fail¡ªI wasn¡¯t sure if it was an idolized thought, or if I truly wanted that¡ªbut a room that auto activated when the user vomited? The trainer must have got fed up and not only purchased the feature, but set it up so he didn¡¯t have to deal with puke or even smell it for overly long. There was just one problem. That trainer, if Claude was the owner, was currently passed out, unconscious or a combination of the two. I had a solution to that problem, but should I risk it? My body seemed to move on its own, as I stepped further into the Martial Pavilion, allowing the door to swing closed behind me. After it did, I moved around the edges of the open room, there was one doorway that led off the training space, and a quick check showed me that it was locked. I assumed it was a closet and continued to carefully check the area. It wasn¡¯t overly large, so I arrived back to the door rather quickly. No one was here, which was one worry taken care of. Taking a deep breath I carefully considered what I was about to do one more time. It wasn¡¯t like revealing myself as a healer would be horrible¡ªright? And if that was the worst case¡ªthen was it really a risk? I realized I was trying to convince myself, and clenched a fist, before stepping forward. Once I took that first step, the next few were easy, and I arrived at Claude¡¯s side. Kneeling down I placed a hand on his forearm before activating Heal, and Cleanse through my Soul Nervous System. Ten seconds later I blinked as Heal stopped consuming Mana. Ten points had been used for healing the man, which surprised me. Cleanse on the other hand was a costing me five Mana each time I used it. At first I had assumed one application would be enough, but as soon as I used the Skill I gained a connection with Claude. Well, more accurately I gained an awareness of his body condition. He was practically killing himself with drinking. How an Awakened could be suffering from Kidney Failure, Liver Damage, An Enlarged Heart, and High Blood Pressure was beyond me¡ªbut he definitely was. Each Cleanse application helped relieve some of the problems, but it just pushed the toxins back out into the blood. So, a second application of Cleanse was needed. This one did remove the toxins from the blood, but pushed more out of the liver, kidneys and even the minute amount of fat Claude had. I kept using my Skill, and after the fourth time, I tried Healing again. I quickly found myself out of Personal Mana and immediately regretted handing the two remaining Mana Batteries, I¡¯d taken from Nagina¡ªthe super huge Snake, to Dave and Willa. I still was pissed that one had been destroyed when I tried to convert the Mana to Mana Coins. I kept using Cleanse and Heal, as my Mana regenerated. Almost consuming another fifty Mana before my connection with Claude told me that his body was healed. Only then did I notice how much I was sweating, and just how fast my Heart was pumping. I was about to stand up, but registered why I was sweating just before I did. The sensation was not identical but definitely familiar to when Mining raised my Strength Stat. Or when Cooking did Dexterity. Fishing-Stamina, Gardening-Intelligence or Skinning-Agility. Only question was what had increased and why? Most of my stats were at there ¡®max¡¯ with ten points. There were only two that weren¡¯t. Wisdom and Perception. I opened my Status and checked them.
StatusIf you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Tutorial Name: [Enter Name] Tutorial Points: 23,995 Skills: Demonic Vault, Dragon Heart, Reptilian Body, Heal, Cleanse Class: Gatherer / Healer Mana Pool: 1 / 50 Qi: 40 / 40 Force: 11 / 14 Stats: Strength: 10 Agility: 10 Stamina: 10 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 4 Dexterity: 10 Perception: 4
They¡¯d increased by three each?! The first line reminded me that I still hadn¡¯t chosen a Tutorial name. I shrugged. According to London the name was only important if you ended up on one of the ¡®Leaderboards.¡¯ Since I didn¡¯t have any accomplishments that would be shared on the any Leaderboard, I hadn¡¯t bothered inputting a nickname. Knowing the reason for my racing Heart and Sweat soaked skin I levered myself back to my feet¡ªonly to find Claude looking at me. I stepped back involuntarily not having noticed the man waking up. ¡°Did you just¡ª¡± Claude began, the voice translated in my ear, but either cut himself off or started mumbling too softly for the translation to continue. His hands roamed over his body, pressing into his stomach, his sides, and finished by roving over is forehead which probably should have at least had a ¡®goose egg¡¯ sized bump. Instead, Claude found his forehead clear of any blemish. He blinked white eyes at me, and I wondered if they¡¯d been yellowing before. My connection to Claude earlier suggested that they probably had been. He sat up, and looked around himself, before blinking at his spear. His face morphed, looking like someone had just taken all that smell of vomit and stale beer air¡ªand shoved it up his nose. His fist snaked out and snatched the Spear in a grip so tight that his knuckles whitened and the wood creaked. Slowly Claude joined me in standing. Once there he didn¡¯t lean on his Spear. Instead it was transferred from his clenched fist to the crook of his elbow. He rested it there casually, over his shoulder as he regarded me, meeting my eyes with his brown ones. After an awkwardly long moment of silently staring at each other, he said, ¡°So, your here for training?¡± I blinked. Not because of the question, but because of the lack of robotic translation. Claude had clearly just spoken English, allowing me to hear his actual voice, which was strongly accented and deep. I nodded in answer to his question and then said, ¡°The sign out front said a hundred Tp an hour?¡± That wasn¡¯t what I truly wanted to say. I wanted nothing more than to ask if Claude knew about my healing. I wanted to plead with him to keep it secret¡ªbut some niggling part of my gut, or perhaps Mental Fortitude, told me that he had chosen to ignore it. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Claude said, then clicked a tongue in disappointment before opening his mouth. What he said next required translation. ¡°I don¡¯t teach the sissy Sword, though. If you train with me, you will learn how to use the Spear¡ªdo you understand?¡± His last question was back to English, and due to the delay of the translator I was forced to hear the robotic voice and Claudes question on top of each other. I nodded, not truly caring what weapon he was teaching. I probably wouldn¡¯t even stay with him that long. ¡°I do understand, but I¡¯m really here to learn to use Qi and Force,¡± I said. Claude smiled, and the remaining sweat on my skin turned to ice. He looked excited, and bloodthirsty. ¡°I can teach you that starting tomorrow morning, but only if you clean the Pavilion tonight!¡± ¡°Clean it?¡± I asked, thinking he¡¯d misspoken¡ªdue to speaking in English again. Claude¡¯s smile grew as he nodded and walked to the single locked door. At his touch it opened and he simply reached around the corner to pull out a mop, broom, mop bucket, and a great deal of armor. The armor was resting on the various other things he¡¯d pulled out. A chest piece on the broom handle, and pants on the mop. Boots, and gloves inside the mop bucket. I blinked at the strange assortment. Did Claude use the cleaning equipment as an armor rack? ¡°Put this on, and go fill the bucket from the well.¡± ¡°What well?!¡± Then I glanced at the single SunStone in the room. It was telling me it was already around eight or nine at night. ¡°Plus it¡¯s almost time for bed. Can¡¯t you just trigger the Magic Cleaning again?¡± Claude smirked and shook his head. His mouth moved and a moment later the translator spoke into my ear, ¡°No, students clean the dojo, it¡¯s tradition.¡± * * * Turns out the armor was not Claude¡¯s. It wasn¡¯t even armor. It was essentially a weighted vest, leggings, gloves and boots. I had no gauge for just how heavy they were either, because it wasn¡¯t like I¡¯d ever tested just how much my Strength stat had improved my¡ªwell for lack of a better word, strength. Still, if I could squat about two-hundred and fifty pounds before unlocking the stat, and likely give an awkward penguin walk with about three to four hundred on my back¡ªthen that was what I was carrying in the chest piece alone. Add to that the weighted boots, pants and gloves, and I was literally sliding my feet across the dojo floor to avoid falling over. I truly considered what would happen if I did fall over. My feet felt nailed to the ground¡ªso, if I fell would my shins simply break in half? ¡°How the hell do you expect me to go get water in the bucket in all of this?¡± I asked, truly incredulous. The husking greed could just cast Cleaning Magic! It was right after that thought that my brain helpfully pointed out that this was what I wanted¡­ Gamonji had never collected water into a mop bucket while wearing weighted armor¡ªwell at least not in the documentary¡ªbut he had trained every waking moment. Claude simply leaned down picked up the bucket and handed it to me. That was when I discovered not only what it felt like to fall in weighted armor¡ªbut that the bucket was also weighted. Once on the ground, I experienced something that I can truly say I never wanted to, and had never considered before. Is this what a flipped over Turtle felt? I strained, and strained, but didn¡¯t even manage to flip over, off my stomach. I did get enough momentum to teeter onto my arm before the weight of my ¡®equipment¡¯ rolled me back. I tried to reach behind me and undo the buckles of the chest piece only to remember I was wearing gloves. Gloves that conveniently were tied tightly in place. As I reached for the bow to loosen it and take off the gloves, a translated voice in my ear said, ¡°If you remove the equipment before you¡¯ve cleaned the dojo, I will not train you.¡± Then as if there was nothing more to do¡ªlike say help a stuck man on the Pavillion floor¡ªI heard the door Claude had unlocked shut. Right after I heard him walk through it, too. ¡°You son of a Greed Hog!¡± I shouted, but didn¡¯t get a response. In anger I almost reached for the bow of the tied on gloves again¡ªbut Mental Fortitude talked me off that ledge. Surely, I was intelligent enough to figure out someway to get up and get to the well. 112 Tutorial Day 8 Claude exited his room in the morning, and smiled. I had never wanted to punch someone in the face more than I did in that moment. Sure, I¡¯d slept a bit¡ªon and off. But for the most part? I struggled against the weight of the armor the man had tied and buckled me into. I heaved. I loved. I husking likely got a hernia at some point before Recovery fixed it. The only thing I managed to do, other than exhaust myself so much that I passed out, was roll over onto my stomach. For a brief moment I had celebrated that. Until I realized that a push up with hundreds of pounds on my back wasn¡¯t easier than a sit-up. Claude didn¡¯t even acknowledge me, as he moved around the dojo, seeming to check it over for something. Did he think I¡¯d managed to steal something in here? First, if I¡¯d been able to put anything into my Necklace of Holding¡ªit would have been the armor! Yet, far more importantly, did he think I had stood up, somehow pocketed what sparse nonsense I could see on display then laid back down in the same husking spot! ¡°Husking piece of husked dung! Get me the hell out of this armor!¡± I shouted, my temper eventually overpowering Mental Fortitude, and its inane desire to let Claude speak first. ¡°Ahh, I¡¯m afraid not. You haven¡¯t completed your task yet. Look at this dust,¡± the translator said into my ear, as Claude ran a finger over an even worse looking spear that hung on the wall. His finger came away spotless making my jaw clench. At least he hadn¡¯t put on a helmet, so I could lift my head and glare at him. ¡°Oh, look at that,¡± Claude said cheerfully in English. ¡°It¡¯s breakfast , and payment time.¡± I wondered what he meant about the second part until he came over and touched the back of my forearm.
As per the agreement upon entering the Martial Pavilion, you will be charged for 8 hours of Training. 800 Tutorial Points Deducted to pay Claude
My mind actually blanked as I read the blue system message. Then like a wildfire well into its burn, rage consumed me. ¡°That¡¯s theft¡ªyou Greed Hog, pile of Husker Dung! How is it even letting you get away with this?!¡± I kept swearing and screaming until I realized that Claude hadn¡¯t responded. That got me to stop long enough to look around the part of the roomI could see and discover that my ¡®teacher¡¯ wasn¡¯t likely still in the Pavilion. The rage inside of me, now bereft of an outlet, puttered, but then blazed even higher. I planted my arms under me and uncaring about strain, or pain¡ªshoved. Like I was some Super Hunter on Hunter Wars who had been knocked down but wasn¡¯t out, I started to lift off the wooden slatted floor. My arms, stomach, chest, toes, and basically ever muscle in my body shook. Shook was a bad descriptor for what it felt like. It was like my body vibrated, as every single muscle I contained strained against the weight. Centimeter by centimeter I rose. Fraction of an inch by inch. Until suddenly the vibration stopped. Like I was a hydraulic lift with its air lines cut, my arms collapsed. Causing me to hit the floor hard enough that I thought the whole building would shake, or at least the floor would splinter. But all that my eyes and brain registered was just how fast that floor was coming at me. Just how much weight and momentum I was building in my short fall. Just how weak my neck muscles felt. My chest hit first, but was protected by the armor. All the momentum on my body was transferred to my neck and I gave the floor a great stress relieving head-butt. Stress-relieving because I was consumed by darkness. * * * ¡°You¡¯re awake faster than I expected,¡± Claude¡¯s translated voice said in my ear. ¡°You also discovered your Qi it seems.¡± I was just blinking my eyes to clear them of the fuzzy, grainy quality¡ªwhen the translator spoke. Because of its presence it took me a moment to remember where I was. Then another few seconds to realize my vision was grainy cause I was staring at the Dojo Floor. I looked up to find Claude sitting cross legged right in front of me. He proffered a spoon, which was filled with something that could have been porridge, or pudding. It didn¡¯t look appetizing. Still the translator from the Tutorial Town took over for Claude as his mouth moved. ¡°It¡¯s a full meal replacement. Totally tasteless. You¡¯ll need it after you used your Qi.¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Ididn¡¯t use y-ci,¡± I tried to state, my mouth feeling like it was full of sand. Closing my mouth I failed to create any saliva, which was strange. The strange porridge-pudding suddenly looked a lot like milk. My hesitation lasted only a moment before my body¡¯s need outweighed my feelings of anger and embarrassment. I opened my mouth and Claude inserted the spoon. The first ¡®bite¡¯ was tough to swallow but wet my tongue enough after it sat on it long enough. Once the first bite was traveling down my esophagus, I lost all shame¡ªas my body truly displayed how much it needed sustenance. Or perhaps the liquid inside the milky, porridge-pudding. In either case, my embarrassment at being ¡®baby-birded¡¯ by Claude only returned when I heard the spoon clatter into an empty bowl. As soon as that ¡®gong¡¯ sounded my rage and embarrassment fought to consume me. ¡°Get me the hell out of this armor, Claude!¡± I roared. ¡°Hmm¡ªno!¡± Claude said in accented English. ¡°Why the husk not?¡± I roared again, unable to control my volume with a man who was likely feeding me so he could just continue to steal my Tp. My only hope was to be as loud as possible¡ªperhaps someone outside would hear me. Claude bent down and put his face right in front of mine. The translation robot made sense of his words for me. ¡°Room and board here cost extra!¡± He touched my arm again.
As per the agreement upon entering the Martial Pavilion, you will be charged for 1 hours of Training. 100 Tutorial Points Deducted to pay Claude. 100 Tutorial Points Deducted for Room and Board
¡°You husking son of a Witch,¡± I shouted and began to strain against the armor. Claude stepped back and tilted his head¡ªlooking unconcerned as I shook violently against the load. My arms began to straighten again, as I performed my impossible push up. I passed a point and some of the strain seemed to lesson, even as I continued to inch up. However, my arms burned¡ªmy chest screeched and I knew I wasn¡¯t even halfway up yet. The blood in my biceps, and chest reversed or felt like it did, as the Strength I thought I felt abandoned me. Thankfully this time Claude kicked a cushion under my head just as I hit the ground. My face got smothered by the pillow for a terrifying moment, mostly because I desperately needed oxygen. However, I quickly pulled my neck back and heaved in air, while glaring at Claude. He had another bowl of porridge-milk in hand. My eyes narrowed even as he pulled the pillow out from beneath me which did lessen the strain on my neck. I spat the first spoonful at Claude. He wouldn¡¯t be getting more money from me, because I ate his food! I¡¯d rather die! Claude smiled broadly as my attempted ¡®attack¡¯ fell well short of him. ¡°You only pay Room and Board once a day.¡± The only thought in my head was whether I should trust him. If what he said was true, he was feeding me for a different reason. But what reason could it be? A gamble of a hundred Tutorial Points shouldn¡¯t hurt. Skeptical, eyes narrowed and fiercely staring I opened my mouth. Claude fed me and then stepped back with the empty bowl. This time he didn¡¯t say anything¡ªhe just observed. Thanks to my suspicion I just observed him. What was he waiting for? Did he think I was just going to rage out again and try to¡ª Was that it? Did he want me to try to push myself? Was this essentially a high priced personal trainer hellbent on torturing me? My Mental Fortitude seemed to be calming me down, finally. I regarded him even as I flexed my muscles a bit. I could feel weakness, soreness and stiffness¡ªall three stages of healing after a lift. So, I was gaining something but why was he going with this method? There was a relatively easy answer to that as well. He said, ¡®I¡¯d used my Qi.¡¯ I didn¡¯t know how I¡¯d done it, but I presumed that my rage had been something like a trigger. I was still upset, certainly. This husker had me trapped and at his mercy. But with the right lens¡ªhe was in fact training me. Sighing I grumpily asked, ¡°How do I gain consistent access to my Qi?¡± Claude¡¯s smile was very bright, a few moments after I spoke. Letting me know translation had probably taken over. Looking down at me he tapped a spot on his chest¡ªno lower than his chest. His abdomen? ¡°Rage, fright, courage¡ªthey come from here. Gut reaction as you Americans say¡ª¡± the translator intoned. ¡°I¡¯m Canadian,¡± I interjected. ¡°Oh, sooorry,¡± Claude responded sarcastically in English. ¡°Now shut up.¡± Again in English before switching back to French. ¡°These emotions are the easiest to tie to your Qi. When you are scared you may run very fast, or fight very hard, yes?¡± I nodded. ¡°When you¡¯re angry you might attack with added strength. If you have courage you might do all. This is Qi.¡± He tapped just below his sternum again. That wasn¡¯t exactly a good description¡ªand for once I wished for Smegma and his garden analogies. Maybe a hose with holes? I shook my head, still the only part of my body I could move. That still left a large problem. What if I had been E-rank in my Strength and other stats upon entering? ¡°How come I can¡¯t just use my Strength stat to lift more?¡± I asked slowly trying to feel out what I wanted to ask as I did it. ¡°Strength Stat has to have the power come from somewhere, no? One of two ways to utilize this. Fuel it with Qi¡ªor work the muscles. Did you think the system just made you Stronger when you gained the stats?¡± ¡°Ummm¡ªwell I mean Hunters with high stats are way stronger¡ª¡± ¡°First, Hunters on Earth¡ªknow nothing. Okay? Second, have you seen how hard someone like King Anubis or Gamonji trained?¡± At his words the documentary I¡¯d watched with Dave came to mind. Holy crap! I¡¯d always thought they were working out to gain stats or be a fraction of a second faster. Claude saw my realization and course corrected me slightly. ¡°The Stats kind of give you a threshold. So, if you train them you can utilize that Stat without Qi¡ªor at least with very little Qi.¡± The puzzle pieces started to come together in my mind. I used my head to motion at my current situation as best I could. ¡°So, that¡¯s what this all is?¡± Claude smiled and gave me two thumbs up. 113 Tutorial Day 8 My simmering anger never truly faded, and over the course of the next eight hours, it erupted numerous times. It was strange to try to have a reaction due to a powerful emotion like rage, but simultaneously try to catalog what you were doing when it happened. Let¡¯s just say my progress in my push-up got worse before it got better.
As per the agreement upon entering the Martial Pavilion, you will be charged for 8 hours of Training. 800 Tutorial Points Deducted to pay Claude
¡°You sir are currently the shit frosting on an otherwise fantastically disgusting Monster Sausage cake,¡± I grumbled¡ªtrying to come up with a new insult but likely failing. I was relatively sick of hurling ¡®Greed Pig¡¯ and ¡®Husk¡¯ around¡ªand everyone knew Monster Sausage was all the worst bits of the Monster. Claude leaned on his spear with a smile, and suggested in English, ¡°Not bad. Not bad. Maybe something with the Selfless¡¯ Birthday Monster Sausage Cake?¡± ¡°Get Husked!¡± I grumbled, feeling my body complain just from the inhalation I¡¯d needed to speak those words with the kind of force I wanted. My full lungs quickly deflated and my abused chest, neck, biceps and forearms screamed. Even my abdominals and legs cried slightly. That being said, I thought I might even be able to feel that pain lessening as Recovery worked. At this point I was pretty confident Claude was at least partially aware I had some sort of Skill at work¡ªbecause he¡¯d been surprised at the frequency of my attempts. Well, I believed he¡¯d been surprised if I was reading his expressive face correctly. I¡¯d eaten at least ten bowls of the porridge-pudding too, and he hadn¡¯t recharged me for it. I let my neck relax and slowly lowered my forehead onto the dojo floor. A nap might be a good thing? Claude chuckled. ¡°All done for the day?¡± I took in a deep lungful of air, and sighed it out, forehead still resting on the wood. To that wood I admitted, ¡°My body is in a great deal of pain.¡± ¡°Most people would not be able to push through as much as you have,¡± Claude said. ¡°It¡¯s rather impressive. Still¡ªyou¡¯ll probably be useless tomorrow. If I was you I¡¯d expect this task to take you about one month.¡± My head shot up! A month! I didn¡¯t have the Tutorial Points for that. Just some quick math told me it would be close to seventy-five thousand just based on the hourly. So, as nice as Claude was being, this was still a trap?! My rage flared as I thought about running right through my Tp¡ªand still having a dirty ass! Okay admittedly my anger stuttered slightly at that amusing thought, even as I tried to push myself again. This time I would stand up¡ªpunch Claude in the nose¡ªthen take off this husking armor. What happened was entirely different than that¡ªas I felt a trickle of something leaving my lower abdomen. It was like anger, and sweet tea given ¡®form.¡¯ As soon as the sensation came, I forgot about my need to punch Claude¡ªand unfortunately forgot about my arms¡ªthat were currently fighting to hold me and the absurdly heavy armor up. My arms without the direction of my brain shook, and collapsed. Thankfully Claude saw it coming and shot the pillow back under my forehead for the eleventh time today. I barely noticed¡ªso focused as I was on the tendril of sweet tea. My rage had dried up with the discovery, and instead in its place the retreating red tendril of energy only gained in its feeling of liquid sugar. Of pure energy meant only for one thing¡ªto power an engine¡ªwell no it wasn¡¯t gasoline. It was sugary nectar of the gods¡ª Ambrosia! That was the best description my mind could come up with while still focusing on tracking the tiny tendril back through my muscles and veins as it retreated into somewhere under my sternum but above his stomach. Why did it feel like I was on a timer? Like my body was screaming at me¡ªbut not in pain. In terror. I ignored it and followed the Qi home¡ªtasting it through the scent and feel of honey it gave. Near the end my muscles in my stomach found the spot a few fingers below my naval, and they felt the final parts of the red liquid seep into something there. Something that had shape and substance but also shouldn¡¯t exist according to High school Anatomy. Was it like Smegma and not of this plane? No, Smegma had no physical substance, and this spot definitely did. Studying the area with my nearby muscles as a I guide, I could feel a weight¡ªa density, and even a shape. I tried sending a signal to that area with my nerves and succeeded in flexing the muscles around the strange dense object that shouldn¡¯t exist. Suddenly the reason for my body¡¯s screams came due and I convulsively attempted to suck in a breath¡ªbut got a mouthful of pillow. Coughing and sputtering I managed to lift my head out of the pillow enough to stutter in a breath. Thankfully my mouth was dry of saliva or I was pretty sure I¡¯d have it in my lungs. Even without saliva I coughed and twitched as my body attempted to flip over, or move¡ªbut the armor prevented it. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Eventually my reaction died down which allowed my thoughts to return. My eyes were watering and I couldn¡¯t even wipe them effectively thanks to the ridiculous gloves and weight of the shoulder and bicep guards plus the gauntlets. Claude used a towel and mopped at my face like I would perhaps with a drooling puppy. Part of me was outraged and indignant at this treatment but Mental Fortitude calmed me enough that I also was grateful. This husking Skill was infuriating at times. I had every reason to be upset at Claude¡ªhe put me in this situation. It didn¡¯t matter that he was also helping. A spoon was in front of my eyes once they were cleared enough to see. I closed them tight again before opening my mouth. ¡°You felt it, didn¡¯t you?¡± Claude said. With the translator I couldn¡¯t tell what intonation he was using, but when I opened my eyes he looked excited, surprised and a bit skeptical. ¡°How¡¯d you guess?¡± I asked, lacing my words with sarcasm¡ªthat he might not hear. ¡°Most people don¡¯t suffocate themselves with a pillow¡ªunless it¡¯s in the bedroom and for entirely different reasons¡­¡± I coughed in surprise at the French man¡¯s admission¡ªjoke? Since I had pudding in my mouth some splattered onto his arm. His smile didn¡¯t waver. I wasn¡¯t sure if I liked Claude¡ªor hated him. He just had that kind of smile and perhaps ¡®charm¡¯ to him. I shook off that thought and accepted another mouthful of food, swallowing before I answered, ¡°That¡¯s not my kind of thing¡ªI did in fact find a spot just beneath my naval.¡± A thought struck me and I kept my mouth closed even as Claude offered another bite. Eyes narrowing again I accused, ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you have just told me where to look?!¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Claude said, his smile somehow getting larger. ¡°People don¡¯t often learn as much unless they figure it out for themselves. Or something like that.¡± He finished with a shrug. His smile by this point was a shit-eating-grin and I got the message loud and clear. He enjoyed torturing people. I decided then that no matter how much charisma or charm the man had¡ªno matter how many jokes he made¡ªI would not like him! I finished the bowl in simmering silence. Claude¡¯s smile faded only slightly becoming cat-like. Only with my understanding of where my Qi had gone, did I notice a new sensation. It was like my stomach was draining directly into that area. However, I could feel that my stomach was also full¡ªsince I hadn¡¯t yet used the washroom¡ª ¡°Wait¡ªwhat happens when I have to pee or poop,¡± I cried, my focus on the concept making me aware of just how full my bladder and bowels were. ¡°When you gotta go, you gotta go,¡± the horribly robotic voice said in my ear. My mouth fell open as I stared at Claude¡¯s face. His nose scrunched up. ¡°It smells awful but only for a moment.¡± He was going to let me defecate in my clothes and the armor, then use the Cleaning Wave, wasn¡¯t he? * * * I couldn¡¯t meet Claude¡¯s eyes. But since I was focusing on a spot just below my naval with my face pressed into the wood¡ªI probably didn¡¯t look that awkward. A shiver passed through me as I recalled the memory of something I¡¯d rather never have felt. I¡¯d lived my entire twenty-one years of life without ever having an accident like that in my pants¡ªwell at least not one that I could recall. And now¡ª Focus! I mentally screamed and tried to feel for the dense lump where the Qi nectar had gone. I flexed the muscles around it, hoping to accidentally connect to it with a nerve signal. Eventually, I realized that my current attempts were something along the lines of when I was flicking my Mana Pool causing it to vibrate. I pondered that connection. Was Qi a metaphysical thing, where I needed to create a Mental Universe to access? No something about that felt off. It functioned through something that was eerily similar to my ¡®intentions¡¯ to move my body parts. So, my central nervous system, but I think I was making it mostly clear that no nerves attached to the strange lump. Could I stimulate it with Mana? Or was it perhaps using something akin to the Soul Nervous System? I accessed my Mana Pool and tried to visualize the Spaceship but ran into a huge snag. What was I connecting it to? In frustration I opened my eyes to find Claude cross-legged in front of me with his spear across his lap. Growling I asked, ¡°Any tips?¡± ¡°Yes. Many tips. If spaghetti sticks to the ceiling it¡¯s ready. Don¡¯t place a nail into something you plan to have stay¡ª¡± ¡°I meant about Qi, you jackass!¡± I interrupted. ¡°Ahhh,¡± Claude said pretending he¡¯d misunderstood. ¡°Nope¡ªif you don¡¯t learn something for yourself. It isn¡¯t your knowledge.¡± I returned to looking at the floor muttering new creative curses at the man¡ªhoping the translator caught them. While I didn¡¯t fully disagree with that sentiment, it was also definitely wrong. Like the concept of the best Hunter Wars combatants came from the Portals. Sure there were some absolutely devastating Hunters that worked on their skills inside the Portals and then entertained us ¡®normies¡¯ with them¡ªbut in the last ten to fifteen years, new¡ªbetter players were emerging. Well, I guess the consensus was still out on whether they were ¡®better.¡¯ Mostly because the old hats had retired or died in Portals¡ªbut I believed that the new generation of Hunter¡¯s in the Wars were more skilled. So, I guess I disagreed with his sentiment¡ªbut surely there was a reason for schools to exist. It was just impossible to learn everything on your own. Mental Fortitude cut off my exploration of that rabbit hole and my muttered curses. ¡®The solution wasn¡¯t going to solve itself, and if I wanted to leave here with any Tp¡ªI needed to work the issue!¡¯ Okay, so I couldn¡¯t connect my Soul Nervous System to whatever the Qi thing was. Had I heard Sarah or London say something about a Dantean? That fit¡ªsince Qi was a term steeped in Ancient Chinese lore, and Taoism. Not that I was an expert in any of that¡ªbut I was at least somewhat sure Dantean also fit that same Lore. So, I couldn¡¯t connect the Dantean to the Soul Nervous System¡ªbut then did it just travel through my veins and arteries to my muscles when I was angry? Maybe, but that didn¡¯t feel right. As I tracked it back it had moved through the center of my body¡ªalmost like it was on a roadway that tunneled through muscles here, went over a bone there. A long highway that needed to cut through mountains and cross rivers¡­ That thought brought me back to the metaphysical. If it didn¡¯t exist fully in the physical¡ªthen the pathway had to be outside of it. I began to fall into myself like I did when I wanted to access my Mental Universe¡ªbut when it tried to come I pushed it away. Looking for something else. Then I felt something familiar. For a moment I thought it was my Mental Universe trying to get my attention¡ªbut while I¡¯d felt this feeling first in my Mental Universe. It had definitely ¡®vanished¡¯ from there. Slowly I followed the feeling, and suddenly my vision became filled with red smoke. What I discovered was a Universe¡ªwhole unlike my Mental one. There was a Black Sun in the center that was belching red smoke. The Black Sun felt a heck of a lot like the Skill Planet or Star that was formed when I used the Skill Altar in the Naga Caverns¡­ My consciousness brushed against it and I was absolutely certain. This was Reptilian Body¡ªor whatever it had originally been meant to be, but being vented to prevent me from dying! Was the smoke slightly sweet¡ªlike honey or nectar? 114 Tutorial Day 9
Status Tutorial Name: [Enter Name] Tutorial Points: 21,395 Skills: Demonic Vault, Dragon Heart, Reptilian Body, Heal, Cleanse Role: Gatherer / Healer Mana Pool: 50 / 50 Qi: 40 / 40 Soul: 14 / 14 Stats: Strength: 10 Agility: 10 Stamina: 10 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 4 Dexterity: 10 Perception: 4
I woke up today before Claude left his room. I desperately had to pee but didn¡¯t want to sit in my own wet pants waiting for him to trigger the self cleaning spell. My status screen was open in hopes that I would be able to do something¡ªanything. Instead I just found myself looking at the Tutorial Points total. In truth it was at a minimum nine hundred points lower¡ªfor the room and board and eight more hours. My anger which had been simmering through the night, surged. I felt that Claude may be behind that door just waiting to come out¡ªafter his antics yesterday I wouldn¡¯t put it past him. I assumed he was doing it all to get me upset, but honestly leaving a man that needed to relieve himself seemed like it was pushing it. ¡°Claude!¡± I shouted for the tenth or hundredth time. I hadn¡¯t started counting. No sound came from behind the door¡ªand I tried to recall if I¡¯d somehow woken up to him leaving. But I couldn¡¯t recall anything. I¡¯d gone to bed totally exhausted after attempting to use the red fog, along with my Qi. It didn¡¯t work, but I had figured out how to channel my Qi through ¡®intention.¡¯ Well, that wasn¡¯t true. I¡¯d learned to channel it through forced anger. Essentially choosing to be angry about something that my brain, likely thanks to Mental Fortitude, didn¡¯t think I should be. It was an infuriating dichotomy or perhaps tightrope to walk. The other possibility that was keeping Claude behind that door, was that he was waiting for me to try again. I clearly had full Qi. So, was he waiting for me to fail¡ªbefore coming in and restarting his special type of torture? I closed my eyes and returned to the red Mental Universe. Then mentally clicked over to my far larger and more interesting one with all the Planets and complete suns. Shaking my head, the only part of my body I could move easily, I let my thoughts wander. To my surprise I felt something else¡ªsomething new but also familiar. It felt so much like the Red Smoke Universe, with that same familiarity that I wasn¡¯t shocked to find myself suddenly in a new Mental Space with a Black Sun and blue fog. Again the Sun was venting the fog, but there was a major difference. This fog was far less thick. This Black Sun suddenly beat, and I blinked. Then moved my concentration closer trying to discover if I was seeing something. Breath held, this time I felt the beat coincide with my heart. I only had one Skill that this could be. Dragon Heart! Still, I¡¯d never seen this Skill in this way before. It was the single Skill I¡¯d awoken with. So, why then did it feel so familiar? I moved to poke at it, and felt a bell chime. Smiling I flicked it and felt the same sensation. Was it that my Mental Universe was inside of this Sun? Was it even a Sun at all? A mental nudge brought me back to my Mental Universe, and I scanned around it. It didn¡¯t seem like this was a space inside the Dragon Heart Sun¡­ This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Then again, it had definable limits, unlike a real Universe. I pushed on them, and felt what I always had. They were elastic and as I pushed on one side I could feel the other side of the space conform and shift to mirror what I was doing. The Skills shifted too, making me shrug. It was the same as it always had been. Still, how could my Mana be associated with the Dark Sun with the Blue fog, and my Qi associated with the Red fog. Could I use that to connect them? Supply Reptilian Body with Mana? Or should I just continue to feed Mana to Demonic Vault to eventually buy something? I moved to the Blue fog Sun and sucked on my tongue as I considered what could be done. I of course tried to make a conduit but this Skill and the Fog wouldn¡¯t travel through it. I couldn¡¯t puncture the Sun like it was a KapiSun, and I couldn¡¯t create pressure zones to transfer something from low to high. Still, there was the spot the Skill Planet or I guess ¡¯Sun¡¯ had formed inside my Mental Universe before vanishing. I could vividly recall where it was. I moved my awareness through the spot several times. I tried poking, flicking and even mentally hammering the spot. Finally, I opened my eyes, in hopes to find my ¡®teacher,¡¯ but when he wasn¡¯t there my anger flared, red hot. This motherusking¡ª My awareness wasn¡¯t fully in the room, and as I grew angry, I noticed something happening in my Mental Universe. Conflict immediately arose as my insatiable curiosity tried to override the rage. I white-knuckled the thoughts of how much I hated Claude. But I could feel whatever had happened in my Mental Universe vanish just before I returned. Sighing and wanting to cry or rip Claude limb from limb, I let the control of my bladder go. That did it. Even as I felt the warm wet sensation on my leg, a hole in my Mental Universe slowly grew. Through it I could see a hint of Red. Hopefully it was Fog. Part of me wanted to poke and prod at the hole, but I only had so much time. So, instead I created my StarShip imagery inside my Mana Pool, and sent it toward the hole. I could feel my reservoir drying up, even as the hole reached its largest diameter and slowly began to close again as my anger got pushed aside by interest and curiosity. The StarShip was going to be close. I urged it to go faster. Shoving, mana into the conduit behind it in hopes of propelling it onwards. For it to create the Synapse faster. Either it worked or my lingering distaste of my current circumstance, held the hole open for a full second longer than I needed¡ªbecause the StarShip plunged into the hole. A sigh began to escape my lungs, but was transformed into an ejection of air¡ªhard enough that I felt it ricochet off the floor and up my nose. I had to close my eyes against the sudden gust. Then I felt it. My body was on fire¡ªwell not literally but it felt like I¡¯d taken too much pre-workout before May-Thai. A burning itch that ran up my arms, neck and shoulders. A need to move, and release the strange mounting fiery fuel. It felt like premium adrenaline was pouring through my body, and it was wholly different than the feeling I got when the Qi like honeyed Nectar was working. I placed my hands still in the gauntlets below my shoulders and began to push. It was almost easy, as my body started to inch upwards. Then like I was somehow angry, when I clearly was just stunned and excited¡ªQi in addition to the Premium Epinephrine, engaged. Like a loaded spring, or small explosion I shot to my feet. I even gained a modicum of ¡®air¡¯ under my chest, allowing me to flip my feet under me. Standing up I marveled at the feeling of herculean strength, cat like quickness and unending endurance that coursed through me. I felt like I could do anything¡ª Claude¡¯s door swung open and he exited chugging from a bottle of liquor. I saw his eyes widen as he found me standing¡ªand I didn¡¯t even think about it. I shot my fist forward to punch him in the nose. There was a single moment of satisfaction, as his eyes grew larger. His hand on the bottle let go even as his other tried to come up and defend, but I¡¯d caught him off guard. My fist connected with his chin, as he attempted to lean back and away from my strike. I watched his eyes roll up, before he tipped backwards and his legs locked up. As if in slow motion I watched him teeter from a full stand to seventy degrees, and continue to fall back. I had enough time to think about his head hitting the floor before he fell and I didn¡¯t have time to react to his limp body. He hit the floor inside of his bedroom rather hard, and I winced. Swallowing, I moved forward to try to heal him. Almost as soon as I touched him¡ªthe Heal Skill activated. I managed two seconds before my Mana Pool went dry and I realized my mistake. I fell from my kneel right on top of Claude¡¯s chest¡ªwhich woke him up. ¡°What the hell?!¡± Claude shouted, as he easily bench pressed me, and the armor off of himself. I got air again, but not in a good way. When I came back down I was on my back, and luckily hadn¡¯t knocked myself out. ¡°How did you do that?¡± Claude said, I was pretty sure he was yelling but the translator did a poor job of it. I was even more sure when his voice thick with his accent, shouted, ¡°There is no way you managed this with your stats.¡± I blinked up at the ceiling feeling too physically exhausted to even lift my head to look at Claude. ¡®Thankfully,¡¯ he stuck his head into my field of vision even as he wiped away the blood that had run over his mouth and chin. My face broke into a grin, and I saw Claude blink in surprise. Then quite possibly the most terrifying thing I¡¯d ever seen happened. Claude smiled back. The Translator in my ear, made me shiver as it said, ¡°Okay, I think it¡¯s time to up the challenge.¡± He tapped the armor with his hand, and said something that the translator didn¡¯t pick up. I instantly knew what had happened, even though I felt no change. The floorboards under me creaking was a pretty good hint though. I tried lifting an arm, and discovered that even performing a bicep curl was difficult. ¡°Oh come on!¡± I complained. ¡°You deserved that punch in the face! I¡¯ve had to dedicate and pee in my pants, asshole!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Claude replied. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you get cleaned up when I get back. Oh right, Training Fees and Room and Board.¡± Claude touched my exposed elbow. The screen told me he had just claimed another thousand Tp. This husking Greed in a Selfless cloak! I growled even as I heard him walking away. I turned my head in time to see him walk out the door. Part of me was livid with the turn of events, and another part of me questioned why I¡¯d chosen to punch him in the face. Still, it was something else entirely that made me attempt to sit up in shock. A red box hovered in front of my face.
Reputation Gain You¡¯ve gained twenty-five points of Reputation with Claude, the Drunken Spear Master. You¡¯re currently neutral with Claude, the Drunken Spear Master.
115 Tutorial Day 17 For at least the fiftieth time, I used my new trick and sunk my Mana Pool into Reptilian Body, while simultaneously conjuring all the anger and rage I could muster at the man-it-thing, who stood above me with an empty bowl of milk-pudding. I¡¯d been husking trapped here for eight days, if the Sunstone cycles were accurate. I wanted nothing more than to punch the possible AI torturer I the face, take this armor off and flee. The latter had been tried already but I¡¯d only made it to the cobblestones out front before my strength died and I collapsed under the weight of the armor. Claude had dragged me back inside, while chuckling. I¡¯d even gained Reputation with the creature¡ªlike I¡¯d done something he approved of. This time I launched myself to my feet suddenly, hoping to catch Claude by surprise. Then instead of aiming at his face, which would be fantastic, I swung at a knee as I rose. The blow became an erratic uppercut. Claude stepped back serenely¡ªthen tapped me with the butt of his spear. Somehow straightening my crooked stance. This wasn¡¯t the first time this had happened, and I was no longer surprised by the action. The creature was an AI after all, and meant to be a Spear Trainer. I guessed he had to follow some small portion of that ¡®coding.¡¯ In movements trained over the last eight days I high stepped-forward leading with my knee. My elbows firmly raised in front of my head. My forearms protecting my head from his spear¡¯s butt. It was a stance I¡¯d used in Muay Thai.
Reputation Gain You¡¯ve gained 25 points of Reputation with Claude, the Drunken Spear Master. You¡¯re currently friendly with Claude, the Drunken Spear Master.
This had also become somewhat common. Each time I¡¯d made it back to my feet to attack Claude¡ªI¡¯d usually received a message like this. Through trial and error I think I even knew why. The cracked program liked when I showcased something I¡¯d ¡®learned¡¯ at his psychotic deranged hands. I shot out a fist, aiming it at his head, but simultaneously hoping he¡¯d slip the blow with a minute movement like he¡¯d done early in the fights. Clearly, Claude¡¯s programming could evolve, because he leaped left to avoid my right. His spear haft hit my left thigh. I blinked at the staff like weapon as it retracted. My leg was straightened, and I needed to bend it to give chase. So, should I have shuffled forward to keep both legs loaded and ready to shoot after him. I exhaled through my nose, bent that knee turned and shuffled after Claude. Attempting to use a variation of a split step I¡¯d seen Speed based Hunters use in the wars. According to the commentaries it let them land and change directions a split second faster. Claude retreated backwards and left. My feet his the ground and I bunched them, before springing after the infuriating program. If he hadn¡¯t made this armor heavier I would have long since caught him and¡ª I recalled his push up flinging me across the room on that first day¡ª¡ªI would have won? To my surprise my split step and ¡®new¡¯ lesson put me face to face with Claude. The programs eyes widened even as he smirked. A spear shaft tapped me on one elbow and the quickly on the other, before Claude ducked under my right elbow and ¡®floated¡¯ away from me. I had focused too much on my legs, and forgotten to prepare to punch or grapple him. My inhale came deep and frustrated even as I felt my legs shake a bit, warning me that my Qi was running out. My knees bent, I twisted, and then gave chase, this time combining the last two lessons. Mid jump I felt my Qi drain¡ªmy ¡®engine¡¯ putter¡ªthe gas pedal spongey. My leading right knee collapsed under me as the weight of the armor returned with a vengeance. Claude caught me, as he had done multiple times over the last week, and lowered me down. Once there he chuckled lightly and brushed his hands over the back of my arm.
As per the agreement upon entering the Martial Pavilion, you will be charged for 8 hours of Training. Insufficient Tutorial Points. 495 Tutorial Points Deducted. Reputation Loss You¡¯ve lost 305 points of Reputation with Claude, the Drunken Spear Master. You¡¯ve dropped from friendly to neutral with Claude, the Drunken Spear Master.
¡°Ahh, too bad. Next time you come to me for training be prepared, no?¡± Claude intoned his face looking disappointed but the translator not conveying it. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Then to my shock, Claude touched each piece of my armor and summoned it off of me and into some sort of storage device. My eyes widened as I tried to glare at Claude but failed. This husking Greed had cleaned me entirely out of Tutorial Points. And now that I had no more he was just going to let me go! Talk about broken computer code. Slowly I pushed myself up from the ground on shaking arms. By the time I got to my feet I was glaring at Claude. Surprise gone. Still, without the armor, Qi, and Mana I knew I¡¯d never hit the husking Greed. I might have tried anyway if it wasn¡¯t for Mental Fortitude coaching me out of it. Instead it was pointing out that I¡¯d gotten what I wanted. Mental Fortitude was right! I checked the Sunstone in the room. It was, as far as I could tell, the afternoon. I turned on my heel and sprinted from the room. There was absolutely no reason to engage with my torturer and even less reason I would ever return! * * * Thursday, May 9th, 2069 ¡°Your husking mother clearly banged the Pool Boy. You need to use the Cut skill in a way you haven¡¯t before. You know like the opposite of Cutting up a corpse, or something!¡± Dave looked at the Skinning Knife in his hand, the perfectly sectioned and skinned Mole Monster. Then his eyes tracked up to the infuriating demon teacher. How did Brodie put up with this shit without going insane? ¡°How in the husk!¡± Dave shouted before Smegma smirked, and he realized he¡¯d just drawn the attention of the rest of the Cleaners in the area. Dave raised a hand in apology and even said, ¡°Sorry, Skill didn¡¯t work the way I thought it would,¡± he mumbled in explanation. Jaw clenched he moved on to the next Mole Monster, one hand in his pocket caressing his Mana Battery a bit too forcefully. As he walked he muttered, ¡°Husking demon anchoring himself to me of all people¡ªwhat in the greeding shit is this.¡± ¡°Hey at least I can confirm that Brodie is alive,¡± Smegma retorted, sticking his tongue out at Dave. That seemed to be literally the only thing the husking Greed Pig was good for. He definitely wasn¡¯t a good teacher. He had no access to the Demonic Vault Store, and he couldn¡¯t even tell them where Brodie had gone. Dave stopped muttering, and regarded the next Mole Corpse. Abyss: Portal Services and Consumables, was barely making ends meet¡ªtrying to keep up with P-squared. They¡¯d probably be fine if Gary and Clara were in any state to work, but instead he, Willa and Jarred were in charge. Thanks in large part to Smegma appearing beside Dave on Tuesday, he was largely in charge. Mostly because he could pass on some tips to Gardeners, Miners and Cleaners alike. Not that it was doing more than barely scraping by. Two problems were causing this, as far as Dave could tell. First, with Brodie gone they were capped out on Mining Picks, Gardening Kits and Skinning Knives. Second, they hadn¡¯t really been able to hire anyone after the thirty of each Gatherer, due to Jagger offering more money for the Mana Pool laborers. Even though we had better Bonuses, somehow that guy was keeping people from coming over. Still, Dave, Geneva and Kristen had a plan to deal with that. He looked down at his camera, and then scanned all the other cameras being worn by each employee inside this portal. With the right footage, they could destroy the misinformation that Jagger seemed to be spreading. Well he must be¡­ What else would stop others from joining? Smegma was studying Dave, as Dave vacantly stared at the Mole Monster. Smegma scoffed before he said, ¡°You know the single gear in your brain is going to overheat and melt if you keep overtaxing it.¡± Then the Demon sighed. ¡°I get it. You need to earn a Butchering or Skinning Skill and you think that will somehow help Abyss. I¡¯m trying my best to get you in the right mindset for it, but I don¡¯t even know where to start. This System isn¡¯t the husking same as what I¡¯ve seen on other Planets.¡± Dave sighed, drew on Mana and slashed out with the Skinning Knife while envisioning what he wanted his Skill to do. He felt the pull of Mana intensify, and he buckled down making sure he kept the flow steady, and not turbulent. His ¡®Mana Pool¡¯ was growing but if he over drew from the Battery and shattered the Funnel¡ªhe¡¯d be useless again. Due to his control the Cut Skill took longer than it needed to, and might have even drew more Mana from the Battery, but the result was the same. The Skin slid free of the corpse, and a great deal of the meat and organs, no longer held up by connective tissue, descended. At least he was able to¡ªa blue screen popped into his vision.
Agility Increased by 1. Agility Stat Unlocked. Dexterity Increased by 1. Dexterity Stat Unlocked. --- Stats Locked. Agility: 2 Locked. Locked. Locked. Dexterity: 2 Locked.
¡°Holy crap!¡± Dave shouted pointing forward at the screen. Smegma frowned and looked at the Mole Monster. ¡°What? You¡¯ve done that a dozen times. That wasn¡¯t anything new.¡± People were once again staring at him, and he raised a hand, but didn¡¯t bother verbally apologizing. Instead, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll be right back. Need my lunch break.¡± Then he rushed away from the group so he could hiss. ¡°I just unlocked two stats.¡± Smegma was in front of him in an instant, his eyes wide. ¡°You what?¡± ¡°Did you actually not hear me, or are you expressing how amazing I husking am?¡± Dave responded with a whispered growl. ¡°Neither, you selfless moron. It¡¯s just rare that a Skill raised two stats!¡± Smegma retorted. ¡°Well, mine just did!¡± Dave hissed back, checking to make sure no one was nearby. Smegma began tapping a talon on his tooth. ¡°Were you trying to use Cut differently this whole time? Always adding new elements to the Skill¡¯s use?¡± Dave tilted his head, bit his lip and shrugged. ¡°Well yeah, but more that I was trying to speed up the Skills usage, and be really precise with where it cut.¡± Smegma continued to tap a talon to his fang. Dave growled, ¡°Do you have a theory of what husking happened?¡± ¡°Oh, well clearly your Skill has reached its peak before evolution. That¡¯s what happened when Brodie unlocked Stats. As for why there were two stats? Umm¡ªonly a theory.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that what I just asked for?¡± Dave whispered, angrily. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know when I¡¯ve fully thought it through. Only imbeciles think they are husking awesome.¡± ¡°I wish your anchor had transferred to a Priest. At least they might excise you or something.¡± Smegma just smirked in response before he answered, ¡°Dave you seem to have a thing for Priests, is there something you want to tell me?¡± Dave closed his eyes. He¡¯d brought up being baptized one time¡ªonce¡ªand now the Demon wouldn¡¯t stop teasing him about being molested, into uniformed men, or just worshipping the wrong race. 116 Tutorial Day 17 Touching the door handle for ¡®my room¡¯ I was greeted with a message that instantly made my teeth clench hard enough that my neck shook.
As per the agreement upon accepting a room at the Alchemy Academy, you will be charged for Room and Board. Monthly fee of 10,000 Tutorial Points. Insufficient Tutorial Points. Would you like to put the charge on credit? Yes |
I¡¯d known this was coming, and had planned to have more than sufficient funds for it. Not to mention already have tried my hand at creating Pills or Potions! My hand clenched around the door handle, ready to rip the thing off in my frustration. Claude had husking screwed me. That husking program had bankrupt my starting Tutorial Points, and because I hadn¡¯t expected it, all of my Herbs and Plants were behind this door! The handle creaked as I pulled with all the Strength my exhausted body could muster. My mind wanted to select no. I desperately didn¡¯t want to be in debt to this place¡ªbut what options did I have. I either needed to go farming with London and his group everyday for almost a month, and hopefully scrounge together ten thousand points. The problem with that approach was that another ten thousand would be due shortly after. While I hoped I could make some Pills or Potions to offset that¡ªthere was no guarantee. The second and far more ominous choice was to select yes and be in debt to Maelstrom. London and his group had said that was pretty common for new people¡ªeven they had started in debt. Or so they claimed. In a way that did explain their impoverished circumstances a bit¡­ Maybe it wouldn¡¯t be¡ª ¡°Hey Brodie,¡± London¡¯s voice said as he walked down the hallway. Instantly, my frustration gave way to suspicion. His timing seemed a bit too good. Like he knew I¡¯d be here¡­ Considering I¡¯d been trapped in a Martial Pavilion for nine days, the chances of him casually coming to find me now¡ªwere practically zero. London froze mid-step and blinked at me, clearly catching my current moody vibe off of my stance and face. He held up his hands and stepped back even. ¡°Should I come back later?¡± I tried to dial back my glare but likely only partially succeeded as London took another step back. Swallowing to wet my dry throat I growled, ¡°What do you need London?¡± His head tilted and he looked down at himself, clearly asking himself a few internal questions I wasn¡¯t privy too. One of which was likely, ¡®do I look like I came to beg?¡¯ In the end he sighed heavily, and said, ¡°That obvious?¡± It was my turn to blink. Had London actually shown up here to find me, and knew nothing about my current circumstances? London looked at me his face and every part of his body displaying a bit of anxiety. I stared back at him, clearly still frustrated but beginning to feel bad about my reaction. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m having a terrible week,¡± I said. ¡°Did you come here for something?¡± ¡°Yeah, well, you see,¡± London began, seeming to search for words. Eventually he stopped took a deep breath and said, ¡°The group is struggling hard, man. We¡¯re making more money with the tricks you¡¯ve shown us but, we only are getting a quarter of the value you did when you collected the Heart Cores, Skins, and Manes. Plus with the added equipment and the need for repairs coming up soon, we¡¯re not saving enough to not end up back in debt.¡± After another deep breath from London and from me, he continued, ¡°I was sent here to beg you to come out with us some more. We¡¯re even willing to offer you sixty-forty¡­¡± I looked at my door, and then the nearby SunStone. I was still sure it was early or mid afternoon. Why were they here and not out Hunting? ¡°Have you already gone out today?¡± I asked. ¡°Yep, our usual Hunting spot was taken, so we either needed to go deeper or come back. In the end the group didn¡¯t think going deeper would be worth it without a Gatherer¡­¡± ¡°Would you all go out again?¡± I asked, think that if I could somehow gather some Herbs or Meats, I might be able to make this better. London shook his head while looking absolutely aghast by my suggestion. ¡°No way,¡± London said, accompanying his body language with his tone. ¡°Monsters get stronger when it¡¯s ¡®Nighttime.¡¯ It¡¯s not worth the risk that we¡¯d be out late.¡± London motioned at the SunStone, highlighting the fact that it clearly was getting on in hour. ¡°You couldn¡¯t front me ten thousand Tp, could you?¡± I asked, with a world weary sigh. I spun and let my back collide with my door, before sliding down it to the floor. London took a moment but eventually put everything together. I could almost hear the moment the light bulb switched on thanks to his tongue click. He came over, and slowly lowered himself down beside me. ¡°Room and Board is due, isn¡¯t it?¡± I nodded and looked to him, hopeful he might also have the money to lend me. His lips were pursed and I could tell he was licking the backs of his teeth just from the jaw line movements I was seeing. He moved his tongue onto his molars and opened his mouth mouth letting out a sucking noise that told me everything I needed to know before London said, ¡°Yeah, even as a group we don¡¯t have ten thousand. Sorry, man.¡± He patted my shoulder. ¡°Anything important inside?¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°All the herbs!¡± I complained. ¡°What?!¡± London shouted. ¡°I thought you were going to use them for Alchemy. How do you still have them?¡± ¡°Ever heard of Claude the Drunken Spear Master!¡± I shivered as I admitted my folly. London started laughing, and I could tell it wasn¡¯t at my expense. When he got a breath in he squeezed out, ¡°That¡¯s a great nickname for that old thief! However, I doubt he¡¯s a master at anything. He just carries that spear around to keep up appearances.¡± My mouth morphed into a frown, and I studied London¡¯s face. He seemed sincere. Something I likely should have noticed earlier in my forced confinement made my skin tingle. No one else seemed to be aware of AI characters. What had games like Hunter X called them? Non-player characters? NPC¡¯s! London¡¯s words clearly indicated that he believed Claude to just be a scamming thief. Like I originally had. Looking back on my interactions with the man and his reaction made me question whether he was truly an NPC. His reactions and words too human to even be an AI that passed the Turing test. To hide my confusion I tried to force a chuckle but it came out strangled, and more like a sob. London patted my shoulder, with one hand and wiped tears from his eyes with the other. ¡°How long did he have you? Really wish we¡¯d warned you about him, but we had suggested a teacher¡ªso¡­¡± My growl was not fully intentional. His words sounded a bit to much like a, ¡®you should have stuck with us.¡¯ My guttural noise also wasn¡¯t directed at London, and he got that because he started with a low chuckle that morphed into full blown laughter. ¡°Did you think it was suspicious for us to be so poor?¡± London asked between laughter. A chuckle escaped me at the accuracy of his prediction, and I dropped my head and sighed. ¡°Well, yeah¡ªkind of. That and Jacky seems to ask all the questions you all really want to know about¡­ Like you¡¯ve made her into the ¡®bad¡¯ guy of the group.¡± London¡¯s laughter only grew. ¡°Dude, trust me when I tell you this¡ªthat¡¯s just Jacky. She¡¯s always been like that. We¡¯ve lost so many potential members because of her.¡± His laughter died out as he reached the end, and his expression grew serious. ¡°But if we let her go, no one else is going to take her. You know?¡± A great deal of my suspicion seemed to evaporate at London¡¯s words. They were a group, and accepted Jacky for who she was. They were poor, for obvious husking reasons¡ªI looked at my own situation. My ability to collect points quickly had given me a false sense of security. I motioned at my door. ¡°What do you think I should do?¡± ¡°What do you think the herbs and plants are worth?¡± London asked, looking at the door with me. ¡°Well, at least three thousand¡ªprobably closer to four or five.¡± London motioned down in the general direction of the large entryway. ¡°You get Room and Board too, which you won¡¯t find cheaper than two-thousand a month, and trust me¡ªyou don¡¯t want those places. So, really if you pay the ten thousand, you¡¯re only down a few thousand. With some hard work or some luck we can make that back and get you enough for next month with us at Frasier¡¯s.¡± ¡°What¡¯s Frasier¡¯s cost?¡± I asked, not having ever cared enough before this. ¡°Well, the four bedroom suite is twenty-two thousand. The Five bedroom I think is twenty-five thousand a month. So, in theory you¡¯d be saving us some money by upgrading with us.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be a pain to move?¡± I asked. ¡°Ahhh,¡± London said raising a finger. ¡°At Frasier¡¯s a room just gets added to your Apartments. It¡¯s kind of like Magic, or maybe one of those mazes that have interior walls that can move?¡± ¡°So, is this place as big as a scam as Claude?¡± I asked, looking around myself. London shook his head. ¡°Nah, that guy¡¯s a thief. You can actually learn stuff here. Since you have access to the library.¡± ¡°You what?!¡± I asked incredulously even as I shot to my feet. ¡°The guards didn¡¯t show you the library?¡± London asked. ¡°No, they did not,¡± I responded, my hand back on the doorknob. I figured with some time spent in a library I might be able to figure out how to combine some herbs to make a good pill. London smiled me as he too stood up. ¡°It¡¯s in the basement. If you ask a Guard I think they¡¯re obligated to show you. However, all the high level books only have one copy¡ªfrom what I hear. So, getting your hands on them is pretty tough.¡± London brushed himself off and then looked down the hallway the way he¡¯d come. ¡°See you tomorrow, then?¡± ¡°For sixty percent, certainly.¡± London¡¯s smile became a bit forced but he nodded before walking away. I almost felt bad until I clicked yes and was suddenly at negative ten thousand Tp. * * * The Library was monstrous in size but drastically disappointing in ¡®volume.¡¯ I guess when I¡¯d heard the word Library, I¡¯d figured that it was going to be something the System put here to help ¡®teach¡¯ people in a Tutorial. What I got, was in some ways more fascinating but in almost every way more disappointing. Every book was essentially a handwritten journal. Even worse¡ªto borrow one cost Tutorial Points. The worst part was that I only had a title to go off of. These books contained no fancy cover, or even small blurb that might help me decide which one I wanted. To even remove a book from the shelf I needed to pay ten to five hundred Tp. That was currently the most expensive book available¡ªthat I¡¯d found, at least. I stared at the Alchemical Pill shelf and sighed.
Pill Cauldron¡¯s and Why You Shouldn¡¯t Use Them - 10 Tp Burning Materials and Points - 10 Tp The Differences Between Potions and Pills - 10 Tp Trying Not to Waste My Money with Pills - 20 Tp Failed Potions Have Value, Pills Just Burn Up - 30 Tp A List of Ingredients that Don¡¯t Work in Potions - 30 Tp Pill Making and Where to Start - 50 Tp If You¡¯re Already Wasting Tutorial Points Pick Me - 50 Tp The Never Ending Challenge that is Pill Crafting - 100 Tp Tips and Tricks of Pill Cauldrons - 100 Tp
Each cost was also for an hourly rental¡ªand the more expensive books were thick enough that I thought they¡¯d take me days to finish. At least from the one hundred Tutorial Books and up I was finding far less disparaging titles. Just from the context there were some things I was able to ¡®infer.¡¯ Clearly, Pill Crafting was looked down on. I was even able to get a good idea why thanks to the titles. It would seem that it was an all or nothing Craft. Either you put in the Materials and created a Pill, or you turned them to ash. With the debt system here in Tutorial Town¡ªthat second option was terrifying. Still, there was also an opportunity here, wasn¡¯t there? ¡°What if I create a journal of my experiments?¡± I muttered, looking away from the shelf for some hint as to how these books were placed here. There was no desk or attendant¡ªthat I could see. ¡°So, then¡ª¡± I was cut off in my muttering but a hissing shush from one of the nearby tables. I looked over and there wasn¡¯t even a person sitting there. I checked the other nearby tables, and found no one at them either. ¡°Who just shushed me?¡± I whispered, while looking for a response. A shush far louder came from a nearby table. My eyebrows raised, there wasn¡¯t anyone there. What in the husk was happening? I found the nearest human, and stared at her. She wore a smirk. Then knocked on her table¡ªbut no sound got made. Hoping for some more information, I started to move toward her only to see her face fall. Sighing, I turned to the nearest table hoping I could figure out what her strange message meant on my own. As soon as I got near the table I was stopped. There was almost an invisible wall separating me from it.
Library Table Rental - 100 Tp per hour. Book rentals offset this cost. Each table is made from Noise Dampening Materials, and equipped with a Shushing Enchant to stop people from disturbing the user. Book this table? Yes |
Well, that certainly explained the situation, and gave me another reason to get some Tutorial Points and come back. My only question now was, should I sell some of my Herbs and Fruits, or wait till tomorrow? 117 Tutorial Day 18 ¡°With superstar gracing us with his presence we could try a different farming ground!¡± Jacky said, her voice whiny and infinitely annoying this early in the morning. Still, I wasn¡¯t against trying another place. Thinking of my best Gathering Skill, I asked, ¡°Is there a place with Mana Crystals, and Ores?¡± ¡°Uhh,¡± London said, eloquently. ¡°Are you husking nuts?¡± Gavin asked, sounding more serious than he usually was. My brow furrowed and Sarah stepped in front of me. ¡°Gavin, don¡¯t pull a Jacky¡ª¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Jacky complained. ¡°¡ªhe clearly has no idea that he¡¯s asking us to go into a dungeon,¡± Sarah continued. ¡°Oh,¡± I said looking at Gavin, then London and even Sarah¡¯s small back, which was directly in front of me. ¡°Yeah, I had no clue. So, you can only Mine in Dungeons?¡± ¡°Well, no,¡± London said¡ªbut if you want to find an abundance of Crystals, and Ore¡ªthat¡¯s the only place it exists. You can find individual deposits of Crystals and Ores outside of Dungeons, but they¡¯re really rare¡ªand always deeper into the Wilds.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I answered slowly, before concluding, ¡°So, why would we go to another area? What¡¯s the difference between the Boar forest and another direction?¡± ¡°Not too much,¡± Sarah said while slowly moving out from in front of me and turning to look at me. ¡°Each area has different animals, herbs and materials. The Boars have the largest hides and most meat. Have you been to any other spots?¡± The motion I made with my hand was universal, conveying that I wasn¡¯t sure it counted, but I did answer, ¡°I was on a Steppe when I first ported in. Fong fought off some Slimes.¡± ¡°Uggh, we aren¡¯t going to fight Slimes!¡± Jacky interjected. Everyone stared at her with varying levels of annoyance. ¡°What?! If that shit gets on your gear or weapons it¡¯s guaranteed to need a repair!¡± The group nodded, which meant they agreed with her sentiment if not her choice of how to convey it. London scratched his neck. ¡°Yeah the Steppe is likely the least farmed area, by Melee classes like us. Jacky actually is the best equipped to deal with them¡ªbut she¡¯s right. It isn¡¯t worth it.¡± ¡°I was just saying, where I¡¯ve been,¡± I explained, and London nodded. ¡°Picture it like this,¡± London began. ¡°The Boar¡¯s are northeast, and the Slimes are east, each of the other directions also have a Monster that dominates it, and different Herbs, Fruits and woods that are collectible. The best chance of getting Crystals and Ores is the southwest for example¡ªwhich isn¡¯t a forest at all but more of a natural quarry of some type of Portal Stone.¡± ¡°What monsters are over there?¡± I asked. ¡°Golems,¡± Gavin said, and raised his Sword. ¡°Which we again aren¡¯t equipped to handle. It would be better to have some Maces if we were planning to take them on.¡± ¡°So,¡± I let the word hang in the air. ¡°Boar¡¯s are probably best, but lately there have been a lot of people farming them,¡± Sarah explained. ¡°Did something change?¡± I asked, even as I began following London down the walkway toward the Northern Gate. ¡°A couple of the Dungeon groups came back, and there members are Farming as they wait for the next run. That pushed Hunting groups out of some of the nearer grounds. It¡¯s pretty common.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t stronger groups go deeper?¡± I asked. Gavin quickened his step to walk beside me. Then he answered, ¡°If you go past the first layer of Hunting Ground the Monsters increase in Strength. Plus you take about an hour or longer more to get there. Then that same amount of time on the way back. So, you lose time for Hunting.¡± ¡°But wouldn¡¯t the more expensive Monsters sell for more Tutorial Points?¡± I asked. ¡°Absolutely!¡± Jacky crowed. ¡°But going deeper also carries with it a huge risk. If you¡¯re injured, you have to escape not only a more powerful Monster, but then cross through another area teeming with the husking things. Only powerful groups go out that far.¡± ¡°Fong was out alone when he found me, though?¡± I retorted, not liking Jacky¡¯s tone. ¡°I just said, powerful, didn¡¯t I?¡± Jacky asked, condescendingly, even going as far to look to the others for some sort of approval in her words that basically called me a moron. The others avoided meeting her eyes. ¡°Fong is like one of the oldest residents of this place, and a beast!¡± She explained. That didn¡¯t seem right? He¡¯d struggled against the Slimes¡­ ¡°Really?¡± I asked looking to London, at his nod, I explained. ¡°But I saw him struggle against the Slimes on the Steppe.¡± The group stopped and there brows drew down. Of course it was Jacky who exclaimed, ¡°No, you didn¡¯t, you liar.¡± Sarah, punched Jacky in the arm, hard enough to cause the latter to squeal. ¡°He could have been husking injured you moron,¡± Sarah scolded. ¡°Considering how deep that man delves into the world, I wouldn¡¯t even be surprised. It kind of goes to our point, Brodie, if he was injured, and even struggled against Slimes¡ªI can¡¯t imagine what sort of trouble he got into deeper out.¡± The group continued to speculate on just what kind of Monster¡¯s that Fong had run into. They seemed well informed on about the first three layers, out from the Town. I listened and made note of some of the creatures¡ªtaking particular interest when Knolls, Hobgoblins and Lizardmen were mentioned. Those three were all in the third tier but mixed in amongst the D-rank Monster¡¯s. Considering that they were E-ranks out that far, should make them the easiest sections in theory. However, recalling the Mirage Hunters that ended up in a Stew Pot, made me shiver. Gavin saw my shiver and called out, ¡°Enough about stronger monsters. Brodie¡¯s only a Gatherer and Alchemist hopeful after all.¡± Even though I didn¡¯t think that was fair, I didn¡¯t bother correcting him. Still, the sympathetic looks from London and Sarah almost made me change my mind. Thankfully, Jacky¡¯s scoff, dispelled that desire, replacing it with frustration at the girl. She honestly was infuriating, and likely the entire reason I had distrusted this group at first. Thankfully, we were at the Border¡¯s Hunting grounds, and so I was saved from an outburst directed at Jacky. However, my face fell when I discovered either one large spread out group hunting the Borkers, or multiple small groups. My frown stopped as I saw at least twelve red plaques spread out amongst the forest floor. I pointed to the nearest one, and asked, ¡°Do you think they plan to collect those later?¡± London followed my finger and shrugged. ¡°No telling. If these are Dungeon groups, they¡¯re likely out here without their Gatherers¡ªsince the break is usually taken so they can work on Crafting. However, if they are just clearing the area first, and then planning to return¡ªit¡¯s best to leave them alone.¡± My lips pursed but I nodded my understanding. If we moved deeper into the Hunting Ground, and then returned this way¡ªeither he plants would still be there or they wouldn¡¯t, right? ¡°So, I assume we go deeper?¡± I asked. London motioned with his arm in the direction he deemed best. It was skirting the forest¡¯s edge, so I guessed I was wrong with my ¡®deeper¡¯ assertion. Another hundred meters down the forest edge we arrived at an area without other Hunters. I could see Borkers foraging in the undergrowth, and smiled¡ªat least we¡¯d still find some targets. London stepped forward with his shield raised, and the group got into formation. Jacky, once again took her spot in front of me and I side stepped so I could see past her to the fight. Maybe it was a young or sickly Borker, or just because I¡¯d seen this song and dance so many times, but today the Borker seemed particularly slow. Definitely, not as fast as Claude for example. My eyes widened as I realized I was considering how I might fare against the beast. Then my mouth fell open as Mental Fortitude concluded that I could definitely hit the beast. Sure, I¡¯d need a weapon¡ªarmor, and some actual training in the use of all that¡ªbut with Reptilian Body, I believed I could at least keep up and strike the beast. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Mental Fortitude the bringer of the surprise assessment in the first place, dashed my hopes a moment later. I would only be able to keep up for about thirty-husking-seconds. If that. What I needed was additional training. Then I looked at the group fighting the Borker, and realized that I wasn¡¯t the only one who could likely use more training. In no way was I disparaging London, Gavin and Sarah. They were killing an F-E Rank Borker, with only four combatants. However, if they were to be considered the Minor League for Hunting War, then I was the Private School League just behind them. That analysis shocked me even more than the fact that I could fight a Borker. Like usual, the fight was finished when Jacky sent Ice Spears to impale the Borker. This time I¡¯d been keeping an eye on her throughout the fight as well, though. While, I hadn¡¯t noticed it the last time I was with them¡ªthis time I did. Even from before London engaged the Borker she had begun casting. She hadn¡¯t been waiting for an opportune strike. That was just how long her Skill too to ¡®cast.¡¯ A great deal of my suspicion towards her dried up, when I made that realization. Wait¡ªhow was I analyzing the fight so much more closely than before? Claude hadn¡¯t trained me¡ªwell he had but not to get a sense of Mana, and Qi flow. So, what could have changed? The answer came to me, and I wanted to curse. My Wisdom and, far more importantly for this answer, Perception had increased. Well, I guess I only assumed Perception was at play right now. With the boss down, I decided to ask, ¡°Is there a guide for exactly how the Stats work?¡± ¡°Yeah, any Martial Pavilion will have the basics in their library. Why what do you want to know?¡± ¡°Is it like the Alchemy Library in which the basics are cheap and then get more expensive? I was just wondering what each Stat does.¡± ¡°They¡¯re kind of obvious, newb,¡± Jacky stated, and then in her haughtiest voice continued. ¡°Strength¡ªumm duh! Agility¡ªdouble duh! Stamina¡ªtotally in the description¡ª¡± ¡°Thanks, Jacky,¡± I growled, even as I pulled out my Skinning Knife and bent down to get to work. ¡°Those three are somewhat obvious. As is Dexterity¡ªbut like what does Intelligence, Wisdom and Perception do?¡± ¡°Is he serious?¡± Jacky asked the others, again seeming to look for support in her ¡®bullying.¡¯ Sarah punched her in the arm for her troubles. Gavin chuckled and responded in her place. ¡°They do kind of what you expect. Well at least Intelligence does. It increases the speed and retention of knowledge. So in Martial Pavilions it¡¯s explained as a good stat to help learn techniques and katas. Perception, heightens your senses, all five of them as far as the books claim. Wisdom is a bit tougher to understand, though¡ªso I get your confusion. The basic book basically claims it¡¯s what lets you come to conclusions faster. For example, this Boar is charging you¡ªwhat do you do?¡± ¡°Run?¡± I offered, and got a laugh from everyone but Jacky. ¡°Probably a good decision,¡± London said. ¡°But it¡¯s how fast you¡¯d reach that decision or pick a response that Gavin is pointing to.¡± ¡°Oh, so like cognitive speed?¡± Gavin smiled and nodded. Even as Jacky under her breath said, ¡°Clearly all stats someone is lacking in?¡± ¡°Honestly, what¡¯s your problem Jacky?¡± I asked, not even bothering to look over my shoulder at her. ¡°You sound like a catty high school girl..¡± The silence that followed my announcement startled me. I felt like that was a pretty mild taunt, considering how mean Jacky was and had been to me. Gavin leaned in closer, and whispered, ¡°She was in high school when she unlocked all of her stats.¡± Oh¡ªoh! That explained quite a bit. My instant reaction was to feel bad, but I got over it. That didn¡¯t excuse her actions, only explain them. Plus Mental Fortitude wasn¡¯t going to let something like empathy reign when it didn¡¯t even let anger. Following the path of the cuts, I was soon finished with the Skinning and staring at the Mane¡¯s blue outline. Ever since I had activated Reptilian Body, I¡¯d wondered if it would help me with this. I¡¯d tried Overcharge in the past and that definitely helped with the knife gliding along, but I still had moments where it snagged and didn¡¯t cut the way I wanted. Like in the past, I¡¯d collect all of them before trying for the Mane¡¯s. With Overcharge¡¯s cooldown it didn¡¯t make sense to use it until I was ready. I then left the group to Butchery, and moved to the nearest red plaque.
Immature Red Middlemist Rank: High-F Quality: Poor Efficacy: 15%
Wait! I took a double take and took in the information in full. Was this a high grade Flower, that needed more time to grow? It sure seemed that way. However, leaving it here to grow was a waste since, someone else would take it, or a Borker would simply consume it. I scanned the nearby forest and quickly spotted a sapling. Fusing a flower didn¡¯t always work¡ªand if this was truly an E or D grade flower the chances of success were probably even lower. But¡ªwhat other option did I have? I pulled out my Gardener¡¯s Trowel and considered trying to dig it up. As soon as the tool hit my hands I found guiding marks on the ground¡ªand to my further surprise I got a small sense of where the roots of the flower were. Tilting my head, I tried turning on Heat Sense and smiled when it fully outlined the entirety of the root system. Next I looked around for something I could use to pot it, and quickly discovered I didn¡¯t have anything. However, that didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t make one. There was a medium sized stone nearby, and I hurriedly pulled out my Pickaxe and got to work. Three ozone inducing swings later I heard a polite cough. Sarah stood behind me giving me a worried look,¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I need to create a pot for that plant there,¡± I said while gesturing at the Red Middlemist. ¡°And you figure creating a pot out of a stone is the best option?¡± Sarah asked, amusement clear in her voice. The amusement drew me up short and I turned to look at her. ¡°What do you have a better idea?¡± ¡°How about the Borker skin, or some woven leaves?¡± She suggested while snickering. ¡°Idiot!¡± Jacky called from where she was helping Butcher. This time I flushed red in embarrassment. Both those ideas were way better than my carving stone with a Pickaxe. Sarah smiled and motioned to my Pick. ¡°The fact that you pulled that out of nowhere still hasn¡¯t dawned on you has it?¡± My eyebrows rose as I realized that I¡¯d just basically broadcast that I had a storage device on me. Well, at least I think I trusted the group with that information now. I made the Pick vanish back into my Necklace and asked, ¡°What Pick?¡± That got some laughter from the whole group at least. I moved to the group¡¯s Bag of Holding amidst the laughter, but was surprised when Sarah¡¯s hand on my arm stopped me. She shook her head and pointed up into the canopy. I looked up and scanned the leaves. They looked pretty unwearable to me¡ªSarah cut off that thought when she said, ¡°I¡¯ll climb up and get some of the vines around the branches, and the leaves.¡± Then like the tree wasn¡¯t huge, with no low hanging branches she scrambled up it. I watched her climb and still didn¡¯t understand how she¡¯d managed to defy gravity, until I took a closer look. There were large stems for the vines wrapped around the tree¡ªblending in with the trunk¡¯s color. Using her Rapier she cut off a good portion of the smaller vines near the distal part of the lowest branch and then leaned out and trimmed off some leaves as well. Even before the last leaf fell she was back on the ground beside me. I¡¯d woven straw hats from grass before and pulled out my Skinning Knife to get to work. However, Sarah slapped my hand away just as the edge was touching the leaf. ¡°Not so wide,¡± she explained. ¡°A tighter weave will hold the earth better.¡± Then with almost no help from me she used the vines and the strips of leaf¡¯s that she made using her rapier to create a bucket, even adding a handle. When she was finished she held it out to me. ¡°Do you need more than one?¡± I shrugged. ¡°Only if we find more plants like that one.¡± In short order, I¡¯d dug it carefully out and placed it into the bucket. Since the bucket had more room I broke up soil and sprinkled it around the outside until it was full. Fingers crossed this thing was worth it. Due to my suspicions I didn¡¯t put it into my Necklace or the Bag of Holding, worried as I was that it might be fragile. Instead, for the remainder of the day I carried it. We found two other plants that could be potted, but I chose to fuse one of them since it looked more like a bush to me. The group was butchering the last of the six Borkers we killed¡ªand I was flipping around the Overdraft skill to Overcharge. It was time to try out my Qi and Reptilian Body when it came to Skinning. I figured the group might have to wait on me, but they¡¯d understand. They waited on me each time they got to the Heart Core if I was Gardening. I took a deep breath, and then began to feed my Mana into Reptilian Body¡ªwell I tried to. However, when it reached the point in my Mental Universe where the Skill had resided it rebounded. Was that because I was trying to be careful and not send too much, or because I wasn¡¯t angry? I slowly increased the Mana flow and did feel the moment that some made it through¡ªinstead of rebounding into my pool. A very minute flush of heat swept over me¡ªmaking me shiver in its wake. Whether that was due to the cold or excitement, I wasn¡¯t sure. So, I was able to use the Skill without being upset or having an emotional high. That was good news considering Mental Fortitude¡¯s penchant to block those emotions. I wondered if I could see what the skill did by triggering with my stat sheet open. So, trickling Mana into it I opened my Stat Sheet and smiled. Sure enough Strength, Agility, Stamina and Dexterity were increased by five points. Curious I pushed my Mana harder, increasing the feed to the maximum¡ªand felt my eyes widen as the numbers on the Stat sheet continued to climb.
Status Tutorial Name: [Enter Name] Tutorial Points: 0 Skills: Demonic Vault, Dragon Heart, Reptilian Body, Heal, Cleanse Role: Gatherer / Healer Mana Pool: 33 / 50 Qi: 40 / 40 Force: 14 / 14 Stats: Strength: 40 Agility: 40 Stamina: 40 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 4 Dexterity: 40 Perception: 4
As I watched my Mana dropped three points, and I quickly cut the Skill off. My stats returned to normal, but the feeling of power didn¡¯t fade quite as quickly¡ªwhich kept my smile wide and broad. Until I closed my Status Screen. All four members of my group were staring at me. Well, only two of them were focused on my face. Two of them were looking lower. I looked down and caught a glimpse of my skin. Black scales were slowly fading away to be replaced by healthy human skin. My palms were gray scales and even my nails were shortening from what I presumed was talons. I touched my face and discovered what I expected. Scales. How had Claude failed to mention this?! Oh, right he was a husking Artificial NPC! 118 Tutorial Day 18 ¡°Okay, you husking Selfless piece of shit! What in the world was that?¡± Gavin shouted, as he stood up and snatched his sword up. Seeming to get ready to defend himself. He didn¡¯t move toward me at least. I hoped that meant he wouldn¡¯t be charging at me with the thing. The others didn¡¯t seem to be doing anything overtly hostile or defensive. Well, except for Jacky, who stepped behind what remained of the Boar corpse. I held up my hands toward Gavin, showing him not only that I didn¡¯t have the Skinning Knife in them anymore, but also that the Scales were almost totally gone. The backs of my arms only had small dots that looked like moles. ¡°It was a Skill, I was testing it out. It increases some of my Stats!¡± Gavin lowered his sword, and then looked at Sarah and London. ¡°Did that feel like a Monster was right behind us?¡± ¡°It definitely husking did,¡± Sarah answered while shivering. ¡°Yea¡ª¡± London started to answer but a shout from behind the Boar stopped him. ¡°Dodge!¡± Jacky shouted. The noise got my attention, and I found two ice spears forming about the Borker¡¯s butchered corpse. I leaped sideways, just as they both crackled and shot forward. Every hair on my body stood on end. ¡°Son of a witch!¡± I shouted Or¡ªtried to shout that, but the impact with the ground drove the air from my lungs, causing me to likely slur. I was just starting to roll over my shoulder, when a wave of cold air, snow, and ice pellets blasted into my butt and face, primarily. The sensation of cold grew stronger, going from a mild winter morning to frigid, dangerous chill, before landing somewhere near sub zero. How did I know this? Well, I left some of my skin from my neck and shoulder on the ground behind me as my momentum continued forward. My face and butt instantly lost all feeling¡ªand I¡¯m pretty sure I got instant frostbite in some of my toes and fingers. Between one blink and the next, I was seeing trees and underbrush, then a sky through the canopy. However, I was pretty sure by the pain in all my limbs and the placement of the branches that it was a different tree than I¡¯d been under before. I hadn¡¯t realized that I¡¯d lost hearing after the massive ice crackling explosion¡ªbut I must have, because the world was deathly silent. Surely, the others would be shouting at Jacky. Or at least running toward me to see if I was alive. I heard a rustling, though? Slowly I turned my head, and found a Boar about two hundred meters away. I blinked, stupidly at it. There hadn¡¯t been any Boar in the vicinity of the group when I¡¯d set out the skins to work¡­ My stomach screamed its displeasure at me as I sat up. Had the explosion flung me that far away? Surely the group was behind me. Since I couldn¡¯t turn my stiff neck, I couldn¡¯t immediately check. Keeping an eye on the rustling Borker, I fought my own body to get to my feet. Thankfully, it didn¡¯t suddenly take note of me. Once standing, I carefully placed my feet to not make much noise and checked behind me. There was clearly a site where a crater was dug into the ground¡ªand even a half butchered Borker¡ªbut no group. In fact, there was even a Borker eating the corpse! My heartrate skipped, and then jacked up, humming in my ear. What in the world was going on? I blinked my eyes and felt a cold tear run down my cheek. A couple more blinks cause more tears to flow. Only then did I register that my eyes didn¡¯t feel normal. Everything I was looking at had a kind of rough, almost misty quality, as if I was in a dream. Each blink cleared more and more of my vision, eventually allowing me to feel just how cold my eyelids were. Had my eyeballs essentially frozen? Maybe that¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t see the group! No. Even as my vision cleared, I discovered nothing ¡®new¡¯ to the scene. Same hole in the ground from an icy explosion. I could even see snow and a few icicles on its edges. They were also melting in the shade of the many suns. I say also, because I was pretty sure I, too, was ¡®defrosting¡¯. My stomach growled noisily once again, and I realized that the ¡®pain¡¯ I¡¯d thought was from sore muscles was actually a level of extreme hunger that caused my nearby muscles to twitch and convulse. Hurriedly, I navigated through Demonic Vault and then had a choice to make. Mana, Force or Stamina Apple. Knowing that my life may depend on Mana supplied to Reptilian Body and the stats it supplied, I chose the Mana variant after a quick deliberation. The only other option was Stamina, but I had no guarantee if the System wouldn¡¯t destroy the item, instead of it becoming something that would help my Qi regeneration¡ªplus I didn¡¯t exactly have complete confidence in my control of Qi.
Are you sure you would like to purchase the Mana Apple? | No
A wave of emotions attempted to overwhelm me at that message but I beat them back and mentally selected ¡®yes.¡¯ The Apple appeared in a reddish blue cloud and vanished down my throat nearly as quickly. This time, I kept the core¡ªand, for a confusing moment, didn¡¯t know why. Thankfully, my sluggish thoughts caught up to my actions. I might be able to grow something from the seeds. I scanned the Apple core and remembered why I hadn¡¯t thought of that before. There weren¡¯t any seeds. Still, maybe the thing acted like a potato? Either way, I put it into my Necklace, and thanks to my stomach calming down, I got my first chance to truly think about the situation. Had the group thought that I¡¯d died? That spawned another horrifying thought. Would I have died if I didn¡¯t have Recovery?! My legs went a bit weak under me and I might have collapsed if the terrible fear I felt didn¡¯t summon my Qi. The Qi reinforced every muscle and fiber of my body, allowing my legs to stop wobbling. Pain slowly bloomed hot across my entire body, and the numerous cuts on my arms, legs and face became evident, as they flared with a searing sensation. Liquid flowed from them too, as the frozen blood that had sealed them closed, warmed enough for the blood to move. The momentary reinforcement of Qi slowly disappeared, and sucked in a breath. Was the Mana Apple not enough? I didn¡¯t want to waste mC to purchase another¨Cnot with only a hundred and twenty-five thousand remaining. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Mental Fortitude clued me into the truth of the matter when it floated the thought about my wounds. They were closing with a speed I would have called insane, but was definitely witnessing. Did Qi supercharge the Recovery Skill? My body continued to feel better and better, even as my muscles lost the insane strength that Qi offered until my Pool ran dry, leaving behind a few lingering pains in my arms, back, legs and butt. I assumed the aches were probably a result of bone fractures that needed more time to heal, or joint damage that didn¡¯t get as much blood flow. At least those were always the injuries that took the longest to heal on TV. With my Qi depleted, the next thing I looked for was a way out. If I was careful I could probably sneak out of the forest. Yet instead of Borkers my eyes caught on a leaf and vine pail that must have been shot off in an odd direction from where I¡¯d left it beside me. Well, that and it looked partially destroyed. I crept over and checked on it. I sighed. It didn¡¯t look great. The flower inside didn¡¯t look completely frozen, at least. It did, however, seem to have a layer of morning frost on its petals. The pail, on the other hand, was missing an entire side, but thankfully the dirt there was frozen, and thus holding the roots all inside. The shards of ice had also left numerous fallen leaves and a few vines scattered about¡ªso I repaired the bucket as best I could. When I was finished, I deemed the Borkers sparse enough to make another. Before I placed the Apple core inside. It was time to try to sneak out of here. Then I could address how or if I should confront London and his group¡ª They clearly left me for dead, out here¡­ I easily snuck between two nearby Borkers on the way to the forest edge when I realized something. Well realized was a strong word. I was so focused on escaping that I didn¡¯t even register the plant until I walked over a red plaque.
Common Sun Orchid Rank: Low-F Quality: Excellent Efficacy: 100%
The Herb made me freeze, and look around again. Was it just me or were there far fewer Borkers then there should be. Still feeling sluggish, I decided this plant I could Harvest or Garden. Pulling out my Gardening kit, I quickly cut as instructed from my Harvesting Skill, and placed the herb atop my barrel with the Apple core. Then I scanned the underbrush and saw five other plaques that were entirely free of Borkers. I scanned the surroundings again, truly unsure why there weren¡¯t any Borkers. Could I make it to those five, like I had with this Orchid? It looked like it would be child¡¯s play. I could maybe even whistle a tune. Then I recalled the groups farming in the Forest. The Herbs they had left behind. Was this a product of their hard work making my ¡®life¡¯ easier? As long as I didn¡¯t have the ability to trigger Reptilian Body, then I would be fine. Still without that Skill available, I likely wouldn¡¯t have even chanced it¡ªbut somehow, the confidence of having that Skill in my pocket let me turn around and approach the plaques I could see.
Kingsleaf Rank: High-F Quality: Good Efficacy: 72% Starflower Rank: Mid-F Quality: Good Efficacy: 70% Earthroot Rank: low-F Quality: Moderate Efficacy: 68% Rock Lavender Flower Rank: High-F Quality: Excellent Efficacy: 100%
After the first twelve, which included three Rock Lavenders, I considered my haul, and then wondered if I should keep going. I could definitely see others that should be accessible, but now I was getting into areas that Borkers were ¡®patrolling.¡¯ In the end, I chose to get out. The group had mentioned that Monsters got stronger or ¡®scarier¡¯ at Night, and I had to assume I was flirting with that deadline. My second bucket, and even some of my first, had numerous plants piled atop it. I hadn¡¯t risked putting them in my Necklace yet, in case the freezing property ruined them. Still, as I snuck between Borkers I started to fret. I was going to have to possibly chance it when I passed whatever group would be doing taxes today. As I walked, I considered everything that had happened today. Jacky had attacked me! Sure, I knew that it took her a long time to charge that Skill with her Mana, but that didn¡¯t mean she had to release it¡ªor did it? Either way, I thought. She didn¡¯t have to release it at me. I didn¡¯t think I would ever be going out with them again¡ªbut that left a rather large problem. If I didn¡¯t go out with them¡ªwho would I go out with? Surely, I needed to go out and Gather to make Tp, or I¡¯d end up falling further and further into debt with Maelstrom. Yet, hadn¡¯t I just gone out on my own and collected around half the herbs we had during the day with the group? The question was, could I continue to do that? Or had today been a total fluke? Since there was no way of knowing, I put off that decision until later. There was something else I should be focused on. I could tell Mental Fortitude was attempting to tell me to get over it. The group had abandoned me. The people I¡¯d trusted just left me out in the forest, frozen¡ªI shivered as I realized just what would have happened if I had actually been dead. Likely a Borker would have come by and eaten me¡ªremoving the evidence. Had they even come to check on me? Surely I had a pulse. Mental Fortitude again tried to sweep away my concerns¡ªwith the logical thought of, ¡®what¡¯s done is done.¡¯ My brain was literally at war with itself. I could have died, probably was dead in the group¡¯s minds, and my brain was just ¡®over it¡¯. I felt like I should be a blubbering, vomiting mess or something. Instead, I was walking toward the Town, sure in the fact that I was never going to forgive London, Sarah, Gavin, and Jacky¡ªbut also considering their actions as potentially somewhat reasonable. What would I have done in their situation? ¡®Clearly¡¯, Jacky had a Skill misfire¡ªor at least that¡¯s what she would claim. The other member was already ¡®dead,¡¯ so the option was to run away with Jacky and keep the group at four¡ªor lose two members¡­ It was infuriating logic. Yet, it was also mostly right¡ª The gates of the Town were in view, and I hadn¡¯t run into a group that was taxing people. What the hell is going on? My eyes scanned back and forth, my thoughts focused on one thing as I continued to walk. If I saw someone, I needed to be ready to place the buckets in my Necklace, quickly. I was suddenly at the crowd that was milling about the gate and no one even bothered glancing at me. Once I hit the paving stones and felt the wave of cleansing magic sweep over me, I breathed a sigh of relief. Was I later than I thought? The sconces held sunstones and sure enough¡ªthey were darkening toward dusk. Had I just discovered another way to earn more? I considered all the ways to possibly exploit that as I made my way back to my room. It was time to try my hand at Pill Making¡ªactually it was officially now or never¡ªsince I wasn¡¯t going to be going out with London¡¯s group anymore. Once back in my room, I pulled up the Alchemical Pill Cauldron in the Demonic Vault Shop.
Miscellaneous Professions Gear Alchemy Pill Cauldron (1) Low-F-Rank Durability: Unlimited Fire Quality: Normal This Pill Cauldron consumes the users Mana to maintain its internal fires at a desired temperature. The Cauldron will repair using Spilled Mana from ingredients, and Evolves when the user crafts an appropriate Pill. It will also Funnel excess Mana to Brodie Flacarada¡¯s Overdraft Skill. Cost: 100,000 mC
Since the Lab was a million points, I gave up on it some time ago. This truly was the only option¡­
Are you sure you would like to purchase the Alchemy Pill Cauldron? | No
Never in a million years did I think I would have missed Smegma and his far from robotic questions confirming my purchase. However, for the second time that day, I found myself slightly homesick thanks to the reminder. Mentally I clicked ¡®yes.¡¯ 119 Tutorial Day 18 Jacky stormed into Maelstrom¡¯s sanctum, and he raised an eyebrow at the show of personality. He could tell she was upset and had an urge to go to her like he would have his daughter. He shook himself, recalling that she was but another of his puppets. ¡°That damn newcomer, came out with us, and he has more than just Gathering Skills,¡± Jacky exclaimed. ¡°Oh?¡± Maelstrom responded, checking the Northern District Leaderboard. Brodie wasn¡¯t on it. ¡°What Skill does he have?¡± Maelstrom asked. ¡°Had,¡± Jacky responded, causing both of Maelstrom¡¯s eyebrows to climb into his hairline. ¡°He¡¯s dead, dad.¡± Maelstrom froze. Her tone was so hurt and lost. It sounded so much like his daughter Jaqueline. He blinked off his surprise after a moment, and ignored the false emotion. ¡°He died while Hunting?¡± Maelstrom asked, even though he already suspected the answer. ¡°No father, I killed him. Now the group is upset with me¨CI¡¯m just out for a walk to cool off! They don¡¯t understand, anything!¡± Maelstrom sucked in a breath. Then sighed before standing up and going to his ¡®daughter.¡¯ When he touched her the illusion fell away and she fell to the floor as a lifeless puppet with his strings cut. This had always been the issue with his Illustrious Illusions Skill. He had pushed that Skill to great lengths, changing how he used it in multiple ways. And now, he could essentially recreate anything or anyone he¡¯d seen, or knew. However, if he tried to change their personality too much¨Cthey¡¯d act erratically. Was this due to his attempt to have her act older? He thought it had failed, since she still seemed to possess the same personality he recalled from her highschool days. Shrugging he reached down and pulled out the Monster Core he¡¯d converted to a memory and personality device. Using his Illustrious Illusions he watched back the scene that occurred in the Forest. The boy had some sort of Body Enhancement Skill? Clearly he had something that turned him scaly, like a lizard. Still, his puppet''s reaction was excessive. It wasn¡¯t like there weren¡¯t others here in the Tutorial that became ¡®monstrous¡¯ when using a Skill. The leader of the Hero Tribe turned into a giant Werewolf for husk sakes. Shaking his head, he ever so subtly adjusted the memory, making sure he didn¡¯t tamper too deeply with it. If he left it as it was, she still could double down on doing it to protect the ragtag group she¡¯d joined. Maybe they¡¯d even forgive her in time. Deaths happened all the time in the Tutorial. This was just another casualty of war. Like his family had been¡­ * * * A red cloud of Mana formed near the ceiling of my room, and the size of it instantly gave me pause. What was going on? The answer came to me as the shape inside the cloud began to form. It was easily the size of an outdoor fireplace. Maybe bigger¡­ I rushed over to my bed, and thankfully the cloud and dense red Mana in the shape of the object followed me. As if it was mocking my moment of relief, it grew larger, going from backyard campfire to church-bell sized. My eyes scanned from it to the bed, and back again. This was not going to be good¡­ I pumped Mana to my Reptilian Body on instinct as I stepped forward, getting ready to catch whatever this Pill Cauldron would be. The Mana resolved itself into flaky, rusting metal, like an Anime character revealing a new suit of armor. Flakes of the Red Mana ¡®chipped¡¯ off to reveal a very¡­ lackluster shape. Gravity asserted itself on the object and it fell. I held my arms up, ready to catch it, but also realizing just how large and pointy some parts on the bottom were as it fell towards me. Those parts were the ¡®feet¡¯ of the object, I realized, even as I tried to position myself to not catch one of the four feet in the chest. My leading hand caught the center of the spherical bottom right where I hoped the balance point would be, and after the initial added momentum, I felt my flexed muscles, scaled arms, and taloned hands receive the weight¡ªlike it was simply a weighted med ball. The sounds of crashing metal on metal that accompanied my ¡®catch¡¯ made me wince, but I could only hope that I hadn¡¯t broken it too badly. Smiling, I slowly climbed off my bed with my one knee and brought the Pill Cauldron with me. The bed creaked ominously under me, but thankfully didn¡¯t break, like I had thought it might¡¯ve. Holding the Cauldron didn¡¯t let me get a good look at it, but I realized that I was extremely lucky that the ceiling was ten feet high. I then realized the next issue I was going to have. There was only one place in the room I could set it down. Well. there were multiple, but not if I wanted to use the bed, door or magical shower. Sorry, nightstand. I thought even as I kicked it toward the opposite corner and began lowering the Cauldron into its previously occupied place. The sound of wood splintering, because I didn¡¯t control the force of my kick, made me wince, but I was kind of on a timer. As soon as I got the Cauldron on the floor, I deactivated Reptilian Body, or was about to when I realized I hadn¡¯t ¡®looked¡¯ at the Skill Planet when it was activated. Leaving it running with minimal Mana input, I focused for a moment and dove into that space with the Red Mist. It took an extra second as my mind fought with me over its desire to study the Pill Cauldron. Thankfully, Mental Fortitude surpassed the unnecessary thoughts, and helped guide me ¡®home.¡¯ What I discovered was both interesting and thought provoking. The Mana wasn¡¯t activating the Planet, or at least I assumed it wasn¡¯t, because the Skill wasn¡¯t glowing like Heal or Cleanse did. Instead the Mana was acting as a vacuum in the Skill¡¯s center, or maybe a tornado was a more accurate description? Essentially the Mist was being pulled back into the center of the leaking Skill Planet. The reason it might be considered a vacuum was that a minute amount of the Mist kept disappearing. With each disappearance of the Mist I kind of felt a pulse in my body. The same pulse that I believed was increasing my Stats. I let go of the Mana and continued to watch. As soon as the Mana cyclone dissolved, the Mist started leaking back out again from the ruptured Skill Planet. Knowing what was happening to my body, I could almost feel the scales on my body fading with the Mist¡¯s escape. Two thoughts occurred to me. If the Mist was what was doing this, then would I need Mana in the future, or would I always be walking around as a lizard if I fixed this Skill Planet? Second, it hadn¡¯t been able to collect all of the surrounding Mist. So, would this Skill be more powerful if it did? Or was the control in the amount of Mist I saw disappearing in the vacuum? ¡°Dammit, Smegma, where the hell are you?¡± I complained as I opened my eyes. If there ever was a time that I could use the Demon¡¯s help it would be now. Especially with the Pill Cauldron and his theoretical knowledge of how it might work. Well, I guess there was no guarantee he¡¯d know anything about that, but¡ªhe did seem to have a rather large range of ¡®useless¡¯ knowledge on subjects even when he didn¡¯t practice them. Stolen story; please report. I hoped he was only absent because of the time dilation here. Considering he existed in another plane of existence¡ªthat was the most likely explanation. It wasn¡¯t like he hadn¡¯t gone ¡®missing¡¯ for a week before. The Pill Cauldron looked quite a bit worse than I¡¯d feared, as it sat canted to one side on the ground. It was rusty, certainly¡ªin fact, there was a pile of brown flakes and sand under the object. However, the most worrisome part of the entire piece of metal was that I had absolutely no clue how it worked. Its spherical bottom extended up like a teardrop, into what I assumed was a chimney. At nearly the very bottom of that sphere, there was something that might have been a drawer, since it had a protrusion that might have once been a knob with a long, thin rectangular accent. I pulled it out. It was a drawer. A metal drawer with a flat bottom. Since it was what I thought, the next rectangle with a knob on top of it¡ªthis one slightly deeper, was likely also a drawer. I pulled it out and found a deeper drawer, but this one had a grated, rusty bottom. The thing looked like any weight would cause it to break¡ªwhich left me somewhat confused as to how I would manage to use it. Next up from that was a furnace-style door. One with a door handle that looked like it belonged on a safe and squealed in protest as I rotated it. When I opened it, I discovered an oven-like open space inside. In that space were a few free pieces of metal. They were either broken pieces of the Cauldron, or objects that were meant to be used in the process of forging Pills. I reached in and pulled them out. One of them looked a lot like a crucible, which made me hopeful that I hadn¡¯t broken the thing when I caught it. The second object was something akin to a hinged pan, that I might use to make circular cakes. The final item was the same as the last, but with more of a pill-like shape to the indentations inside. If the circular indentations were grape-like in size, then these would be cashew¡¯s, I supposed. Setting those three items to the side, I continued to scan upward until I reached the chimney¡¯s top. I took a second scan and realized that I¡¯d missed a few additional moving pieces of metal, in my initial inspection. Near the grated drawer, there were four visible ¡®gates¡¯ They were all connected in what I had originally believed was a piece of ornamental metal. Reaching out, I attempted to move this piece, and pulled back my hand with a hiss as it cut me. ¡°Son of a witch,¡± I complained, even as I raised my hand reflexively to my mouth. Thought better of it just in time, and didn¡¯t suck on it. Was tetanus still a thing? Recovery made quick work of the cut, and soon it scabbed over. So, I carefully tried again. This time I slid the double-edged ring of metal up and watched as circular pieces of metal raised, revealing holes. Clearly, these were meant for oxygen intake. So the grated pan was for burning wood, or Crystals, I supposed. However, I was leaning toward wood, because of the second ¡®catch pan.¡¯ Either way, there was another set of the vents and moveable circular covers near the top of the chimney¡ªwhich didn¡¯t make as much sense. However, when you paired it with the chimney cover¡ªand then looked back inside the oven¡ªI thought I had an answer. There were small holes in the bottom of the oven, and I figured that¡ªdepending on what wood you were burning and how much oxygen you were supplying, you could essentially make something akin to a ¡®smoker¡¯ on Earth. Why a Pill Crafting apparatus would need that function, confused me greatly. Yet, it wasn¡¯t like it was the only question I had. It was likely time to go down to the Library¡ªbut first, I probably should parcel out the gathered Herbs from today, and maybe sell a few. That, of course, meant that I needed to try my hand at the Rock Lavender Pearl Fruit. I gathered the two buckets and then looked for my bedside table to place them upon it¡ªonly to find it broken in the corner where I¡¯d kicked it. I grimaced, having forgotten in my excitement, that I¡¯d done that. There wasn¡¯t another raised surface, so I put the plants in the corner with the Fused Saplings, and then collected the plants I¡¯d gathered from the tops of both buckets. The Red Middlemist looked like it was shriveling a bit, so I went to get some water for it before even starting on the plants. Using my finger, I wet the soil until it felt damp, and then did the same for the Mana Apple. Finally, I was ready to try my hand at what I was beginning to think of as a Tutorial Quest. Maybe today, with Qi, I¡¯d manage to get the Lavender Pearl at Perfect Quality. An hour later, I wanted to pull my hair out. Qi didn¡¯t help the process at all. In fact, it just made me feel jumpy and hopped-up on too much caffeine as I tried to do the mundane task. Only when I activated Reptilian Body, did I notice a difference. It truly felt like I had such delicate control of my scaled and taloned hands, that if I wanted to, I could¡¯ve used said talons for the task. However, even with that extra-fine motor control, I wasn¡¯t aware of where to make my cut. I wasn¡¯t able to imbue the Tools with Qi, or extra Stats. I felt like I was some sort of idiot as I floundered around with the concepts of how I¡¯d managed the Juicy Rock Pearl. I¡¯d cut the stem quickly and at a forty-five degree angle, taking inspiration from the Borker Manes. I moved the tiny scissors into place, after clearing away the petals and all other plant structures that might get in my way. Thanks to my increased Stats, the cut was made faster than ever before, and my hand caught the Pearl, in my gray-scaled palm. I released my Qi and Mana as I stared at what felt like my real first success inside the Tutorial.
Excellent Rock Lavender Pearl Rank: High-E Quality: Perfect Hand in ten of these to the Harvesting Trainer to rank up your Harvesting Skill.
Smiling, and feeling flush I got ready to do it again¡ªonly to realize, I couldn¡¯t. I had about half of my Mana left, but was missing about thirty points of my Qi. Was its presence important? Or had Reptilian Body carried me to the finish line? Might as well give it a try without my Qi.
Awesome Rock Lavender Pearl Rank: High-E Quality: Excellent
Shit! Then what the husk was my Qi doing? I activated my Qi, while I fed the dregs of my Mana into Reptilian Body and tried to figure out the difference. When I found it, I smiled and released the Skill as well as my forced emotional state. ¡°It¡¯s the husking Scissors!¡± I exclaimed to myself, celebrating my discovery alone in my room. My Qi was coating the Scissors ever so slightly. I wondered if I could make the act more efficient in the future, since the Qi in my muscles wasn¡¯t exactly beneficial for this particular task¡ªbut put that thought to the side. Dinner was likely still being served downstairs¡ªand I¡¯d need more Qi for later, which seemed to either regenerate faster after eating¡ªor primarily only come from food. The Milk Porridge and the meal last night and this morning certainly seemed to top me up for the excursion. ¡­The same excursion that nearly got me killed. I shivered, but chose to fully deal with the feelings towards Jacky and the group later. Still, I wasn¡¯t just comfortable leaving the safety of my room. So before I did, I put on my blue Herbalist Robe, and even pulled the hood up. While I thought Jacky had made a mistake¨CI also wasn¡¯t willing to take a risk this close to nearly dying. Plus, even if it was just word of my survival getting back to the group, well I didn¡¯t like that thought¨Cbut still wasn¡¯t ready to deal with it. Surely I needed to confront the asshats, right? I used the excuse of needing to leave my room to shelf that thought. Later! After eating I moved to the North Tower, needing to sell some of my Herbs and the non-Perfect Rock Pearl, so I wouldn¡¯t be increasing my debt unreasonably. However, when I opened my stat screen to check on said debt I was left with weak legs, and literally floored, as I collapsed out of my seat.
Status Tutorial Name: [Enter Name] Tutorial Points: -10,100 Skills: Demonic Vault, Dragon Heart, Reptilian Body, Heal, Cleanse Role: Gatherer / Healer Mana Pool: 12 / 50 Qi: 1 / 40 Soul: * 14 / 14 Stats: Strength: 40 Agility: 40 Stamina: 40 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 4 Dexterity: 40 Perception: 4
My debt had husking grown! I recalled my chat with Smegma on compounding interest and felt my face fall into my hands. This was going to be a huge problem if it was growing at one percent a day. Then again, maybe it was a monthly one percent. I held desperately to that hope, even as my brain pointed out the absurdity of it. 120 Tutorial Day 18
Sell Awesome Lavender Rock Pearl for 250 Tutorial Points? No Sell Excellent Lavender Rock Pearl for 500 Tutorial Points? No
I read the notifications, and truly considered both. While I needed ten of the Excellent Lavender Rock Pearls¡ªI also desperately needed to climb out of debt. Well, did I desperately need to? Mental Fortitude interjected. Clearly, living in debt was something people did here¡ªbut I was yet unaware of what that might mean. I assumed that it meant Maelstrom, the leader, could essentially order you to do anything he wanted, and you might have to comply¡­ But that would be pretty difficult to enforce, wouldn¡¯t it? Like, what if I built up a massive debt and just took off into the Wilds? Sure, right now I would die, but with some purchases, and training¡ª Ahhh, the problem hit me in the nose like a landslide, and I almost slapped my forehead. Claude had stopped training me at zero points. The Northern Shop wouldn¡¯t sell me a thing on credit. Why then would I be able to stay in rooms on credit? The answer almost knocked me off my feet. I did move away from the shop and lower myself onto a nearby ledge as realizations that confirmed my initial thoughts gutted me. Compound interest, a particularly devious invention of ¡®us humans.¡¯ The buildings in the Northern Maelstrom District. The ones bought and made from stone and the poor quality ones made from lumber and nearby trees. Everything inside this District and likely the entire Tutorial Town was man made¡ªother than the Towers, and probably a certain NPC¡­ I had a feeling that if I went to the suggested location by London and the group, to train Qi and Soul¡ªthey¡¯d gladly let me pay on Credit. Then slowly dole out knowledge at a thousand Tp a day¡­ Husking credit itself was an invention of the human race¡­ This was all a contraption of the leaders and Tribes of the city¨Clikely to earn money and grow powerful themselves. I doubted this was how the Tutorial was meant to take place¡ªbut the first people who arrived saw an opportunity. Without Mental Fortitude, I might have cried, or raged. Or wallowed. However, I did have Mental Fortitude and I knew I just wanted to punch those first people in the face, but knew I shouldn¡¯t. Like always, the revelation¡ªnow that it was made, felt old¡ªlike I was already accustomed to it. My breath steadied and I stood back up. Somehow, in my turmoil I¡¯d made a decision. I was going to sell the Excellent Pearls too. I ostensibly had no idea where this Harvesting Trainer might be, and figured I¡¯d have plenty of time to collect more. For now, goal number one should be saving up enough Tp¡ªto get training and equipment¡ªso I could survive outside of the City. This place was clearly going to act as a drain on anyone who stayed for too long, and if I could find a way to survive on my own¡ªthen I wouldn¡¯t need groups. Especially ones that almost killed me! Once I sold all three Pearls, I was at just under nine thousand in Tp debt. It was time to head back to the ¡®School¡¯ and increase that debt so I could get a book on the basics of Pill Crafting. * * * I wanted to pull my hair out. These books weren¡¯t exactly useless, but they also weren¡¯t helpful. At least not as much as I¡¯d hoped. I stared at my Tp total, and tried to decide if I should keep taking the gamble that eventually something would be helpful¡ªor if I should just give up and start experimenting. So, far¡ªI¡¯d discovered what the tools inside of the Pill Cauldron were for, which I could have intuited for myself¡ªprobably within thirty minutes of experimentation. There was some subtlety to each of them that might have taken me longer, but I wasn¡¯t sure. For example, the crucible burnt Herbs when alone to ash. So, you needed to supply it with fruit and mixtures of herbs to create a usable ¡®stock.¡¯ That stock could then be used with the round pill mold to create a gel-capped Pill. Or at least, the writer of that book assumed there was some way to get the Pills to form a gel-like outer layer, but had yet to succeed. Another book was focused on the other apparatus with the smaller, square indentations. For this application, you needed a mortar and pestle¡ªwhich I didn¡¯t own. This one used mostly powdered herbs, and actually needed to have the Fruit dried, if it was going to be used in the making of ¡®tablets.¡¯ The metal of this tray supposedly expanded when heated, thus compressing down the powders using heat and pressure to forcibly turn the mixture into a Pill. Due to the far less likely event of the Pills burning, this seemed to be the more studied method of Pill Crafting¡ªsince I¡¯d found five books on it, and only one on the spherical Gel-filled ones. I opened up Demonic Vault and found a Mortar and Pestle for a whopping ten thousand mC. Sure it was somehow Evolvable and self-repairing, but honestly¡ªhow could the thing be worth so much¡­ Wait¡ªmy Overdraft! Would this Mortar and Pestle be considered an Alchemy tool or a Gathering tool? It was priced in the range of Gathering tools, like the Gardening Kit, Skinning Knife and Miner¡¯s Pick¡ªit even had the line about the Overdraft Enchant. So, would I get a new Sub-Skill from it? Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. What possible sub-Skill could come from a Mortar, and Pestle besides Alchemy? If I got an Alchemy related Skill maybe it would help guide me on the creation of Potions, or Pills. Then I could simply level it¨CI shook off my tangent, but failed to dispel my mood. Excited, but not stupid¡ªI thought it all over one more time, not wanting to spend ten of my last twenty-five thousand mC, with no current Mana Crystals or idea of how to get them to easily refill it. I could of course sell other things to Demonic Vault, but that would take away from my Tutorial Points. And yet, I needed a Mortar and Pestle for Alchemy, regardless. So, in the end I returned to my room with my carefully taken notes from the Library, and purchased it from the Demonic Vault Shop. The ¡®Mortar and Pestle¡¯ was a large stone that had a slight depression hollowed into it, and a second, coarser rock. If I didn¡¯t know what had happened with my Pick, Knife and Gardening tools, I would be puking up blood, or at least chewing through my lip at the discovery. As it was, I found it hard to look at the thing, but started organizing the dried and sectioned herbs that I¡¯d recovered from my room by entering into ten thousand Tp of debt. All of the properties of the Herbs that weren¡¯t disassembled were listed in a book I''d read. Well, at least what the writer had believed they did was written in the book. The item I had the most of was Witch Hazel Flowers, and according to my notes, it could ¡®disinfect wounds and treat upset stomachs.¡¯ Okay, so the books are somewhat useless, I recalled. Either way, grinding the older, dried Witch Hazel Flowers would be a good task for my new Mortar and Pestle and begin the process of restoring it to a more peak condition. A quick count told me just how many of the things I had, and I smiled. If nearly a thousand flowers wouldn¡¯t repair this Mortar and Pestle, I supposed I would start on the next largest pile of dried herbs¡ªthe Moon Stalks. Five minutes in, I discovered that it was better to fill the entire bowl of the Mortar, rather than trying for one Flower at a time. Twenty minutes in, I realized that I could make a fine powder from the Flowers, but that using Qi to coat the Pestle and Mortar would turn the powder fine like powdered sugar. What that meant for Pill Crafting, I couldn¡¯t say¡ªbut I figured it was a discovery and wrote it in my book. After two hours in, I had only managed to powder about two hundred of the flowers. Of those two hundred I had only managed to produce about four cups of the finely ground powder that my Qi could produce¡ªsimply because my Qi was bottomed out after four cups. I knew thanks to Claude that it refilled faster when digesting food¨Cso I figured I¡¯d let it fill up over night, or get more from breakfast tomorrow. I also had run into another issue. Right this moment I was using the crucible as a vessel to store the non-fine powder, but it was getting full¡ªand I had no other equipment in my room to make use of, as containers. Well other than some broken pieces of my bedside table. One such piece was currently sporting a mound of four cups of what looked like green and purple powdered sugar. Only when I was forced to stop by the lack of containers did I stop to think. Why haven''t I gotten a Skill from the work? A quick check in my Mental Universe did show some white fog coalescing into an area, but not quite staying long enough to form a Planet. Shrugging, I decided to make a quick trip to one of the classrooms and see if I could borrow some storage containers. I realized I should try putting it into my Necklace of Holding, and did so with a portion of the pile in the Mortar. When I removed it back out, I discovered that condensation formed on the powder due to the cold and then warmer temperatures. The minute amount of liquid turned it into a paste that likely would need drying. Hurriedly, I separated it from the rest of the Powder, and set what I could salvage from it onto a piece of my broken bedside table. Then I stood up and decided to go with my first thought. Pulling my hood back up, I headed toward a classroom. It was nearing midnight and I was partially shocked that I wasn¡¯t the only one visiting classrooms. The same girl that had moved me from her spot nearly a week ago, was still fiddling with a Crystal flame that was heating a beaker and evaporating the liquid inside, while trapping the gas in a tub of some sort. Her setup looked extreme, and I figured any distraction would be unwelcome¡ªso, I kept my staring to a few seconds and then turned around and left for another of the classrooms. I wondered how odd I looked wearing the hood and standing out from of a classroom door. The next one I visited was unused, and I sighed in relief. At least, I wouldn¡¯t be skulking around anymore. Once there, I moved to the drawers that were filled with ingredients. Opening the first one, I discovered that the containers were all full. Six drawers later I realized I hadn¡¯t seen any empty containers, even on that first day. ¡°If you need a container they¡¯re in the closet,¡± the girl from earlier called from the doorway. I turned and saw a flash of her red hair, as she spun and left. Well, that was certainly strange¡ªand helpful. I rushed over to the closet, and moved to pick up a container only to groan as a message popped up.
Would you like to buy, rent or fill this container? These containers will maintain freshness of the ingredients and can even grade them for the owner. Buy - 1000 Tp Rent - 100 Tp a day Fill - 13% of Material Sales Taken as Tax for Maelstrom If you select the Fill option, the container must be placed inside the appropriate classroom drawer within twenty-four hours, or you will be charged 10,000 Tp.
¡°Well, at least this is going to let me go into debt if I want¡­¡± I muttered angrily. Sighing, I decided to go with the Fill option first. Looking at the size of the container I could easily fill it with about a quarter of the Witch Hazel Flower Powder I¡¯d ground. Or half fill it with the four cups of the finer stuff¡­ I took a second container, and then marched back up the stairs to my room. Once there I filled the first of the two with the regular Powdered Witch Hazel. As soon as I closed the lid words began to scribble atop the top of the box.
Powdered Witch Hazel High-F Efficacy 88%.
Interesting. Too bad it didn¡¯t give a use for the herb¡­ I looked at the four cups on the splintered piece of wood. At least it could tell me what it was, and it wasn¡¯t like I couldn¡¯t make more.
Finely Powdered Witch Hazel Mid-E Efficacy 125%.
I made note of the difference, and then with a large yawn, I decided I¡¯d put them in a drawer at breakfast. 121 Tutorial Day 19 Sleepily, I shoveled some type of meat, eggs and vegetables into the hood, and then my mouth without registering what they were. I¡¯d probably stayed up a bit too late working last night, but at least I¡¯d figured out how my Mortar and Pestle worked. As well as where some of the products in the drawers were from. I took a sip of something that resembled coffee but was definitely just a highly concentrated ¡®tea.¡¯ It clearly had some sort of caffeine though, because each sip did wonders to rejuvenate my sleepy mind. One other lesson was learned this morning. The ¡®classroom¡¯ I was currently eating in, was the E-Rank materials room. It was also the classroom I¡¯d seen the girl working in as I made my late-night excursion down here to find containers. The other room, the one I actually took the containers from was the F-Ranked room. How did I discover this? Well, this morning I¡¯d tried to put both containers of Powdered Witch Hazel into the drawers of the F-Rank room. Only to be unable to push the second container that held the four cups of powder I¡¯d used Qi to produce into a drawer. Amidst Alchemist¡¯s laughter, someone eventually took pity on the hooded figure I was¡ªonly after I was on my seventh drawer, though. To uproarious laughter, someone in the room had shouted, ¡°Surely it will fit in the next drawer!¡± When I turned around, someone else who was a bit red in the face, pointed over their shoulder towards the other classroom. I simply blinked stupidly and stood stock still at first, making the helpful but embarrassed individual indicate the door again. Thankfully, I¡¯d gotten the message, the second time. Now, I was eating in here because it was the last room I¡¯d been in, and also I had no desire to face the people who¡¯d mocked me in the other room. Not that I was particularly embarrassed, but being laughed at wasn¡¯t exactly comfortable, either. Plus, they might even approach me and try to see into my hood. Admittedly, I wasn¡¯t fully awake even by the time people started clearing away the food. Even though I¡¯d had seconds and thirds in the form of the tea-coffee, I still didn¡¯t know what I had eaten. Shrugging, I chose to make my way back to my room, and keep working. I had some suspicions about some of the events from yesterday. While I couldn¡¯t confirm any of them just yet, the largest one amongst them all, was that the taxing groups had spies that watched where groups went in the mornings, and then the groups chose the best direction to station themselves around midday. So, if I could go out to the Borker Northern section after that, I¡¯d have less of a chance of running into one of the other three Tribes¡ªand if I left late and stayed late, probably even less again. That second part wasn¡¯t for certain. But yesterday, there hadn¡¯t been a soul in sight between the Hunting Ground and the Town. Either way, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to test the time I came and went further¡ªunless I stayed past ¡®dark.¡¯ The first thing that I would buy when I got out of debt¡ªa Sunstone. I was just sitting down with the Mortar and Pestle, to grind some more Witch Hazel when a screen popped up.
Finely Powdered Witch Hazel has sold. 4 Pounds at 1 Tp a gram. 1816 Tutorial Points Earned - 236 of Tax 1580 Tutorial Points Earned.
I stared at the screen. What in the hell had just happened? I then checked my Tp total on my status screen.
Status Tutorial Name: [Enter Name] Tutorial Points: -8,066
With one session of Qi grinding Witch Hazel, I¡¯d made nearly sixteen hundred Tp? Wait¡ªI still had food in my stomach and could probably make another batch before letting my Qi slowly replenish from my belly full of breakfast! I simply poured the coarse powder straight from the Crucible in order to not waste time and then infused my body with Qi, using my excitement to coax it into my ¡®veins¡¯. Sure I understood that my Qi was moving through something besides the physical apparatus in my body, but I didn¡¯t care at the moment what it actually was. This time, since I used already fully ground Witch Hazel, I managed to eke out about five cups of the powder¡ªwhich might equate to five pounds. I hurried back to the classrooms, grabbed a container, rented a second one for a hundred Tp and then rushed the Finely Ground Powder back down to a drawer. I did check to see if anyone was watching the hooded man do all this, but thankfully everyone appeared to be engrossed in their tasks for the day. It was slightly disappointing that the new batch of Witch Hazel wasn¡¯t gone by the time I returned to my room¡ªbut I guessed that might be because all the students were already busy. Instead of dwelling on it, I put the Witch Hazel Powder into the container, emptying the crucible before I ground some more. It took me a single hour to fully fill the container, and I pursed my lips. Should I keep going with the Witch Hazel or switch it up for now? I only had about ten flowers left¡ªso I decided to switch to Moon Grass. My next surprise came an hour later, just as I was finishing my last portion that could fit inside the crucible. At first, I didn¡¯t even recognize the sensation. But it was definitely something I associated with Smegma. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Was he returning? Eventually, I couldn¡¯t hold my breath any longer and exhaled, before checking my Mental Universe. I became both excited and morose. A new Skill was forming¡ªwhich was super exciting. But if Smegma hadn¡¯t returned since I was ported into the Tutorial¡ªand I was getting a new Skill? Did that mean he wasn¡¯t coming back? * * * Friday, May 9th, 2069 ¡°Dave, I know what you¡¯re asking, but we can¡¯t access Brodie¡¯s accounts when he¡¯s not here. I was never given power of Attorney, nor were his parents,¡± Mrs Stovall said, her voice slightly frustrated. She took a bite of her breakfast, which they¡¯d begun having here in Brodie¡¯s house as a group. Mostly, it was to support Clara and Gary, but it also let them game plan how they might do better for the days to come. ¡°There has to be something, though,¡± Dave responded looking toward Geneva and Kristen. ¡°Sorry, but his CashMe is one of the few online platforms we have zero access to,¡± Kristen said. ¡°We¡¯ve since adjusted the link online to another that we control, but donations have somewhat dried up after that initial burst,¡± Geneva added. ¡°Partially because we don¡¯t have Brodie, who¡¯s kind of the main character in the story we were building.¡± Dave looked to Willa, who shook her head. Jarred wouldn''t meet his eyes. Finally, his gaze found Smegma¡ªsurely the Demon would have a solution to Jagger¡¯s aggressive expansion¡ªhe was sinister and husking, annoying, but also competent. Even if Dave was loath to admit it. Smegma opened his mouth to respond. Dave held his breath. The Demon popped out of the space he¡¯d been in. Both of Brodie¡¯s parents flinched. His mother Clara shrieked and Willa grabbed her shoulder from right beside her. Then, like the Demon had just taken a momentary break¡ªhe was back. His return was heralded by a massive inhalation¡ªthat made it sound like Smegma had been holding his breath. After a moment, Dave realized that he had more red decals than normal. What in the hell? One of the decals oozed¡ªSmegma was bleeding. ¡°What the hell just happened?¡± Dave shouted, accidentally forgetting to control his volume. What could hurt the incorporeal Demon? Smegma¡¯s eyes were wide and wild as he stared around the table, his breathing still coming hard and fast. Everyone stared at him, each one realizing what Dave had noticed before his outburst. ¡°Smegma, what happened?¡± Gary asked, his voice deadly calm, like he was forcing himself to ask something he didn¡¯t want to. ¡°Sharp puzzle pieces,¡± Smegma muttered, his voice breathy and the words senseless to everyone. Willa looked to Jarred and Dave, who both shrugged. Gary looked at Clara¡ªwhile Mrs. Stovall, Geneva and Kristen kept their eyes trained on Smegma. ¡°Brodie, got a new Skill¡ªbut it was like putting together a puzzle at double or maybe even triple the speed it usually comes.¡± ¡°What?¡± Clara shouted. ¡°Brodie got a new Skill?!¡± Dave could tell that she also had lost volume control, but he didn¡¯t blame her. If what Smegma had just said was true¡ªthey finally had at least one definitive answer on the matter. Brodie was definitely alive. Smegma being here, had likely meant he was¡ªbut now¡­ Now, they could be sure. Dave looked at Clara and Gary pleadingly. ¡°Does this mean you two can come back to work?¡± Everyone at the table transferred their gazes to Brodie¡¯s parents. Clara and Gary looked at each other for a split second before Gary snatched Clara into a tight embrace. Clara started to cry and Dave instantly regretted his question. It wasn¡¯t the time. Still, they could really use the two veterans. One in the back office and the other in the Mines! Maybe with their help they could recruit more Gatherers to Abyss. Things weren¡¯t totally husked yet, but the signs were pointing to Jagger building up to something. Dave coughed politely to draw everyone¡¯s attention back to him. Excitedly, he overrode Clara¡¯s soft sobs¡ªhoping to give her some privacy. ¡°Also, I did forget to tell you all about my discovery yesterday!¡± He described his Stats unlocking and was somewhat surprised when Willa and Jarred just gave him confused looks. Eventually the looks became too much, and he asked the obvious question. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Well, we both unlocked Strength a few weeks ago,¡± Jarred answered. ¡°However, I don¡¯t know why you¡¯d have unlocked two stats. Smegma said it might be because you used your Skill differently?¡± Smegma, who had been largely forgotten about in the ensuing conversation, was looking markedly better when Dave turned his attention back to the Demon. Smegma tilted his neck back and forth, clearly conveying that it was just theoretical, before he spoke. ¡°I think so. At least, that makes the most sense. Like how you can Shatter rock, or Crystals,¡± he added pointedly, clearly still upset with how many of the Equipment Specialists were Sharding. ¡°But couldn¡¯t you also Shatter sound waves or wood, water, and so forth.¡± Dave blinked, wishing the Demon had used that analogy sooner. It was like something clicked in his head. He too could Cut other things. Like, sure there were physical things he could Cut¡ªbut what about the elemental bonds between water? Like, separate the Hydrogen from the Oxygen? Would that work? Geneva interrupted his train of thought when she turned to Mrs. Stovall. ¡°With all this talk of Skills, did you discover what yours did yet?¡± Dave tuned back in immediately. Supposedly her Skill was called Chains of Truth, and he was very interested in what it could do. ¡°With Willa¡¯s help, I managed to connect my Mana Pool to it, and John volunteered to be my guinea pig. It took a while to figure out what was going on¡ªJohn says it¡¯s because he¡¯s always so honest with me.¡± Mrs. Stovall laughed, which confused Dave for a moment, until she clarified. ¡°It forces the person I use it on to tell the Truth. They can¡¯t speak a lie. There are ways around it. Like Illusory Truth and also very intelligent wording¡ªbut it actually will give me a huge advantage when applying to become a Judge!¡± Everyone around the table cheered politely, not wanting to seem too eager and excited when one of their numbers was still crying. It shocked everyone when Clara said, ¡°Where are we on those Skills that Brodie and you negotiated for?¡± Mrs. Stovall smiled. ¡°Those, at least, can be used at Gary and your discretion as the CEO¡¯s of the company.¡± ¡°I only see four people at this table that still don¡¯t have a second Skill,¡± Clara retorted fiercely. ¡°I think it¡¯s time we started to really fight back against Jagger! Don¡¯t you all?¡± Dave smiled. The first person he looked at was Smegma after the pronouncement and the Demon was also smiling, but he looked terrifying and menacing¡ªso much so, that Dave had to wonder if they¡¯d somehow made a deal with the Devil¡­ 122 Tutorial Day 19
Status Tutorial Name: [Enter Name] Tutorial Points: -8,266 Skills: Demonic Vault, Dragon Heart, Reptilian Body, Heal, Cleanse Role: Gatherer / Healer Mana Pool: 50 / 50 Qi: 2 / 42 Soul: * 14 / 14 Stats: Strength: 10 Agility: 10 Stamina: 10 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 4 Dexterity: 10 Perception: 4 ¨C Demonic Vault Sub-Skills Butchering Classes Cooking Fishing Gardening Harvesting Herb Lore Mining Overdraft Skinning
It was easy to find what the new Skill was, but what it did wasn¡¯t exactly clear. By context I could deduce it had to do with knowledge about Herbs, but didn¡¯t Harvesting give me that information already? There was no way of knowing exactly what it did, at least not unless I went out and found a Crystal Mine¡ªor someone selling Spent Mana Crystals. Still, it had to have come from the Mortar and Pestle, so working with it should bring the Skill level up¡ªand maybe reveal the function of Herb Lore through context. So, in the end, I continued to work with the dried Herbs in my room. The five pounds of Fine Powder sold as I worked on twenty of the thirty-three dried Moon Stalks.
Finely Powdered Witch Hazel has sold. 5 Pounds at 1 Tp a gram. 2270 Tutorial Points Earned - 295 of Tax 1975 Tutorial Points Earned. Tutorial Points: -6,191
Climbing out of this debt seemed like it was going to be easier than I initially thought¡ªhowever, there was one problem. I took my eyes off the grinding Moon Stalk to look at what I still had left to convert to powder. 42 Witch Hazel Flowers 13 Moon Stalks 22 Earth Roots 9 Angry Fruits 7 Assorted Stamen and Pistil 24 Rock Lavender Petals 21 Rock Lavender Leaves 6 Rock Lavender Stems Actually, there were multiple problems. If I wanted to grind all these Herbs down and excluded the Angry Fruits, I¡¯d need three to six more containers. I could rent them for a hundred Tp a day, and then return them once I¡¯d finished experimenting with the herbs. But if I wanted to keep grinding down Witch Hazel with Qi¡ªI¡¯d need to buy at least one for permanency, right? I looked at the fused sapling with an arm of the Witch Hazel growing on it, and wondered if that would be sufficient to make a few batches of the stuff a day. Maybe¡ªbut probably not¡­ Nearby were the leaf buckets with the Mana Apple core, and the Immature Red Middlemist. I decided to water both of them when I discovered that the soil was relatively dry. The math for getting a permanent container would mean that instead of about seven thousand of debt¡ªI was sitting at close to eighty five hundred or more, depending on how many days this process would take. The other question was whether Witch Hazel would continue to sell or was just currently in demand. ¡°Plus what about all these other Herbs?¡± I questioned aloud. ¡°They could be more valuable, and I should probably test each one¡­¡± Unfortunately, testing them would mean selling them, which would take away the Herbs I had, making my experimentation with the Pill Crafting harder to attempt. It also meant that any wastage from the Cauldron learning process was at a cost far higher than I originally thought. So, was it better to purchase all the containers, and not try my hand at Pill Crafting at all? No, surely if the Herbs were worth this much than the Pills would be worth even more. I reminded myself with an exclamation. ¡°I saw examples of F-Rank Pills in the shop being worth a ten thousand Tp or more!¡± And there lay the second problem¡­ I needed to go out and collect more Herbs... To do that, I needed to have full Qi and Mana in case a Borker attacked me. So, how many batches of Qi-produced herbs could I make in a day? ¡°One in the morning, and one late at night? But will my Qi regenerate overnight thanks to the remnants of my dinner?¡± I asked the empty bedroom. It was safe to say I could definitely accomplish making a single batch, and likely a second, which would easily have me out of debt and able to pay next month''s room and board. Only if I could go out and keep collecting plants¡­ Only if I could not split my haul with others¡­ Only if I could avoid getting taxed by other Tribes¡­ He didn¡¯t fail to recall the fact that every day that he was stuck inside the Tutorial were fractions of days that he was estranged from his family and friends. This was about more than simply staying out of debt¡ªit was about surviving and completing the Tutorial. Basically I either need to join up with a group that I could collect more Herbs with, or I need to go solo. He thought, coming to a conclusion. My near-death experience with London¡¯s group is steering me firmly towards the latter like a cruise liner plotting a course through known seas to avoid Portal Breaks¡ªwhere one or two Monsters might have survived. Only when I came out of my deep, entrancing thoughts, did I recognize that I had long since finished grinding down this batch of Moon Stalk. Chuckling to myself, I stood up and decided to go rent two more containers for now. I doubted I¡¯d get through the Moon Stalk, and Earth Root today. So I wouldn¡¯t be attempting the Rock Lavender parts until tomorrow, at the earliest. Before I knew it, the Sunstone was indicating that it was noon. My Qi had only just refilled about an hour ago, which was disappointing. If it had recovered faster, I could have created a second batch of Fine Powder, ate lunch and then headed out. As it was, lunch was just going to go to waste¡­ Well, that wasn¡¯t true. I still needed food¡ªbut the Qi that seemed to recharge from food would be wasted! Only when I noticed my shaking hand on the door handle to leave my room, did I fully comprehend what Mental Fortitude had been suppressing all night and morning. While my mind seemed to be able to cope with the near-death experience that felt like a lifetime ago, my body seemed to be reacting separately to it. ¡°I need to go back out there,¡± I mumbled my thoughts aloud, hoping my body would hear me. It was like a mantra that I could hear Mental Fortitude repeating endlessly on a loop. Pulling up my hood once again, and the mantra got the door open and me down to lunch, where they served some type of green meat, orange tubers, and¡­ rice? I was again a bit too busy to give the food much thought. My hands were still shaking as I shoveled the food into my mouth. The near death experience wasn¡¯t even from the Monsters¡­ That¡¯s the problem. I realized all at once. I gazed around the room, my eyes widening. I had almost died at the hands of a person. To a single Skill use¡­ a Skill I¡¯d seen her use before, too. Every person in this room was an unknown¡ªevery one of them was likely someone with multiple Skills too. Or at least, those people existed. I was in a Tutorial with Monsters, and Monstrous Humans. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Recognizing the problem helped my Mental Fortitude address it. Pointing out to myself that I was going to be going alone, and that I could likely slowly build up my ability to move about undetected. That thought had me double-check my current attire. I was wearing the Alchemist Robes¡ªwhich would likely make me stand out far too much outside of this building. However, my black set and Mining Gear was practically destroyed. So, what options did I really have? The answer gave my trembling body the reprieve it wanted, but also would put my Pill Cauldron experimentation on hold. I needed to wait. Essentially, I could make four batches or more of the Powder a day. Then, I could buy some less conspicuous gear, and head out. Sure, there was the risk that the ingredients would stop selling, but I doubted it¡­ Belly full, I returned to my room and used my Qi to grind the Moon Stalks. I was slightly disappointed in the amount, but when I placed them in a container, and compared the differences, I was pleasantly surprised.
Powdered Moon Stalk High-F Efficacy 93% ¨C Finely Powdered Moon Stalk Mid-E Efficacy 128%
Surely the increase in efficacy would mean that it sold for more. I rushed the three and a half cups of the much more grainy Moon Stalk to the labs, and then returned to my room. To my disappointment, the Moon Stalk didn¡¯t sell even after I was finished with the final thirteen. I shrugged it off for the same reason I had this morning. Surely it was because people were already back at work. Plus, I¡¯d soon have Qi enough to either grind more Witch Hazel or Earth Root. I moved the Earth Root into the Mortar and Pestle. It soon became abundantly apparent that the Earth Root was either not dried enough to be ground¡ªor wasn¡¯t going to be possible to grind. It was too much like a tree root, and that similarity led me to believe it might actually be something used entirely differently for Alchemy. I looked at the Pill Cauldron, and the two drawers. One I¡¯d determined was meant for fire. Was this a type of fuel? It felt off, but what else could the wood-like root be for? ¡°Well,¡± I admitted to myself. ¡°It could be put into the crucible and converted to ash or a powder that way¡ªbut wouldn¡¯t that be the same as burning it in the grate and catching it in the pan?¡± Shrugging, I put that experiment off for later and moved on, taking out the Rock Lavender Petals. I was about midway through grinding the first batch of four, when something red caught my eye. I looked up, knowing I was alone in the room and found a red plaque like I was used to seeing out in the Wilds. Except this plaque was hovering over one of the containers. Which one, became apparent without me having to see the label.
Powdered Witch Hazel Witch Hazel has natural disinfectant properties, which makes it good in poultices applied to wounds, and in Cleansing Potions.
I looked at the plaque and blinked. Then dropping the pestle, I scrambled for my notebook. Sure enough, there was a note I¡¯d transcribed from one of the books in the Library. I read the entry ¡°Powdered Witch Hazel seems to be linked with some form of healing promotion.¡± So, it would seem that Herb Lore was going to give me information on the Alchemical Properties of the Plants. That would certainly be helpful for Alchemy! I returned to grinding Rock Lavender Petals with a large smile. When I finished the batch and placed them in the second container I¡¯d originally meant for the Earth Root¡ªthe container created a label.
Powdered Rock Lavender Petal Low-E Efficacy 77%.
I checked the Moon Stalk container, hoping to find a plaque. There wasn¡¯t one, but when I glanced across at the Witch Hazel as I sat down, something had changed.
Powdered Witch Hazel Witch Hazel has natural disinfectant properties, which makes it good in poultices applied to wounds, and in Cleansing Potions. Witch Hazel is a natural stabilizer for many Pills and Potions, as it contains both the Earth and the Anti-Poison Affinity.
My smile grew and I put the next batch of four petals into my Mortar. By the time my Qi was full again, I had a plaque for Moon Stalks and a third piece of information on Powdered Witch Hazel.
Powdered Witch Hazel ¡­ Witch Hazel is quite flammable and should never be placed in a Cauldron or Beaker that will exceed three hundred and fifty degrees Fahrenheit. Powdered Moon Stalk Moon Stalk is a subtle ingredient that changes its properties based on the Pill or Potion it¡¯s being used for.
The information on Moon Stalk was far less helpful¡ªbut even as I checked my notebook again, I got some context. Giddy with excitement at the multiple entries on Moon Stalk I read: ¡°Moon Stalk adds to the explosive properties of incendiary and explosive concoctions¡­¡± ¡°¡ªcreated a swamp-like effect that ruined a Skin-Tempering Potion.¡± ¡°¡ªincreased the efficacy of the alertness effect found in tea¡¯s, and Adrenaline Potions.¡± No wonder no one had known what it did. As I kept reading, I realized that it could create a negative association when its properties changed¡ªor a multiplicative effect could take place, depending on the application. I decided to use my Qi on the Powdered Rock Lavender Petals, mostly to continue my experimentation. However, it was a tough decision. Now that I knew what Witch Hazel did¡ªI could see why it might be the most popular ingredient I could make. Stabilizing a potion and ensuring you didn¡¯t create something toxic or poisonous was surely valuable¡ªunless, of course, you were attempting to make toxins or poisons¡­ That of course, made my eyebrows jump to my hairline. Could I create a poison to coat a weapon in, that might help me take on a Borker? Usually, using poison on an animal you intended to butcher was a stupid choice¡ªbut I had a huge advantage with Cleanse, didn¡¯t I? My jimmy leg started bouncing after I¡¯d lowered myself onto the bed. Could I really go at this Tutorial solo? * * * Saturday, May 10th, 2069 Willa woke up with a smile. Often mornings had been a time of stress for her. There were several reasons for that, starting with if her car would start¡ªand ending in if P-Cubed would be able to maintain its bonus at the end of the week. Sad to say, that didn¡¯t happen often. Now, under Alonzo¡¯s Abyss, she had taken home eight thousand Greenbacks after her second week, and four thousand the weekend before. Sure, it wasn¡¯t a large pool of data, but even with all the injuries they¡¯d needed to heal¨Cthey had stayed in the positives. She turned her head on her pillow, wanting to share the moment with her husband, Steve. He wasn¡¯t there. Her smile slipped to a frown, until she heard someone moving about in the kitchen. Steve was just getting things ready for the kids and school. She looked at the time, and realized it was already six-thirty in the morning and that Stevewould be leaving in the next fifteen minutes. Willa rushed out of bed, getting dressed in a hurry. Once outside, she stepped in and helped him finish up packing the lunches for little Bembe and Anacaona. One was in junior kindergarten and the other was in senior, separated by a year and a few months as they were. When she zipped up the Pinky Paws bag for Ana, Steve said, ¡°You¡¯ll drop them at school before heading to site?¡± Willa smiled and moved toward Steve for a hug. He opened his arm and kissed her forehead. Her face was buried in his chest as she replied, ¡°Of course I be droppin¡¯ em babe. Did I be tellin¡¯ ya that I be makin¡¯ twelve thousand last week?¡± ¡°You texted it to me, while I was at work. Speaking of, I better try my car and make sure it will start.¡± His response wasn¡¯t what Willa expected. She hadn¡¯t looked at her phone this morning, but was pretty sure he should be more excited than this. Had he sent a text with that excitement after his shift yesterday evening? Or had she maybe sent the exciting news in broken english? ¡°How late will ya be workin¡¯ tonight?¡± Willa asked, trying very hard not to screw up her meaning. She wanted the conversation to shift to his long hours. ¡°Fifteen hours today, babe. I¡¯ll get overtime for all of that though.¡± ¡°But we not be needin¡¯ ya workin¡¯ that much. Not anymore. Did you not be understandin¡¯ my text or what I just be sayin¡¯? Twelve thousand, babe¡­¡± Steve sighed, and met her eyes with a sad expression. ¡°Baby, do you remember when you started at P-cubed?¡± Willa nodded. ¡°Remember when the first bonus came in?¡± Willa let her head droop. He wasn¡¯t wrong, but he wasn¡¯t understanding something. ¡°But it ain¡¯t like that, this time. Babe, I be a Specialist. I be gettin¡¯ fifty an hour without dem bonuses.¡± ¡°How much did you go into debt the last time you purchased Enchanted Gear. baby?¡± Steve asked. ¡°But this gear ain¡¯t be breakin¡¯ babe. None of our gear be breakin¡¯. It all be like my Pick,¡± Willa responded, hotly. She didn¡¯t like having her mistakes thrown back at her like this. Sure, she had lost some of their savings but the money had been from her bonuses. Steve worked at Border Control, and while he made a good wage¨Cshe made more. ¡°That¡¯s what you said last time sweetheart. I¡¯ve got to go, but I¡¯ll believe that this time is different when we aren¡¯t renting a two bedroom, rent controlled, townhome.¡± Willa clamped her mouth shut, not wanting to scream at her husband, and knowing that¡¯s what would happen if she tried to respond. She had a response to. Something along the lines of, ¡®I¡¯m a Skilled Specialist you asshat! Probably a good thing I didn¡¯t yell that, she managed to think as she heard one of the two children in the second bedroom stir. She¡¯d text Steve that response later¨Cwhen they got the bonus numbers for today. With all the Miner¡¯s using Brodie¡¯s repairing Pickaxes, they¡¯d surely keep earning them. All of them could even reach the Evolved version that Gary, Brodie¡¯s and hers reached after the Golem! For now, she¡¯d start on breakfast for Ana and Bembe. * * * Willa Sharded a Crystal and cursed under her breath at it, and herself. And Steve. Her mood had been off since this morning, and she knew it was because she was upset she hadn¡¯t explained the situation better. She¡¯d told Steve about her new Skill, she was sure of it¨Cbut sometimes when she got excited, things got mixed up. So, while she knew she¡¯d brought it up and found his lack of reaction strange, she¡¯d thought he was just tired. The man just worked so hard. He was Selfless, through and through. Well, he might be if he hadn¡¯t been born a Pooler, like her. Maybe she should have sent him a text explaining things better before entering this Portal with the Snow Birds? Since, she still wasn¡¯t entirely calm¨CWilla was able to admit to herself how that text would have gone. Passive aggressive would be the best she could have hoped for. She took a breather, not wanting to Shard any more Crystals due to anger. In that moment Willa somewhat wished she was in a chamber with Jarred or Gary. Like the old days. They would have been fine with her venting about it. As it were, she had a group of five people she ¡®knew¡¯ but knew nothing about. Not even a one of them were her drinking buddies after work. Willa decided that she was done with Crystals for now¨Cthey really needed to hire some Pooler¡¯s that could do the task. Otherwise, Jagger would edge them out on the bigger contract in the future. She shrugged even as she moved toward a deposit that could be Fool¡¯s Gold or True Gold. At the moment she didn¡¯t care. Not really. She just wanted to hit something harder than the Crystals, with her Skill. Maybe not harder, even. Something that wasn¡¯t valuable¨Cor that she could destroy? It was hard to pinpoint what she ¡®needed¡¯ in the moment. However, obliterating a deposit would work for her. She pictured the Ore as a shiny mirror, and swung while connecting her Mana Rivers to the Shatter Ocean. Smegma had told her this was a representation of her Soul, and the imagery of the island surrounded by water, helped calm her. Her Pick, with it¡¯s ebony handle and gleaming ¡®steel¡¯ head began to glow. Now that she was calm, she had a moment to reconsider, but chose to follow through. Therapy was expensive now a days. The tip of the Pick hit dead center on the soft Ore, and it a bright light blinded and disoriented Willa. She stumbled away from its source before realizing that her strike had been the cause. Shouts and nervous screams sounded out from the other Miners in the cavern. When her vision began to clear, she was unsure what she was looking at. That, and her nose was overwhelmed by the smell of sulfur. Blinking her eyes didn¡¯t make the pulsing stars go away. She shook herself, hoping he hadn¡¯t damaged her eyeballs in a moment of stupidity. Then, her vision cleared more, and she realized that what she¡¯d mistaken as stars was a fine powder. It was coating the floor around her, and hovering through the room like thousands of fireflies. She pulled up her mask so she didn¡¯t breathe in any more of it, but continued to watch, mesmerized by the scene she¡¯d created. It was strangely beautiful.
Dexterity Increased by 1. Dexterity Stat Unlocked. ¡ª- Stats Strength: 10 Locked. Locked. Locked. Locked. Dexterity: 2 Locked.
Willa¡¯s eyes, which were already wide, attempted to get bigger. Maybe she¡¯d need to blow up some more shit around here. 123 Tutorial Day 20
Finely Powdered Rock Lavender Petals High-E Efficacy: 125%
The rented container sat on the table next to me as I tried to understand the notes in my journal on Rock Lavender. They were, by and large, very derogatory toward the plant. Each and every entry I transcribed had claimed that they were useless in Potion and Pill making¡ªuseless in venom crafting¡ªand only good if you personally wanted to ingest something that might kill you. Essentially, they were poisonous. The confusion on my part, had nothing to do with the consensus reached by others. No, I couldn¡¯t understand why the System would want me to collect twenty perfect Fruits from a toxic plant. It was possible that the problem was just the rank of the plant¡ªbut surely there were other plants out there in the low E-Ranks, right? Immediately upon this realization, I lamented my loss of Smegma. I had a feeling he¡¯d know something about this. That was quickly followed up by a prayer, that the Demon was still alive¡ªumm, incorporeal and around, when I returned? I amended. Still, something felt off about the Tutorial asking me to collect the Fruit of a poisonous plant. That, and the Harvesting or Gardening Skill indication that it should be sectioned off lead me to one conclusion. Parts of the plant were toxic, while others might be poisonous, and others still could be useful. The question I had to answer was, which was which? Luckily, I¡¯d gotten a Skill that might help with that. I assumed it would take a while for it to reach a usefully-high enough level to show me E-Rank materials, but maybe¡­ Sadly, the container on the table would likely be useless for a long while. I should¡¯ve checked my notes before I used last night''s Qi on it. Thankfully, this morning I¡¯d done another batch of the Powdered Witch Hazel. The Moon Stalk sold last night sometime¡ªwhich just reaffirmed something I already somewhat knew. This building never slept.
Finely Powdered Moonstalk has sold. 3.5 Pounds at 1.2 Tp a gram. 1907 Tutorial Points Earned - 248 of Tax 1659 Tutorial Points Earned. Tutorial Points: -4998
Theoretically, if I stuck to Witch Hazel, and Moon Stalk I¡¯d be out of debt later today. With what I had on hand, I might even stockpile the ten thousand points needed for Room and Board next month. However, what then? My Mental Fortitude ¡®helpfully¡¯ pointed out my dwindling stock. It showed me, quite pointedly, that I was avoiding going out of Town. Knowing that I was avoiding it, didn¡¯t help.
Finely Powdered Witch Hazel has sold. 5 Pounds at 1 Tp a gram. 2270 Tutorial Points Earned - 295 of Tax 1975 Tutorial Points Earned. Tutorial Points: -3023
My eyes tracked over to the drawer I¡¯d recently placed my container in, only to find two raccoon-like eyes glaring at me. I would have been worried if I didn¡¯t somewhat recognize their owner. It was the girl I¡¯d seen late at night. Or, rather¡ªa ghoulish and very tired version of her. Since I had my hood pulled, I was beyond surprised when she began stomping in my direction. On her arrival she pointed to my mostly empty plate. ¡°You done eating?¡± Her tone wasn¡¯t angry, but it was certainly frustrated¡ªwhich I wasn¡¯t sure I understood. Hedging my bet, I answered. ¡°I wanted seconds¡­¡± ¡°Get a plate and let¡¯s go somewhere to chat-T,¡± her ending T, was so pronounced I heard it twice. Maybe she was¡­ angry? Normally, I would avoid going with someone in whatever state this woman was in, especially after the Morgan Hallsbrad situation. Yet, she couldn¡¯t hurt me physically in town, right? Plus, she¡¯d helped me two nights ago. Very minor help¡­ but still. Standing up, I continued to deliberate as I gathered a second plate of food. I hadn¡¯t, to date, taken a plate or food out of the ¡®classrooms¡¯, but figured I¡¯d give it a go now. In fact, this could help me in the future. Eating with my hood up wasn¡¯t comfortable. In the end I decided to go chat with her. I needed some information about this place anyway¡­ The girl led the way out of the classroom and then up a flight of stairs and another, before exiting the stairwell and heading to a door that looked a lot like my own, but grander. She touched the handle, and the door swung open. My uneasiness at going somewhere alone returned when I realized that this might be her bedroom. When I froze in the hallway, she returned to the door, before it could close and gave me a suspicious look. ¡°You waiting for an invite?¡± She asked, after the silence of her holding the door got a bit awkward. ¡°Umm,¡± I eloquently responded with a blush. ¡°Oh come on. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re good looking enough, but I¡¯m not inviting you into my room to bed you!¡± She exclaimed with a laugh that made my heart shrivel in my chest. Sure, there had been a compliment in there, but the derision and laughter that followed felt a bit emasculating. Smegma would probably never have let me live something like this down. Dave either for that matter. With that thought, I strode through the door and into what was definitely not a bedroom, but a lavish sitting room. My mouth fell open, and I stared first at her ¡®living area¡¯, complete with a coffee table, leather recliner, sofa and loveseat. Then my gaze turned to her fireplace, but more specifically¡ªwhat was hanging above it. It was a very well polished Sword and Shield. To the right of the fireplace was a set of exquisite leather armor, so black it almost seemed to suck in the light from the numerous Sunstones that hung from a chandelier and wall sconces. Next, my eyes passed over a Pill Cauldron, shoved into a corner. The thing was stunning, but covered in a thick layer of dust. It was, to my Demonic Vault bought Pill Cauldron, what Spaam was to Pork Tenderloin. Sitting beside it and the fireplace were stacks of firewood that looked identical. Blinking, I took my eyes off the Cauldron, forcing myself to move on and not act suspicious. Yet, as I scanned the rest of the room, I considered what I saw further. Either regular trees were the source of fuel to use for a pill cauldron, or this woman wasn¡¯t doing it right. With the layer of dust on the Cauldron I was leaning toward the latter. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. As I turned back around I discovered that the girl I¡¯d seen at breakfast was no longer in the room. In her place was a woman. Sure, she was still on the younger side¨Csomewhere between twenty and thirty¨Cbut calling her anything other than a woman was doing her a disservice. She had bright red hair that almost looked like it was aflame. Her body was a collection of curves that would leave most men drooling, and this lady carried herself like she was a queen in her domain. ¡°Ahh,¡± I stuttered looking around for the girl who¡¯d invited me in. Was this her mother? They looked somewhat similar¡­ The woman put back on a necklace, and before my very eyes, turned back into the girl. It felt like watching a sunset as it finished. I blinked at the dull illusion of the woman. She smiled and took the necklace back off. ¡°Sit down anywhere,¡± the woman stated. ¡°Can I get you a coffee or beverage to go with your breakfast?¡± My eyes must have lit up when she said coffee cause she chuckled. ¡°You really are as new as I¡¯d discovered. It isn¡¯t real coffee but an Alchemical recreation.¡± ¡°Does it taste the same?¡± I asked, my mouth salivating at the thought of getting a sip of the beverage. ¡°Also why would you wear that?¡± I motioned at the necklace. With a shrug she said, ¡°I¡¯m watched everywhere I go in here. As for the Alchemical Coffee? It isn¡¯t perfect, but it¡¯s getting close.¡± She then sauntered over to a kitchenette I had yet to see. Despite her clear attempt to be seductive I watched her with narrow eyes. Who was keeping tabs on her? Then again, I still had my hood up. So¡­ I returned to studying the kitchenette. It contained an island with a polished rock counter, open-shelved cupboards with numerous clay cups¡ªclearly all of different makes, and even a sink. My first reaction was to ask her about the running water and if that meant there were real showers somewhere in this Tutorial, but thinking it rude, I instead said, ¡°My name¡¯s Brodie, what¡¯s yours?¡± ¡°Using your real name? Has no one explained to you the dangers in that,¡± she answered while pulling down cups. ¡°I¡¯m Veronique.¡± ¡°Dangers?¡± I asked, and then unable to continue to hold in my previous questions I blurted. ¡°If you have running water, does that mean there are showers in this place? And who¡¯s watching you?¡± Veronique chuckled even as she reached under her island and pulled out a large round-bottomed flask, a bunsen burner and a metal contraption that was clearly meant to hold the former. As she moved over to an ornate side table, she answered. ¡°Yes, rooms on the second floor here do have showers. But they cost quite a bit more. I can let you use mine if our dealings today go well. As for the dangers of a real name and who¡¯s watching me¡ª¡± She took the top off the table, which I now realized was a large black barrel with golden bands and inlay. She continued talking even as she dipped the round-bottomed flask into the barrel and came back out with a liquid black enough that it might have been cold brew. ¡°¡ªwho is entirely theoretical. The problem with the real name is less so. First, there¡¯s the Leaderboard that gets sent out four times a ¡®year.¡¯ Then there¡¯s the simple fact that I wouldn¡¯t want someone to connect me with Veronique, if I ever made it out of here.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be impossible for me to get onto a Leaderboard, with how long people have been here? As for the once you get out of here¨CWhy wouldn¡¯t you want that?¡± I asked, even as she lit the bunsen burner with a match, despite not hooking it up to a fire. Veronique was mostly distracted as we chatted, but at my question, she gave me a pitying look that I wasn¡¯t used to seeing. ¡°There¡¯s more than one reason I don¡¯t leave the Town anymore, kid,¡± she responded. ¡°And who knows what opportunities you might discover in the Tutorial. Joining the top hundred isn¡¯t unheard of¡­¡± Once the flat-bottomed flask was balanced above the flame she moved over to indicate her living area again. ¡°Come now, sit down. I don¡¯t bite.¡± Only when she said it, did I realize I was still standing as I watched her move about the room, a plate of food held awkwardly in one hand, hood still pulled up. Her warning about the real name, paired with my desire to hide, and sent chills down my spine. I didn¡¯t want the attention of a small group of four ¡®noobz.¡¯ So, if I hit the Leaderboard¨CI¡¯d be in big trouble. I hurried to sit down and availed myself of the coffee table to place my plate. I left the hood up, and even pulled it down to deepen the shadow in the well lit room. Then, I asked the obvious question her last response garnered, ¡°Was it just the Leaderboard that made you a target?¡± ¡°No,¡± she said with a chuckle. ¡°What did you do?¡± I asked, shocked by her candidness. ¡°To Maelstrom? Not much, which is likely why he tolerates me. To the other Tribes? Well, I¡¯d hope to hell I don¡¯t make it out of here just to run into one of them.¡± The way she kept dodging the true root question made me realize I wasn¡¯t going to get a straight answer. Instead, I asked, ¡°Do you know of a way out of here?¡± ¡°Husk no,¡± Veronique answered with a scoffing chuckle. ¡°If I did, do you think I¡¯d still be here heating up fake coffee?¡± Almost as soon as the black liquid started to bubble, she pulled off the flask¡ªwithout using gloves, mind you, and poured the liquid into two cups. Then, she came and sat down on the love seat, since I was in the chair. She slid the more full of the two cups over to me and smiled. The clear message was that she wanted me to try it and tell her what I thought. I lifted the clay mug and tested my hands on the sides of it. It didn¡¯t feel hot and she hadn¡¯t let the mixture come to a true boil. Plus, she had pulled off the flask with her bare hands. Still, I took a test sip to find the concoction was just above warm. The test sip didn¡¯t carry much taste and so I took a larger one. The initial flavor when the liquid hit my tongue was nearly identical to coffee, though thrown off a bit by the lack of heat. Still, it held that hit of acidity and sweetness I had come to associate with the drink. Then I swallowed and felt myself grow disappointed. It was missing more than just heat. The bitterness and nuttiness I liked in a good coffee was absent. The aftertaste was distinctly plain¡ªalmost like I had just swallowed flavored water. It was such a pale imitation of the aftertaste of coffee that it mocked it. Veronique smiled sadly when she saw the change in my face. ¡°I know,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s really not perfect. It¡¯s really just a strong, fermented tea, but it¡¯s better than when I started.¡± ¡°Why is it only warm?¡± I asked, pointing out the first flaw, which seemed easily fixable. ¡°When it boils, it burns the tannins. Makes it taste too much of iron, like blood. Throws off the whole mixture.¡± Despite my disappointment in the taste, I went back for a second sip and saw her smile. ¡°As I said, it¡¯s closer than when I started. Now, mind if I get down to business?¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯m still a bit thrown for why I¡¯m up here,¡± I answered and motioned around myself at the extravagant space. ¡°And why you told me all that¡­¡± I took a piece of the crispy meat that was likely meant to imitate bacon. The taste of the meat did make it feel more like I was having coffee at home around the breakfast table. ¡°It took me a while to realize it was you who was putting up the Finely Ground Powders. I just hadn¡¯t considered it being a newbie.¡± She motioned at me and continued, ¡°The hood didn¡¯t help you there¡­¡± She shook her head, silently scolding me for the choice. I blushed furiously and pulled the hood down sheepishly. ¡°Wow, you are good looking,¡± she exclaimed. then winked. Her eyes then went from playful to deathly serious as she turned on me with a suspicious scrutiny, that froze me in place. ¡°Did someone lend you an old enchanted Mortar and Pestle or something?¡± Frowning, I allowed my blood to slowly warm me up before I took another bite, choosing not to answer. I figured I might get more information by letting her continue to speculate, and I was right. ¡°Did you truly start with enough Tutorial Points to buy one? Or just get lucky with a random purchase? No,¡± she hummed. ¡°That seems too unlikely. Someone would have had to have told you, and people I work with are tight-lipped. Well, regardless¡ªyou¡¯ve found yourself in a very advantageous position,¡± she finished. My head was spinning with questions but I chose to only ask a single one. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ve discovered what processed materials can really sell for,¡± Veronique responded with a self deprecating smile. ¡°Welcome to the game.¡± She finished and winked at me. ¡°Okay, but that doesn¡¯t explain why you were looking for me,¡± I stated. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it though? Think about it kid,¡± she responded. Her words made me stop and think. I¡¯d been playing a part to try to get more information, and now she was calling me out. Politely as well, so I figured I should at least consider what she was saying. ¡°You don¡¯t want others to see the difference in Material cost?¡± I responded. ¡°I¡¯m putting F-Rank herbs in the E-Rank section, and that could ruin the secret!¡± I amended¡ªthen continued. ¡°You have a bit of a monopoly on that market.¡± ¡°Bingo!¡± She said, taking a sip of her own ¡®coffee¡¯ and then frowning at it. ¡°Anyone in on this little secret, sells directly to me. I then hold an auction for the really rare stuff once a month. Anything else, like the Finely Powdered Witch Hazel, people come to me and buy in bulk.¡± ¡°Okay, what¡¯s the benefit in that, though?¡± I asked, confused as to the logistics of an operation like this. ¡°I give you the same amount as the Building would, but I give you a credit for the Auction, in the amount of the Taxes. The monthly Auction sells things you can¡¯t get in the Store. You don¡¯t have to worry about sudden competition flooding the market, and making something you created worth less. I¡¯ll always purchase anything you¡¯ve used your Qi and the Enchanted Mortar and Pestle to create. Finally, I¡¯ll give you a single time interest-free loan up to a hundred thousand Tp.¡± My eyes narrowed. Talk about too good to be true. Eventually I ventured, ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Veronique¡¯s laugh was musical. ¡°Kid,¡± she said between gasping guffaws. ¡°You just got here. I¡¯m always open for a renegotiation later, but you ain¡¯t putting anything in my auctions now¡ªso, take it or I¡¯ll just make sure every time you visit the classroom drawers, one of the others pulls out your materials immediately.¡± One of the others? Well, it did make sense that there were more people involved in this operation. Maybe not even involved but selling and buying from Veronique¡­ ¡°What if I just start telling other Alchemists and groups about this,¡± I asked hesitantly. Veronique never lost her smile, but the room seemed to grow chilly, as she responded. ¡°Then you better not leave the Town, too.¡±